cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Object Classification from 3D Volumetric Data with 3D Capsule Networks

The proliferation of 3D sensors induced 3D computer vision research for many application areas including virtual reality, autonomous navigation and surveillance. Recently, different methods have been proposed for 3D object classification. Many of the existing 2D and 3D classification methods rely on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which are very successful in extracting features from the data. However, CNNs cannot sufficiently address the spatial relationship between features due to the max-pooling layers, and they require vast amount of training data. In this paper, we propose a model architecture for 3D object classification, which is an extension of Capsule Networks (CapsNets) to 3D data. Our proposed architecture called 3D CapsNet, takes advantage of the fact that a CapsNet preserves the orientation and spatial relationship of the extracted features, and thus requires less data to train the network. We compare our approach with ShapeNet on the ModelNet database, and show that our method provides performance improvement especially when training data size gets smaller.
More Practical Wheel Tracking Test for Rutting Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures

Wheel tracking tests have seen a vast increase in usage among various state department of transportations for measuring rutting resistance of mixtures that already meet volumetric property requirem...
Human FcRn Tissue Expression Profile and Half-Life in PBMCs

System-wide quantitative characterization of human neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) properties is critical for understanding and predicting human PK (pharmacokinetics) as well as the distribution of mAbs and Fc-fusion proteins using PBPK (physiologically-based pharmacokinetic) modeling. To this end, tissue-specific FcRn expression and half-life are important model inputs. Herein, human FcRn tissue expression was measured by peptide immunoaffinity chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. FcRn concentrations across 14 human tissues ranged from low to 230 pmol per gram of tissue. Furthermore, the FcRn half-life was determined to be 11.1 h from a human stable isotope labelled leucine pulse labeling experiment. The spatial and temporal quantitative human FcRn data now promise to enable a refined PBPK model with improved accuracy of human PK predictions for Fc-containing biotherapeutics.
Alternating directions implicit integration in a general linear method framework

Abstract Alternating Directions Implicit (ADI) integration is an operator splitting approach to solve parabolic and elliptic partial differential equations in multiple dimensions based on solving sequentially a set of related one-dimensional equations. Classical ADI methods have order at most two, due to the splitting errors. Moreover, when the time discretization of stiff one-dimensional problems is based on Runge–Kutta schemes, additional order reduction may occur. This work proposes a new ADI approach based on the partitioned General Linear Methods framework. This approach allows the construction of high order ADI methods. Due to their high stage order, the proposed methods can alleviate the order reduction phenomenon seen with other schemes. Numerical experiments are shown to provide further insight into the accuracy, stability, and applicability of these new methods.
Abnormal microarchitecture and stiffness in postmenopausal women with isolated osteoporosis at the 1/3 radius

Abstract Background Postmenopausal women with isolated osteoporosis at the 1/3 radius (1/3RO) present a therapeutic dilemma. Little is known about whether these patients have generalized skeletal fragility, and whether this finding warrants treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the biochemical and microarchitectural phenotype of women with 1/3RO compared to women with classic postmenopausal osteoporosis by DXA at the spine and hip (PMO), and controls without osteoporosis at any site. Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 266 postmenopausal women, who were grouped according to densitometric pattern. Subjects had serum biochemistries, areal BMD (aBMD) measured by DXA, trabecular and cortical vBMD, microarchitecture, and stiffness by high resolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT, voxel size ~82 μm) of the distal radius and tibia. Results Mean age was 68 ± 7 years. DXA T-Scores reflected study design. By HR-pQCT, 1/3RO had abnormalities at both radius and tibia compared to controls: lower total, cortical and trabecular vBMD, cortical thickness and trabecular number, higher trabecular separation and heterogeneity, and lower whole bone stiffness. In contrast, the magnitude and pattern of abnormalities in vBMD, microarchitecture and stiffness in 1/3RO were similar to those in PMO; the difference compared to controls was similar among the two groups. Serum calcium, creatinine, parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 24-hour urine calcium did not differ. Conclusions Although aBMD appeared relatively preserved at the spine and hip by DXA, women with 1/3RO had significant microarchitectural and biomechanical deficits comparable to those in women with typical PMO. Further study is required to guide treatment decisions in this population.
Outcome Prediction and Shared Decision-Making in Neurocritical Care

The neurointensive care physician is frequently called upon to lead in the determination of neurological prognosis and in the decision-making that follows. This is a complex task that must integrate objective clinical information and test results together with published evidence and professional guidelines or recommendations when available. A number of scoring systems have been developed on the basis of multivariable models that typically integrate clinical severity indicators as well as features extracted from neuroimaging and neurophysiological testing and, in some cases, serum biomarkers. Performance of these models, evaluated with indices of discrimination and calibration, is often insufficient to enable prediction at the individual patient level—perhaps due to underpowered samples, lack of external validation, and failure to consider treatments as predictive features. The aim of effectively delivering prognostic information may fail because of the lack of consistency and coordination in communication between treatment teams and families and the unqualified use of population-based evidence to formulate point estimates of individual outcome. To help overcome this barrier, a model of “shared decision-making” has been proposed in which providers, patients, and surrogate decision-makers work collaboratively to make medical decisions that consider the best scientific evidence while integrating the patient’s values, goals, and preferences.
Understanding the perception of stakeholders in reducing adolescent-to-parent violence/aggression

