cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ocular rigidity and decay curves analyzed by two nonlinear systems

A mathematical approximation technique has been used for the analysis of pressure-volume and decay curves to see which of two concepts of the mechanical properties of the coats of the eye is the more valid. One concept—that the outer coats are nonlinear elastic—stems from the early work of Friedenwald* and is currently in use. The other concept—that the outer coats are nonlinear viscoelastic—stems from more recent work. When either of these concepts is used to analyze the behavior of an eye with inflow and outflow, the system becomes nonlinear viscoelastic (either simple or complex). Solution of such a system can as yet be obtained only by a mathematical approximation. With such an approach we can analyze equally well by both systems the pressure-volume curves, but not the decay curves. From a single eye two decay curves may be obtained, their positions depending on whether the eye is kept at an elevated pressure for a long or a short time. These decay curves cannot be analyzed or matched without conceding that the outer coats of the eye are viscoelastic. By means of pressure-volume and decay curves, it is thus possible to obtain quantitative data on the fundamental nonlinear viscoelastic properties of the enucleated human eye.
Random amplified polymorphic DNA reveals that TiO2 nanoparticles are genotoxic to Cucurbita pepo

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are used in cosmetics, sunscreens, paints, and toothpaste, among other applications. These NPs are very stable and can be transported and dispersed in wastewater and biosolids. Animal species have shown negative reactions to TiO2 NPs. However, little is known about their toxicity in plants, specifically the possibility of gen- otoxic effects. In this study, we used a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique to study the genotoxic effects of TiO2 NPs on hydroponically cultivated zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) plants. Seeds were allowed to germinate for 7 d and plants were selected at random for individual and population studies. Four plants were selected for the individual study and 18 for the popu- lation study. RAPD profiles of TiO2 NPs treated plants showed differences in band intensity, loss of bands, or appearance of new bands, compared to untreated plants. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the genotoxic potential of TiO2 NPs in zucchini.
Impact of Workplace Factors on Role-Related Stressors and Job Stress Among Community Corrections Staff:

Community corrections staff are responsible for supervising more than 4 million offenders nationwide; yet, little research exists on understanding their experiences with role-related stressors and ...
Nanoscale surface reactions by laser irradiation of Al nanoparticles on MoO 3 flakes.

Surface reactions between heated aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) and thin α-MoO3 sheets are investigated. Localized photothermal heating on Al NP clusters is provided by a Raman spectrometer laser, while enhanced heating rates and imaging resolution are enabled by the use of a plasmonic grating substrate. Prominent linear reaction zones extending from Al NPs in the 〈001〉 crystal direction are observed on the surface of the host MoO3 sheets after heating. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction indicate that α-Al2O3 is generated within these extended reacted regions, while AFM and SEM indicate that the topology of the reaction regions are indistinguishable from the MoO3 host. We hypothesize that these Al2O3 zones are formed by surface diffusion and subsequent sub-surface adsorption of heated Al adatoms along the low-energy 〈001〉 MoO3 direction. Understanding and controlling these reaction mechanisms could lead to enhanced combustion of Al/MoO3 nanothermite systems.
The state of emergency radiology fellowships in North America and the development of a standardized curriculum.

The number of emergency radiology (ER) training programs in North America is small compared to the projected growth in demand for ER-trained radiologists. To date, there is no consensus-based training curriculum that sets a standard for all ER fellowship training programs. This study seeks to (1) identify the programmatic measures currently used in North American ER fellowship programs and (2) gather the perspectives of existing ER fellowship program directors (PD) and their recommendations for minimum and ideal curricular standards. We distributed an 18-question survey to the PDs of every North American ER fellowship program (N = 15). Surveys were completed during the 2016–2017 academic year. We performed a cross-sectional analysis to gain an understanding of existing training curricula, expected areas of competency by the end-of-training, and PD opinions of what a standard ER training curriculum should contain. The data revealed heterogeneity in programmatic structure across the continent, as well as some areas of agreement. PD suggestions for a standard ER training curriculum showed consistency in many areas, including competency and proficiency expectations and clinical exposures, with some variability. These data were used to inform the creation of the first curricular standard for ER fellowship training. This study yielded the creation of a standard fellowship training resource for the field of ER. This deliverable serves as a curricular guideline for existing ER fellowships, as well as a model for new ER fellowship programs.
Innovation in procedures for human and ecological health risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials

