cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health Literacy and Attention to Cigarette Health Warning Labels among Rural Smokers.

Objectives We evaluated the association of health literacy and attention to the pictorial imagery of 9 health warning labels (HWLs) in a tobacco advertisement among rural US smokers. We hypothesized that lower health literacy would be associated with greater visual attention to pictorial portions of HWLs and evaluated the association between health literacy and recall of advertisement elements. Methods Adult smokers from Appalachian Ohio (N = 180) viewed a pictorial HWL encompassing 20% or 33% of a cigarette advertisement while eye tracking software recorded eye movements toward the advertisement. Health literacy was measured with The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Results Generalized linear regression revealed that every one-unit decrease in health literacy increased viewing time of the pictorial portion of the health warning label by 1.3 percentage points. Logistic regression revealed that the odds of recalling elements of the pictorial portion of the health warning label increased 20% for every one-unit increase in health literacy. Conclusions Rural smokers with lower health literacy view pictorial portions of health warning labels longer than those with greater health literacy supporting that health literacy is an important consideration in health communications, including future cigarette warning labels.
Can Data Provenance Put an End to the Data Breach

In September 2017, the world awoke to the news that Equifax, a consumer reporting agency and one of the pillars of the American credit system, fell prey to a data breach that led to the exposure of 147 million individuals' personal information. For Equifax, the coming weeks would include high-profile executive resignations, a steep drop in its stock prices, and an infamously ill-conceived public outreach effort; however, eventually the public's attention turned elsewhere. After all, Equifax was just the latest in a seemingly endless parade of data breach victims that included commercial titans like Target and eBay, political campaigns like Hillary Clinton's, and government agencies like the Office of Personnel Management. Today, the threat of the next data breach looms invisibly over every aspect of society.
The MIRA Approach: Initialization

In the MIRA open solution approach, seeking common ground and, ultimately, consensus is facilitated by iterating through each of the Requisite Steps while using Decision Uncertainty as a gauge to help stakeholders assess when they are ready to decide. The exact progression and number of times each step is revisited will be different for different public policy analyses. These decisions are controlled by the stakeholder group as they refine their Problem Narrative and minimize Decision Uncertainty. This chapter 4 describes the MIRA initialization process, designed to produce the first run. This Baseline Run provides a benchmark against which subsequent iterations are compared. With policy practitioners in mind, Chaps. 4 and 5 describe the process, analytical strategy, and methodological aspects of the Multi-Criteria Integrated Resource Assessment (MIRA), an open solution approach.
Modifiable lifestyle factors in women with Takotsubo syndrome: A case-control study.

Abstract Background There is limited information on the relationship between modifiable lifestyle factors and Takotsubo syndrome (TS). Objectives To determine the association of physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and caffeinated coffee consumption with TS. Methods This case-control study enrolled women with newly diagnosed TS (n = 45), women post-myocardial infarction (MI; n = 32), and healthy women volunteers (HC; n = 30). Information on physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and caffeinated coffee consumption was collected 1-month post-discharge for TS and MI, and 1-month post-enrollment for HC. Results TS women reported a higher prevalence of lifetime smoking and cigarette packs/day, greater coffee consumption, and less physical activity than HC. Associations with cigarette and coffee use remained significant in adjusted models. Physical activity, smoking, and coffee consumption were similar in TS and MI women. Conclusions Use of psychostimulants (caffeine and cigarettes) may play a role in TS pathophysiology. These findings need to be confirmed in larger, fully powered studies.
Rewriting the Newspaper: The Storytelling Movement in American Print Journalism

Thomas Schmidt has written an excellent book that addresses the growth of narrative journalism as a standard newspaper writing technique in the later years of the twentieth century. Using internal ...
Inhibition Tasks are not Associated with a Variety of Behaviours in College Students

Executive functioning (EF) is defined as a set of top-down processes used in reasoning, forming goals, planning, concentrating, and inhibition. It is widely believed that these processes are critical to self-control and, therefore, that performance on behavioral task measures of EF should be associated with individual differences in everyday life outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to test this core assumption, focusing on the EF facet of inhibition. A sample of 463 undergraduates completed five laboratory inhibition tasks, along with three self-report measures of self-control and 28 self-report measures of life outcomes. Results showed that although most of the life outcome measures were associated with self-reported self-control, only one of the outcomes was associated with inhibition task performance at the latent-variable level, and this association was in the unexpected direction. Furthermore, few associations were found at the individual task level. These findings challenge the criterion validity of lab-based inhibition tasks. More generally, when considered alongside the known lack of convergent validity between inhibition tasks and self-report measures of self-control, the findings cast doubt on the task's construct validity as measures of self-control processes. Potential methodological and theoretical reasons for the poor performance of laboratory-based inhibition tasks are discussed.
Milestoning: An Efficient Approach for Atomically Detailed Simulations of Kinetics in Biophysics