Abstract Introduction Adolescent-to-parent violence/aggression (APV/A) is an understudied yet increasingly common social problem for adolescents and families, particularly those involved in the juvenile justice system. The current study focused on improving interventions for this population by gathering qualitative data from stakeholders to inform treatment targets. Methods Participants (N = 23) comprised of court professionals (n = 7), parents/guardians (n = 9), and their male adolescent children (n = 7) in the United States. Parent and adolescent participants were recruited through monthly court-mandated domestic violence education classes offered by the juvenile court. Parent/guardian participants were between the ages of 38 and 77 and consisted of four males and five females. Adolescents were between the ages of 14 and 17. Court professional participants consisted of judges, probation officers, and court psychologists. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed qualitatively using grounded theory. Results Results indicated that, from the perspective of key stakeholders, an effective intervention to reduce APV/A likely involves a two-pronged approach: (1) address specific and theoretically modifiable emotional, behavioral, and psychological factors at the adolescent-level; and (2) induce change in the family system by addressing environmental barriers to seeking treatment and by creating positive family relationships. Conclusions The present study aimed to gather the perspectives of court professionals, adolescents, and parents/guardians regarding the development of an effective intervention for APV/A-involved families. This study represents the first step toward the development of a feasible, acceptable, sustainable, and effective intervention for adolescents and their families who are involved in the juvenile justice system due to APV/A.
Influence of Salt on the Viscosity of Polyelectrolyte Solutions

Polyelectrolytes (PEs) are charged polymers in polar solvents. Classical scaling theories suggest that the viscosity η for semidilute unentangled PE solutions in θ solvents obeys the empirical Fuoss law η∝n_{p}^{1/2} in the "salt-free" regime, and η∝n_{p}^{5/4} in the regime affected by added salt, where the polymer concentration n_{p} is defined as the number of monomers per volume. However, recent experiments have also reported η∝n_{p}^{0.68} and η∝n_{p}^{0.91}, which are at odds with the classical scaling theories. To rationalize the four distinct scaling laws, we probe the electrostatic energy per monomer under the influence of salt and their contributions to the viscosity of PE solutions. We identify four consecutive regimes dependent on the magnitude of the ratio of the polymer concentration n_{p} to the salt concentration n_{s}, which capture the unexplained observations, and provide physical insights for the influence of salt contamination and added salt on the properties of both weakly and strongly charged semidilute unentangled PE solutions.
‘Against Interpretation’: Petronius and art Criticism

For forty years a debate has raged in Petronian studies between the moralists and, for want of a better term, the anti-moralists. From Highet in the 1940's to Bacon and Arrowsmith in the 1950's and 60's, the moralists held a certain advantage. Whatever important divergences there were among these critics, all agreed on a Petronius who stood in some critical relation to his society. The dissenting voices have grown much louder of late. Ironically, the literary brilliance of Arrowsmith's New Critical reading of the Satyricon helped to turn the tide against the moralist viewpoint. The more apparent the literary sophistication of the Satyricon has become, the less willing late twentieth century readers have been to see a programmatic moral critique as its main purpose. Sullivan's view of Petronius as a ‘literary opportunist’ has come to dominate the field.With Graham Anderson's book, Eros Sophistes: Ancient Novelists at Play, the retreat from the position of Highet is now complete. We have finally reached the logical, New Critical conclusion that the Satyricon is an entirely self-contained literary game without any message whatsoever; in effect we are told that, like any serious piece of literature, the Satyricon ‘should not mean, but be’. Anderson is eager to disavow ‘the unproven conviction that every work must have a message, however diffusely or perversely expressed’.
Interobserver agreement between emergency clinicians and nurses for Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale.

