cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Homecare nurses guide goals for care and care transitions in serious illness: A grounded theory of relationship-based care.

Aims To identify the process that homecare nurses use when recognizing serious illness, engaging patients and families in goals-for-care discussions and guiding transitions to comfort-focused care. Design Constructivist grounded theory. Methods Semi-structured focus group interviews of 31 homecare Registered Nurses were recorded and transcribed (June-August 2019). Line-by-line coding using the constant comparative method until saturation was achieved and a grounded theory was identified. Credibility, transferability, and confirmability establish study rigor. Results A grounded theory of relationship-based care. Nurses cogitate and act when recognizing serious illness. They have difficult conversations and support care transitions with wisdom and knowing, by identifying changes in illness trajectories and being informed and alert to diminishing quality of life. Nurses are skilled at engaging patients, families, and the team and accommodate care in the home for as long as possible, while manoeuvring through complex systems of care; ultimately relinquishing and guiding care to other providers and settings. However, nurses feel inadequately prepared and frustrated with a fragmented healthcare system and lack of collaboration among the team. Conclusion This study identifies a grounded theory to support clinical decision-making and position homecare nurses as leaders in guiding goal care discussions and transitions to comfort-focused care. These findings reinforce the importance of developing health policy that ensures care continuity in serious illness. Further research is needed to improve relationships across care settings and enhance training for the delivery of comfort-focused care in the home as changing needs emerge during serious illness management.
Real-space Green's function approach for x-ray spectra at high temperature

There has been considerable interest in properties of condensed matter at high temperature, including nonequilibrium behavior and extreme conditions up to the warm dense matter regime. Such behavior is encountered, e.g., in experimental time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy in the presence of intense laser fields. In an effort to simulate such behavior, we present an approach for calculations of high-temperature x-ray absorption spectra in arbitrary materials, using a generalization of the real-space Green's function formalism. The method is incorporated as an option in the core-level x-ray spectroscopy code FEFF10. To illustrate the approach, we present calculations for several materials together with comparisons to experiment and with other methods.
Suicide as a hidden contributor to the opioid crisis and the role that primary care and emergency medicine play in addressing it

Abstract Deaths from overdose have risen dramatically over the past decade, driven mainly by opioids. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance on safe prescribing, safe storage of medications, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), and the use of Naloxone to reverse an overdose. Even with this guidance, overdose deaths continue to rise. Suicide prevention is a strategy that may help address this problem. Suicide rose 32.4% between 1999 and 2019, from 10.5 to 13.9 per 100,000. Closely linked to overdose, the suicide rate among those with opioid use disorder is 87 per 100,000 population, six times that of the general US population. With multiple shared individual-level risk factors, strict standards for case ascertainment, and high potential for misclassification of opioid suicides, the distinction between overdose and suicide is often unclear, and the number of suicides is likely underestimated. The Surgeon General recently released a call to action for a public health approach to suicide prevention. Primary care and emergency departments have a major role to play. This commentary describes suicide as a hidden contributor to the opioid crisis; the rationale for integration of suicide prevention in primary care and emergency departments; and screening, education, brief intervention, and follow up and monitoring techniques that these settings can employ. Done effectively, this strategy has the potential to save countless lives.
Relating Tmax and hydrogen index to vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance in hydrous pyrolysis residues: Comparisons to natural thermal indices

Abstract Vitrinite reflectance (VRo; %) generally is considered the most reliable technique to determine the thermal maturity of sedimentary rocks. However, it is a time-consuming process to collect reflectance (Ro; %) measurements and is subjective to the interpretation of each trained technician, who must be able to discern between vitrinite and solid bitumen and other organic matter types. Inadvertent misidentification of solid bitumen for vitrinite can lead to reports of ‘suppressed’ VRo, especially at lower thermal maturities (
Privacy-Preserving Zero-effort Class Attendance Tracking System

Student attendance tracking is a vital process in education. This process can be tiring and time-consuming. We believe it is possible to automate it using technologies available in the educational infrastructure and user smartphones. Today smartphones can sense several types of signals over the air using radio frequency technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular signals, etc.). Furthermore, smartphones receive broadcast messages from transmitting entities and can measure the received signal strength. We believe that these signals can be utilized in the context of classroom attendance tracking, primarily because they can indicate the location of a user's device. The proposed system aims to have student smartphones in the classroom generate “location proofs” based on the radio frequency fingerprints scanned by their devices, which are later used to verify their locations. In this paper, we propose the utilization of Wi-Fi access points in buildings on school campuses in conjunction with the instructor and student smartphones to build a zero-effort and privacy-preserving attendance tracking system. Our system is unique as it does not require any effort from users in the system. Moreover, it is privacy-preserving, as the App server has no information about user identities nor class locations.
TBL Fridays: Using team-based learning to engage in policy debates in an introductory class