Recent advances in theory and algorithms for atomically detailed simulations open the way to the study of the kinetics of a wide range of molecular processes in biophysics. The theories propose a s...
Early Abdominal Ectopic Pregnancy Masquerading as a Missed Miscarriage

A 43-year-old lady, gravida 2 para 0, presented to our emergency department with complaints of vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal pain. Her urine pregnancy test was positive. She was unable to recall her last menstrual period. A trans-vaginal ultrasound revealed a pregnancy with a crown rump length of 47 mm corresponding to 11.4 weeks with no fetal heartbeat detected. She was diagnosed with a missed miscarriage and was sent for a second confirmatory scan. The repeat scan was concordant with the initial scan and she was counseled for an evacuation of uterus. Her serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin level was 45,195 IU/L and her hemoglobin level was 6.5 g/dL. She underwent an evacuation of uterus as planned, but the Hegar dilator was only able to be advanced to a cavity length of 6 cm with minimal products of conception obtained. A bedside ultrasound was performed and it showed that the Hegar dilator was in the uterine cavity but not in continuity with the gestational sac and fetus. The diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy was made and the surgery was converted to a diagnostic laparoscopy. On entry into the abdominal cavity, there was frank hemoperitoneum with adhesions limiting access to the pelvis, therefore decision was made to convert to laparotomy. The findings at laparotomy revealed a large inflamed left tubo-ovarian complex with tubal rupture and expulsion of the entire fetus and placenta into the Pouch of Douglas (POD). The diagnosis of a secondary implantation of the ectopic pregnancy in the POD after tubal rupture was confirmed and we performed adhesiolysis and left salpingectomy. The patient recovered uneventfully and the final histology showed products of conception within the lumen of the left fallopian tube in keeping with ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy. J Med Cases. 2020;11(6):169-173 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3484
A Dynamic Simulation Framework for the Analysis of Battery Electric Vehicle Thermal Management Systems

As vehicle electrification is expanding in response to more stringent emissions standards and shifting consumer preferences, extending the driving range remains critical to broadening the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEV). This challenge can be addressed in part through more efficient operation of the thermal management system in BEVs, which has a significant influence on range and performance, especially under extreme weather conditions. This study develops a simulation framework for the analysis of a BEV thermal management systems under long-range test procedures defined by the Multi-Cycle Test (MCT). A baseline thermal management system configuration is defined to reflect those typically found in long-range BEVs, so as to provide insight into the design and performance of current systems. Parametric studies are conducted across a range of ambient conditions from 0 °C to 40 °C and drive cycles including urban/city (UDDS), highway (HFEDS), and constant speed cycles. Operating temperature setpoints for the cabin, battery, electronics, and other components are met using the standard system configuration, albeit with significant deleterious impacts on vehicle range and cycle control. At low ambient temperatures, a maximum 30% decrease in driving range is predicted. Across the parametric values investigated, the choice of cabin setpoint temperature affects the driving range on the order of ~10% across heating and cooling cases. The transient drive cycle response for representative cooling cases is presented and reveals oscillations in system behavior about the chosen setpoints; these oscillations are a direct result of the secondary loop liquid cooling architecture. As a result of the present study, perspectives on alternative system configurations that offer battery thermal management and cabin comfort as well as the integration of waste heat recovery are outlined as future work.
Examining the dynamic nature of nonverbal communication between Black patients with cancer and their oncologists.

Background Although communication quality is associated with patient outcomes, racial disparities in communication exist, disproportionately burdening Black patients. However, most communication research focuses on verbal behaviors in predominantly White patient populations. We used a newly developed and theory-guided network analysis that examines the dynamic interplay and behavioral convergence and divergence between Black patients with cancer and their oncologists during cancer treatment discussions. Methods We applied a nonverbal behavioral coding system to thin slices of video recordings of Black patients and their oncologists discussing treatment. We then estimated 3 networks: 1) a temporal network to determine whether a nonverbal behavior predicts another nonverbal behavior at the next time point in an interaction, and how much each nonverbal behavior influences other nonverbal behaviors and is influenced by other nonverbal behaviors; 2) a contemporaneous network to determine whether a nonverbal behavior co-occurs with other nonverbal behaviors at the same time point in an interaction; and 3) a between-dyads network to examine the covariation between nonverbal behaviors across all dyads. Results Black patients (n = 74) and their non-Black physicians (n = 15) showed a mix of convergence and divergence in their nonverbal behaviors at the same points in time, from one time point to the next, and across dyads. Across analyses, convergence was most likely to occur when physicians matched their behaviors to their patients; especially with smiling, gaze, leaning, and laughter behaviors. Conclusion Our findings reveal patterns of modifiable behaviors that can potentially inform interventions to reduce disparities in clinical communication and, in turn, treatment and mortality disparities.
The Human Investment in Local Art Entrepreneurship: A Study Based on Palm Products