Author(s): Tomaszewski, Christian A; Quenzer, Faith; Corbett, Bryan; Lafree, Andrew; Lasoff, Daniel; Romo, Jorge; Mukau, Leslie | Abstract: ObjectivesThe Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) is a validated, commonly used tool to objectively quantify withdrawal symptoms, often in anticipation of treatment with buprenorphine. Our primary aim was to determine the agreement between emergency department (ED) nurses compared with emergency physicians in determining this score in ED patients who presented for opioid withdrawal treatment. Secondarily, we wanted to investigate the safety of buprenorphine induction in the ED setting.MethodsScoring for opioid withdrawal using the COWS was performed by ED clinicians and ED nurses independently on 120 patients. In addition to overall concordance, agreement (weighted kappa) was calculated between the 2 scores by various cutoffs: overall severity, COWS ≥ 5, and the 11 different individual measures. Patient documents also were reviewed for complications that could be possibly linked to buprenorphine induction.ResultsOur study sample of 120 subjects was 77% Hispanic and 78.3% male. The clinicians assigned a median interquartile range overall COWS score of 6 (2-12), which categorizes as mild withdrawal. Seventy-eight (65%) subjects met the criteria of withdrawal (≥ 5 COWS) and 69 (58%) received an induction dose of buprenorphine (range 2nmg-24nmg) during the ED visit. No adverse effects or worsening withdrawal were reported. The overall observed concordance, based on severity withdrawal categorization, for all clinician pairs, was 67.5% (81/120) (95% confidence interval [CI], 58.7-75.2%). The weighted kappa for that concordance was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.43-0.67), giving a moderate strength of agreement. When data are dichotomized by COWS score ≥5, concordance was 82.5% (99/120) (95% CI, 74.7%-88.3%) and the weighted kappa was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.51-0.78), indicating substantial agreement. The breakdown by the 11 factors that constitute COWS showed only substantial agreement for pulse measurement.ConclusionThe agreement between ED clinicians and nurses for the overall COWS scoring in patients presenting for opioid withdrawal treatment was substantial. COWS scoring by ED nurses may help expedite treatment with buprenorphine on presentation.
Compliance with dietary guidelines and its relationship with symptoms and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced cancer in early-phase oncology clinical trials.

199Background: We examined compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and its association with symptom burden and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced cancer in early-phase clinica...
MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC RHINOSINUSITIS-YARDSTICK

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory condition of the paranasal sinuses defined by classic symptoms, imaging findings, and/or endoscopic findings. There are a growing number of emerging pharmacologic therapies being evaluated to treat patients with CRS, some of which have gained indication status in the United States. There have not been updated treatment guidelines published in the United States however since 2014. This document is meant to serve as an updated expert consensus document for the pharmacologic management of patients with CRS We review available data focusing on prospective clinical trials on oral and intranasal corticosteroids, nasal irrigation, biologics, antibiotics, and allergy immunotherapy for CRS both with and without nasal polyposis, as well as specific therapies for aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease associated CRS and allergic fungal CRS. There are multiple options to treat CRS, and clinicians should be knowledgeable about the efficacy and risks of these available therapies. Allergists/Immunologists now have various therapies available to treat patients with CRS.
Phylogenetic relationships among species of Citrullus and the placement of C. rehmii De Winter as determined by Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequence heterogeneity

The internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of the 18S-25S nuclear ribosomal DNA from the four recognized species of Citrullus (C. lanatus var. lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai., C. lanatus var. citroides (Bailey) Mansf., C. colocynthis (L.) Schrad., C. ecirrhosus Cogn., and C. rehmii De Winter) and Acanthosicycos naudinianus (Sond.) C. Jeffrey were amplified by PCR, and direct sequenced. Within the taxa examined, the length of ITS1 varied from 216 bp to 219 bp, and ITS2 varied from 239 bp to 249 bp. The average %CG content ranged from 59 to 64% and from 62 to 66% for ITS1 and ITS2, respectively. The greater length variation observed in ITS2 was primarily attributable to the occurrence of a (CC)n microsatellite. Cladistic (PAUP) and phenetic (MEGA) analyses resulted in highly resolutive trees. ITS sequence analysis placed the recently described C. rehmii adjacent to the cultivated watermelon and supported the validity of the species classification of this taxa.
WiDeo: fine-grained device-free motion tracing using RF backscatter

Could we build a motion tracing camera using wireless communication signals as the light source? This paper shows we can, we present the design and implementation of WiDeo, a novel system that enables accurate, high resolution, device free human motion tracing in indoor environments using WiFi signals and compact WiFi radios. The insight behind WiDeo is to mine the backscatter reflections from the environment that WiFi transmissions naturally produce to trace where reflecting objects are located and how they are moving. We invent novel backscatter measurement techniques that work in spite of the low bandwidth and dynamic range of WiFi radios, new algorithms that separate out the moving backscatter from the clutter that static reflectors produce and then trace the original motion that produced the backscatter in spite of the fact that it could have undergone multiple reflections. We prototype WiDeo using off-the-shelf software radios and show that it accurately traces motion even when there are multiple independent human motions occurring concurrently (up to 5) with a median error in the traced path of less than 7cm.
Lord Devlin and the Enforcement of Morals