Team-based Learning (TBL) has sound conceptual and empirical backing and is seeing growing partial and full adoption in economics. However, perceived implementation costs and risk remain high for m...
Detecting Spying Activities from the Sky via Deep Learning

The increasing prevalence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, has raised serious privacy concerns from the general public due to their pervasive reachability and rich sensing capabilities. In recent years, multiple systems have been proposed to enable drone detection for the general public. However, these systems mainly focus on the detection of nearby drones, but are not able to tell whether the drones are performing unauthorized activities or not. In this paper, we propose a novel solution for the detection of spying activities from drones, which can effectively identify if a drone is spying on a specific victim. Our solution is designed with a deep learning-enabled multi-level analysis by exploring the characteristics of drones’ first-personview (FPV) communication channel. Both indoor and outdoor environments are supported in our solution with low-cost off-the-shelf hardware (under $50). A prototype implementation is provided and evaluated under different conditions. Our experimental results demonstrated that our solution is able to achieve high accuracy under different conditions.
Prime Online: Developing Grades 3-5 Teachers’ Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics in an Online Professional Development Program

This study sought to identify components of an asynchronous online teacher professional development program, Prime Online, that potentially affected participants’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). Twenty-three third- through fifth-grade general education and special education teachers completed a yearlong online teacher professional development program focused on improving MKT, instructional practices for all learners (particularly those with disabilities), and practitioner inquiry. Latent growth modeling and focus group data indicated growth in participants’ content knowledge and initial growth in knowledge of students from pretest to midtest, with a decline at the end of the program. Module components are described to highlight the online teacher professional development program structure and specific activities that potentially supported participants’ growth. Mathematical modeling, engaging with practitioner-focused journals and websites, developer-constructed materials, classroom implementation, and reflection and discussion provided participants with the opportunities for professional development resulting in increased MKT.
The effects of tipping policies on customer satisfaction: A test from the cruise industry

Abstract Many in the media have called for the abolition of the practice of tipping and at least some resorts, private clubs, hotels, and restaurants have replaced tipping with automatic service charges or service inclusive pricing. Particularly notable in this regard is the cruise industry, where several of the largest brands have switched to an automatic service charge system. Given the popularity of tipping and its perceived role as an incentive/reward for service, such moves to replace tipping with service charges seem likely to have negative effects on customer satisfaction. We test this expectation by examining the effects of Carnival Cruise Line's tipping policy change in the early 2000s on its customers’ evaluations of their cruise experience. After controlling for the effect of ship and review date, we found that Carnival Cruise Line's guests rated their cruise more positively when they sailed under a voluntary-tipping policy than when automatic service charges were added to their onboard bills. However, this effect was small and need not deter firms from replacing voluntary tipping with service charges. Discussion of this finding focuses on ways services marketers might be able to mitigate this modest negative effect of service charges.
Characterizing and quantifying the impact of immiscible-liquid dissolution and nonlinear, rate-limited sorption/desorption on low-concentration elution tailing

[1] Long-term elution tailing of organic contaminants, often observed when water or air is used to flush contaminated porous media, has been attributed to several factors. Characterization of this tailing behavior through the quantitative analysis of multiple coupled factors is necessary to enhance our understanding of contaminant transport. The objective of this study was to investigate the transport and elution behavior of trichloroethene in a naturally heterogeneous (poorly sorted) aquifer material, with a specific focus on characterizing and quantifying the relative contributions of rate-limited immiscible-liquid dissolution and nonlinear, rate-limited sorption/desorption to low-concentration elution tailing. A comparison of trichloroethene elution behavior for systems with and without immiscible-liquid phase present suggests that the low-concentration elution tailing observed in the former experiments is associated primarily with nonlinear, rate-limited sorption/desorption. The transport and elution of trichloroethene was successfully simulated using a mathematical model that combines independent, coupled descriptions of rate-limited dissolution and nonlinear, rate-limited sorption/desorption. Specifically, immiscible-liquid dissolution was described using a first-order mass transfer approach with a temporally variable dissolution rate coefficient, and sorption/desorption was described using an approach incorporating a continuous distribution of rate-limited domains. The results of this study indicate that multiple processes contributed to trichloroethene elution behavior when immiscible-liquid phase was present and that a multiprocess model was required to accurately simulate the measured data.
Regulation of NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity by the adaptor protein 3BP2.