Abstract The large data gaps in the hazards and potential exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) make it challenging to assess their human and ecological health risks. Nevertheless, it is necessary to develop risk estimates, to assist decision-making with regard to product design, exposure reduction, alternative ENMs, and other options. In the past decade a number of increasingly more accurate approaches have been developed to estimate ENM hazard and exposure. While these predictive approaches have an associated uncertainty, they serve to highlight areas where more research is needed as well as develop strategies to minimize risk. These innovative approaches also serve to identify types of ENMs that are more likely to result in higher risk. For example, ENMs that dissolve rapidly release metal ions that may be at concentrations that are toxic, increasing both exposure and hazard. Most predicted environmental concentrations are below ecological hazard levels, although the predictions tend to reflect average release rates at constant levels, and may not reflect episodic or accidental spills that could lead to higher concentrations. On the hazard side, there is very little information on the effects of long-term exposure, and thus this represents a major challenge in predicting these risks. There are also some applications, such as ENMs in agriculture, which are likely to increase rapidly in the coming decades, and may present risks that have not yet been properly assessed.
Late Marx and the Conception of “Accumulation of Capital”

Marxist political economy quite often refers to the “accumulation of capital” as if it were a transparent concept, easily understood from Marx’s work. The problem is that the concept has not broken from Marx’s predecessors when mentioning accumulation, even though it must be understood with class clearly in mind, not means of production, not constant capital. Further, Marx had stated in Capital that he was offering an understanding of a world that is fully capitalist. Yet his discussion of accumulation suggests that more wage-laborers would be involved, in addition to more constant capital. And Luxemburg discussed the implications of expansion of wage-labor employment being fundamentally involved in the accumulation of capital. Thus, there are contradictions in Marx needing to be examined. For example, how does value as a concept work in a theoretical environment in which non-capitalist environments are being penetrated by capital.
Sol-Gel-Based Electrospray Synthesis of Barium Titanate Nanoparticles

Barium titanate nanoparticles are desirable for a wide range of applications, spanning electronics to biomedicine. Here, we present an electrospray-based method for the synthesis of barium titanate nanomaterials, where their morphology can be altered, forming either particles or rods. As-electrosprayed particles are amorphous and spherical, but upon calcination in the presence of sodium chloride their morphology can vary from particles to rods as the calcination time is increased. The processing-structure-property relationships in these materials are discussed.
A permutation test and spatial cross-validation approach to assess models of interspecific competition between trees

Measuring species-specific competitive interactions is key to understanding plant communities. Repeat censused large forest dynamics plots offer an ideal setting to measure these interactions by estimating the species-specific competitive effect on neighboring tree growth. Estimating these interaction values can be difficult, however, because the number of them grows with the square of the number of species. Furthermore, confidence in the estimates can be overestimated if any spatial structure of model errors is not considered. Here we measured these interactions in a forest dynamics plot in a transitional oak-hickory forest. We analytically fit Bayesian linear regression models of annual tree radial growth as a function of that tree’s species, its size, and its neighboring trees. We then compared these models to test whether the identity of a tree’s neighbors matters and if so at what level: based on trait grouping, based on phylogenetic family, or based on species. We used a spatial cross-validation scheme to better estimate model errors while avoiding potentially over-fitting our models. Since our model is analytically solvable we can rapidly evaluate it, which allows our proposed cross-validation scheme to be computationally feasible. We found that the identity of the focal and competitor trees mattered for competitive interactions, but surprisingly, identity mattered at the family rather than species-level.
ChainLink: Indexing Big Time Series Data For Long Subsequence Matching

Scalable subsequence matching is critical for supporting analytics on big time series from mining, prediction to hypothesis testing. However, state-of-the-art subsequence matching techniques do not scale well to TB-scale datasets. Not only does index construction become prohibitively expensive, but also the query response time deteriorates quickly as the length of the query subsequence exceeds several 100s of data points. Although Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) has emerged as a promising solution for indexing long time series, it relies on expensive hash functions that perform multiple passes over the data and thus is impractical for big time series. In this work, we propose a lightweight distributed indexing framework, called ChainLink, that supports approximate kNN queries over TB-scale time series data. As a foundation of ChainLink, we design a novel hashing technique, called Single Pass Signature (SPS), that successfully tackles the above problem. In particular, we prove theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that the similarity proximity of the indexed subsequences is preserved by our proposed single-pass SPS scheme. Leveraging this SPS innovation, Chainlink then adopts a three-step approach for scalable index building: (1) in-place data re-organization within each partition to enable efficient record-level random access to all subsequences, (2) parallel building of hash-based local indices on top of the re-organized data using our SPS scheme for efficient search within each partition, and (3) efficient aggregation of the local indices to construct a centralized yet highly compact global index for effective pruning of irrelevant partitions during query processing. ChainLink achieves the above three steps in one single map-reduce process. Our experimental evaluation shows that ChainLink indices are compact at less than 2% of dataset size while state-of-the-art index sizes tend to be almost the same size as the dataset. Better still, ChainLink is up to 2 orders of magnitude faster in its index construction time compared to state-of-the-art techniques, while improving both the final query response time by up to 10 fold and the result accuracy by 15%.
Calcium Carbonate for Elemental Lead Ingestions: Effect of Alkalinization on Elemental Lead Solubility in a Simulated Gastric Environment.