No doubt most Americans and Englishmen think that homosexuality, prostitution, and the publication of pornography are immoral. What part should this fact play in the decision whether to make them criminal? This is a tangled question, full of issues with roots in philosophical and sociological controversy. It is a question lawyers must face, however, and two recent and controversial events-publication of the Wolfenden Report in England,' followed by a public debate on prostitution and homosexuality, and a trio of obscenity decisions in the United States Supreme Court2-press it upon us. Several positions are available, each with its own set of difficulties. Shall we say that public condemnation is sufficient, in and of itself, to justify making an act a crime? This seems inconsistent with our traditions of individual liberty, and our knowledge that the morals of even the largest mob cannot come warranted for truth. If public condemnation is not sufficient, what more is needed? Must there be some demonstration of present harm to particular persons directly affected by the practice in question? Or is it sufficient to show some effect on social customs and institutions which alters the social environment, and thus affects all members of society indirectly? If the latter, must it also be demonstrated that these social changes threaten long-term harm of some standard sort, like an increase in crime or a decrease in productivity? Or would it be enough to show that the vast bulk of the present community would deplore the change? If so, does the requirement of harm add much to the bare requirement of public condemnation? In 1958 Lord Devlin delivered the second Maccabaean Lecture to the British Academy. He called his lecture "The Enforcement of Morals," and devoted it to these issues of principle.3 His conclusions
Learning and recognizing the places we go

Location-enhanced mobile devices are becoming common, but applications built for these devices find themselves suffering a mismatch between the latitude and longitude that location sensors provide and the colloquial place label that applications need. Conveying my location to my spouse, for example as (48.13641N, 11.57471E), is less informative than saying “at home.” We introduce an algorithm called BeaconPrint that uses WiFi and GSM radio fingerprints collected by someone's personal mobile device to automatically learn the places they go and then detect when they return to those places. BeaconPrint does not automatically assign names or semantics to places. Rather, it provides the technological foundation to support this task. We compare BeaconPrint to three existing algorithms using month-long trace logs from each of three people. Algorithmic results are supplemented with a survey study about the places people go. BeaconPrint is over 90% accurate in learning and recognizing places. Additionally, it improves accuracy in recognizing places visited infrequently or for short durations—a category where previous approaches have fared poorly. BeaconPrint demonstrates 63% accuracy for places someone returns to only once or visits for less than 10 minutes, increasing to 80% accuracy for places visited twice.
Anthem simulational studies of the Plasma Opening Switch

For a deeper understanding of the physical processes governing the Plasma Opening Switch (POS) we use the ANTHEM 2D implicit simulation code to study: (1) ion dynamical effects on electrohydrodynamic (EHD) waves propagating along steep density interfaces in the switch plasmas. At radial interfaces where the density jumps toward the anode, these waves can drive a finger of magnetic field into the plasma toward the load. Ion dynamics can open the rear of such fingers into a wedge-like density gap. Then: (2) we examine ion effects in uniform switch plasmas. These first develop potential hill structures at the drive edge of the cathode from the competition between electron velocity advection and EHD magnetic exclusion waves. Magnetic pressure gradients at the hill periphery and EHD effects then establish a density gap propagating along the cathode with radial electron emission from its tip. Similar results are obtained under both multi-fluid and PIC modeling of the plasma components.
Laughing to death: joking as support amid stigma for Zulu-speaking South Africans living with HIV.

Moving beyond the truism that laughter is the best medicine, this article integrates multiple linguistic anthropological models of humor to theorize why joking is so often used to address issues at or beyond the boundaries of what is considered acceptable to talk about in most other contexts. The article analyzes joking about HIV among members of a Zulu gospel choir who are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, identifying the precise linguistic features that choir members used in dealing with stigma by means of joking interactions. Three properties of joking about HIV are discussed, and it is suggested that these properties may operate cross-culturally in other genres of humor in which individuals approach topics that are shameful, embarrassing, upsetting or taboo. Utilizing anthropological perspectives on genre, poetics, and play, this article discusses linguistic properties of joking that make it ideal for constructing and contesting support amid stigma. [humor, stigma, verbal art, joking, HIV/AIDS in South Africa]
THE OCCURRENCE OF LEAD IN SOIL AND VEGETABLES AT A COMMUNITY GARDEN IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA

Abstract – Lead is a persistent and ubiquitous pollutant in urban environments and is of significant importance to public health. Elevated lead concentrations in soil may be due to the use of lead-based paints, emissions from the combustion of leaded gasoline, industrial emissions, waste incineration, and pesticide application. One potential pathway for exposure to lead can be consumption of produce grown in lead-contaminated soil. This may be of increasing concern as urban community gardens experience a resurgence in popularity and demand for locally grown produce increases. For this project, soil and vegetable samples were collected from a community garden with known soil lead contamination. Soil and vegetable samples were evaluated for total lead content using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The concentrations of lead measured in soil ranged from 4 to 574 parts per million (ppm), with an average lead concentration in the growing beds of 128.4 ppm and in the OmaGro compost of 31.5 ppm. Additionally, lead was present in vegetable samples at or below 16.25 ppm.
A Comparison of the Basic Song Repertoire of Vocal/Choral and Instrumental Music Education Majors.