There is an illusion in the neoliberal world that only when the production is implemented through mechanization there will be growth and progress. Because of this reason, people have become consumables, and the trend and uniqueness to think and act upon one's own has become rare. In addition to this, the production of machineries affects the environment and human life, and it costs a lot of money to get rid of these affects. Nevertheless, when the human resource and its effort are utilized, the aspects such as self-thinking, researching skills, sensible creative arts without having vague ideas are developed. Further, this leads to increase the connection with the producers and to enhance the environment friendly situation. It is important to know that these kinds of sustainable local employments exist in our socio-cultural space. The entrepreneurship through palm products is significant among them. These salable products are closely connected to the life of the people. This production is done using the skills of the people within the village according to the level of requirement and it is also done in the Palm products production centers through government Departments. This is being carried out in our area where the palm resources exist. It is vital to have self-confidence, diligence and aim in the local art entrepreneurship. In this activity, the situation where there was sharing, directly selling the products to the consumers have changed to a situation where the capitalists purchase the products. The initiation of human involvement is clearly exposed in the trend of entrepreneurship of palm products. This study is based on the expression of this art entrepreneurship in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.
Cop Wisdom and the Democratic Consequences of Citizen–State Interactions:

The existing literature on citizen–state interactions lacks variation, and new research must be conducted to better understand the consequences of such interactions. Using the theoretical frame of ...
Design Rules Volume 2: Chapter 20—Digital Exchange Platforms: The Technologies of Crowdsourcing and Peer Production

As digital technology evolved under the impetus of Moore’s Law, a group of new “exchange” platforms emerged that focused on facilitating transactions and/or communications between different parties. Exchange platforms are characterized by having “sides”. The simplest have two sides: buyers and sellers in the case of transaction platforms and senders and recipients of messages in the case of communication platforms. However, many exchange platforms have three, four or more sides. The purpose of this chapter is to place digital exchange platforms in the same theoretical framework as standards-based and logistical platforms. I first define exchange platforms and show how their value can be represented using value structure maps and equations. I then describe the main problem facing platform sponsors: coordinating sides to share the same flow of transactions or messages. Modern digital exchange platforms make use of five critical technologies: (1) crowdsourcing; (2) peer production; (3) search and ad placement; (4) dynamic pricing; and (5) data analysis and prediction. The first two technologies, crowdsourcing and peer production, dramatically expanded the ecosystems of exchange platforms, and are the focus of this chapter. The last three have become the key to value capture by platform sponsors and are treated in the next chapter.
Parents' application of mediated learning principles as predictors of toddler social initiations.

LAY ABSTRACT Little is known about what parents can do to promote initiating joint attention for their toddlers with autism. Initiating joint attention is important because it is an indicator of social motivation and is associated with later communication ability. In this study, parents applied mediated learning principles to help their toddlers engage with them socially. The principles included helping their child focus on social interaction, giving meaning to the social elements of interaction (and de-emphasizing nonsocial elements), and helping their toddlers understand their own social ability by encouraging. At the end of the intervention period, we compared two groups. One group received the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention and the other received community-based early intervention services. We found that the Joint Attention Mediated Learning participants applied mediated learning principles more often than the other group. Then, we explored how parents' application of mediated learning principles related to toddler initiating joint attention and found that parents who were successful in applying the principles had toddlers who were more likely to show initiating joint attention. Our findings indicate that the mediated learning process shows promise as a way to promote early social learning, although other elements of the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention, such as actively engaging parents in the learning process, may have also contributed to both child and parent learning.
Nonatherosclerotic Obstructive Vascular Diseases of the Mesenteric and Renal Arteries

Nonatherosclerotic vascular diseases of the mesenteric and renal arteries are considered to occur less frequently than those caused by occlusive atherosclerotic disease. However, when present, they pose a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Such disorders include fibromuscular dysplasia, median arcuate ligament syndrome, the renal nutcracker syndrome, and some forms of acute and chronic mesenteric ischemia (embolic and thrombotic). This is a heterogeneous group of disorders with substantial differences in the pathogenesis and diagnostic approaches to these diseases. We provide an overview of the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and current management of fibromuscular dysplasia, median arcuate ligament syndrome, and the renal nutcracker syndrome.
Identification of residues critical for activity of the wound-induced leucine aminopeptidase (LAP-A) of tomato

