cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Buffer Composition on Site-Specific Glycation of Lysine Residues in Monoclonal Antibodies.

Abstract Candidate antibodies under consideration for development as pharmaceuticals must be screened for potential liabilities. Glycation of lysine side chains is one liability which can significantly alter the efficacy of a therapeutic antibody. Antibody candidates are often subjected to stress-testing after purification to assess liabilities that may arise from variability in the manufacturing process and gauge the manufacturability of the molecule. Because previous publications have shown significant site-specific effects of certain buffer components on the glycation rate of individual lysines, we sought to understand the effects of common buffering agents to find suitable buffers for glycation stress-testing (forced glycation). Therapeutic antibodies are typically only exposed to reducing sugars in cell culture media during production, so we sought to identify buffers that could be used as surrogates for media in forced glycation reactions. Our results indicate that common buffering agents can drastically alter the rate of glycation for specific lysines in an antibody. Forced glycation reactions performed in HEPES and citrate buffers both produce site-specific lysine glycation rates that correlate well with cell culture media, whereas bicarbonate buffer has a highly stimulatory effect on most lysines leading to higher total glycation levels and a poor correlation to glycation rates in media.
Greater Faculty Familiarity with Residents Improves Intraoperative Entrustment

Abstract Background Longitudinal contact between faculty and residents facilitates greater faculty entrustment. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between faculty familiarity with residents and faculty entrustment. Materials and methods Researchers observed and rated entrustment behaviors using OpTrust, September 2015–June 2017 at Michigan Medicine. Faculty familiarity with resident was measured on a 1–4 scale (1 = not familiar, 4 = extremely familiar). ANOVA and Sidak adjusted multiple comparisons were used to assess the relationship between faculty familiarity and faculty entrustment. Results 56 faculty and 73 residents were observed across 225 surgical cases. Faculty entrustment scores increased to 2.48 when resident familiarity was reported as “slightly familiar”. Faculty entrustment scores for “moderately familiar” increased to 2.57. Faculty entrustment scores for “extremely familiar” increased to 2.84. Conclusions We found a positive relationship between faculty familiarity and entrustment. These findings support greater continuity in faculty/resident relationships. Longitudinal contact allows learners to be granted progressive entrustment. Summary This study demonstrates a positive relationship between faculty familiarity with residents and an increase in intraoperative entrustment. These findings support greater continuity in faculty/resident relationships.
Euler's Amazing Way to Solve Equations.

Euler created marvelous patterns ouldn't it be terrible for a mathematics teacher to suggest that we teach our students an algorithm as though it were based on nothing but wishful thinking? And wouldn't it be even more horrible if we made it seem that this algorithm were based on assumptions that are not true? Please allow me to be both terrible and horrible. I want to demonstrate, in this terribly horrible manner, an algorithm for solving polynomial equations. I did not invent this algorithm. I don't know if the famous Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) invented it, but I found it presented in this manner in his algebra text (Euler 1984, 292-98). This book is not just a mathematical gem, it is a monument to Euler's indomitable spirit. Euler lost the sight of his right eye when he was in his early thirties. Some thirty years later he developed glaucoma in his left eye and gradually became totally blind. But Euler did not allow this misfortune to keep him from his work; rather he prepared to cope with his handicap, which meant a life in which formulas would have to be read to him and in which his own works would have to be dic tated. As part of necessary mental exercises he dic tated this algebra text to one of his servants. Sev eral sources reveal that this man had been a tailor's apprentice who entered Euler's employ while the latter lived in Berlin and then followed his master to Saint Petersburg when Euler reas sumed his former position in the Russian capital. It is ironic that none of these sources reveal the secretary's name. Euler begins his text by explaining the meaning of the symbols +, -, and x; in the last chapter he proves Fermat's last theorem for the case = 3 us ing techniques that he had recently discovered and that are based on the arithmetic of complex num bers. But what really makes this book remarkable is Euler's personality, which permeates its pages. If Fellman (1983) will allow me to translate freely, the following is a short passage from his biographi cal sketch of Euler:
Folding-Dependent vs. Folding-Independent Flexible Antennas on E-Textiles

This paper explores folding effects upon two classes of antenna designs that exhibit folding-dependent and folding-independent electromagnetic (EM) performance, respectively. Specifically, Finite Element simulations are used to model: a) a monopole antenna that attains multi-band operation with ~44.5% shift in resonance frequency for a 60° fold, and b) a microstrip antenna that maintains a minimal resonance frequency shift of ~3.5% for a 60° fold. These designs bring forward unique opportunities for antennas that reconfigure their EM performance vs. antennas that maintain their EM performance despite changes in their constituent geometry. Notably, flexible and robust prototypes can be embroidered on e-textiles.
Kaizen: Interactive Gaming for Diabetes Patient Education