Stimulation of lymphocytes through multichain immune recognition receptors activates multiple signaling pathways. Adaptor proteins play an important role in integrating these pathways by their ability to simultaneously bind multiple signaling components. Recently, the 3BP2 adaptor protein has been shown to positively regulate the transcriptional activity of T cells. However, the mechanisms by which signaling components are involved in this regulation remain unclear, as does a potential role for 3BP2 in the regulation of other cellular functions. Here we describe a positive regulatory role for 3BP2 in NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. We also identify p95 vav and phospholipase C-γ isoforms as binding partners of 3BP2. Our results show that tyrosine-183 of 3BP2 is specifically involved in this interaction and that this residue critically influences 3BP2-dependent function. Therefore, 3BP2 regulates NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity by mobilizing key downstream signaling effectors.
Corporate Governance, Agency Conflicts, and Equity Returns along Business Cycles

While strong shareholder control benefits the firm by preventing Free-Cash-Flow problems in the good state of business cycles, it is costly to the firm in exacerbating the Conflict-of-Interest problem between shareholders and creditors in the bad state. Investigating how firm financial policies change within business cycles in firms with different degrees of shareholder rights, I find an array of significant and robust empirical evidences supporting the above hypotheses with respect to firm value, debt maturity, external financing, payout and investment policies. The economic effects of these agency conflicts are significant as well. Firms with stronger shareholder rights lose significantly more investment options from the good to the bad state in business cycles. While stronger shareholder rights are associated with better accounting and equity performance in the good state, the reverse is true in the bad state of business cycles. In addition, it does not seem that market fully recognizes these varying agency effects of shareholder rights over time. An investment strategy based on the alternating benefits and costs of shareholder rights earns a significant 9.2% annual abnormal return in business cycles. Moreover, the significant abnormal returns are not explained by the existing asset pricing models. Providing a comprehensive study on the policy and economic effects of shareholder control over business cycles, this paper suggests that strong shareholder rights in governance contracting have both benefits and costs due to their varying agency implications.
Hunger and Energy Homeostasis

Food intake is a complex behavior so integral to our everyday experience that its complex and redundant biological underpinnings are often ignored or misunderstood. The biological control of ingestive behavior is multifold. First, there are a number of biological systems that operate within a single meal to bring that individual bout of ingestion to an end. While the initiation of meals appears to be influenced primarily by learned environmental cues, satiety signals, including those from the stomach, the intestine, and the liver, provide information to the CNS concerning the number of calories that have been consumed to terminate ingestion. Second, adult mammals also maintain relatively constant levels of stored calories in the form of adipose tissue. This is accomplished via a number of circulating adiposity signals that provide information to the CNS about changes in the amount of adipose in the body. Changes in these adiposity signals that reflect depletions of stored calories result in a complex neuroendocrine response that acts to conserve ongoing calorie usage and push the organism to ingest additional calories. Ultimately these adiposity signals act to alter food intake by adjusting the efficacy of satiety signals to influence food intake within a single bout of ingestion. Keywords: adiposity; agouti-related protein; amylin; arcuate nucleus; body weight regulation; calories; caudal brainstem; cholecystokinin; chronic decerebrate rat; classical conditioning; energy balance; food intake; food; glucostatic hypothesis; homeostasis; hypothalamus; ingestion; insulin; lateral hypothalamus; leptin; meal; melanocortin; neuropeptide Y; obesity; paraventricular nucleus; regulation; satiety; set point; ventromedial hypothalamus
Remote sensing of ozone in the middle ultraviolet

Earlier studies of the remote sensing of the ozone distribution from satellites in the middle ultraviolet are extended, giving particular attention to the analytic model method. After a brief introduction, the historical background of this subject is presented. This is followed by a summary and review of early work based upon the analytic model. Then a linearized approach to the problem and a linearized equation for a density correction are discussed. These indicate some of the general limitations of the inversion method. Finally the parametrized model approach is reexamined by using both simulated data and some actual satellite data.
The Calculus of Differentials for the Weak Stratonovich Integral

The weak Stratonovich integral is defined as the limit, in law, of Stratonovich-type symmetric Riemann sums. We derive an explicit expression for the weak Stratonovich integral of f(B) with respect to g(B), where B is a fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter 1/6, and f and g are smooth functions. We use this expression to derive an Ito-type formula for this integral. As in the case where g is the identity, the Ito-type formula has a correction term which is a classical Ito integral and which is related to the so-called signed cubic variation of g(B). Finally, we derive a surprising formula for calculating with differentials. We show that if d M = X d N, then Z d M can be written as ZX d N minus a stochastic correction term which is again related to the signed cubic variation.
Effective Nonliving Vaccine Against Experimental Tuberculosis in Mice