Acute ingestion of elemental lead foreign bodies has resulted in multiple pediatric deaths. Elemental lead is relatively insoluble at alkaline pH. Furthermore, calcium decreases lead absorption by interfering with the lead absorptive receptor. We hypothesize that alkalinization of gastric fluid with an oral calcium-containing agent, such as calcium carbonate, will decrease lead solubility, thus reducing the potential for systemic lead absorption and toxicity. This was an in vitro controlled study. One lead sphere (00 buckshot, cast 30 days prior) was randomly placed in each of ten tubes containing 20 mL simulated gastric fluid, with five tubes having 500 mg calcium carbonate added at 20 min and 140 min. We measured the fluid pH and the lead concentrations hourly for 4 h. We compared the median amount of total lead liberated after 4 h between the two groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. The pH of the gastric fluid only tubes remained 1 at every measurement, and the pH of the gastric fluid + calcium carbonate tubes was 6 at every measurement. At hour 4, the total amount of lead liberated in the soluble fraction in the control group vs the calcium carbonate group was 850 vs 12.4 mcg (95% CI for absolute difference: 605–964 mcg; p = 0.0079). Calcium carbonate antacid alkalinizes gastric fluid pH and dramatically decreases the total amount of solubilized lead by 60-fold. This project lends foundational evidence to a low-cost, widely available, pre-hospital strategy to decrease lead absorption after acute elemental lead ingestions.
A Comparison of a Mentally Ill Individual's Right to Refuse Medication Under the United States and the New York State Constitutions

This Article will compare a mentally ill individual's right to refuse medication under the United States and New York Constitutions. First, it will describe the nature of psychotropic medication. It will then examine how the Second Circuit in Project Release, the Supreme Court in Harper, and other federal courts have addressed this issue in both the substantive and procedural contexts. The Article will then compare the Federal constitutional analysis with the New York State constitutional analysis detailed in Rivers. This Article will conclude that the New York Court of Appeals' approach to the right to refuse medication is the preferable one. It provides patients greater individual autonomy by rendering it more likely that patients suffering from mental illness will make the same decisions that impact upon their bodily autonomy as the law permits individuals who do not suffer from mental illness. For the simple reason that the law should strive to treat individuals who suffer from mental illness, as much as possible, within practical limits, the same as the citizenry as a whole, the New York Court of Appeals' decision is sounder than decisions that have treated the right to refuse medication issue as a medical question to be determined by clinicians.
Pre-Service Teachers Confronting and Examining Media Bias

This paper examines how teacher candidates come to understand the role that media plays in perpetuating and reinforcing stereotypical views of marginalized groups through engagement in weekly news groups. This study sought to look at how critical media skills influenced how students interacted with media content. Findings suggest that by critically engaging in controversial current event topics that participants began to recognize the value and importance in finding multiple and reliable sources. They also began to question and interrogate the problematic ways that race and racism is portrayed in and through the media.
Abstract 2112: Epigenetic control of heparanase expression using CRISPR/dCas9

Heparanase (HPSE) is the only known enzyme that cleaves the polymeric heparan sulfate (HS), a key component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Heparanase has been implicated in various pathophysiological conditions involving ECM remodeling, such as tumor progression, metastasis angiogenesis, and inflammation. To study the role of heparanase in diseases, we developed a strategy to epigenetically modulate its expression in cells based on the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system. A fusion protein of dCAS9 can be directed to the HPSE gene via one or a combination of single guide RNAs. By linking dCas9 with different histone modification enzymes (eg. P300, hHDAC3, LSD1), the expression of heparanase can be up- or down-regulated through histone acetylation, deacetylation and demethylation. This approach allows us to tune heparanase expression in various cell lines on demand, enabling the study of heparanase activity in real-time. This work will also lead to novel therapeutics targeting heparanase. Citation Format: Zixin Chen, Guihua Zeng, Xiaogang Li, Fu-Sen Liang, Lina Cui. Epigenetic control of heparanase expression using CRISPR/dCas9 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2112.
A multi-pollutant assessment of preconception persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals and incident pregnancy loss.

Abstract Background A few endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been associated with pregnancy loss often as reported by women, though there has been no study of EDC mixtures and pregnancy loss in keeping with the nature of human exposure. Objectives To investigate preconception exposure to a mixture of EDCs to identify important drivers and inform multi-pollutant models of EDCs in relation to incident human gonadrophin chorionic (hCG) pregnancy loss. Methods A cohort of 501 couples were recruited from the general population and prospectively followed until a hCG-confirmed pregnancy or 12 months of trying to become pregnant. Pregnant (n = 344; 69%) women were followed daily through seven weeks post-conception then monthly until delivery. Loss was defined as conversion to negative pregnancy test or a clinical diagnosis. Preconception exposure assessment of EDCs included sixty-three serum chemicals and three blood metals. EDCs were measured using isotope dilution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, respectively. Using elastic net variable selection to identify important factors from the exposure mixture, EDC levels and covariates were then included in Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of time-to-pregnancy loss in multi-pollutant models. Results Incidence of hCG pregnancy loss was 28%. Nine EDCs of the sixty-six chemical mixture were associated with pregnancy loss; HRs were elevated for polychlorinated biphenyl 194, 2-(N-methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate, polybrominated diphenyl ether 28, and cadmium, even in sensitivity models adjusting for male partners’ EDC concentrations. In final multivariable multi-pollutant Cox proportional hazard models, female partners’polybrominated diphenyl ether 28 (aHR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.31) and cadmium (aHR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.40) remained associated with hCG pregnancy loss. Female partners’ preconception serum polychlorinated biphenyl 194 and 2-(N-methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate concentrations were consistently inversely associated with loss [(aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.92) and (aHR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.95), respectively]. Conclusion Assessing exposure to a mixture of 66 persistent EDCs, females’ preconception concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether 28 and cadmium were positively associated with incident hCG pregnancy loss in a cohort of couples from the general population trying for pregnancy.
What a Map and a Portrait Have in Common