The importance of two putative Zn2+-binding (Asp347, Glu429) and two catalytic (Arg431, Lys354) residues in the tomato leucine aminopeptidase (LAP-A) function was tested. The impact of substitutions at these positions, corresponding to the bovine LAP residues Asp255, Glu334, Arg336, and Lys262, was evaluated in His6–LAP-A fusion proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. Sixty-five percent of the mutant His6–LAP-A proteins were unstable or had complete or partial defects in hexamer assembly or stability. The activity of hexameric His6–LAP-As on Xaa-Leu and Leu-Xaa dipeptides was tested. Most substitutions of Lys354 (a catalytic residue) resulted in His6–LAP-As that cleaved dipeptides at slower rates. The Glu429 mutants (a Zn2+-binding residue) had more diverse phenotypes. Some mutations abolished activity and others retained partial or complete activity. The E429D His6–LAP-A enzyme had Km and kcat values similar to the wild-type His6–LAP-A. One catalytic (Arg431) and one Zn-binding (Asp347) residue were essential for His6–LAP-A activity, as most R431 and D347 mutant His6–LAP-As did not hydrolyze dipeptides. The R431K His6–LAP-A that retained the positive charge had partial activity as reflected in the 4.8-fold decrease in kcat. Surprisingly, while the D347E mutant (that retained a negative charge at position 347) was inactive, the D347R mutant that introduced a positive charge retained partial activity. A model to explain these data is proposed.
The Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Hemolytic uremic syndrome is the most common cause of acute renal failure in infants and young children and follows a diarrheal prodrome in approximately 90% of cases. The great majority of cases in the United States are caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7. The mortality rate is approximately 5%, and an equal number of survivors are left with end-stage renal disease or severe chronic neurologic damage. As many as 50% experience mild chronic renal sequelae.
An association thesaurus for information retrieval

Although commonly used in both commercial and experimental information retrieval systems, thesauri have not demonstrated consistent benefits for retrieval performance, and it is difficult to construct a thesaurus automatically for large text databases. In this paper, an approach, called PhraseFinder, is proposed to construct collection-dependent association thesauri automatically using large full-text document collections. The association thesaurus can be accessed through natural language queries in INQUERY, an information retrieval system based on the probabilistic inference network. Experiments are conducted in INQUERY to evaluate different types of association thesauri, and thesauri constructed for a variety of collections.
Mental health beliefs and their relationship with treatment seeking among U.S. OEF/OIF veterans.

Many veterans who would benefit from mental health care do not seek treatment. The current study provided an in-depth examination of mental health-related beliefs and their relationship with mental health and substance abuse service use in a national sample of 640 U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans. Both concerns about mental health stigma from others and personal beliefs about mental illness and mental health treatment were examined. Data were weighted to adjust for oversampling of women and nonresponse bias. Results revealed substantial variation in the nature of OEF/OIF veterans’ mental health beliefs, with greater anticipated stigma in the workplace (M = 23.74) than from loved ones (M = 19.30), and stronger endorsement of negative beliefs related to mental health treatment-seeking (M = 21.78) than either mental illness (M = 18.56) or mental health treatment (M = 20.34). As expected, individuals with probable mental health problems reported more negative mental health-related beliefs than those without these conditions. Scales addressing negative personal beliefs were related to lower likelihood of seeking care (ORs = 0.80–0.93), whereas scales addressing anticipated stigma were not associated with service use. Findings can be applied to address factors that impede treatment seeking. Traditional and Simplified Chinese Abstracts by AsianSTSS 標題：美國OEF/OIF退役軍人中精神健康的想法和尋求治療的關係。 撮要：很多退役軍人沒有尋求對他們有益的精神治療。本研究在一個全國性樣本（640名伊拉克解放行動和持續解放行動（OEF/OIF）的美國退役兵）中，深入研究他們的精神健康想法和使用精神健康和物質濫用服務的關係。旁人對精神病標籤，和個人對精神病及精神健康治療的想法都會被檢視。過多女性參與者和「無回應」偏差導致研究資料加權調整。結果指出OEF/OIF退役軍人的精神健康想法有顯著的本質變異；而工作地點（M = 23.74）對比至愛（M = 19.30）有較大預計標籤，再者，尋求精神治療（M = 21.78）比精神病（M = 18.56）或精神治療（M = 20.34）支持較大的負面想法。一如所料，患上可能精神病者對比無病的有着更多對精神健康的負面想法。負面個人想法量表與較低尋求治療機會率（ORs = 0.80至0.93）相關，而預計標籤量表與精神服務使用並無相連。本研究成果能應用在找尋阻礙精神服務使用的因素。 标题：美国OEF/OIF退役军人中精神健康的想法和寻求治疗的关系。 撮要：很多退役军人没有寻求对他们有益的精神治疗。本研究在一个全国性样本（640名伊拉克解放行动和持续解放行动（OEF/OIF）的美国退役兵）中，深入研究他们的精神健康想法和使用精神健康和物质滥用服务的关系。旁人对精神病标签，和个人对精神病及精神健康治疗的想法都会被检视。过多女性参与者和「无响应」偏差导致研究资料加权调整。结果指出OEF/OIF退役军人的精神健康想法有显著的本质变异；而工作地点（M = 23.74）对比至爱（M = 19.30）有较大预计标签，再者，寻求精神治疗（M = 21.78）比精神病（M = 18.56）或精神治疗（M = 20.34）支持较大的负面想法。一如所料，患上可能精神病者对比无病的有着更多对精神健康的负面想法。负面个人想法量表与较低寻求治疗机会率（ORs = 0.80至0.93）相关，而预计标签量表与精神服务使用并无相连。本研究成果能应用在寻找阻碍精神服务使用的因素。
Practical Experience of Formal Specification: A Programming Interface for Communications

