cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urban/freeway traffic control

A computer program has been developed to compute the trajectories of vehicles and platoons of vehicles as they move through an urban street network and on a freeway. It can be used to generate traffic patterns and determine performance measures for a wide variety of control strategies and is a new tool for the evaluation and design of candidate traffic control policies. SCOT (Simulation of COrridor Traffic) is a computer program designed to simulate traffic flow within an urban freeway corridor. It contains two basic algorithms: one for the movement of platoons on a freeway and the other for the movement of individual vehicles on the freeway ramps, service roads, major arterials and city streets. These models have been interfaced so the system-wide effect of a proposed control policy may be assessed. A study was made using the urban simulation model of SCOT to design and evaluate a sequence of traffic signal schedules for a section of a major arterial in Boston and the results are discussed in this report. Current studies include the application of SCOT to traffic responsive control systems for the evaluation of a variety of freeway ramp metering and bus priority strategies.
Distraction during persuasive communication: A meta‐analytic review

Research on the effect of distraction has produced conflicting results and competing theoretical explanations. Nonetheless, distraction has been cited as the process by which violations of conversational expectations influence the outcomes of persuasive communications. In this study, results from 38 studies examining distraction were subjected to meta‐analysis. The results indicate it is necessary to distinguish between communication relevant distraction (produced by behaviors of the source) and communication irrelevant distractors. The former, including violations of conversational expectations, produce attitude change via source valence effects, while the latter, in general, reduce attitude change by reducing message comprehension. The counterarguing hypothesis receives little support, though questions concerning counterargument measures suggest that it may not have been put to a fair test. The type of communication irrelevant distraction influences the reduction in attitude change perhaps due to the co...
Cerebellar dysfunction is associated with overexpression of proinflammatory cytokine genes in lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology accompanied by central nervous system involvement in up to 60% of patients. The current study chronicles the expression of cerebellar dysfunction in SLE using MRL-lpr/lpr mice as the experimental model. These mice spontaneously develop an illness that has immunological and clinical features of human lupus. We found that MRL-lpr/lpr mice manifest severe and progressive behavioral disturbances indicative of cerebellar dysfunction beginning at 11 weeks of age. Although the lpr gene is known to induce autoimmune features, immunologically normal mice rendered congenic for lpr failed to exhibit disturbances in cerebellar function. Because lupus is a cytokine-driven disease and overexpression of certain proinflammatory cytokines has been associated with neurodegeneration, the relationship between cerebellar dysfunction and cytokine gene expression was examined. Relative to immunologically normal CBA/J mice, the cerebellum of young (11–15 weeks of age) MRL-lpr/lpr mice contained high levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon-γ (IFNγ) mRNA, which became even more pronounced in old (22–30 weeks of age) autoimmune mice. mRNA levels for the cytokines IL-1β and IL-10 were elevated in the cerebellum of old, but not young, MRL-lpr/lpr mice relative to CBA/J. In contrast, the levels of cerebellar transcripts for IL-3 and tumor necrosis factor-α were comparable in autoimmune and normal mice, indicating that enhanced gene expression of IL-6, IFNγ, IL-1β, and IL-10 was selective. These results suggest a potential role for certain proinflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of cerebellar disturbances in SLE. J. Neurosci. Res. 64:26–33, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A unique pattern of hepatocyte proliferation in F344 rats following long-term exposures to low levels of a chemical mixture of groundwater contaminants

Most exposures of humans to environmental agents involve mixtures of chemicals, rather than individual chemicals. Some chemicals can cause hepatocellular proliferation and act as neoplastic promoters. Little is known concerning hepatocellular proliferation caused by chemical mixtures such as those found in groundwater at hazardous waste sites. Therefore, a 6 month study was performed to investigate hepatocellular proliferation and histopathological changes in F344 rats after long-term, low-level exposure to a mixture of groundwater contaminants. The seven chemicals used are among the most frequently detected contaminants associated with hazardous waste sites; arsenic, benzene, chloroform, chromium, lead, phenol and trichloroethylene. Male F344 rats were exposed to this mixture, or submixtures of the organic or inorganic chemicals, via drinking water for 6 months. The study design included a time-course experiment (i.e. 3 and 10 days and 1, 3 and 6 months) and a dose-response experiment. Hepatocellular proliferation studies were performed by subcutaneously implanting osmotic mini-pumps to continuously deliver 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine for 7 days, which labeled nuclei of proliferating cells. In all groups, there were no differences in weight gain, body weight, liver weight ratios or liver-associated plasma enzymes. Light microscopic evaluation revealed no lesions related to the treatments in any animals. However, significant increases in hepatocellular labeling were observed at the 3 and 10 day and 1 month exposure time points after treatment with the full mixture, as well as the organic or inorganic submixtures. Proliferating hepatocytes expressed a unique labeling pattern surrounding large hepatic veins (0.5-2.0 mm), but not central veins. This did not appear to be a regenerative response due to cytotoxic mechanisms, as assessed by the absence of increased plasma enzyme activity and the absence of hepatocellular lesions.
ANALYSIS OF STRESS AT SEVERAL JUNCTIONS IN PRESSURIZED SHELLS

Presentation of results for the discontinuity stresses in pressure vessels due to changes in geometry or thickness
Symmetry breaking in the lattice Abelian Higgs model.