Ribi, Edgar (Rocky Mountain Laboratory, Hamilton, Mont.), Carl Larson, William Wicht, Robert List, and Granville Goode. Effective nonliving vaccine against experimental tuberculosis in mice. J. Bacteriol. 91:975–983. 1966.—Antituberculosis vaccines were prepared in one of three manners: lyophilized BCG suspended in light mineral oil was disrupted in a Sorvall pressure cell and the “oil disruption product” was collected by centrifugation; BCG was disrupted in water, lyophilized, and worked into a paste with a small amount of oil (about 0.16 ml per 50 mg); BCG was disrupted in water, and the cell wall fraction was isolated, lyophilized, and prepared in an oil paste. These vaccines were suspended in Tween-saline to a concentration of 5 mg/ml and heated at 65 C for 30 min. In protection tests based on pulmonary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, the median number of virulent organisms in lung tissue of mice immunized with a few hundred micrograms of these three vaccines was 3 to 4 logs lower than in unvaccinated control mice. A similar dose of viable BCG standard vaccine reduced the lung count 1 to 2 logs below the controls. Protection afforded by nonviable, whole BCG, with or without oil, was of only borderline significance. Since oil-treated fractions containing cell walls produced effective immunity, while the oil-treated protoplasm or whole cells were not active, the protective antigen appeared to be an inner component of the cell wall, exposed when the cell was disrupted, and activated by oil. Extraction of oil from immunogenic disruption products resulted in loss of ability of the products to confer protection against the aerosol challenge, whereas high protection against the conventional challenge by intravenous infection with up to 1.4 × 108 cells of M. tuberculosis H37Rv was retained. Retreatment with oil of these nonimmunogenic products restored the immunogenicity if the oil was applied to dried products. The consistent finding that moisture interferes with the enhancement of the vaccine potency by oil suggested that such enhancement may not be the same as that ordinarily produced by water-in-oil emulsions.
Media Scaling in Distributed Multimedia Object Services

Real-time support for multimedia streams in currently installed workstation environments has been based on resource management systems that provide mechanisms for streams with guaranteed or statistical quality of service (QoS) by admission control and resource reservation. In contrast, media scaling is a technique that dynamically adapts the load of media streams to the current availability of resources. Scaling can keep media streams meaningful to the user which would break during overload situations. Instead of interrupting the service for a stream when an overload situation is encountered, the quality of the stream is gracefully degraded when the resource load situation reaches a critical state. Since media scaling is a technique that dynamically takes actual resource load into account it can easily adapt to changing situations and has the potential to keep the system in a range of optimal load. In this article we show how media scaling can be integrated in a general system support for multimedia in order to simplify the implementation of scalable applications and support their concurrent utilization of scarce resources.
Finite element solution for a class of unbounded geometrics (EM scattering)

An efficient and systematic procedure is described for the finite-element solution of a class of electromagnetic radiation and scattering problems involving unbounded geometries. The numerical procedure is well suited for analyzing infinite metallic structures with cavity regions filled with inhomogeneous and anisotropic media. The formulation is based upon an approach that combines the finite-element method (FEM) with the surface integral equation to truncate the mesh region. The efficiency of the proposed technique arises from the use of the Green's function of the first kind in the surface integral. Illustrative numerical representations that demonstrate the validity, versatility, and efficiency of the method are included. >
Antialias Spatial Filtering: A Slowness-frequency Approach

A rigorous, explicit antialias spatial filter is designed and applied to remove energy above the first Nyquist wavenumber in the horizontal slowness-frequency domain. The antialias filter removes the spatially aliased frequencies selectively at each slowness; conventional antialias lowpass frequency filtering underor over-corrects for spatial aliasing at all slownesses. A seismic gather can be spatially dealiased only at the expense of wavelet spectral changes; it does not preserve amplitude variations with offset.
Heightened muscle tension and diurnal hyper-vigilance following exposure to a social defeat-conditioned odor cue in rats

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit exaggerated daytime muscle tension as well as nocturnal sleep disturbances. Yet, these physiological and behavioral features of the disorder are little studied in animal models of PTSD. Accordingly, the present studies were designed to assess alterations in muscle tension and diurnal hyper-vigilance resulting from exposure to a social defeat stressor paired with an olfactory stimulus, which was then used as a reminder of stressor exposure. In the first series of experiments, rats presented with an olfactory cue paired previously with a single social defeat exhibited a significant increase in muscle tension 4 weeks following defeat. In the second series of experiments, an olfactory cue paired previously with a single social defeat induced a significant increase in locomotor activity among quiescent rats 4 weeks following stressor exposure. The present results thus support the a priori hypotheses that novel physiological and behavioral hallmarks of PTSD can be documented in an animal model of the disorder and that the present overt signs of reactive hyper-vigilance can be triggered by reintroduction of an olfactory stimulus present at the time of initial trauma exposure.
Effects of 3,4-benzpyrene, phenobarbital, and chlordane on the nucleic acid and protein content of subfractions of rat liver homogenates.