The specification language Z has several features that help in the presentation of complex specifications, and some of these have been reviewed in this paper. The specification has given an increased understanding of the obligations that an implementation of CPI Communications has to meet, and has helped us to identify inconsistencies and missing information in the informal description. The inspection process can be used to validate formal specifications against informal requirements, and guidelines for judging the quality of formal specifications have been given.
Effects of dynamic crop growth on the simulated precipitation response to irrigation

AbstractThe rapid expansion of irrigation since the 1950s has significantly depleted the Ogallala Aquifer. This study examines the warm-season climate impacts of irrigation over the Ogallala using high-resolution (6.33 km) simulations of a version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model that has been coupled to the Community Land Model with dynamic crop growth (WRF-CLM4crop). To examine how dynamic crops influence the simulated impact of irrigation, the authors compare simulations with dynamic crops to simulations with a fixed annual cycle of crop leaf area index (static crops). For each crop scheme, simulations were completed with and without irrigation for 9 years that represent the range of observed precipitation. Reduced temperature and precipitation biases occur with dynamic versus static crops. Fundamental differences in the precipitation response to irrigation occur with dynamic crops, as enhanced surface roughness weakens low-level winds, enabling more water from irrigation to remain o...
Phonon diffraction gratings

A two-dimensional diffraction grating for phonons is described. It scatters thermal phonons strongly when their dominant wavelength is equal to the grating's lattice constant. Through measurements of the Kapitza resistance between the silicon crystal carrying the grating and liquid helium, it is shown that the scattering by the grating is predominantly coherent, as expected for phonon diffraction.
“Chaotic relaxation” in concurrently asynchronous neural networks

Abstract In this paper we analyze a fundamental issue which directly impacts the scalability of current theoretical neural network models to applicative embodiments, in both software as well as hardware. This pertains to the inherent and unavoidable concurrent asynchronicity of emerging fine-grained computational ensembles and the consequent chaotic manifestations in the absence of proper conditioning. The latter concern is particularly significant since the computational inertia of neural networks in general and our dynamical learning formalisms manifests itself substantially, only in massively parallel hardward—optical, VLSI or opto-electronic. We introduce a mathematical framework for systematically reconditioning additive-type models and derive a neuro-operator, based on the chaotic relaxation paradigm whose resulting dynamics are neither “concurrently” synchronous nor “sequentially” asynchronous. Necessary and sufficient conditions guaranteeing concurrent asynchronous convergence are established in terms of contracting operators. Lyapunov exponents are also computed to characterize the network dynamics and to ensure that throughput-limiting “emergent computational chaos” behavior in models reconditioned with concurrently asynchronous algorithms was eliminated.
TLR9 and DNA 'feel' RAGE.