Objective: An estimated 100 million Americans have diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, a high risk of being diagnosed with diabetes, or prediabetes. Many complications can arise if diabetes is poorly managed. Hence, the need for adequate knowledge, skills, and ability to care for oneself, known as diabetes self-care management, is needed to reduce complication rates. We used an interactive platform that incorporates principles of gamification to enhance user engagement to enhance diabetes knowledge. The purpose of this descriptive pilot study was to discover what adult patients with diabetes thought about this novel educational approach to diabetes education. Materials and Methods: We collected focus group data from participants at a diabetes clinic after they played an interactive diabetes trivia game, on our software platform (Kaizen Education). Transcripts were coded and common themes were identified. Results: We conducted 9 focus groups that included 33 adult (age >18) participants who had diabetes. An overarching theme of play/gaming as a form of learning was apparent, and after analyzing the coding several themes emerged, including preferences and desired environments (clinic and home) for learning, desired players (including family, significant others), and a good balance of question difficulty. Conclusions: Participants were overwhelmingly positive about gamified education and felt empowered to lead discussions with their health care providers about diabetes self-care education, in a sense "flipping" the traditional clinic patient education paradigm. These results suggested that a flipped clinic approach could be beneficial, empowering, and engaging for patients.
Stability of Tin-Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

Tin-lead perovskites have low band gaps (1.2 eV – 1.4 eV) that offer complementary absorption spectra to mixed halide perovskites with band gaps in the range of 1.6 eV – 1.85 eV. In combination, tin-lead and mixed halide perovskites can be used to make efficient all-perovskite tandem solar cells. While these can achieve high efficiency, they are hampered by the unproven longterm stability of tin-containing perovskites. We make the first demonstration of tin-lead perovskite solar cells that pass benchmark 1000-hour tests of stability under stressors of heat, light, and atmospheric exposure. We identify that mixed tin-lead perovskites oxidise by a different chemical pathway, one that is much less favourable, than the oxidation pathway followed by pure tin perovskites, making them significantly more stable. Fortuitously, mixed tin-lead perovskites also have band gaps that are close to ideal for the rear cell of an all-perovskite monolithic two-junction tandem. Beyond selecting the composition of the perovskite to be one that has inherently suppressed tendency to oxidise, we also fabricate a novel heterojunction-based architecture that eliminates the commonly used acidic PEDOT:PSS layer, which leads to enhanced stability. By packaging the resulting solar cell in a glass-on-glass package with a pliable low-elastic-modulus polyolefin encapsulant and a butyl rubber edge seal, we also demonstrate that the low band gap perovskite solar cell that passes the IEC damp heat test for thin film solar cells – a milestone that demonstrates the removal of a significant impediment to the commercialization of high efficiency perovskite tandem solar cells.
Development of a turbulent burning velocity model based on flame stretch concept for SI engines

Abstract According to the US Energy Information Administration, fossil fuels will remain the main source of energy for transportation over the next decades and thus the combustion of these fuels remains an important concern. This research studied the flame propagation under engine in-cylinder conditions and developed a correlation for turbulent burning velocity based on the global flame stretch concept. To study the impact of engine operation on flame stretch, two speeds, two loads, and three fuel-air mixtures were investigated. The flame front was determined by processing images of the flame natural luminosity. A turbulent burning velocity model was developed using dimensional analysis. The model showed that the turbulent burning velocity decreased due to flame stretching. Higher engine speeds increased the turbulent burning velocity by increasing the turbulent intensity, yet a tradeoff between the flame stretch and the turbulent burning velocity due to higher engine speed was observed. In cases where the flame distortion was very high, the flame stretch may cancel out any benefits of a large enflamed area. Incorporating the flame stretch into the burning velocity model and coupling the developed model with GT-Power simulation software revealed that the stretch may result in a 35% reduction in turbulent burning velocity.
Long‐term monitoring of two snake species reveals immune–endocrine interactions and the importance of ecological context

While there is huge promise in monitoring physiological parameters in free-living organisms, we also find high amounts of variability over time and space. This variation requires us to capitalize on long-term physiological monitoring to adequately address questions of population health, conservation status, or evolutionary trends as long-term sampling can examine ecoimmunological and endocrine interactions in wild populations while accounting for the variation that often makes ecophysiological field studies difficult to compare. In this study, we tested how immune efficacy and endocrinology interact while accounting for ecological context and environmental conditions in two snake species. Specifically, we measured bacterial killing ability, steroid hormones, and morphological characteristics in multiple populations of the Western Terrestrial Gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans) and Common Gartersnake (T. sirtalis) for multiple seasons over 6 years. Leveraging this long-term dataset, we tested how a broad immune measure and endocrine endpoints interact while accounting for individual traits, sampling date, and environmental conditions. Across both species, we found bacterial killing ability to be directly related to corticosterone (CORT) and temperature and greater overall in the spring compared to the fall. We found CORT and testosterone yielded relationships with individual sex, sampling temperature, and time of year. Wild populations can exhibit high amounts of variation in commonly collected physiological endpoints, highlighting the complexity and difficulty inherent in interpreting single endpoints without taking ecological and environmental conditions into account. Our study emphasizes the importance of reporting the environmental conditions under which the sampling occurred to allow for better contextualization and comparison between studies.
Patient Risk Factors Associated With Postoperative Complications After Common Hand Procedures