A new gauge-invariant order parameter is introduced for the Abelian Higgs model and used to prove the existence of a phase transition for the lattice theory in three or more dimensions. In Landau gauge this order parameter is the limit of as Vertical Barx-yVertical Bar..-->..infinity.
Divergent Reactions to the Terror of Terrorism: Personal Need for Structure Moderates the Effects of Terrorism Salience on Worldview-Related Attitudinal Rigidity

The current studies explore how individual differences in personal need for structure (PNS) influence the extent to which people respond to terrorism threats with cultural worldview-related attitudinal rigidity. PNS was measured, terrorism salience manipulated, and British participants' attitudes toward an essay arguing against the British adoption of the Euro (Study 1) or American participants' attitudes toward an essay arguing for a nontraditional approach to the Thanksgiving meal (Study 2) were assessed. Terrorism salience, relative to a control condition, increased liking of the anti-Euro position and decreased liking for a nontraditional approach to Thanksgiving for those high in PNS. The reverse pattern was found for those low in PNS. Theoretical and applied implications are considered.
Internal Structure of Apoferritin as Revealed by the "Negative Staining Technique.".

I t has been surmised that the apoferritin molecule has a hollow center which communicates with the outer surface through some sort of channels or slots (1-2). This inference is based upon the following findings: 1. As determined by means of electron microscopy, the ferric hydroxide (FeOOH) micelles of ferritin molecules are located within spheroids of apoferritin (1) ; 2. In reducing media, such as dithionite solutions, iron can be removed with ease from ferritin, intact apoferritin being left behind (4); 3. Apoferritin, prepared following removal of iron from ferritin, has the immunologic specificity of ferritin, crystallizes in the same habit as ferritin, and has the molecular crystal lattice parameters of ferritin (3-8). If the ferric hydroxide micelles in the ferritin molecule were tightly enclosed by a shell of the protein, apoferritin, their removal would require some kind of unfolding of the protein---/.e, denaturation. Such denaturation would be inconsistent with the facts just summarized. On the other hand, if there are communications between the outside and the inside of the apoferritin shell, then various solvents and solutions should penetrate readily into the interior of ferritin molecules. I t follows that with suitable solutions the reduction of the ferric hydroxide micelles to ferrous ions could be brought about in the interior of ferritin molecules; ferrous ions would then diffuse outward. This hypothesis is consistent with the facts summarized above, and with the findings reported by Bielig and Bayer (9) and by Loewus and Fineberg (10); viz. that ferritin can be reconstituted from apoferritin and ionic iron in vitro. Like the molecules of many proteins, those of apoferritin are not sufficiently dense to electrons to be visible directly in the electron microscope. However, with the negative staining technique of Brenner and Home (11), we have been able to demonstrate the contours of apoferritin molecules. In this technique phosphotungstic acid is used to
Neo‐Nomadism: A Theory of Post‐Identitarian Mobility in the Global Age

This article focuses on a theoretical discussion about the interrelations between global hypermobility and subjectivity formation. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among expatriates that circulate t...
Validation is a dish oft served cold

In this issue of Blood , Triot et al describe a novel genetic subtype of severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) characterized by inherited, biallelic loss-of-function mutations in the granulocyte–colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptor gene, CSF3R . 1 These findings expand the spectrum of pathogenic CSF3R mutations in humans and provide long overdue validation of mouse models generated in the 1990s.
Broadcast meteorology and the supply of weather forecasts: an exploration

Advertising imperfectly translates viewer preferences into demand for programming, and evaluating the quality of news products is difficult for consumers. Consequently the ability of market forces to supply high quality news is a subject of continuing debate. This paper offers new evidence on the supply of news by examining the investments by television stations in weather coverage. Weather forecasts meet the classic economic definition of a public good, yet television stations across the U.S. undertake extensive efforts to provide viewers with weather forecasts. Stations in markets with a higher incidence of severe weather, particularly a higher tornado rate, make significantly greater investments in their own Doppler weather radars and weathercasters certified by the American Meteorological Society. Since television weather can help save lives during severe weather, the supply of TV weather coverage is at least approximately efficient.
Versatility of Acyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Synthetases