The immune system has several signaling pathways that detect invading pathogens. When activated in certain conditions, these pathways can also serve to exacerbate or even cause autoimmune disease.
Non-random distribution of blood vessels in the posterior region of the rat somatosensory cortex

Abstract The quantitative distribution of blood vessels in the barrel region of somatosensory cortex of the rat was studied to determine the relationship of the vascular pattern to a functionally specialized cortical structure. Blood vessels were found to arborize in layers III and IV and to decrease in number toward layers I and VI, creating a spindle shaped pattern through the cortex. The density of blood vessels was greater in the barrel core versus septal regions of layer IV. The distribution pattern of blood vessels within the barrel region was remarkably non-random and constant even between animals. The pattern was consistent enough to form a reliable set of landmarks with which to identify a specific barrel from light- to electron-microscopy transition.
High-resolution detection of daughter ions with a hybrid mass spectrometer

In this report, we describe experiments where high-resolution daughter ion spectra are obtained with a new hybrid MS/MS instrument of QEB (quadrupole/electric sector/magnetic sector) geometry. These experiments were done by using low-energy CAD (collision activated dissociation) although a unique feature of this instrument is its ability to also detect high-energy CAD daughter ions at high resolution. This latter mode of operation has yet to be implemented, however.
Metal-metal bonding and mixed-valent tantalum in La2Ta3S2O8

Abstract The compounds La2Ta3S2O8 and La2Nb3S2O8 have been prepared and characterized. From singlecrystal X-ray diffraction measurements, La2Ta3S2O8 crystallizes in space group D122h-Pnnm of the orthorhombic system with four formula units in a cell of dimensions a = 9.876(7), b = 11.768(7), and c = 7.658(5)A (T = 111 K). The compound is isostructural to a series of oxyselenides Ln2Ta3Se2O8 (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) previously reported. The three-dimensional structure is built up from layers of tricapped trigonal-prismatically coordinated La atoms alternating with layers of octahedrally coordinated Ta atoms. One Ta atom is in a distorted octahedral site surrounded by six O atoms and forms edge-sharing dimers with itself. The other Ta atom is in a distorted octahedral environment with two O and four S atoms in its coordination sphere and forms edge-sharing chains with bridging S atoms. The one-electron band structure of La2Ta3S2O8 was calculated from the tight-binding method with an extended Huckel-type Hamiltonian. The band structure calculations support the hypothesis of separate Ta(+4) and Ta(+5) sites in the Ln2Ta3Q2O8 (Q = S and Se) compounds and point to the driving force behind the TaTa pairing that occurs along the octahedral chains. La2Nb3S2O8 has the same structure, as deduced from a comparison of X-ray powder patterns.
Issues with Web-Publishable Digital Objects

Our goal is to promote the publication and standardization of digital objects stored on the web to enable model and object reuse. A digital object is an electronic representation of a physical object, including models of the object. There remain many challenges and issues regarding the representation and utilization of these objects, since it is not clear, for example, who will create certain objects, who will maintain the objects, and what levels of abstraction will be used in each object. This article introduces some of the technical and philosophical issues regarding digital object publication, with the aim of enumerating technical, sociological and financial problems to be addressed.
New university plan skips crucial steps.

I was shocked by the News & Analysis story “Daring experiment in higher education opens its doors” (8 April, p. [161][1]), in which R. Stone describes Zhu Qingshi's effort to build a new university, the Southern University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTC). I laud the goal of exploring
Aggregation of charged particles under electrophoresis or gravity at arbitrary Péclet numbers

Collision efficiencies are considered for colloidal suspensions of solid spheres moving in a viscous fluid under the influence of electrophoresis or gravity, Brownian motion, and electrostatic and van der Waals forces. The results are compared to those for convection (electrophoresis or gravity) and diffusion (Brownian motion) acting independently. The collision efficiency increases by many orders of magnitude over that predicted by simply adding diffusive and convective efficiencies in a specific parameter regime. This regime occurs when there is a large energy barrier in the interparticle potential, causing a stable region of parameter space if there is no diffusion. Brownian motion alone will only cause small amounts of aggregation under these conditions. However, for electric fields or buoyancy effects which are only slightly too weak to allow particles to overcome the potential barrier, the addition of weak Brownian motion to a system with convection can cause significant numbers of particles to overcome the energy barrier and aggregate.
Acceptance of orphan lambs by tranquilized ewes (Ovis aries)

Abstract In two experiments the effects of intrajugular tranquilizer (Trilafon with 25 mg perphenazine per ml) injections on the acceptance of orphan lambs by Hampshire ewes were investigated. With a 2-ml injection, five of six ewes raised orphan lambs to weaning compared with only one of six non-injected controls. None of three control ewes receiving a 1-ml dose, one of three receiving two 1-ml injections and two of three given one 2-ml injection raised their orphans. While, the tranquilizer was effective in inducing ewes to permit nursing of orphans data are insufficient to ascertain the most effective dosage levels, or the reasons for continual acceptance after tranquilizer effects diminish.
Consumers' attitudes and intentions towards credit card usage in an advanced developing country