Background:Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), trigger finger (TF), and De Quervain tenosynovitis (DQ) are 3 common pathologies of the hand often treated with relatively simple surgical procedures. Howev...
Efficacy and safety of tivozanib in recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer, an NCCN phase II trial

Abstract Objective Tivozanib is a potent selective pan-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with a long half-life. This study assessed its activity in patients with recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (OC). Methods This open-label phase II study used a Simon's two-stage design. Eligible patients had recurrent, platinum-resistant OC and measurable or detectable disease. There was no limit on the number of prior regimens. Treatment consisted of tivozanib 1.5 mg orally once daily for 21 days in a 28-day cycle. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity assessment. Results Thirty-one patients were enrolled, and 30 were treated. The median age was 59.5 years, and median number of prior regimens was 4 (range 1–9). Twenty-four patients were evaluable for response, and four (16.7%) achieved a partial response (PR; ORR = 16.7%). An additional fourteen (58.3%) patients had stable disease (SD). The clinical benefit rate (PR + SD) was 75.0%, and the median duration of objective response was 5.7 months. For all patients on trial, the median PFS was 4.1 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7–5.8) and OS 8.6 months (95% CI: 5.4–12.5). There were no treatment-related deaths. Serious adverse events occurred in 13.3% of patients and included small intestinal perforation or obstruction and stroke. Grade 3–4 adverse events occurred in 60% of patients, including hypertension (26.7%) and fatigue (10%). Conclusions Tivozanib is effective in patients with recurrent OC, with moderate toxicity and no treatment-related deaths, supporting its further development.
Becoming Financially Savvy

Throughout residency and fellowship training, doctors receive an outstanding education in the art and science of medicine or surgery. Your hard work is rewarded with a degree, but unfortunately many physicians have not had the time or resources to get educated in the financial matters that many young doctors face upon graduation. This chapter is a brief description of issues that will be relevant during your residency, fellowship training, and for the many years ahead in practice.
“Retributive Damages” and the Death of Private Ordering

Mayola Williams sued Philip Morris, the manufacturer of Marlboros, for the wrongful death (from lung cancer) of her husband Jesse, who had been a lifelong Marlboro smoker. Despite warnings from the federal government, family, and many others, Jesse Williams had smoked because he allegedly believed Philip Morris’s claims that smoking had not been proven to be dangerous. An Oregon jury awarded Ms. Williams $821,000 in compensatory damages (reduced to $521,000 because of a cap on pain and suffering) and $79.5 million in punitive damages (of which sixty percent was diverted to the Oregon government). The punitive award was upheld by Oregon’s appellate courts and was reaffirmed on remand after the United States Supreme Court ordered it to be reconsidered in light of the Court’s ruling in State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Campbell. The Oregon
John Bardeen and the theory of superconductivity: A late revision of a homework assignment for J. M. Luttinger

This account of the history of the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory of superconductivity has its roots in an assignment that Quin Luttinger designed for me in 1963 when I was his graduate student. It improves on my student work by tracing the story from historical source materials as well as published papers, thus reflecting the contingencies and human elements that shape all research in physics. I also made an attempt to portray general features of how John Bardeen approached solving problems in physics.
Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality in Status Epilepticus; Data from The Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database, 2008-2012 (P7.004)

OBJECTIVE: We investigated: 1) in-hospital mortality rates in patients admitted for Status Epilepticus (SE) 2) medical comorbidities, seizure types, and patient demographics associated with mortality. BACKGROUND: SE is life-threatening condition. The etiology, age, seizure type, and duration are linked to mortality in SE. DESIGN/METHODS: Using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, we examined medical comorbidities and characteristics in patients admitted with diagnosis of SE from 2008-2012 in the United States. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify predictive risk factors for in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 125,091 patients were identified with SE (grand mal: 91.5[percnt]; petit mal: 0.6[percnt] and partialis continua: 7.9[percnt]). The mean age was 39 years +/- SD, 53[percnt] male. Fifty-four percent were Caucasian, sixty percent were in teaching hospitals. Mean length of hospital stay was 5.5 days. The in-hospital mortality in the cohort with admission diagnosis of SE was 2.7[percnt]. Multivariate regression analysis showed following medical comorbidities were independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality: liver failure (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 2.61), chronic kidney disease (AOR, 2.30), congestive heart failure (AOR, 2.05), diabetes (AOR, 1.22). Demographics predictors included: age > 60 years (AOR, 3.32), Native American (AOR, 1.73), female (AOR,1.23).Additional predictors included grand mal seizures (AOR, 2.47), teaching hospitals (AOR,1.62), smoking (AOR,1.21). Other ethnicities (African- American, Hispanic, Asian), hypertension, lung disease, obesity, alcohol, cocaine use, history of benign brain tumor or CNS infection did not carry higher risk for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that specific medical comorbidities (congestive heart failure, diabetes, chronic liver and kidney disease) and demographics were significant predictors for mortality in SE. The lower mortality in this study may be related to younger mean age and preexisting epilepsy. This study represents largest sample to date and sets foundation for prospective studies to examine whether aggressive treatment of comorbidities will alter mortality in SE. Disclosure: Dr. Naderi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moriyama has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lin has received personal compensation for activities with UCB Pharma as a speaker. Dr. Sazgar has received personal compensation for activities with UCB Pharma as a speaker. Dr. Sen-Gupta has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mnatsakanyan has nothing to disclose.
Bayesian Estimation of Vancomycin Pharmacokinetics in Obese Children: Matched Case-Control Study.