Summary The acyl carrier protein (ACP) requires posttranslational modification with a 4′-phosphopantetheine arm for activity, and this thiol-terminated modification carries cargo between enzymes in ACP-dependent metabolic pathways. We show that acyl-ACP synthetases (AasSs) from different organisms are able to load even, odd, and unnatural fatty acids onto E. coli ACP in vitro. Vibrio harveyi AasS not only shows promiscuity for the acid substrate, but also is active upon various alternate carrier proteins. AasS activity also extends to functional activation in living organisms. We show that exogenously supplied carboxylic acids are loaded onto ACP and extended by the E. coli fatty acid synthase, including unnatural fatty acid analogs. These analogs are further integrated into cellular lipids. In vitro characterization of four different adenylate-forming enzymes allowed us to disambiguate CoA-ligases and AasSs, and further in vivo studies show the potential for functional application in other organisms.
Morphologic characteristics of aortic atresia: implications for fetal hemodynamics

Abstract We studied hearts with aortic atresia to determine the relationship between cardiac morphology and fetal cardiac blood flow. We compared measurements of aortic, pulmonary, and tricuspid valve circumference and right ventricular wall thickness among 37 hearts with aortic atresia and mitral hypoplasia, 14 hearts with aortic atresia together with mitral atresia and 24 normal hearts. Right ventricular free wall thickness and tricuspid and pulmonary valve annular circumferences were greater and aortic circumferences were smaller in hearts with aortic atresia than in normal hearts ( P P
THE STUDY OF ADAPTATION AND SPECIATION IN THE GENOMIC ERA

The availability of complete genome sequences and genetic linkage maps for a growing number of mammalian species is opening up exciting new opportunities for studies of evolutionary change in natural populations. For example, multilocus mapping approaches hold the promise of identifying the specific genetic changes that underlie ecological adaptation and reproductive isolation. The fact that many of the genomic resources that have been developed for Mus and Rattus are transferable to other muroid rodents means that roughly 25% of all mammalian species can now be considered ‘‘genome-enabled’’ study organisms to varying degrees. The transferability of genomic resources between model organisms and their more ecologically interesting kin should usher in a renaissance period of research on adaptation and speciation in mammals.
Nutrient intake comparisons between Framingham and rural and urban Puriscal, Costa Rica: associations with Lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and low density lipoprotein particle size

To assess cross-cultural relations between dietary intake and plasma lipoproteins, we randomly selected 222 men and 243 women from the urban and rural areas of Puriscal, Costa Rica; related their dietary composition (assessed by a food-frequency questionnaire), fitness level, and body fat to plasma lipids, apolipoproteins, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size; and compared these data with those from a subsample of 280 adults from the Framingham Offspring Study. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly (p less than 0.0001) higher in Framingham (207 and 137 mg/dl, respectively) than in Puriscal (184 and 114 mg/dl, respectively) residents. Elevated triglyceride and apolipoprotein (apo) B levels (25% and 16% higher), low HDL cholesterol and apo A-I levels (12% and 29% lower), and smaller LDL particles (17%) were more frequent in Puriscal than in Framingham residents. Urban Puriscal residents had a significantly lower fitness level; increased body fat, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels; decreased HDL cholesterol in men; and higher apo B levels in women compared with rural Puriscal residents. Body fat, animal fat, and saturated fat intakes were significantly correlated with total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apo B levels in both men and women in Puriscal. Intakes of protein and animal fat were higher among urban (10.7% and 14.1%, respectively) compared with rural (8.9% and 9.9%, respectively) Puriscal residents and in Framingham (16.0% and 20.8%, respectively) compared with Puriscal residents. No significant differences were found in dietary cholesterol. Saturated fat (largely from palm oil in Puriscal) intakes were significantly different among the three groups: rural Puriscal, 10.7% of calories; urban Puriscal, 11.6%; and Framingham residents, 12.9%. These data indicate that the more atherogenic plasma lipid profile among urban compared with Puriscal residents was largely explained by increased adiposity, decreased fitness level, and higher saturated fatty acid intake. Puriscal residents consumed less animal fat and more carbohydrate than did Framingham residents, and these differences were associated with a 21% lower LDL cholesterol level, a 12% lower HDL cholesterol level, a 29% lower apo A-I level, a 25% higher triglyceride level, a 16% higher apo B level, and a 17% smaller LDL particle size. Some of these cross-cultural differences may be due to differences in ethnic background and physical activity as well.
An Integrated Phased Array Antenna Design Using Ferroelectric Materials and the Continuous Transverse Stub Technology

In this paper, a new integrated phased array antenna system employing the ferroelectric materials technology for electronic beam steering capabilities is described. The design integrates a ferroelectric coplanar waveguide phase shifter with the continuous transverse stub (CTS) array. The phase shifter employs a multi-dielectric substrate and includes a thin layer of silicon dioxide between the signal conductors and the ferroelectric material to reduce the insertion losses and produce good impedance matching. The coplanar waveguide-based multi-dielectric layer design demonstrated an effective ferroelectric biasing architecture and exhibited an increase in figure of merit by up to 8deg/dB from that of the direct metallization approach. An integrated two elements phased array antenna is developed and demonstrates linearly polarized radiation with +/-20deg of beam scanning between the unbiased and biased states of the ferroelectric phase shifter
Scientific Bases of Macroenvironmental Indicators