The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate consumer attitudes and intentions towards credit card ownership and usage in an advanced developing country. In particular, knowledge structures, beliefs, likes and dislikes as well as attitudes of credit card owners in the possession and use of credit cards are investigated. Data for the study were collected from 673 credit card holders and non-holders in the largest Turkish city of Istanbul with a total population of over ten million. Managerial and public policy implications for banks and credit card issuing firms are offered for orderly decision making purposes.
Are stationarity and cointegration restrictions really necessary for the intertemporal budget constraint

Abstract Time series related to fiscal and external deficits are commonly subjected to stationarity and cointegration tests to assess if the deficits are sustainable. Such tests are incapable of rejecting sustainability. The intertemporal budget constraint proves to be satisfied if either the debt series or the revenue and with-interest spending series are integrated of arbitrarily high order, i.e., stationary after differencing arbitrarily often. Revenues and spending do not have to be cointegrated. Rejections of low-order difference-stationarity and of cointegration are thus consistent with the intertemporal budget constraint. Error-correction-type policy reaction functions are suggested as more promising for understanding deficit problems.
Analysis of γ-carboxyglutamic acid by reverse phase HPLC of its phenylthiocarbamyl derivative

Abstract A method is presented for analysis of γ-carboxyglutamic acid based on its derivatization with phenylisothiocyanate and reverse phase HPLC analysis of the resulting phenylthiocarbamyl derivative. Proteins were hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide and the hydrolysates were desalted on Dowex 50 eluted with ammonium hydroxide. The resulting amino acid mixtures were derivatized with phenylisothiocyanate and the phenylthiocarbamyl derivatives were separated under isocratic conditions on either C 18 or C 8 reverse phase columns using 0.14 m Tris, 0.05% triethylamine, titrated to pH 7.5 with glacial acetic acid, plus 2% acetonitrile, and detected by absorbance at 254 nm. The method is linear over the range from 10 to 1000 pmol of γ-carboxyglutamic acid and the limit of detection is near 2 pmol. The utility of the method was verified for analysis of purified prothrombin yielding a value of 10.3 mol of γ-carboxyglutamic acid per mole in agreement with sequence data. No γ-carboxyglutamate was detectable for acid-hydrolyzed samples of prothrombin, nor in acid- or base-hydrolyzed samples of bovine serum albumin. Application of this method failed to corroborate the reported presence of γ-carboxyglutamate in a putative mitochondrial γ-carboxyglutamate-containing calcium-binding protein. The method was also tested for determination of β-carboxyaspartate, β-hydroxyaspartate, phosphoserine, phosphothreonine, and phosphotyrosine in an attempt to identify an unknown material which appeared in preparations of the mitochondrial protein.
Additional Records of Trematodes of Amphibians and Reptiles from Taiwan

Three monogenetic and 23 digenetic trematodes of amphibians and reptiles are reported from Taiwan, 14 for the first time. One new family and genus and five new species of Digenea are described: Omphalometridae, Leurosoma taiwanense sp.n. from Bufo bufo bankorensis; Dicrocoeliidae, Paradistomum taiwanense sp.n. from Natrix stolata; Ocadiatrematidae, Ocadiatrema taiwanense fam. gen. et sp.n. from Ocadia sinensis; Lecithodendriidae, Prosthodendrium (Paralecithodendrium)taiwanense sp.n. from Ocadia sinensis; Pleurogenidae, Nenimandijea taiwanense sp.n. from Rana plancyi fukienensis.
The crowd is self-aware.

Bentley et al.’s framework assigns phenomena of personal and collective decision-making to regions of a dual-axis map. Here, we propose that understanding the collective dynamics of decision-making requires consideration of factors that guide movement across the map. One such factor is self-awareness , which can lead a group to seek out new knowledge and re-position itself on the map.
The impact of a clinical guideline on imaging children with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of a clinical pathway on the volume of imaging studies performed in children with suspected clinical diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. The pathway suggested referral to surgeons for clinical evaluation for palpation of the olive prior to ordering imaging studies. Only those children in whom the olive could not be palpated would be referred for imaging, and it was anticipated that imaging volume would be reduced following guideline implementation. Materials and methods: The database of the Health Policy and Clinical Effectiveness Department was used to evaluate all patients who had surgery for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. The presence of a palpable olive and the type of imaging were evaluated both prior to and after the implementation of the clinical guideline. Results: Prior to the guideline, 85 infants had surgery for pyloric stenosis, with 83 of the 85 (97%) having imaging. After the implementation of the guideline, 90 infants had surgery for pyloric stenosis with 84 of 90 patients imaged (92%). A chi-square analysis demonstrated no significant difference in the percentage of children imaged in the two groups (P=0.104). Approximately one in five children referred for vomiting were diagnosed with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Conclusion: No significant change in imaging volume occurred following initiation of a guideline which recommended clinical evaluation for palpation of the olive prior to ordering imaging studies. Multiple factors probably contributed to the lack of demonstrated changes.
A PENTECOSTAL PERSPECTIVE ON ENTROPY, EMERGENT SYSTEMS, AND ESCHATOLOGY