Abstract Purpose The study objective was to compare different body size descriptors that best estimate vancomycin V d and clearance (CL). Methods Patients between 3 months and 21 years old who received vancomycin for ≥48 hours from 2003 to 2011 were evaluated in this matched case-control study. Cases had body mass index in the ≥85th percentile; controls were nonobese individuals who were matched by age and baseline serum creatinine (SCr). Using a 1-compartment model with first-order kinetics, Bayesian post hoc individual V d and CL were estimated. Findings Analysis included 87 matched pairs with 389 vancomycin serum concentrations. Median ages were 10.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 4.8–15.2) years for cases (overweight and obese children) and 10.2 (IQR, 4.5–14.8) years for controls (normal-weight children). Median weights were 44.0 (IQR, 23.4–78.1) kg for cases and 31.3 (IQR, 16.8-47.1) kg for controls. Mean (SD) for the baseline SCr values were also similar between the groups: 0.51 (0.22) (IQR, 0.34–0.67) mg/dL and 0.48 (0.20) (IQR, 0.30–0.60) mg/dL for the cases and controls, respectively. Actual weight and allometric weight (ie, weight 0.75 ) were used in the final model to estimate V d and CL, respectively. The mean V d and CL, based on weight, for cases were lower than controls by 0.012 L/kg and 0.014 L/kg/h, respectively. Implications In obese children, actual weight and allometric weight are reasonable, convenient estimations of body fat to use for estimating vancomycin V d and CL, respectively. However, these pharmacokinetic differences between obese children and those with normal weights are small and may not likely to be clinically relevant in dose variation.
Leading a fulfilled life as an indigenous academic

Indigenous women who pursue advanced degrees in higher education often find their careers there as well. If they land a position as an academic, they face numerous opportunities and challenges. These range from serving as the single face of diversity within their academic homes to trying to balance responsibilities to their tribal communities while constructing a life as a researcher and educator. Still, it is possible to return to indigenous ways of living life to find an ultimate balance, a cycle that can logically follow Cajete’s (1994) action cycle of being, asking, seeking, making, having, sharing, and celebrating. This commentary introduces my life story as an American Indian academic educated and employed away from my tribal homeland and involved in creating a network of indigenous colleagues from around the world. My life lessons are both satisfying and challenging, leading to personal fulfillment tied to service and teaching.
Numerical techniques for VHF/UHF cylinder radiators

The frequency response of a dipole with asymmetric radii fed in the sleeve via a coaxial aperture is computed. A numerical electromagnetics code (NEC4.1) wire grid model is compared with a body of revolution finite difference time domain (2.5FDTD) solid model after Fourier transformation. Directive gain patterns and source impedance show an effective approach to designing a broad range of omnidirectional TM/sub Z/ antennas for VHF/UHF spectrum.
Conservation in rat liver of light and heavy subunit sequences of mammalian ferritin. Presence of unique octopeptide in the light subunit.

Ferritin, an iron-storage protein found in all life forms examined, is composed of varying proportions of two subunits of different molecular weight, heavy (H) and light (L). Using cDNA clones, we have determined the nucleotide sequence corresponding to the mRNA of the L-subunit of rat liver ferritin. The coding region of 546 nucleotides (182 amino acids) is flanked by 5‘- and 3‘ -untranslated regions of approximately 130 and 150 nucleotides, respectively. The rat liver L-subunit amino acid sequence derived from the reading frame of the cDNA showed 88% and 82% homology, respectively, with the amino acid sequences of horse spleen ferritin (Heusterspreute, M., and Crichton, R. R. (1981) FEBS Lett. 129, 322-327), and human spleen ferritin (Wustefeld, C., and Crichton, R. R. (1982) FEBS Lett. 150, 43-48), thus demonstrating evolutionary conservation of the L-subunit sequence. However, a major difference between the rat and the horse and human sequences is the insertion of an octopeptide near the COOH-terminus of the rat protein resulting in a slightly longer peptide chain in this species. The reading frame and parts of the derived amino acid sequence including the octopeptide sequence were confirmed by direct amino acid sequencing of cyanogen bromide peptides from rat liver ferritin. Minor fragments of rat liver ferritin, presumably derived from the H-subunit, were also isolated after cyanogen bromide treatment. On sequencing, these H-peptides showed limited homology with regions of the L-sequence but extensive homology with published H-sequences from human liver and spleen. The H-subunit sequence did not contain the octopeptide found as part of the L-subunit sequence.
L'Algebre Tropicale Comme Algebre De la Caracteristique 1 : Polynomes Rationnels Et Fonctions Polynomiales