We review the development of macroenvironmental indicators, an effort driven by a combination of improved understanding of the functioning of Earth's natural systems at large spatial and temporal scales and of increasing demands by an expanding human population for goods and services provided by ecosystems. To be credible, macroenvironmental indicators need to be based on established scientific concepts and supported by extensive data. To be adopted, they need to serve the interests of diverse stakeholders and be perceived as unbiased. The baselines against which they are evaluated must be clear. A modest number of macroindicators of abiotic natural capital, biotic natural capital, and ecological functioning are currently in use. Some of them are designed to report on trends in legislatively mandated goals and standards. Most environmental indicators, however, report on specific components of the environment at small scales. They are not readily aggregated to form synthetic macroenvironmental indicators.
A LysM Receptor-Like Kinase Plays a Critical Role in Chitin Signaling and Fungal Resistance in Arabidopsis

Chitin, a polymer of N -acetyl-d-glucosamine, is found in fungal cell walls but not in plants. Plant cells can perceive chitin fragments (chitooligosaccharides) leading to gene induction and defense responses. We identified a LysM receptor-like protein (LysM RLK1) required for chitin signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana . The mutation in this gene blocked the induction of almost all chitooligosaccharide-responsive genes and led to more susceptibility to fungal pathogens but had no effect on infection by a bacterial pathogen. Additionally, exogenously applied chitooligosaccharides enhanced resistance against both fungal and bacterial pathogens in the wild-type plants but not in the mutant. Together, our data indicate that LysM RLK1 is essential for chitin signaling in plants (likely as part of the receptor complex) and is involved in chitin-mediated plant innate immunity. The LysM RLK1-mediated chitin signaling pathway is unique, but it may share a conserved downstream pathway with the FLS2/flagellin- and EFR/EF-Tu–mediated signaling pathways. Additionally, our work suggests a possible evolutionary relationship between the chitin and Nod factor perception mechanisms due to the similarities between their potential receptors and between the signal molecules perceived by them.
Antennas System Cables and Guys Combining High Strength and Optimum Dielectric Characteristics

A comparison has been made of high strength filament materials having low dielectric and loss-tangent properties for use in antennae cables; lines and guys. The availability of type S glass fibers of higher strength than type E and the more recent production of high-modulus carbon filaments, and high-modulus organic type polymeric fibers offer several materials to choose from for optimum design. Since frequently both the mechanical and electrical properties are important for cables, a brief review is given of properties considered for final design and production. A specific problem and solution is analyzed with supporting data. At the Cornell University National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center in Puerto Rico, cables used in the antennas ,system had to meet the following unique combination of requirements: 1) high modulus for a low total elongation, 2) assurance of rigidity at comparatively low prestrain loads, and 3) low loss-tangent and dielectric properties. The final lines involved use of a recently developed PRD-49 organic fiber exhibiting higher polymer strength and modulus than previously obtainable. A modulus of 16.5x106psi was obtained for a line capable of supporting a 19, 000 Ib load and weighing approximately 0.04 Ib/ft of length. The implications of this work in other antennae and related design problems are also discussed.
Racial Threat and Partisan Identification

Power theory views relationships between groups as a function of their competitive positions in political, economic, and social arenas. In contexts where the threat posed by a minority group is high, the dominant group's response is predicted to be more hostile than in contexts where that threat is low. A pooled time series analysis of voter registration data for Louisiana parishes for 1975-90 provides support for the operation of the threat mechanism. Higher black concentrations are associated with declines in the percentage of white registered voters who are Democrats and an increase in the percentage who are Republicans. Consistent with the expectations of power theory, this relationship is conditioned by the social status of the parish. T he past three decades have witnessed two dramatic trends in southern politics. First, beginning with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there has been an extraordinary increase in political participation among southern blacks. This mobilization has been directed almost entirely to the Democratic party. Second, commencing at about the same time, a steep decline has occurred in the identification of southern whites with the Democratic party. This decline has been accompanied by a limited growth in Republican identification in the region and a large increase in the number of southern whites who identify as Independents. The end product of these trends has been twofold. On the one hand, the once solidly Democratic South no longer can be said to have a majority party (Black and Black 1987, 232). On the other hand, the Democratic party that once championed racial segregation in the region has come increasingly to depend upon black voters for its
Phenotypic analysis of the ccp1Δ and ccp1Δ-ccp1W191F mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicates that cytochrome c peroxidase functions in oxidative-stress signaling