Following up on an earlier study, an audiotape of the tunes of 25 standard songs, assumed to be known by everyone who has finished 6th grade, was played for 135 undergraduate instrumental music education students and 79 undergraduate vocal/choral music education students. There was no significant difference in the ability of either group to identify the songs. The means for both groups indicated that neither had developed a strong repertoire of standard songs outside the college classroom. Several songs that music educators have stated are very important for children to learn could not be identified by even half the students in either group. It is recommended that professors preparing music education students for their future careers consider adding activities to music education courses that build a strong song repertoire.
Source Localization on Two-Dimensional Grid

A computationally efficient algorithm is presented for locating multiple sources on a two-dimensional grid. The total number of the sources as well as their intensities and locations on the two-dimensional grid are assumed unknown and the intensities of the sources are not necessarily identical. The distribution of the source intensity on the grid, which contains all the information about the sources, is obtained by solving a convex optimization problem. With the source distribution interpreted as a two-dimensional gray-level image, the sources are determined as the centroids of the objects in the image. Given the number of sources and the source locations, the source intensities are estimated by solving a linear least-squares problem.
Eosinophil Charcot-Leyden crystal protein binds to beta-galactoside sugars

The Charcot-Leyden crystal protein (CLC) found in human eosinophils and basophils has 43-48% amino acid sequence similarity to the galectin family of beta-galactoside binding proteins. We show here that enzymatically active recombinant CLC binds to a lactose-conjugated agarose resin, and that binding is inhibited in a dose dependent fashion by both lactose (IC50 = 41 mM) and fucose (IC50 = 380 mM), but not by arabinose. These results demonstrate that CLC has functional as well as structural homology to the galectins, and suggest that CLC may also participate, as do the galectins, in mediating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, and in activating the cellular immune response.
Cocaine-induced coronary artery dissection.

A 54-year-old woman presented to our hospital with angina pectoris, negative precordial T waves, and normal cardiac enzymes. After medical stabilization, coronary angiography showed a focal nonsignificant (fractional flow reserve 0.95) narrowing in the proximal left anterior descending artery ([Fig
Putting Roe in Perspective

Abstract The role of family background including child-rearing practices in Anne Roe's final formulation of the factors influencing career behavior was minimal. Future research on Roe's theory should concentrate both on case studies exploring parental behaviors and offspring's orientations toward or not toward others and on studies of highly narrow occupational groups with extreme orientations either toward or not toward others.
A note on deriving the discrete spectra of some continuous-time processes

Using only expressions for trigonometric functions, a straightforward derivation of the discrete spectra for some continuous-time processes observed at points in time and as integrals over time are obtained.
“Invisible” Pseudo‐Pseudofusion Beats

Three simultaneous leads (I, II and VI) were recorded in a patient with a normally functioning bipolar AV sequential (DVI) pacemaker. Superimposition of the ineffectual atrial spikes upon the early part of the QRS complexes resulted in pseudo-pseudofusion beats, clearly identified in lead II, However, the small spikes were hardly seen in lead I and not seen at all in lead VI. Therefore, the pseudo-pseudofusion beats were “almost invisible” and “invisible,” respectively, in these leads. Delivery of atrial spikes within the beginning of the QRS complexes was possible because sensing of the ventricular electrogram occurred after the onset of ventricular depolarization in the surface leads. (PACE, Vol. 5. March-April, 1982)
A Study of the Effect of Green Feed Upon Interior Egg Quality

Abstract CONSIDERABLE information has been obtained on factors affecting the physical quality of eggs. In general, it is now recognized that the feeding practice has little or no effect on the physical quality of the egg except for yolk color. This does not mean, however, that all the nutritional possibilities have been exhausted. From time to time flock owners have reported that there appeared to be a relationship between green feed and interior egg quality. In the spring when the hens are turned on a green range the eggs appeared to be more “watery” or to have a greater amount of thin albumin. It was the purpose of this investigation to study the effect of green feed as obtained from a limited range upon egg quality. Hunter, Van Wagenen, and Hall (1936) have reported that eggs produced from November to March have a higher internal quality than those produced through the . . .
Psychological disorders in patients with evacuation disorders and constipation in a tertiary practice

Psychological disorders in patients with evacuation disorders and constipation in a tertiary practice
Religion and medicine: A theoretical overview

Recent scholarly studies in history, sociology, anthropology, religion, and psychosomatic medicine, coupled with clinical experience in the care of patients, call for a reassessment of the interrelationships between religion and medicine. Six major areas of interaction between these forms of human experience are identified and outlined. Investigations into these interlinkages not only offer challenging new opportunities for discovery but also hold promise for the development of new, more effective forms of medical care and healing. This new understanding of the interconnections between medicine and religion has many implications both for health care practitioners and for professionals with specialized training in religious studies.
Configurational statistics of C(4)-C(8) linked polymers of (+)-catechin or (−)-epicatechin with mixed axial/equatorial substituents at C(2)