We continue, in this second article, the study of the the algebraic tools which play a role in tropical algebra. We especially examine here the polynomial algebras over idempotent semi-fields. this work is motivated by the development of tropical geometry which appears to be the algebraic geometry of tropical algebra. In fact, the most interesting object is the image of a polynomial algebra in its semi-field of fractions. We can thus obtain, over good semi-fields, the analog of classical correpondences between polynomials, and varieties of zeros... For example, we show that the algebras of polynomial functions over a tropical curves associated to a polynomial P, is, as in classical algebraic geometry, the quotient of the polynomial algebra by the ideal generated by P.
Lack of assertion, peer victimization, and risk for depression in girls: testing a diathesis-stress model.

Purpose To apply a diathesis × stress model to testing the association between peer victimization and depression in a sample of preadolescent girls.
Comment on “Trace fossil evidence for Ediacaran bilaterian animals with complex behaviors” by Chen et al. [Precambrian Res. 224 (2013) 690–701]

a b s t r a c t Trace fossils from the Shibantan Member of the Denying Formation (551–541 Ma) of South China, interpreted by Chen and colleagues as evidence of undermat feeding, epibenthic locomotion and temporary dwelling of a small worm-like animal (Metazoa, Bilateria), show four features incompatible with that interpretation: (1) bulbous ends, (2) interruptions, (3) variable width, (4) narrow ends and (5) beaded levees. These features are better explained as due to formation of a sorocarp base, looping upward, shape changing, cell aggregation and slime nodules, respectively, of the slug (grex or pseudoplasmodium) phase of a cellular slime mold comparable with living Dictyostelium discoideum (Amoebozoa, Mycetozoa). Another three features are found in worm as well as slime mold trails: (6) transverse markings, (7) central ridge and (8) small size. Similar observations can be made, and mycetozoan affinities considered for comparable trace fossils from the 550 Ma Ediacaran Member of South Australia, 558 Ma Ust Pinega Formation of Russia, 585–600 Ma Tacuari Formation of Uruguay, 1100 Ma Chorhat Sandstone of India and 2000–1800 Ma Stirling Range Sandstone of Western Australia. Slime molds are terrestrial eucaryotic protists, and may have a fossil record extending back as far as the likely 1900 Ma age of aquatic metazoans.
Bounds on population coverage using test generation by fault sampling

Abstract In ‘test generation by fault sampling’, a new method of test generation was proposed by restricting the testing process to a sample of faults. The population coverage of tests generated on the sample, as well as the sample size, are estimated and are dependent on the testability profile of the circuit. In this paper we provide the necessary framework to validate the method statistically. Bounds on the estimated population coverage (in relation to actual coverage) are given without the need to apply full fault simulation. Experimental results on the large ISCAS benchmark circuits reflect the accuracy of this work.
The Allison Commission and the national map: towards a Republic of Knowledge in late nineteenth-century America

Abstract From 1884 to 1886, the U.S. Congressional Allison Commission convened to address the administrative organization and escalating costs of the major federal scientific agencies, and to establish new modes of accountability to ensure their proper conduct. Much of the commission's attention turned to the Geological Survey's plans for the production of a geodetically accurate, national topographic map (in 2600 sheets), and the national geologic map that would follow the topographic work. While critics saw the national mapping program as an immense and inefficient scientific boondoggle, its advocates, notably its author, Survey Director John Wesley Powell, saw instead a tangible reflection of science's republican virtue – a vision of the body politic founded on both the production and the democratic and geographical distribution of useful scientific information. This paper explores the scientific nature of territoriality in late nineteenth-century America by revisiting a moment when both the technical requirements and fiscal expenses of America's new national mapping program were called into question. Through a close reading of the conflicts between Powell and the Alabama Representative, commission member, and future US Secretary of the Navy Hilary Abner Herbert, the paper examines the hearings as a complex hybrid of public sphere and formal legislative arena. The outcomes of these debates would have profound implications for the politics of scientific expertise amidst the rising American Leviathan, and for the changing dimensions of modern state territoriality and sovereignty.
POPULATION DENSITY AND CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATIONSome Unexpected Findings in Central Cities