Abstract Yeast cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP) efficiently catalyzes the reduction of H2O2 to H2O by ferrocytochrome c in vitro. The physiological function of CCP, a heme peroxidase that is targeted to the mitochondrial intermembrane space of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is not known. CCP1-null-mutant cells in the W303-1B genetic background (ccp1Δ) grew as well as wild-type cells with glucose, ethanol, glycerol or lactate as carbon sources but with a shorter initial doubling time. Monitoring growth over 10 days demonstrated that CCP1 does not enhance mitochondrial function in unstressed cells. No role for CCP1 was apparent in cells exposed to heat stress under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. However, the detoxification function of CCP protected respiring mitochondria when cells were challenged with H2O2. Transformation of ccp1Δ with ccp1W191F, which encodes the CCPW191F mutant enzyme lacking CCP activity, significantly increased the sensitivity to H2O2 of exponential-phase fermenting cells. In contrast, stationary-phase (7-day) ccp1Δ-ccp1W191F exhibited wild-type tolerance to H2O2, which exceeded that of ccp1Δ. Challenge with H2O2 caused increased CCP, superoxide dismutase and catalase antioxidant enzyme activities (but not glutathione reductase activity) in exponentially growing cells and decreased antioxidant activities in stationary-phase cells. Although unstressed stationary-phase ccp1Δ exhibited the highest catalase and glutathione reductase activities, a greater loss of these antioxidant activities was observed on H2O2 exposure in ccp1Δ than in ccp1Δ-ccp1W191F and wild-type cells. The phenotypic differences reported here between the ccp1Δ and ccp1Δ-ccp1W191F strains lacking CCP activity provide strong evidence that CCP has separate antioxidant and signaling functions in yeast.
Blast Traumatic Brain Injury in the Rat Using a Blast Overpressure Model

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious health concern for civilians and military populations, and blast-induced TBI (bTBI) has become an increasing problem for military personnel over the past 10 years. To understand the biological and psychological effects of blast-induced injuries and to examine potential interventions that may help to prevent, attenuate, and treat effects of bTBI, it is valuable to conduct controlled animal experiments. This unit discusses available paradigms to model traumatic brain injury in animals, with an emphasis on the relevance of these various models to study blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI). This paper describes the detailed methods of a blast overpressure (BOP) paradigm that has been used to conduct experiments with rats to model blast exposure. This particular paradigm models the pressure wave created by explosions, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Curr. Protoc. Neurosci. 62:9.41.1-9.41.14. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: blast overpressure; traumatic brain injury; rat
Kinetics of competitive inhibition and cometabolism in the biodegradation of benzene, toluene, and p‐xylene by two Pseudomonas isolates.

Two Pseudomonas species (designated strains B1 and X1) were isolated from an aerobic pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor treating groundwater containing benzene, toluene, and p-xylene (BTX). Strain B1 grew with benzene and toluene as the sole sources of carbon and energy, and it cometabolized p-xylene in the presence of toluene. Strain X1 grew on toluene and p-xylene, but not benzene. In single substrate experiments, the appearance of biomass lagged the consumption of growth substrates, suggesting that substrate uptake may not be growth-rate limiting for these substrates. Batch tests using paired substrates (BT, TX, or BX) revealed competitive inhibition and cometabolic degradation patterns. Competitive inhibition was modeled by adding a competitive inhibition term to the Monod expression. Cometabolic transformation of nongrowth substrate (p-xylene) by strain B1 was quantified by coupling xylene transformation to consumption of growth substrate (toluene) during growth and to loss of biomass during the decay phase. Coupling was achieved by defining two transformation capacity terms for the cometabolizing culture: one that relates consumption of growth substrate to the consumption of nongrowth substrate, and second that relates consumption of biomass to the consumption of nongrowth substrate. Cometabolism increased decay rates, and the observed yield for strain B1 decreased in the presence of p-xylene.
Health and wellness programming in faith-based organizations: a description of a nationwide sample.

Introduction. Most of the U.S. population is affiliated with faith-based organizations (FBOs) and regularly attends services. Health and wellness activities (HWA) delivered through FBOs have great potential for reach, but the number of FBOs offering health programs and the characteristics of these programs are currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to better understand rates, characteristics, and factors influencing faith-based HWA across the United States. Method. Faith leaders (N = 844) completed an online survey assessing faith leader demographics and health, FBO demographics (e.g., denomination, size, location, diversity), and details of HWA within their FBO. Results. Respondents were primarily White (93%), male (72%), middle-aged (53.2 ± 12.1 years), and affiliated with Methodist (42.5%) or Lutheran (20.2%) denominations. Although most faith leaders report meeting physical activity recommendations (56.5%), most were overweight/obese (77.4%), did not meet fruit and vegetable recommendations ...
Influenza Vaccine Use Among Health Care Workers Social Marketing, Policy, and Ethics

Public health authorities regularly recommend that health care workers receive influenza vaccine annually to protect themselves, coworkers, patients, and others from the potentially serious health consequences of influenza. Despite this recommendation, a minority (about 40%) of health care workers in the United States and abroad routinely comply. Formative research developed using a social marketing approach indicates a complex structure of perceptions, information, attitudes, and intentions underlying this behavior among health care workers in Rhode Island. As a result, a revised policy (take the vaccine or wear a mask) effective upon designation of widespread influenza in the state produced a substantial increase in vaccination rates among this group. This example indicates the use of social marketing to inform the development of “upstream” policy interventions in public health and discusses the ethical context of this approach.
Sleep in COPD Patients