Abstract 3,4-Benzpyrene, phenobarbital, and chlordane are three compounds that produce marked increases in the activities of hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme systems. They were compared with regard to their effects on the nucleic acid and protein content of various subfractions of rat liver homogenates. Pretreatment of rats with chlordane and phenobarbital produced similar changes. The changes produced by pretreatment with 3,4-benzpyrene, however, differed from those of phenobarbital and chlordane. The differences between the effects of 3,4-benzpyrene and those of chlordane and phenobarbital were noted primarily in the subfractions of rat liver homogenates which contained largely smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). Chlordane and pheno-barbital caused significantly greater increases than 3,4-benzpyrene in the RNA and protein content of the fraction containing the SER. Pretreatment with each of the three compounds produced statistically significant decreases in DNA content of liver homogenates when expressed as mg DNA/g liver. Considered in the light of previously accumulated evidence, the results provided further support for the hypothesis that 3,4-benzpyrene may exert its stimulatory effects on hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme systems through a mechanism different from that of phenobarbital and chlordane.
The extended pluripotency protein interactome and its links to reprogramming

A pluripotent state of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is maintained through the combinatorial activity of core transcriptional factors (TFs) such as Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog in conjunction with many other factors including epigenetic regulators. Proteins rarely act alone, and knowledge of protein–protein interaction network (interactome) provides an extraordinary resource about how pluripotency TFs collaborate and crosstalk with epigenetic regulators in ESCs. Recent advances in affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry (AP-MS) allow for efficient, high-throughput identification of hundreds of interacting protein partners, which can be used to map the pluripotency landscape. Here we review recent publications employing AP-MS to investigate protein interaction networks in ESCs, discuss how protein–protein connections reveal novel pluripotency regulatory circuits and new factors for efficient reprogramming of somatic cells.
Confidence interval based parameter estimation-a new SOCR applet and activity

Many scientific investigations depend on obtaining data-driven, accurate, robust and computationally-tractable parameter estimates. In the face of unavoidable intrinsic variability, there are different algorithmic approaches, prior assumptions and fundamental principles for computing point and interval estimates. Efficient and reliable parameter estimation is critical in making inference about observable experiments, summarizing process characteristics and prediction of experimental behaviors. In this manuscript, we demonstrate simulation, construction, validation and interpretation of confidence intervals, under various assumptions, using the interactive web-based tools provided by the Statistics Online Computational Resource (http://www.SOCR.ucla.edu). Specifically, we present confidence interval examples for population means, with known or unknown population standard deviation; population variance; population proportion (exact and approximate), as well as confidence intervals based on bootstrapping or the asymptotic properties of the maximum likelihood estimates. Like all SOCR resources, these confidence interval resources may be openly accessed via an Internet-connected Java-enabled browser. The SOCR confidence interval applet enables the user to empirically explore and investigate the effects of the confidence-level, the sample-size and parameter of interest on the corresponding confidence interval. Two applications of the new interval estimation computational library are presented. The first one is a simulation of confidence interval estimating the US unemployment rate and the second application demonstrates the computations of point and interval estimates of hippocampal surface complexity for Alzheimers disease patients, mild cognitive impairment subjects and asymptomatic controls.
The Ag dielectric function in plasmonic metamaterials

Ag permittivity (dielectric function) in coupled strips is different from bulk and has been studied for strips of various dimensions and surface roughness. Arrays of such paired strips exhibit the properties of metamagnetics. The surface roughness does not affect the Ag dielectric function, although it does increase the loss at the plasmon resonances of the coupled strips. The size effect in the imaginary part of the dielectric function is significant for both polarizations of light, parallel and perpendicular to the strips with relatively large A-parameter.
Building blocks of temporal filters in retinal synapses.

Sensory systems must be able to extract features of a stimulus to detect and represent properties of the world. Because sensory signals are constantly changing, a critical aspect of this transformation relates to the timing of signals and the ability to filter those signals to select dynamic properties, such as visual motion. At first assessment, one might think that the primary biophysical properties that construct a temporal filter would be dynamic mechanisms such as molecular concentration or membrane electrical properties. However, in the current issue of PLOS Biology, Baden et al. identify a mechanism of temporal filtering in the zebrafish and goldfish retina that is not dynamic but is in fact a structural building block—the physical size of a synapse itself. The authors observe that small, bipolar cell synaptic terminals are fast and highly adaptive, whereas large ones are slower and adapt less. Using a computational model, they conclude that the volume of the synaptic terminal influences the calcium concentration and the number of available vesicles. These results indicate that the size of the presynaptic terminal is an independent control for the dynamics of a synapse and may reveal aspects of synaptic function that can be inferred from anatomical structure.
Abelam yam beliefs and sociorhythmicity: a study in chronoanthropology.