Criminal behavior and criminal victimization have been associated with population density in the criminological literature. and this has led re- searchers to argue that there is a positive zero-order relationship between population density and crime rates. However, using National Crime Survey victimization data we found that there is no simple relationship between population density and crime rates in 26 large American cities. Property crimes nith contact were, found 10 he positivelv correlated with population density. and thus are consistent with traditional criminological explana- tions. All other crimes, which we classified as property crimes without contacl and nonproperty assaultive crimes. contradict most previous research findings because of significant negative correlations with popula- tion density.
Risk diversification characteristics of currency cocktails

Abstract Currency cocktails are an efficient and inexpensive way to reduce exchange risk. This article examines the effectiveness of diversification with regard to reducing the variability of a currency cocktail. In particular, it studies the impact of the size of the currency cocktail, the time horizon of data observation, the weighing of component currencies and the base currency upon risk reduction. This study provides additional insight into the degree and robustness of risk diversification typical for currency cocktails.
Transient upwelling hot spots in the oligotrophic North Pacific

[1] Vertical exchange between deep, nutrient-rich and nutrient-depleted surface waters controls the physical supply of nutrients into the euphotic zone in the oligotrophic waters of the subtropical North Pacific Ocean. Sea surface temperature and ocean color satellite images are used in this study to show that submesoscale chlorophyll patches are locally intensified. These patches are associated with surface temperature fronts and regions of strong stretching of the eddying flow. The latter are identified by calculating the finite-size Lyapunov exponents of the geostrophic flow derived from the sea surface height field from altimetry. Surface frontogenesis and nonlinear Ekman pumping (NLEP) arise as natural candidates for the sporadic generation of large vertical velocities that could favor the formation of these features. A high-resolution regional numerical model simulation confirms that large vertical velocities are indeed associated with strong density fronts and gradients of relative vorticity. Using the Q vector divergence as a proxy for frontogenetically generated vertical velocities yields good agreement with the model vertical velocities, particularly in regions where they are large. The pattern and magnitude of NLEP suggests that it is also contributing to the strong vertical motions, although NLEP and model vertical velocities are not necessarily in phase. Surface frontogenesis and NLEP provide a possible explanation for the episodic injection of nutrients at the submesoscale, which are then horizontally stirred and modulated by the unstable manifolds of the flow field. Given that these surface-intensified processes would be biogeochemically more effective when the pycnocline is shallow, they could also serve as one possible explanation for the late summer chlorophyll blooms that are known to occur in the region.
Stochastic dose response

Abstract The dose-response relationship in a pharmacologic system is analyzed using basic concepts of drug-receptor interaction and the theory of stochastic processes. Response is viewed as resulting from additive recruitment of tissue receptor-effector units. A Fokker-Planck (continuity) equation is written relating response to drug dosage in time. The solution to this equation is recalled from a previous paper. An expression relating response at equilibrium to drug dose follows, and easy methods for evaluation of experimental parameters are developed. Another mode of solution of the Fokker-Planck equation using Laplace transforms is presented, and simple equations are derived permitting straightforward evaluation of experimental parameters in transient states. These equations are adapted to “relaxation” type experiments.
Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic and brief therapist contact in the treatment of panic disorder

Twenty-eight individuals with panic disorder were provided with a copy of Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic II [Barlow, D. H., & Craske, M. G. (1994). Mastery of your anxiety and panic (2nd ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation] and received either four sessions of group cognitive-behavior therapy (Group) or one meeting with a therapist plus three telephone contacts (Telephone). Between group repeated measures analyses revealed significant improvement over the course of treatment and maintenance of gains over the follow-up period with few treatment by trials interactions. A higher percentage of participants in the Telephone condition achieved high end-state functioning status at posttreatment compared to those who participated in group CBT (72% vs. 24%), but this difference disappeared at 6 months posttreatment (45% vs. 55%). Participants with characteristics of either borderline, dependent, or depressive personality disorders, as assessed by the MCMI-III, were unlikely to achieve high end-state functioning status at posttreatment. Trends in the data suggest that participants who met criteria for panic disorder with agoraphobia, and those with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder, were also less likely to achieve clinically significant outcome. These findings add to the growing literature indicating that self-directed treatment with brief therapist contact is a viable option for many people with panic disorder. Furthermore, the study provides preliminary data suggesting that certain comorbid conditions negatively impact self-directed treatment outcome.
Methane generation from chemically pretreated cellulose by anaerobic fluidized-bed reactors

Abstract Alkali cooking of cellulose at 10% (w/v) consistency, performed at 250°C, gives a liquor containing organic acids as main components (lactic, acetic and succinic acids). A synthetic substrate, representative of this liquor, was used as feed for two anaerobic fluidized-bed reactors operating at 35°C. The effects of hydraulic retention time and influent substrate concentration on substrate consumption and methane generation were studied. Organic removals of up to 95% and methane generation rates of 1·09 litres CH 4 litre R −1 day −1 were achieved at a retention time ( θ R ) of 8·3h and at an influent substrate concentration of 1400 mg COD litre −1 . At θ R = 3·5 h, conversion decreased to 60%. When feeding the cooked liquor, conversions were slightly lower, around 50% at θ R = 4 h and 1300 mg COD litre −1 of influent substrate concentration. However, the methane volumetric production rate was as high as 2·5 litres CH 4 litre R −1 day −1 under the same conditions. The results suggest that alkaline cooking with subsequent methane fermentation offers a viable process for the treament of cellulosic materials, such as municipal solid waste.
A Minimal Model for the Mitochondrial Rapid Mode of Ca2+ Uptake Mechanism