An estimated 14 million Americans are afflicted with COPD and are at risk for significant abnormalities in gas exchange and ventilation that are exacerbated by sleep. In addition 10–15% of COPD patients concomitantly suffer from sleep apnea. The term “Overlap Syndrome” was originally coined by Flenley to describe the relationship between COPD and sleep apnea. Patients with overlap syndrome are characterized by having lower PaO2 during wakefulness, higher PaCO2, elevated pulmonary artery pressure and more significant episodes of nocturnal hypoxemia than sleep apnea patients without COPD. COPD and sleep apnea have long been individually recognized for having significantly detrimental affects on the respiratory physiology of patients. The mechanisms of both diseases compromise the gas exchange, oxygenation, and overall mortality and morbidity in the affected patients. While both of these diseases individually represent significant detriment to affected patients, the combination of these two diseases has been...
The effect of pH on ruminal methanogenesis

When a fistulated cow was fed an all forage diet, ruminal pH remained more or less constant (6.7 to 6.9). The ruminal pH of a concentrate-fed cow decreased dramatically in the period soon after feeding, and the pH was as low as 5.45. Mixed ruminal bacteria from the forage-fed cow converted CO2 and H2 to methane, but the ruminal fluid from the concentrate-fed cow did not produce methane. When the pH of the ruminal fluid from the concentrate-fed cow was adjusted to pH 7.0, methane was eventually detected, and the absolute rate constant of methane production was as high as the one observed with ruminal fluid from the forage fed cow (0.32 h−1). Based on the zero-time intercepts of methane production, it appeared that the concentrate-fed cow had fewer methanogens than the forage-fed cow. When the mixed ruminal bacteria were incubated in a basal medium containing 100 mM acetate, methanogenesis was pH-dependent, and no methane was detected at pH values less than 6.0. Because the removal of acetic acid completely reversed the inhibition of methanogenesis, it appeared that volatile fatty acids were causing the pH-dependent inhibition. Based on these results, concentrate diets that lower ruminal pH may provide a practical means of decreasing ruminal methane production.
Varying the Difficulty of Testing Materials Implications for Curriculum-Based Measurement

Systematic monitoring of student progress using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is associated with improved student achievement. CBM uses a long-term goal measurement strategy that requires specifying the level of a curriculum the handicapped student is expected to master in 1 year. Student progress is assessed routinely using material sampled from this level of the curriculum. This study examined effects of curriculum level difficulty on estimates of student progress. The progress of 30 mildly handicapped students was monitored simultaneously in alternative levels of a reading curriculum, and students' slopes of improvement and variability of performance were compared. Regardless of the level of the curriculum in which progress was assessed, the slope of improvement was similar over time. Implications for selecting progress monitoring measurement materials are discussed.
Integrated 585-GHz Hot-Electron Mixer Focal-Plane Arrays Based on Annular Slot Antennas for Imaging Applications

We have developed 585-GHz quasi-optical mixers and focal-plane arrays (FPAs) comprised of planar annular slot antennas (ASAs) with integrated niobium hot-electron bolometers for imaging applications. In order to optimize the single-element mixer design, the embedding impedance of the single ASA presented to the bolometer is analyzed using the induced electromotive force (EMF) method by including the antenna feed contribution. This approach has been further expanded to analyze the ASA self-impedance and mutual impedance in an array by utilizing the even-odd mode analysis. In addition, the far-field radiation patterns of the ASAs mounted to an extended hemispherical high-resistivity silicon lens have been calculated using the ray-tracing techniques. The details of circuit design and fabrication are presented in this study. Single mixer element measurement results have shown that a conversion gain of -11.9 dB and a double-sideband (DSB) receiver noise temperature of ~650 K have been achieved. Initial array imaging experiment results are presented and show excellent agreement with theory and simulation data. A spatial resolution of ~2.75 mm has been demonstrated at 585 GHz for a 1-D mixer FPA that is capable of diffraction-limited imaging. Y-factor measurements show DSB mixer noise temperatures of 1675 and 3517 K with mixer conversion gains of -14.73 and -17.74 dB, respectively, have been obtained for two adjacent elements in a mixer array, which is comparable to the results reported in the literature.
Crowding among hunter-gatherers: the Kung Bushmen.