The Western Abelam of Papua New Guinea display an annual cycle of social conflicts and births which is a function of a system of ritual beliefs involved in the growing of ceremonial yams. This sociorhythmic ritual complex involves adherence to various taboos which encourage a 6-month period in which social conflict is avoided and sexual activity is markedly curtailed. Conflict case studies and demographic data collected from one village over a 15-month period indicate significant seasonal variation in various areas of Abelam social life and suggest that sociorhythmic phenomena can affect both social behaviour and demographic patterns of human groups. Alternative environmental and nutritional hypotheses are also investigated.
EPR spectroscopy of single crystals using a two-circle goniometer

Abstract The anisotropy of EPR spectra observed in single crystals of various symmetry classes is described. The use of a computer-assisted two-circle goniometer to assemble the hyperfine-interaction and g 2 tensors in the crystallographic axis sytem is explained.
Supercage effect for a photochemical reaction in a flow reactor packed with mesoporous silica

Abstract Mesoporous silica, MCM-41, was packed in a pyrex column and used as a flow reactor for a solution system. The reactant solution, containing xanthone and xanthene, was irradiated with UV light while flowing in the column reactor under a magnetic field. When MCM-41 with a pore diameter of 2.5 nm was employed, a large increase in the `cage reaction' yield was observed in comparison with that for MCM-41, 3.9 nm. About 25% of this nanopore effect was canceled by the magnetic field of 500 mT.
Taking the chemical out of chemical genetics.

Screening a library of expressed cyclic peptides identified clones that reverse the cytotoxicity of α-synuclein in yeast and Caenorhabditis elegans. The results suggest a new approach for intervention in Parkinson's disease, and perhaps a druggable target.
Thermodynamics of the interaction of oxygen with Co(II)-bishistidine and Co(II)-bisbenzylhistidine

Oxygen binding by many Co(II)-complexes in aqueous solutions proceeds via a two-step mechanism: Co(II) + O2 ← K1 → Co(III)O2−1; Co(III)O2−1 + Co(II) ← K2 → Co(III)O2−2Co(III). The values of the overall binding constant K1K2 for most complexes is known, but the values of K1 and K2 are not. In this paper we describe the determination of both constants for the classical Co(II)-bishistidine and Co(II)-benzylbishistidine complexes, by means of a combination of polarographic and spectrophotometric measurements. The overall binding constants for the two complexes at 20°C are 1.7458 × 107 M−2 and 9.4050 × 106 M−2, respectively. The lower K1K2 value of Co(II)-bisbenzylhistidine seems to find its origin in a decrease of the value of the oxygen binding constant K1 (K1 = 393 ± 173 M−1 for Co-bishis, and 182 ± 93 M−1 for Co-bisbenzylhis). The thermodynamic constants ΔH and ΔS for the oxygen binding and dimerization steps of Co(II)-bishistidine have been determined from the temperature dependency of K1 and K2. The favorable enthalpy of oxygen binding (ΔH1 = −20.5 ± 2.7 kcal/mol) is almost entirely negated by a very unfavorable entropy term (ΔS1 = −78.8 ± 12.3 e.u., standard state of 1 atm O2). The intrinsic oxygen affinity of this complex (P50 = 1438 mm of Hg at 20°C) is almost negligible. Oxygen binding is completely driven by the formation of the binuclear μ-peroxo complex, (ΔH2 = −16.1 ± 2.7 kcal/mol and ΔS2 = −33.6 ± 9.1 e.u.).
Sugar-polymer hydrogen bond interactions in lyophilized amorphous mixtures.

The objective of this work was to investigate hydrogen bonding interactions between a variety of glass-forming sugars and a model polymer, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), in binary amorphous solid solutions, produced by lyophilization. The glass transition temperatures of the sugars and sugar–PVP colyophilized mixtures were assessed using differential scanning calorimetry. The hydrogen bonding interactions between each sugar and PVP were monitored using FT-Raman spectroscopy. Sucrose was found to hydrogen bond to a greater extent with PVP at a particular sugar:polymer ratio than the other disaccharides studied including trehalose and the trisaccharide raffinose. Maltodextrins showed a decreased tendency to hydrogen bond with the polymer compared to the lower molecular weight sugars. The extent of hydrogen bonding was found to correlate inversely with the glass transition temperature of the sugar, with the tendency to hydrogen bond decreasing as the Tg increased. The importance of hydrogen bonding interactions to the thermodynamics of mixing in amorphous solids is discussed.
Site-specific prediction of West Nile virus mosquito abundance in Greater Toronto Area using generalized linear mixed models

Mosquito surveillance programs provide a primary means of understanding mosquito vector population dynamics for the risk assessment of human exposure to West Nile virus WNv. The lack of spatial coverage and missing observations in mosquito surveillance data often challenge our efforts to predict this vector-borne disease and implement control measures. We developed a WNv mosquito abundance prediction model in which local meteorological and environmental data were synthesized with entomological data in a generalized linear mixed modeling framework. The discrete nature of mosquito surveillance data is accommodated by a Poisson distributional assumption, and the site-specific random effects of the generalized linear mixed model GLMM capture any fluctuation unexplained by a general trend. The proposed Poisson GLMMs efficiently account for the nested structure of mosquito surveillance data and incorporate the temporal correlation between observations obtained at each trap by a first-order autoregressive model. In the case study, Bayesian inference of the proposed models is illustrated using a subset of mosquito surveillance data in the Greater Toronto Area. The relevance of the proposed GLMM tailored to WNv mosquito surveillance data is highlighted by the comparison of model performance in the presence of inevitable but quantifiable uncertainties.
AIDS in the workplace