This short essay summarizes thoughts inspired by two images chosen for covers of the journal EASTS—a portrait of an East Asian female scientist and a map of the Pacific Ocean region centered on Tai...
Quasi-Elastic Neutrino Scattering and the Axial Vector Form Factor

An analysis of 168 quasi-elastic neutrino interactions νn → μ - p in deuterium yields a value of \({M_A} = .76_{ - .40}^{ + .14}\) GeV for the axial vector mass.
Network topologies for mixed RF-VLC HetNets

VLC can co-exist with current communications technology. We describe network topologies for mixed RF-VLC HetNets that implement VLC small cells within broader RF cells, providing continuity and reliability in wireless coverage.
Vibrational properties of Ba1-xKxBiO3 : a molecular dynamics study

Abstract We present a rigid-ion model of Ba1-xKxBiO3 for compositions x=0.25 and x=0.40. Partial vibrational density of states of ions in the compounds Ba0.75K0.25BiO3 and Ba0.6K0.4BiO3 are reported at room temperature and 100 K. The oxygen modes dominate the vibrational spectrum from 150 up to 820 cm-1. The low frequency modes are associated with the cations. The number of substituted K around an oxygen favors high frequency vibrational modes. Qualitative agreement between the calculated phonon density of states of Ba0.6K0.4BiO3 and available experimental data is achieved.
Failproof team projects in software engineering courses

The computer science department of the University of Pittsburgh offers two undergraduate and two graduate courses in software engineering in which we emphasize the importance of general engineering principles for software development. For the last ten years the undergraduate courses have been based on team projects. This structure has advantages: students see immediately the relevance of what they learn, and the team setting leads to a better understanding of what they learn. The projects in the two courses are of different types. In one course the result is the formal specification and design of a software system. In the other, the teams implement such a system, but emphasis is on testing rather than on the implementation itself. The success of each project is guaranteed by making it open-ended. A team establishes a list of priorities that is to ensure that a useful product will have been built by the time the term ends. We discuss the nature of team projects, and our evaluation scheme.
Cryptococcosis in Solid Organ Transplantation

Cryptococcosis is the third most commonly occurring invasive fungal infection in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Approximately 8% of invasive fungal infections in SOT recipients are due to cryptococcosis (1). The overall incidence of cryptococcosis in SOT recipients ranges from 0.2% to 5% (1,2). Cryptococcosis is typically a late-occurring infection; the median time to onset usually ranges from 16 to 21 months posttransplantation (1,3,4). The time to onset is earlier for liver and lung (<12 months) compared to kidney transplant recipients and this may be due to a higher intensity of immunosuppression in the former subgroups (4).
Differences among red-skinned potato cultivars and their response to Meloidogyne species

The reproduction and damage caused by Meloidogyne incognita , M. javanica , and M. konaensis were compared on the red-skinned potato cultivars Desiree, Mountain Rose, Pink Pearl, and Red Thumb. Desiree was susceptible to the rootknot nematodes evaluated and exhibited tolerance to the nematodes as well. Mountain Rose was resistant and tolerant to M. incognita and M. konaensis but susceptible and intolerant to M. javanica . Pink Pearl was susceptible to all three nematode species and was tolerant to M. javanica and M. konaensis but not to M. incognita . Red Thumb was susceptible to M. incognita but resistant to M. javanica and M. konaensis . Red Thumb was intolerant to all three root-knot nematode species. Penetration and nematode development were evaluated in another experiment. Fewer M. incognita penetrated Mountain Rose than M. javanica (7% vs. 39% of inoculated J2). The few M. incognita that penetrated Mountain Rose developed slowly, and males were observed in Mountain Rose tubers that were infected with M. incognita . On Red Thumb, penetration by M. incognita was higher (38%) than M. javanica (13%), and M. incognita developed faster reaching a fourth-stage juvenile in 12 days. A unique relationship and specific interaction between Mountain Rose and M. incognita and between Red Thumb and M. javanica was found. Further understanding of this specific resistance might be useful and practical in breeding potato resistant to multiple species of Meloidogyne .
Museums and Universities: New Paths for Continuing Education