Mitochondria possess a remarkable ability to rapidly accumulate and sequester Ca2+. One of the mechanisms responsible for this ability is believed to be the rapid mode (RaM) of Ca2+ uptake. Despite the existence of many models of mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics, very few consider RaM as a potential mechanism that regulates mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics. To fill this gap, a novel mathematical model of the RaM mechanism is developed herein. The model is able to simulate the available experimental data of rapid Ca2+ uptake in isolated mitochondria from both chicken heart and rat liver tissues with good fidelity. The mechanism is based on Ca2+ binding to an external trigger site(s) and initiating a brief transient of high Ca2+ conductivity. It then quickly switches to an inhibited, zero-conductive state until the external Ca2+ level is dropped below a critical value (∼100–150 nM). RaM's Ca2+- and time-dependent properties make it a unique Ca2+ transporter that may be an important means by which mitochondria take up Ca2+ in situ and help enable mitochondria to decode cytosolic Ca2+ signals. Integrating the developed RaM model into existing models of mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics will help elucidate the physiological role that this unique mechanism plays in mitochondrial Ca2+-homeostasis and bioenergetics.
Shape sensitivities and optimal configurations for heat diffusion problems : a BEM approach

Design sensitivity analysis, along with the shape optimization of heat diffusion problems using the boundary element method (BEM), is presented in this paper. The present approach utilizes the implicit differentiation of discretized boundary integral equations with respect to the design variables to yield the sensitivity equations. A technique based on the response of an object to a constant boundary temperature is presented for the evaluation of singular terms in the thermal sensitivity kernels. A procedure for the design sensitivity analysis of a reduced system of equations obtained via substructuring and condensation is also presented. The BEM formulations are implemented for both two-dimensional and axisymmetric objects. A number of sample problems are solved to demonstrate the accuracy of the present sensitivity formulation and to obtain optimal configurations of some mechanical components of practical interest, which are subjected to different thermal environments.
Textural evolution of synthetic anhydrite-halite mylonites

The rheology and textural evolution of mylonites for both crustal and mantle rocks are generally poorly understood. Stress and strain partitioning between shear zones and wall-rock, foliation development, flow mechanisms, and constitutive relations are little known. To address these problems, we have begun an experimental study in which anhydrite and halite aggregates are deformed in simple shear. Homogeneous mixes at intervals of 10 vol.% of anhydrite and halite powders of 90 to 180-μ m grain-size comprise the 1-mm-thick zone between the 35 °-precut surfaces in 2 by 4 cm right-circular cylinders of anhydrite. All specimens are confined under 200 MPa (Pc) and tested at 300 °C (T), producing an aggregate of near-zero porosity. All specimens are shortened at an axial displacement rate of 5×l0−6 cm/s to shear strains of about 2.0. Most stress-strain curves have a similar form. They are characterized by an initial linear response that is followed by a work-hardening region that leads to a plateau of constant stress whilst strain continues to accumulate. This apparent steady-state behavior is followed by a drop in stress to a second apparent steady-state stress. The strain at this stress drop and the magnitude of the drop increase with increasing anhydrite content. The second (lower) steady-state stress for all mixes approaches that of sheared pure halite. Optical examination of the fabrics shows that straining under the initial apparent steady-state is accommodated by both mineral phases. A foliation evolves as defined by mineral segregation and grain elongation of halite at 15 ° to 30 ° to the shear-zone walls. Anhydrite grains rotate until their (001) 〈010〉 slip system parallels the foliation. The anhydrite also exhibits twin lamellae, kinks and microfractures. Following the stress drop, rheologic behavior is dominated by dynamic recovery in halite, the recrystallized grain size increasing, consistent with the lower stress level.
Occurrence and metabolic activity of organisms under the ross ice shelf, antarctica, at station j9.

Seawater samples below the Ross Ice Shelf were collected through an access hole at J9, approximately 400 kilometers from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. The 237-meter water column had sparse populations of bacteria (8.7 x 106to 1.2 x 107per liter), microplankters (102to 103per cubic meter), and zooplankters (10 to 20 per cubic meter) at the depths studied. Microbial biomass estimates from cellular adenosine 59-triphosphate measurements were very low (10 to 150 nanograms of carbon per liter), comparable with values for the abyssal ocean. Microbial populations assimilated tritiated D-glucose, thymidine, uridine, and adenosine triphosphate at extremely low rates, comparable with deep-sea heterotrophic populations. Sediment samples had 107to 108bacteria per gram (dry weight), which were metabolically active as shown by respiration of uniformly labeled D-[14C]glucose. From this study it cannot be determined whether these organisms in the water column and sediments constitute a functioning food web.
To Work or Not to Work: Is That the Right Question?