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has created a need for new policy development initiatives in many public and non-profit organizations Personnel manag ers, increasingly, are asked to design and implement AIDS policies Many are over whelmed by the multitude of management and legal issues This article examines the primary legal considerations and provides personnel managers with a framework to develop AIDS policies Summaries of previously developed policies and guidelines from federal, state and local government agencies are provided
A Test of Goodness of Fit

Some (large sample) significance points are tabulated for a distribution-free test of goodness of fit which was introduced earlier by the authors. The test, which uses the actual observations without grouping, is sensitive to discrepancies at the tails of the distribution rather than near the median. An illustration is given, using a numerical example used previously by Birnbaum in illustrating the Kolmogorov test.
Standard error computations for uncertainty quantification in inverse problems: Asymptotic theory vs. bootstrapping

We computationally investigate two approaches for uncertainty quantification in inverse problems for nonlinear parameter dependent dynamical systems. We compare the bootstrapping and asymptotic theory approaches for problems involving data with several noise forms and levels. We consider both constant variance absolute error data and relative error, which produce non-constant variance data in our parameter estimation formulations. We compare and contrast parameter estimates, standard errors, confidence intervals, and computational times for both bootstrapping and asymptotic theory methods.
Effect of gamma-irradiation on ripening papaya pectin

Abstract Papaya ( Carica papaya , L., var. Sunset) at three initial ripeness stages were irradiated with 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, or 1.5 kGy gamma-irradiation and pectin changes during ripening determined. A significant linear relationship was found between irradiation dose and firmness immediately after irradiation. Irradiation had no effect on fruit skin or flesh color of papaya fruit irradiated at the 5 to 30% yellow stage and allowed to ripen. Papaya irradiated when 5 to 30% yellow showed no significant changes in pectin methylesterase activity when ripe. Immediately after irradiation, the pectin in 10 to 30% yellow papaya showed depolymerization and demethoxylation, though no effect on pectin methylesterase activity was detected. There was an increase in water soluble pectin (WSP), while chelator soluble (CSP) and alkali soluble pectin (ASP) decreased, with a significant decline in the methanol content of the ASP fraction. After the 25 to 30% yellow ripeness stage, fruit irradiated at 0.50 to 1.0 kGy had less pectic depolymerization, and had a firmer texture than nonirradiated when ripe. A lower level of WSP and higher levels of CSP and ASP were found in ripe fruit that had been irradiated at 0.5 to 1.0 kGy when 25 to 30% yellow skin with a significant quadratic relationship between irradiation dose and the three pectin fractions. The firmness of these irradiated fruit were retained for two days longer than the nonirradiated control.
An introduction to air polishing and its benefits

Air polishing is more comfortable and quicker to use than traditional scale and polish cleaning methods, and is suitable for a range of patients. Offering this service could also be an effective way of promoting your practice
A model for optimizing cycling performance by varying power on hills and in wind.

ABSTRACTThe effect that varying power, while holding mean power constant, would have on cycling performance in hilly or windy conditions was analyzed. Performance for a 70-kg cyclist on a 10-km time trial with alternating 1-km segments of uphill and downhill was modeled, with mean ˙VO2 (3, 4, 5 L·mi
Status of broadband rare-earth doped fiber sources for fiber optic gyro applications

Sources with broadband spectra are required for high-grade fiber optic gyroscopes (FOG). To date, the most widely used broadband FOG source is the superluminescent laser diode (SLD), which was developed by the semiconductor laser industry to meet this specific market. However, in spite of significant improvements, commercial SLDs still suffer from a few shortcomings. In response to these limitations, a second class of broadband sources has been under investigation over the last few years, which utilize a rare earth doped fiber as the active medium. Several types of broadband fiber sources have been demonstrated. They offer the advantages of high efficiencies, pumping with a laser diode (LD), high power into the FOG (tens of mW), and a mean wavelength stability with temperature at least one order of magnitude greater than for an SLD. Several university and industrial laboratories have now produced broadband fiber sources with properties far exceeding, on all counts, those of SLDs. The object of this paper is to review the properties of these sources, and their preliminary performance in FOG test beds.
Perforation of cellular sandwich plates