Museums and Universities: New Paths for Continuing Education. Edited by Janet S. Solinger. New York: American Council on Education and Ma cm ill an Publishing Co., 1990. 351 pp.
Local structure of equivariant dynamics

Dynamics in a neighbourhood of a hyperbolic equilibrium or periodic orbit are wellunderstood. Thus, if XQ is a hyperbolic equilibrium point, there exist smooth stable and unstable manifolds through XQ and the local flowof X near XQ is topologically conjugate to that of the linearized flow x = DX(xo)(x) (Hartman's theorem). If / is a periodic orbit, the hyperbolicity of / may be described in terms of either the Poincare map or the Floquet exponents. If / is hyperbolic, we again have stable and unstable manifolds through / and a version of Hartman's theorem conjugating the local flow to the flow linearized in the normal bundle of /. Suppose now that G is a compact Lie group acting smoothly on M and that X is a G-equivariant vector field on M with associated G-equivariant flow q;x. We recall that a group orbit a C M is called a relative equilibrium of X if a is a q;X-invariant subset of M. If E C M is a compact q;X-invariant· subset of M such that (1) EjG S!! Sl ; and (2) q;X induces a non-trivial flow on s-, we call E a relative periodic orbit of X. Relative equilibria and relative periodic orbits of G-equivariant vector fields respectively correspond to equilibria and periodic orbits of (non-equivariant) vector fields. It is easy to show that if / is a maximal trajectory of q;X such that the G-orbit of /, G '/, is compact, then G . / is either a relative equilibrium or a relative periodic orbit of X. Our aim in this work is to obtain generalisations of (1), (2) for relative equilibria and periodic orbits and to describe the corresponding generic local theory. We shall do this for both equivariant diffeomorphisms and vector fields.
Characterization of Water in Foods by NMR

Water is probably the most important component of a food system because it influences so many process variables and product characteristics. For example, water is a key component in determining the amount of energy necessary for many unit operations, such as freezing, dehydration and freeze-drying; water strongly influences chemical changes, such as protein denaturation (Nakano and Yasui, 1976), Maillard browning (Labuza and Saltmarch, 1981) and enzyme activity (Drapron, 1985); water is the determining factor in rheological behavior (Urbanski, 1981); water is extensively involved in chemical, physical, nutritional (Kirk, 1981) and microbial changes during storage; finally, water is involved in the kinesthetic attributes of the food during consumption (Katz and Labuza, 1981). This extensive involvement of water in food processing and stability has made it an essential focus of study from many directions and for many years.
Africa's Linguistic Diversity

Abstract African language classification in the latter half of the 20th century has beendominated by Joseph Greenberg’s work classifying African languages into fourlinguistic genetic groupings: Afroasiatic, Niger-Kordofanian, Nilo-Saharan, andKhoisan. Current research indicates that there are a minimum of 20 unrelatedAfrican language families or isolates. Africa’s linguistic diversity will remainpoorly documented unless significant efforts are made to document some of thecontinent’s most endangered, underdescribed languages and language families. 1. Introduction The African continent is commonly characterized as having four languagefamilies or phyla. This characterization stems largely from the work ofJoseph Greenberg, summarized in a monograph in which four languagegroupings (Niger-Kordofanian, Afroasiatic, Khoisan, Nilo-Saharan) arepresented as ‘a complete genetic classification of the languages of Africa’(Greenberg 1963: 1). This picture of African languages is inadequatefor several reasons. First of all, it ignores the continent’s 27 or so signlanguages, which belong to a minimum of eight unrelated lineages.Second, it ignores languages which belong to language families spokenprimarily outside of Africa such as Indo-European and Austronesian. Thismeans that Afrikaans and Malagasy are not considered to be ‘African’languages, even though the majority of speakers of those languages live inAfrica
Gametogenic calcification in a spinose planktonic foraminifer, Globigerinoides sacculifer (Brady)

During a period of about 16 hours prior to gamete release, “gametogenic calcification” in Globigerinoides sacculifer deposits calcite over its last-formed chambers, averaging about 9 μm in thickness but varying in individual specimens from a thin veneer to a “calcite crust” up to 16 μm in thickness. This process adds on the average about 28% by weight to the pre-gametogenic shell. The formation of a sac-like chamber generally precedes gametogenesis by about 24 to 48 hours. Gametogenic shell thickening was studied by comparing wall thicknesses and microstructural differences between pre-gametogenic shells in plankton tows and post-gametogenic shells in laboratory culture and surface sediments. Pre-gametogenic shells have generally thin walls, well-developed polygonal patterns of sharp ridges, elongate spines and deep pore basins with terraced surfaces, whereas post-gametogenic shells have thicker walls, euhedral or irregularly lumpy calcareous deposits, broad interpore ridges, “spine-holes” (due to resorption of all spines), and pore basins which may or may not be filled to the point of constriction. A smooth thin veneer often covers the post-gametogenic shell and hides the terraced interpore areas. Gametogenic calcification is believed to occur below the euphotic zone to a depth of several hundred meters. Thus the additionally secreted calcite has significant implications in paleoecological reconstructions based on stable isotopic and trace-element compositions of their shells. The ability to distinguish between pre- and post-gametogenic specimens also opens up an avenue of determining the past fertility and age structure of death assemblages of planktonic foraminifera.
Genetic issues in pediatric cardiomyopathy: Future research directions