This paper applies thematic analysis to survey data obtained from a sample of AFDC recipients to investigate the complexities of single-parent decision-making in low-income households. A basic needs budget is developed to determine the adequacy of women's wages to provide for children's minimal material needs. In surveys, parents indicate their primary goal is the well-being of the children, determined by the adequacy of several types of resources, which we categorize into four groups: 1) material resources, 2) caring resources, 3) community resources, and 4) the macro-level environment. Using this framework, we develop a schematic model of single-parent decision-making, incorporating the assumption that children's level of need and well-being are determined not only by the cost and availability of material resources but also by psychological factors such as gender conflicts, neighborhood safety, as well as parents' time and social networks that provide caring labor.
Formation of the Harang reversal and its dependence on plasma sheet conditions: Rice convection model simulations

[1] The goal of this paper is to understand the formation of the Harang reversal and its association with the region 2 field-aligned current (FAC) system, which couples the plasma sheet transport to the ionosphere. We have run simulations with the Rice convection model (RCM) using the Tsyganenko 96 magnetic field model and realistic plasma sheet particle boundary conditions on the basis of Geotail observations. Our results show that the existence of an overlap in magnetic local time (MLT) of the region 2 upward and downward FAC is necessary for the formation of the Harang reversal. In the overlap region the downward FAC, which is located at lower latitudes, is associated with low-energy ions that penetrate closer to Earth toward the dawn side, while the upward FAC, which is located at higher latitudes, is associated with high-energy ions. Under the same enhanced convection we compare the Harang reversal resulting from a hotter and more tenuous plasma sheet with the one resulting from a colder and denser plasma sheet. For the former case the shielding of the convection electric field is less efficient than for the latter case, allowing low-energy protons to penetrate further earthward, resulting in a Harang reversal that extends to lower latitudes, expands wider in MLT, and is located further equatorward than the upward FAC peak and the conductivity peak. The return flows of the Harang reversal in the hot and tenuous case are located in a low conductivity region. This leads to an enhancement of these westward flows, resulting in subauroral polarization streams (SAPS).
Mechanism for the enzymatic formation of 4-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene 5'-phosphate during the biosynthesis of methanopterin.

A central step in the biosynthesis of the modified folate methanopterin is the condensation of p-aminobenzoic acid (pAB) and 5-phospho-α-d-ribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) which produce 4-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene 5‘-phosphate (β-RFA-P) [White, R. H. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 3447−3456]. This reaction, catalyzed by the enzyme β-RFA-P synthase, is unique among known phosphoribosyltransferases in that a decarboxylation of one of the substrates (pAB) occurs during the reaction and a C-riboside rather than an N-riboside is the product. In this work, the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme from Methanosarcina thermophila is shown to be analogous to other phosphoribosyltransferase reactions in that pyrophosphate is released as a product of the reaction, which is dependent upon magnesium ions. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 65 000 using gel filtration chromatography, and the pH optimum was 4.8. Kinetic analysis indicated that the reaction involved a sequential pattern of substrate binding....
Passage of steroids through silicone rubber

A study assessing the passage of sex steroids through silicone rubber implant capsules both in vitro and in vivo is reported. Silastic implants containing a variety of sex steroids predominantly melengestrol acetate were placed in 20 ml of a .9% solution of sodium chloride at 37 degrees Celsius and accumulation of the steroid in the solution was measured. Implants were also placed subcutaneously in 28 normal ewes during the breeding season and the ewes were observed for the occurence of heat. The saline solution was almost always saturated with the steroid within 24 hours of incubation with the less polar steroids seen to assimilate faster than the more polar steroids. It is noted that the surface area of the implant capsule affected the rate of passage. During the 34 day treatment period the incidence of heat in treated ewes was .78 heat/per ewe whereas the incidence in untreated ewes was 1.85 heat/per ewe. It is concluded that the method can be useful in the administration of sex steroids and other medication since silicone rubber is non-antigenic non-irritating and releases constant amounts of steroids over long periods of time.
Composition of ribosomes of an extremely halophilic bacterium.

Amino acid analyses and electrophoresis on starch—urea gels have shown that the ribosomes of the extremely halophilic bacterium, Halobacterium cutirubrum, contain a majority of acidic proteins with isoelectric points of about 3·9 and a smaller proportion of basic proteins with isoelectric points above about 8·5. From analyses of magnesium and potassium, it is concluded that magnesium ions probably stabilize the RNA moiety as in other ribosomes, and that potassium ions neutralize negative charges, thereby enabling the acidic proteins to be bound to the ribosomal RNA by hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds. The acidic and basic proteins are similar in amino acid composition except for the relative proportions of acidic to basic residues. The possible significance of this observation in relation to halophilism is discussed.