Abstract Rotational isomeric state theory has been used to investigate the influence of the heterocyclic ring conformation on the configuration-dependent physical properties of the polymers of (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin. Depending upon the puckering of the heterocyclic ring, the dihydroxyphenyl substituent at C(2) can adopt either a pseudo-axial or pseudo-equatorial orientation with respect to this ring. In previous studies, the heterocyclic ring has been confined to the generally more stable conformation in which the dihydroxyphenyl substituent at C(2) adopts the pseudo-equatorial position. Here, copolymers with mixed axial/equatorial substituents are considered. In all cases, helices are formed if one rotamer at the interflavan bond is populated to the exclusion of the other rotamer. The chirality of the helix is determined by the selection of the rotational isomer and the puckering of the heterocyclic ring, but it does not change with the stereo-chemistry at C(3) and C(4). The influence of heterocyclic ring conformations with either pseudo-axial or pseudo-equatorial substituents at C(2) on the unperturbed dimensions is easily rationalized in terms of the angle between the C(9)C(10) bond in monomer i and the interflavan bond between monomers i and i + 1. The unperturbed dimensions are much more sensitive to the population of the two rotational isomers at the interflavan bond than to changes in the conformation of the heterocyclic rings:
Recovery of biosurfactants by ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration was used in a one-step method to purify and concentrate biosurfactants--surfactin and rhamnolipids--from culture supernatant fluids. The ability of surfactant molecules to form micelles at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration allows these aggregates to be retained by relatively high molecular weight cut-off membranes. Lower molecular weight impurities such as salts, free amino acids, peptides and small proteins are easily removed. Various molecular weight cut-off membranes were examined for the retention of surfactin and rhamnolipids (mol. wts 1036 and 802 respectively). Amicon XM 50 was the superior membrane for retention of surfactin and a 160-fold purification was rapidly achieved. The YM 10 membrane was the most appropriate for rhamnolipid recovery. Ultrafiltration can play an important role in biosurfactant purification as large volumes of media can be processed rapidly at extremely low cost.
Fictions in Science: Philosophical Essays on Modeling and Idealization

Fictions in Science: Philosophical Essays on Modeling and Idealization Mauricio Suarez(Ed .) New York, Routledge, 2009 viii + 282 pp., ISBN 9780415990356, US$118.00, £85.00 (hardback) One trend in ...
Multimodal approach to diagnosis of hamartoma of the spleen

Splenic hamartoma is a benign, primary neoplasm which usually causes a mass in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. If radionuclide studies show a space-occupying lesion in the spleen that appears solid on the ultrasonogram, and selective abdominal arteriography reveals a richly vascular splenic tumor, hamartoma of the spleen should be the preoperative diagnosis.
Genetics: Pinpointing a hotspot in adrenal Cushing syndrome

A gain-of-function point mutation in the gene that encodes one of the catalytic subunits of protein kinase A (PRKACA) in cortisol-producing adrenocortical adenomas has been independently reported by three groups. This hotspot point mutation (c.617T>G PRKACA) drives increased cAMP signalling and expands the pathogenic role of protein kinase A in benign lesions of the adrenal cortex.
Regression Estimates in Federal Welfare Quality Control Programs

Abstract States that administer federal family welfare programs review samples of the beneficiaries to guide corrective actions. Federal agencies review subsamples of the state samples to compute overpayment error rates using a regression estimator. These federal estimates make state-to-state comparisons of quality possible and are also used for fiscal sanctions. Such applications of the regression estimator have been widely challenged. We show that the regression estimates and estimates of their variances are closely unbiased, and we examine their statistical characteristics. We also comment on the recent reports of the National Research Council Panel on Quality Control of Family Assistance Programs.
Cases of abnormal human hemoglobin produced by de novo mutation.

(1988). Cases of Abnormal Human Hemoglobin Produced by De Novo Mutation. Hemoglobin: Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 429-439.
Oxysterol-induced rearrangement of the liquid-ordered phase: a possible link to Alzheimer's disease?