Abstract Pediatric cardiomyopathies are extremely heterogeneous in etiology and are thus associated with variability in prognosis and response to therapy. With increasing availability of clinical diagnostic tools and research methods to molecularly characterize genetic forms of cardiomyopathy and identify viral pathogens in myocarditis, we have the opportunity to define pediatric cardiomyopathies by molecular subtype and characterize the natural history of each subtype. By understanding the natural histories of the subtypes of pediatric cardiomyopathies, we can develop biomarkers for early stages of diseases and disease progression, and lay the foundations necessary for future clinical trials for treatment and primary prevention.
The Diagnosis and Management of Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia

Abstract Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is a disease of increasing clinical significance in patients with impaired cellular immunity. Twenty-seven such individuals who demonstrated the characteristic triad of progressive respiratory failure, minimal auscultatory findings, and roentgenographic hilar infiltrates progressing to consolidation are presented. In this series, open lung biopsy was more effective early in the disease when hilar infiltrates had not consolidated; when consolidation was present, needle biopsy appeared to be effective. Of the patients in whom a diagnosis was established prior to death, 6 of 7 treated with amphotericin died and 9 of 11 treated with pentamidine recovered from their pneumonia though they demonstrated transient drug toxicity. The future role of the membrane lung in supporting patients in severe respiratory failure during the course of drug therapy is suggested by the response of 2 patients.
Clinical examination alone detects moresecondary caries on crowned teeth than radiograph alone

Summary Subjects The subjects were 100 patients with fixed prostheses 0689 who exhibited at least 1 secondary caries lesion. These subjects provided 820 teeth with crowns (365 single crowns, 455 fixed partial denture abutments) and 512 teeth with no restorations for the analyses. Exposure Both interproximal surfaces of each crowned and unrestored 0689 tooth were evaluated clinically and by radiographs for the presence of caries. The clinical examination included use of an explorer. Main outcome measure Presence of caries (clinical levels: initial caries, caries0689 suspicion, early caries, deep caries; radiographic levels: radiolucency limited to outer half of enamel, extending into inner half, reaching outer half of dentin, into inner half of dentin). Main results Clinical examination detected more caries lesions0689 (11.2%) on interproximal surfaces of crowned teeth than did radiographic examination (8.3%), a difference that was statistically significant at P . Conversely, radiographs detected slightly more lesions on interproximal surfaces of nonrestored teeth (4.1%) than did clinical examination (3.3%). This difference was also statistically significant ( P ).
A method for the quantitative determination of the abnormal lipoprotein (LP X) of obstructive jaundice.

Abstract A method for the quantitative determination of an abnormal low-density lipoprotein (LP-X) is described. The procedure based on the characteristic cathodal migration of LP-X in agar gel electrophoresis and on its constant phospholipid content is accurate and reproducible.
KNOWING WHEN TO SAY WHEN: A SIMPLE ASSESSMENT OF ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT

The use of writing samples as indices of alcohol impairment was explored. Students at a campus fraternity party wrote a sentence and their signatures before and after consuming alcohol (in beer and mixed drinks). Later, undergraduate and graduate students attempted to discriminate between pre- and postparty handwriting samples. The average percentage of correct discriminations of entrance and exit writing samples was 83.7% for sentences and 67.5% for signatures, and the percentage of correct discriminations increased directly with the blood alcohol concentration of the partier who gave the writing sample. When a partier's blood alcohol concentration reached 0.15, all of the judges accurately discriminated 90% or more of the sentences, and 25 of the 28 judges correctly discriminated at least 80% of the signatures. All of the judges correctly discriminated at least 90% of the 18 sentences written by partiers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.12 or more. Implications of these findings for reducing the risk of driving while intoxicated are discussed, as well as directions for follow-up research.
Social functioning difficulties in ADHD: Association with PDD risk

Although social difficulties are a common feature of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), little is known about the diversity of social problems, their etiology, or their relationship to disorders of social behavior, such as autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). In 379 children and adolescents with ADHD, social functioning was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991). Factor analysis and structural equation modeling revealed two factors that we labeled Peer Rejection and Social Immaturity. A factor reflecting ;PDD risk' was defined from eight items of a separate screening instrument for PDD and examined for its association with these two social factors. There was a significant association with both factors, but the association was much stronger for the Social Immaturity (Standardized Beta [beta ] = .51) than Peer Rejection (beta = .29) factors. Social Immaturity was also associated with a greater number of hyperactive symptoms while high Peer Rejection was associated with increased aggression and lower IQ in the ADHD children.
The interaction of electromagnetic waves and three-dimensional nonisotropic (uniaxial) wire medium metamaterials based on a transport model