Highly crowded living conditions exist among the !Kung Bushmen, hunter-gatherers who live on the edges of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and South-West Africa. The !Kung appear to be crowded by choice, and biological indicators of stress are absent. Data indicate that residential crowding alone does not produce symptoms of pathological stress.
Phenology of common lambsquarters growth parameters

Abstract Research was conducted to characterize the phenology of common lambsquarters growth parameters as influenced by climatic variation among years. Treatments included soybean or corn grown alone, common lambsquarters with soybean or corn, and common lambsquarters grown alone. Common lambsquarters leaf area and plant height phenology differed among years and was variable within treatments. Conversely, crop leaf area and plant height phenology did not differ among years and was less variable within a treatment than common lambsquarters. Weed relative leaf area and relative volume differed among years because of differences in crop and common lambsquarters leaf area and plant height phenology. Differences in common lambsquarters relative leaf area and relative volume among years may explain differences in previously reported crop yield responses to weed infestations between sites and years. Although common lambsquarters relative leaf area and relative volume differed among years, variability as indicat...
Experimental investigation on the correlation between nano-fluid characteristics and thermal properties of Al2O3 nano-particles dispersed in ethylene glycol–water mixture

Abstract This paper presents a multi-parameter investigation of Al2O3 nano-particles dispersed in distilled water, ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol–distilled water mixture (50/50 vol.%). The nano-fluid samples were prepared with ultrasonic processing with particle concentration up to 9 wt.%. Samples were characterized by transmission electron microscope imaging, particle surface charge (zeta potential), particle aggregate size, light absorbance and pH. The thermal conductivity and viscosity of the nano-fluid samples were measured. 10.9% enhancement in thermal conductivity was observed in ethylene glycol–distilled water mixture based nano-fluid with 5 wt.% Al2O3 nano-particle loading. The results show multiple-perspective correlations between nano-fluid characteristics and thermal properties. The findings are summarized as follows. Combined effect of base fluid viscosity and particle surface charge determines the degree of nano-particle aggregation. Higher enhancement in thermal conductivity is observed with moderate particle aggregation, while either light or heavy aggregation lowers the enhancement. The ethylene glycol–water mixture based nano-fluids show overall higher thermal conductivity enhancement than the distilled water and ethylene glycol based nano-fluids. The degradation of nano-fluid thermal conductivity enhancement over time is found to be related to the gravity-driven particle sedimentation. Nano-fluids containing larger particle aggregates show higher viscosity augmentation. However, the extent of viscosity augmentation is not proportional to the extent of particle aggregation.
Do Primary Care Physician Perform Clinical Breast Exams Prior to Ordering a Mammogram

Both the American Cancer Society and National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommend annual clinical breast examination (CBE) along with screening mammogram (SM) for patients starting at 40 years of age. However, patients with a palpable breast mass should have a diagnostic mammogram (DM) during workup. Review at our institution demonstrated that 11% of patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer and self-identified breast mass had SM instead of DM. This led us to question whether primary care physicians (PCP) perform CBE prior to ordering mammography. As part of the routine preimaging screening, patients were asked if they had undergone breast examination by a medical provider prior to mammogram order. Data on mammogram type, ordering physician specialty, and presence of symptoms on day of mammogram were recorded. Of 6,109 mammograms, 4,823 were ordered by PCPs. CBE was performed prior to 67.2% SM and 64.8% DM (p = 0.12). OB/GYN performed statistically significantly higher CBE (81.6%) compared to internal (45.4%) and family (50.5%) medicine physicians (p < 0.001). Of patients with self-reported breast symptoms, 8.7% had SM ordered rather than DM. Despite recommendations, approximately 1/3 of women report not having CBE prior to mammogram. The chances of having a CBE varied significantly by PCP specialty. Lack of CBE can lead to incorrect type of mammogram, with possibly increased cost and delay in diagnosis. Further evaluation is needed to understand why CBE was not performed in some patients.
Religious Power, the State, Women's Rights, and Family Law

Family law is an essential dimension of women's citizenship in the modern state. The rights established in family law shape women's agency and autonomy; they also regulate access to basic resources—such as land, income, and education—that determine a citizen's ability to earn a living independently, among other life chances (Agarwal 1994; Deere and Leon 2001; Kabeer 1994; Okin 1989; World Bank 2012). Yet family law is a notorious site of sex inequality, historically and in the present. Equal rights enjoyed by women in national constitutions are often contradicted by family and civil codes that subordinate women to the decisions of their husbands and fathers. In the early 21st century, family law in a significant number of countries discriminated against women, denying them the rights held by men and contributing to their disadvantaged social positions.
Documentation of Treatment: Botox

Anatomic documentation of treatment sites creates a historical record upon which further treatment modifications may be individualized. For example, if a patient has inadequate lateral forehead wrinkle reduction, one may refer to the treatment diagram and use this as a basis for adding new lateral treatment sites.
Comparative analysis of cancer driver genes between human and six non-human primates (LB182)