Nearest-neighbor recognition measurements have been made for an exchangeable phospholipid (A) interacting with an exchangeable form of cholesterol (B) in host membranes derived from 1, 2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and varying concentrations of cholesterol, 7β-hydroxycholesterol (7β-OH), and 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-OH). Whereas partial replacement of cholesterol with 7β-OH strengthens the association between A and B, a similar substitution with 25-OH weakens this association. A model that accounts for this dichotomy, and the possible relevance of these findings to the cytotoxicity of 7β-OH and to Alzheimer’s disease are briefly discussed.
Microstructural characterization of rotating Cu-Cu electrical contacts in vacuum and wet CO2 environments☆

Abstract The chemical, electrical and wear properties of the rotating interface between OFHC copper slip rings and two high purity copper wire brushes were investigated in situ in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and in 1 atm wet CO 2 . The chemical composition of the slip ring surface was determined by Auger electron spectroscopy. The contact resistance was measured by a potentiometric four-point probe technique while the wear properties of the interface and the morphology of the debris were studied by frictional force, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron diffraction (TED) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Rotation in UHV of a conventionally cleaned (CC) slip ring produced a much cleaner surface. The contact resistance of both brush interfaces decreased and the frictional force increased with increasing number of revolutions. After many revolutions the brush and slip ring welded. The decrease in contact resistance with the number of slip ring revolutions more or less paralleled the decrease in total impurities. Rotation in wet CO 2 of a CC slip ring and brushes also produced much cleaner surfaces. In contrast, initially argon ion sputter-cleaned surfaces became slightly contaminated (mainly carbon and sulfur) when rotated. The contact resistance at both interfaces and the coefficient of friction decreased with increasing number of slip ring revolutions, finally reaching steady state values. After each experiment, SEM examination of vacuum rotated surfaces showed deep ridges and broken pieces of material on the slip ring surface and badly deformed brush wire ends. Wet CO 2 rotated surfaces were relatively smooth and shallow ridges were seen. SEM examination of wear particles collected during rotation indicated that they may have come from both the slip ring and brush wire materials and were rolled in the regions between the brush and slip ring. XRD and TED from individual particles showed a randomly oriented polycrystalline microstructure. The particles collected from the wet CO 2 experiments were much smaller in size than those collected in vacuum experiments. In wet CO 2 , the contact resistance was interpreted as being predominantly due to an electron tunneling mechanism through the CO 2 -H 2 O molecular layer at the interface. As expected, the thickness of the layer appeared to vary with the contact pressure. Friction would then arise largely when the molecular layer was occasionally broken, allowing intimate contact and temporary welding of the brush and slip ring surfaces. Subsequent fracture of these welds during continued rotation would initiate the formation of wear particles.
Conformational characterization of a peptide mimetic of the third cytoplasmic loop of the G-protein coupled parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone related protein receptor

The third-cytoplasmic loop of the G-protein coupled receptor responsible for the activity of parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein has been structurally characterized in aqueous solution in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate and dodecylphosphocholine micelles. The high-resolution conformation of the 29-amino acid peptide containing the sequence of the cytoplasmic loop was obtained by CD and nmr. The structure was refined using a two-step distance geometry based method that first includes the removal of all side chains to quickly locate the globular fold of the peptide. After a simulated annealing protocol, the side chains are added in a random fashion. The resulting conformation was further refined with nuclear Overhauser enhancement restrained molecular dynamics using a two-phase simulation cell consisting of carbon tetrachloride and water as a mimetic of the biphasic, hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of the micelles in which the experimental measurements were carried out. The topological orientation of the cycloplasmic loop within the micelle was determined by addition of 5-doxylstearate and monitoring the decrease of nmr signal intensities from the radical-induced relaxation. The conformation and relative orientation of the peptide provided insight into the mechanism by which the cytoplasmic portion of the receptor activates the heterotrimeric, guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein, one of the first steps in signal transduction. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 40: 653–666, 1996
Analysis of aquatic humic material and high molecular weight components of bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME) by gradient gel electrophoresis

Abstract Three preparations of humic material (a commercial humic acid and material isolated from soil and from water) were analysed by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gradient gel slabs. All gave similar patterns showing four bands of material of molecular weights apparently ranging from a few hundred to about 20,000 as estimated by comparing their mobilities with those of protein markers. The high molecular weight material from bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME) showed similar patterns with the addition of completely unresolved material of molecular weight up to about 100,000. Electrophoresis on polyacrylamide slabs may prove valuable for the study of humic substances and other ill-defined polymeric materials.
Elastic-plastic thermal stresses and deformation of short-fibre composites

A micromechanics model is proposed to analyse residual stresses and deformations that develop in short-fibre composites upon an applied uniform temperature change. The model is based on Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and treats the interaction among fibres at finite volume fractions through the Mori-Tanaka mean field theory. The model treats the matrix as an elastic/plastic material while the fibre is elastic and is able to account for the effects of the composite microgeometry. To this end, the effects of misoriented short fibres, the orientation of which is described by a density distribution function, are considered. Numerical results obtained from the proposed model indicate that the misorientation of short fibres has a significant effect on both the stress and deformation behaviour of short-fibre composites.
Relationships of post-fire aeolian transport to soil and atmospheric conditions