Summary form only given. The transport model for the wire medium is introduced in (IEEE Trans. on Antennas and Propagation, v. 60, pp. 4219-4239, Sep. 2012) and basically defines an equivalent diffusion parameter (D) and a conductivity (or permittivity) for an isotropic wire medium satisfying the drift diffusion equation Jcond(r, ω)=σ(ω)E(r, ω)-D(ω)∇ρcond(r, ω) in which, Jcond, E, and ρ are homogenized conduction current, electric field, and charge inside the wire medium, respectively. Using this model we have shown previously that scattering problem formulations become simpler and less computationally intensive compared to other real-space methods. The validity of this homogenization method was confirmed for the isotropic wire medium sphere and was compared to the ABC method and the full wave simulation results in previous presentations (URSI 2012 meetings at Boulder and Chicago).
Functional analysis of pVT745, a plasmid from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

Plasmid pVT745 is a 25.1-kb replicon isolated from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain VT745. A previous report described the hybridization of pVT745 in 5 strain-specific patterns to chromosomal DNA from 15 other A. actinomycetemcomitans strains. However, pVT745 does not share homology with the chromosome of the strain from which it was isolated, VT745. It was hypothesized that the shared areas of homology might represent insertion sequence elements and/or transposons possibly encoding resistance to one or more antibiotics. An antibiogram of strain VT745 demonstrated that this strain was uniformly susceptible to all antibiotics examined. Because insertion sequence elements and transposons are mobile genetic elements, a series of cell passaging experiments, followed by Southern hybridization was conducted in a attempt to detect transposition of pVT745 homologous DNA within the chromosomes of several A. actinomycetemcomitans strains. The results of these experiments suggested stability of the homologous DNA both within the chromosome and on the plasmid. It was also possible that pVT745 represented a lysogenic bacteriophage. Phage induction experiments were conducted under conditions that induced a previously described A. actinomycetemcomitans lysogenic phage, but no phage could be induced from strain VT745. Attempts to obtain isolates of VT745 cured of pVT745 were also unsuccessful.
Effect of elliptic handle shape on grasping strategies, grip force distribution, and twisting ability

A generic torque model for various handle shapes has been developed and evaluated using experimental data. Twelve subjects performed maximum isometric torques using circular and elliptic cylinders in medium and large sizes (circular: r = 25.4, 38.1 mm; elliptic: semi-major/minor axes = 30.9/19.3, 47.1/27.8 mm) finished with aluminium and rubber, in two opposite directions. Torque, grip force distribution, and finger position were recorded. Maximum torques were 25%, 7%, and 31% greater for the elliptic, large-size, and rubber-finished cylinders than for the circular, medium-size, and aluminium-finished cylinders, respectively. Greater torque for the elliptic cylinders was associated with 58% greater normal force that the subjects could generate for the elliptic than circular cylinders. The model suggests that greater torques for the large-size and rubber cylinders are related to long moment arms and greater frictional coupling at the hand–cylinder interface, respectively. Subjects positioned their hands di...
Deer browsing delays succession by altering aboveground vegetation and belowground seed banks.

Soil seed bank composition is important to the recovery of natural and semi-natural areas from disturbance and serves as a safeguard against environmental catastrophe. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have increased dramatically in eastern North America over the past century and can have strong impacts on aboveground vegetation, but their impacts on seed bank dynamics are less known. To document the long-term effects of deer browsing on plant successional dynamics, we studied the impacts of deer on both aboveground vegetation and seed bank composition in plant communities following agricultural abandonment. In 2005, we established six 15×15 m fenced enclosures and paired open plots in recently fallowed agricultural fields near Ithaca, NY, USA. In late October of each of six years (2005–2010), we collected soil from each plot and conducted seed germination cycles in a greenhouse to document seed bank composition. These data were compared to measurements of aboveground plant cover (2005–2008) and tree density (2005–2012). The impacts of deer browsing on aboveground vegetation were severe and immediate, resulting in significantly more bare soil, reduced plant biomass, reduced recruitment of woody species, and relatively fewer native species. These impacts persisted throughout the experiment. The impacts of browsing were even stronger on seed bank dynamics. Browsing resulted in significantly decreased overall species richness (but higher diversity), reduced seed bank abundance, relatively more short-lived species (annuals and biennials), and fewer native species. Both seed bank richness and the relative abundance of annuals/biennials were mirrored in the aboveground vegetation. Thus, deer browsing has long-term and potentially reinforcing impacts on secondary succession, slowing succession by selectively consuming native perennials and woody species and favoring the persistence of short-lived, introduced species that continually recruit from an altered seed bank.
A method to distinguish between the de novo induction of thymidine kinase mutants and the selection of pre-existing thymidine kinase mutants in the mouse lymphoma assay.