Abstract An experimental investigation has been conducted to study the perforation characteristics in the axial direction of cellular sandwich plates, as well as of its individual components. The covers encompassed an aluminum alloy and acrylonitrile-betadyne styrene (ABS), while the cores consisted of honeycombs or flexible sheets of aluminum (Flexcore), with a total sample thickness of 19.1 or 15.9 mm. Hard-steel strikers of two sizes — of spherical, cylindro-conical or cylindrical shape — were fired orthogonally against the simply-supported targets. Initial velocities ranged from just below the ballistic limit to speeds well above this value, involving a span of 17–380 m/s for all targets. Perforation of the honeycomb sheets required higher velocities and produced different damage patterns than in the cellular samples with curved walls, due to different flexibility of individual cells. However, the ballistic limit of the sandwich was not significantly affected by the type, cell size or wall diameter of the composite, as the principal mechanism resisting perforation of the composite was piercing the facing plates. Thus, identical covers produced the same ballistic limit regardless of core type. The curve of terminal versus initial velocity was concave downward close to the ballistic limit and linear beyond, as observed frequently in other perforation cases. Cross sections of composite targets exhibited evidence of some interaction between covers and core that indicates a ballistic limit somewhat different than what would be computed from the values of the separate components on the basis of an energy balance.
Silicon-microfabricated diffusion-based optical chemical sensor

A silicon-microfabricated flow structure is presented that can be used to detect chemical concentrations optically in complex sample solutions. The principle is exemplified by determining the pH of a sample using a fluorescent pH indicator. The flow behavior of liquids in microstructures differs significantly from that in the macroscopic world. Due to extremely small inertial forces in such structures, practically all flow in microstructures is laminar. This allows the movement of different layers of fluid and particles next to each other in a channel without any mixing other than diffusion. On the other hand, due to the small lateral distances in such channels, diffusion is a powerful tool to separate molecules and small particles according to their diffusion coefficients, which are a function of particle size. We have designed T-shaped silicon channels, in which a sample solution and a receptor solution containing the indicator dye are joined in the T-connection. The two streams flow next to each other without turbulent mixing until they exit the structure. Small molecules and ions diffuse rapidly across the width of the channel, whereas larger molecules diffuse more slowly. Larger particles such as blood cells show no significant diffusion within the time the two flow layers are in contact with each other. These analyte molecules diffuse into the adjacent acceptor stream with the fluorescent indicator dye. The fluorescence properties of the indicator are a function of the concentration of the analyte molecules in the interaction zone between the two streams and can be monitored.
The Planter Class and British West Indian Sugar Production, before and after Emancipation

U ^ NTIL recent times, the old planter class in the British West Indies suffered censorious and contemptuous treatment from historians. The traditional view of the planters in the age of slavery was derived from the polemical works of nineteenth-century abolitionists who denounced them as coarse, stubborn conservatives guilty of brutalizing their slaves by an unconscionable attachment to crude and anachronistic techniques. Recent research into the affairs of West India sugar estates, beginning with Richard Pares's A West India Fortune (I950), has provided a different portrait of the planters. Pares' study of the Pinney plantations in Nevis and the recently published history of Worthy Park Estate,Jamaica, by Craton and Walvin' suggest that planters were not uniformly callous toward their servants or reactionary and unimaginative in their agricultural techniques. Instead, these studies offer ample evidence of the resourcefulness of many West Indian proprietors, their meticulous care of plantation property, and their capacity for intelligent innovation. Modes ofproduction in the sugar industry were constrained as well as sustained by slavery, but innovation was not blindly abjured. Controversies raged between groups of planters over the most effective techniques of cultivation. Men learned their vocations from one another and from hard experience in cultivating the land. The character of soils varied from one district to another and even within the confines of single estates. Different cane pieces demanded different treatment, and the sugars produced from varying soils required distinctive handling in the boiling process to assure that they travelled well on the sea voyage to England. Universal remedies for the problems of the estates glibly pronounced by contemporary Britons offered little aid to practical planters, for as one Jamaica governor acknowledged, "an excellent planter in one district may be entirely unqualified to manage an estate in another."2 In many cases, technological innovations recommended by European critics were impeded or precluded by climatic and topographical conditions which those critics failed to appreciate or chose to ignore. This article re-examines the system of production in the British Caribbean in an attempt to afford additional new perspectives to the old criticism and to provide further testimony to the energy and determination with which many West Indian planters responded to the challenge of emancipationY
Size distribution of poly(A)-containing messencer RNA from free polysomes of HeLa cells

Abstract The sedimentation properties of pulse-labeled and long-term labeled mRNA from highly purified HeLa cell free-polysomes, selected for poly(A) content by two successive passages through poly(T)-cellulose columns, were analyzed under native and denatured conditions. The sedimentation profile of the mRNA on both sodium dodecyl SO4-sucrose gradients and formaldehyde-sucrose gradients showed a broad distribution of components with estimated molecular weights ranging from 2 × 105 to 5.5 × 106 daltons and a weight-average molecular weight of 8.5 × 105 daltons.