Cancer incidences among non-human primates compared to humans are very low, however the causative factors are unknown. The difference could be derived from a combination of immunity, environmental factors, longer life expectancy in humans, and genetic variation. Detailed genome sequences for human and six other non-human primates (Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo abelii, Callithrix jacchus, Macaca mulatta, and Otolemur garnettii) make it possible to assess whether genetic differences contribute to cancer susceptibility. We obtained a list of high-confidence driver genes common to tumors from twelve different cancer types and examined a subset of these across non-human primate orthologs. Empirical Bayes methods were used to test for adaptive evolution by examining the rate of non-synonymous substitutions, and a number of genes contained amino acid sites with evidence for positive selection along the human lineage. We suggest that some of the driver genes in human common to various cancer types have ...
Theoretical and empirical scaling patterns and topological homology in bone trabeculae

Trabecular or cancellous bone is a major element in the structural design of the vertebrate skeleton, but has received little attention from the perspective of the biology of scale. In this study, we investigated scaling patterns in the discrete bony elements of cancellous bone. First, we constructed two theoretical models, representative of the two extremes of realistic patterns of trabecular size changes associated with body size changes. In one, constant trabecular size (CTS), increases in cancellous bone volume with size arise through the addition of new elements of constant size. In the other model, constant trabecular geometry (CTG), the size of trabeculae increases isometrically. These models produce fundamentally different patterns of surface area and volume scaling. We then compared the models with empirical observations of scaling of trabecular dimensions in mammals ranging in mass from 4 to 40x10(6)g. Trabecular size showed little dependence on body size, approaching one of our theoretical models (CTS). This result suggests that some elements of trabecular architecture may be driven by the requirements of maintaining adequate surface area for calcium homeostasis. Additionally, we found two key consequences of this strongly negative allometry. First, the connectivity among trabecular elements is qualitatively different for small versus large animals; trabeculae connect primarily to cortical bone in very small animals and primarily to other trabeculae in larger animals. Second, small animals have very few trabeculae and, as a consequence, we were able to identify particular elements with a consistent position across individuals and, for some elements, across species. Finally, in order to infer the possible influence of gross differences in mechanical loading on trabecular size, we sampled trabecular dimensions extensively within Chiroptera and compared their trabecular dimensions with those of non-volant mammals. We found no systematic differences in trabecular size or scaling patterns related to locomotor mode.
Pseudo Elimination of Geometry Dependence in Surrogate Models of Distributed Knee Loads From an Explicit Dynamic Finite Element Analysis

The premise of a total knee replacement (TKR) is to alleviate pain and increase joint mobility. The expected 20 year life span of the knee insert exceeds that of the standard patient given traditional wear and tear. With more active lifestyles, greater wear rates and shorter life spans are predicted for tibial inserts. Greater wear rates increase the probability that a patient will require additional surgery later in life. This research provides a knee loading model to estimate the pressure loading distribution through Finite Element Modeling (FEM). The publicly available patient data was used to eliminate the geometry dependence in a surrogate model of distributed knee loads from an explicit Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The developed method based upon FEM and FEA, produced two notable results. The secondary results showed the FEM accurately estimated the medial and lateral contact forces during the stance phase. However, the primary result was that the surrogate model successfully interpolated the contact surface forces using results from the FEA without requiring any knowledge of the geometry of the contact surfaces.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Measurement of the injection efficiency of the emitter point contact on germanium in the presence of a drift field

The injection efficiency of a point contact has been measured as a function of the field strength of the normal drift field, at different emitter currents.
An integral equation based domain decomposition method for solving large-size substrate-supported aperiodic plasmonic array platforms

We propose a surface integral equation simulation scheme which incorporates the integral equation fast Fourier transform accelerative algorithm and domain decomposition method. Such scheme provides efficient and accurate solutions for substrate-supported non-periodic plasmonic array platforms with large number of building blocks and complex element geometry. The effect of array defects can be systematically and successfully studied taking advantage of the considerable flexibility of the domain decomposition approach. The proposed model will be of great advantage for fast and accurate characterization of graded-pattern plasmonic materials and metasurfaces.
Economic Origins of Democratic Breakdown

From Aristotle to Acemoglu and Robinson, scholars have argued that democracy possesses powerful redistributive impulses, and imperils itself accordingly. This article challenges the validity of the redistributive model of democratic breakdown in the postcolonial world – the only cases where democracies have collapsed since World War II – because its assumptions regarding state power are questionable or even inapplicable in postcolonial settings. Our correlative analysis of cross-sectional time series data from 139 countries between 1972 and 2007 indicates that, contrary to the expectations of the redistributive model, redistributive taxation is negatively associated with the incidence of military coups and the likelihood of democratic breakdown. Furthermore, authoritarian takeovers do not appear systematically to result in reduced redistribution from the rich. More fine-grained historical evidence from Southeast Asia – a region where the redistributive model should be especially likely to hold true – further affirms that authoritarian seizures of power are neither inspired by successful redistributive policies nor followed by their reversal. Taken together, these quantitative and qualitative data offer significant support for our central theoretical claim: contemporary democratic breakdowns have political origins in weak states, not economic origins in class conflict.