Abstract The mouse lymphoma assay (MLA) is the most widely used in vitro mammalian gene mutation assay. It detects various mutation events involving the thymidine kinase (Tk) gene in L5178Y/Tk+/− −3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. Mutants are detected using a thymidine analogue that arrests the growth of cells containing a functional Tk gene. However, there are a number of potential test chemicals that are thymidine analogues, and there is a problem when using the MLA to evaluate the mutagenicity of these chemicals. Thymidine analogues are activated by Tk before eliciting their toxicity. Therefore, any pre-existing Tk−/− mutants may avoid the toxicity of the test chemical and obtain a growth advantage over the Tk+/− cells, increasing the Tk mutant frequency (MF) in the culture via a selection mechanism. This potential mutant selection effect needs to be distinguished from de novo mutant induction in order to properly evaluate the mutagenicity of these chemicals. Here we describe a simple MLA study design that can differentiate between the selection of pre-existing mutants and de novo mutant induction. Trifluorothymidine (TFT), a thymidine analogue and the selection agent normally used in the MLA, and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO), a potent mutagen, were used to treat cells from two different Tk+/− mouse lymphoma cell cultures with different background MFs (approximately 112 and 305 × 10−6). Both agents significantly increased the Tk MFs in both the normal and high background cultures (p 0.1), while in TFT-treated cultures, they were significantly different (p 0.1), while in 4-NQO-treated cultures, they were significantly different (p
Optimal inventory order quantities when volume discounts are available: A wealth maximization approach

This study utilizes standard finance techniques for locating optimal inventory order quantities when quantity price discounts are available. Current inventory investment methodology concentrates on minimizing total inventory costs each period without considering the size and timing of relevant cash flows. This study alternatively develops a procedure which explicitly recognizes the goal of shareholder wealth maximization. Wealth maximizing procedures are developed for various sets of assumptions and contrasted with traditional methodology.
Based on a true story: Using movies as source material for general chemistry reports

Research for chemical reports and case study analysis of chemical topics are two commonly used learning activities to engage and enrich student understanding of the content in introductory chemistry courses. Even though movies are excellent vehicles for exploring the human dimension of events, they have been used only sparingly as source material in introductory science courses. One reason for this sparing use has been the lack of a list of suitable movies. To fill this void, a list of one dozen highly rated movies is presented. The focus of these movies is either a scientist's chemical research or the societal impact of some chemical compound. The method by which two of these movies were used as source material for a written report in a general chemistry course is described. The student response to the exercise was enthusiastic.
Modulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels in the heart by sorcin and FKBP12, two accessory proteins of ryanodine receptors

The author wishes to thank Andrew J. Lokuta and Bradley M. Martin for critical comments about this manuscript, and Marian B. Meyers and Heping Cheng for collaboration with the sorcin and FKBP12 projects, respectively. This work was supported by NIH grants HL55438 and PO1 HL47053. The author is an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association.
An apparatus and a method using phenethylamine for liquid scintillation counting of C14O2 obtained by wet oxidation of biological materials

Abstract A relatively simple apparatus and method for liquid scintillation counting of C 14 O 2 liberated from biological materials by wet oxidation is described. The apparatus consists of a glassware combustion train, a gas reservoir, and a gas diffusion flask. The method utilizes a modification of the wet carbon combustion technique of Van Slyke and Folch (1), absorption of carbon dioxide by phenethylamine, and liquid scintillation counting using 0.3% diphenyloxazole in toluene solution. The C 14 O 2 is absorbed directly into a counting bottle employed in the scintillation counter. Recovery of radioactivity is 97–98%, the method is accurate, reproducible, and suitable for up to 10 mmoles CO 2 , and multiple samples can be prepared in a given work day.
Recent developments in high eficiency photovoltaic cells

Abstract Enormous progress has been made in recent years on a number of photovoltaic materials and devices in terms of conversion efficiencies. Efficiencies in the range of 18%–24% have been achieved in traditional silicon-based devices fabricated from both multicrystalline and single-crystal materials. Ultrahigh-efficiency (>30%) photovoltaic (PV) cells have been fabricated from gallium arsenide (GaAs) and its ternary alloys like gallium indium phosphide (GaInP2). The high-efficiency GaAs-based solar cells are being produced on a commercial scale, particularly for space applications. Major advances in efficiency have also been made on various thin-film solar cells based on amorphous silicon (aSi:H), copper gallium indium diselenide (CIGS), and cadmium telluride materials. This paper gives a brief overview of the recent progress in PV cell efficiencies based on these materials and devices.
The intersection of the maximal regular subsemigroups of the semigroup of binary relations

Dans cet article, on montre que l'intersection N X de tous les sous semi-groupes reguliers maximum de B X est M X avec l'adjonction de l'identite de B X