Aeolian transport is an important contemporary geomorphic process in semiarid cold deserts; most evi- dent when vegetative cover is temporarily eliminated by wildfire. The erodibility of recently burned sur- faces is not stable in time, and near-surface moisture is expected to affect erodibility prior to regrowth of vegetation. In this study we examine effects of soil and atmospheric moisture on wind erodibility of loess soil following late-summer (2007) wildfire at the US Department of Energy, Idaho National Laboratory in southeastern Idaho, prior to re-emergence of vegetation. We measured threshold wind velocities, soil vol- umetric water content, air temperature, relative humidity, and vapor density at two sites with severe and moderate burn intensity, respectively, and an unburned site. Results indicate that erodibility, as mea- sured by threshold wind velocities, decreased with time following fire. Little sediment transport was detected at the unburned site and erodibility could therefore not be determined. Multiple regression models with predictors including soil water, atmospheric moisture, and time variables explained 83% and 69% of the variability in erodibility at the severe and moderate burn intensity sites, respectively. Erodibility decreased as soil volumetric water content increased to 15-20%, but was less responsive to further wetting. Erodibility predominantly decreased as atmospheric moisture increased, however, rela- tionships were complex. Multiple regression coefficients indicated erodibility increased as relative humidity increased at timescales of days-months. Positive and negative relationships were observed between erodibility and atmospheric moisture, within individual saltation events. Atmospheric and soil moisture appear important for post-fire wind erosion before re-establishment of vegetation.
Deformation of semicrystalline polymers via crystal–crystal phase transition

A classification is given of flexible, semicrystalline polymers based on the early stage deformation behavior in the solid state. The criteria of each category are discussed with experimental evidence from the literature on 17 polymers. The central aim of this classification is to point out the possibility of ductility induced during deformation. The understanding of the induced ductility in a given semicrystalline polymer suggests a systematic route to optimize solid-state deformation processes for achieving high draw ratios.
Change of Shift

I used to see patients and think about them too. Not for long because I have a touch of the attention deficit. I’ve noticed over the last several years that my job is less about seeing patients and more about billing them. That leaves little time for thinking. I’m just talking about a few minutes here and there. I’m not as fast in my head as some, and it’s gotten worse with age. I only have so much space left, and when you put more things like billing issues in there, other things either get crowded out or pressure builds up, a sort of brain constipation. Strangely, thinking, for me, is akin to a good bowel movement. Recently, the billing people came to my office with some suggestions as to how I could increase my billing. I was feeling a little defensive, and, as luck would have it, I had just been given my quarterly billing summary. I was second (from the top, mind you) out of 30 physicians in my RVU’s per hour. The billing ladies are very nice, and they are just doing their job, but the first thing they told me was that if I just could do better at getting 10 review of systems (ROS) items into the dictations, I would significantly increase my “level 5” billings, the billing equivalent of a home run. I had actually forgotten that there were 10 systems in the body. I really only deal with 1 or 2 at a time, so 10 seems like a lot. I had been trying to ask more questions, but, truthfully, how important is it to ask someone with a sprained ankle or a laceration if they are constipated? For that matter, if someone is having an acute myocardial infarction, how important is it? You either get some strange looks or they respond affirmatively and then you have to deal with that problem too. In any case, the example they gave me was a patient who was billed as a level 4 but didn’t have the full 10 ROS items to get it to a level 5. She was a middle-aged woman with a chronic headache ever since her aneurysm clipping 4 years ago. Now you might think this sounds serious, but she was having the exact headache she had had for 4 years, and she had undergone a CT angiogram 1 month before (ordered by her neurologist). It was negative except for the clips. Her examination was entirely normal, and she looked pretty good. I gave her some medicines and she felt better. So I asked the billing ladies how they usually billed chronic back pain. They said at a level 3. I told them this was no different and they should bill it as a level 3. I didn’t want to make it a level 4, let alone a level 5. You would have thought I’d told them I was a warlock or, worse, a communist.
The Leisure Behavior Paradox: Profiling Those Who Say They Don't Like to Travel

Abstract The literature does not fully explore why some people do not like to travel for pleasure. This exploratory study uses a secondary database to explore those who respond that they do not really like to travel for pleasure. The study then profiles those who travel and those who do not travel. Implications for the travel industry are discussed.
Spontaneous attachment of lithium-activated ferrocenylalkynes to carbon and gold

Abstract Ferrocenes derivatized with a terminal lithioacetylide group react rapidly with unconnected glassy carbon and gold electrodes, giving up to monolayer-level surface coverage. The molecule-to-surface bonding is sufficiently robust to resist sonication, extended storage under dinitrogen, and thousands of repetitive voltammetric scans through the ferrocenyl oxidation wave. This “spontaneous” modification method provides a non-electrochemical pathway to the strong, apparently covalent, attachment of alkynyl-linked molecular tags to carbon and metal surfaces.