. Many contemporary theologies have given considerable attention to the inbreaking work of God whereby the Spirit imbues creation with life and vitality, but in the process the seriousness of the destructive forces that plague the world has been overlooked. This oversight not only has significant theological consequences, but it also generates a tension with scientific postulates about physical reality. Paradoxically, increasing complexity, including emergent life systems, arise in spite of the overarching conditions. I posit from a theological perspective that the Spirit acts within the world to generate pockets of organization out of disorder. The Spirit not only was present and active at initial creation but also continues to act within the cosmos, sustaining the natural order and giving rise to innovative acts of creation. The world, which groans for and anticipates transformation, experiences local decreases in entropy as proleptic events of God's inbreaking kingdom. This theological hypothesis provides the framework for considering an eschatological response to the world's decay.
Positive CAGE screen correlates with cirrhosis in veterans with chronic hepatitis C.

The current study examines the relationship between problem alcohol use and severity of liver disease by self-administered questionnaires using both the CAGE questionnaire and beverage-specific quantity-frequency questions. The cohort consisted of 38 patients with cirrhosis (10 with decompensated liver disease) and 62 with mild fibrosis (stage 0–1), of comparable mean age and estimated duration of infection. Although mean alcohol consumption was similar in both groups, a positive CAGE screen (defined as two or more affirmative answers) was significantly more common among cirrhotics (OR = 5.24; 95% CI, 1.78–15.39) and tended to be associated with decompensated liver disease (OR = 13.3; 95% CI, 0.67–256) among cirrhotics. In multivariate analysis, only inflammatory grade on liver biopsy (OR = 67.7; 95% CI, 10.6–431) and positive CAGE score (OR = 8.09; 95% CI, 1.15–57.1) were independent predictors of cirrhosis. These findings suggest that the CAGE questionnaire predicts advanced liver disease better than daily or lifetime drinking measures.
Functional Role of the Intracellular Loop Linking Transmembrane Domains 6 and 7 of the Human Dipeptide Transporter hPEPT1

The human intestinal di-/tripeptide transporter (hPEPT1) is a 12-transmembrane protein that facilitates transport of peptides from the intestine into the circulation. hPEPT1 is also an important target in oral delivery of drugs, but mechanistic and structural data for the protein are limited. In particular, there is little information on the function of the loops of the transporter. In this study, we show that mutation of several charged residues in the largest intracellular loop of hPEPT1 (loop 6–7, amino acids 224–278) significantly reduces hPEPT1 function. This loop has an asymmetric distribution of charged residues, with only positive charges in the N-terminal half and all five negative charges in the loop located in a small part of the C-terminal half. Point mutagenesis to alanine of three positive residues in the N-terminal half of loop 6–7 and four negative residues in the C-terminal half of the loop significantly reduced glycylsarcosine uptake. E267 was particularly sensitive to mutation, and kinetic analyses of E267A- and E267K-hPEPT1 gave V max values 10-fold lower than that for the wild-type protein. Secondary structure prediction suggested that loop 6–7 includes two amphipathic α-helices, with net positive and negative charges, respectively. We interpret the mutagenesis data in terms of interactions of the charged residues in loop 6–7 that may influence conformational changes of hPEPT1 during and after substrate transport.
VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTATION AND THE RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY

The effect of high-dosage E treatment (Rx) initiated at the stage of 3-plus active disease (target serum E levels, 5-6 mg/dl) was evaluated by a standardized scoring system of visual morbidity at the one to two year eye exam among infants cared for in the University of Pennsylvania Neonatal Complex (1976-1978). The incidence of legal blindness in both eyes or worse was decreased from 71 to 40% in E Rx (n = 10) as compared to non-E Rx (n = 14) infants, and the number of infants with minimal visual morbidity was increased. Pilot studies (1972-76; target serum E level, 1.5 and 3.0 mg/dl) of the prophylactic effect of E Rx from birth on showed a decrease in mean severity of acute stage disease and a decrease in sequelae at one to two years. A strikingly difference in visual morbidity following resolved low-grade ROP was seen when prestudy infants (1968-72) who were fed early iron supplements and given formulas with low E:PUFA ratios were compared to non-E Rx as well as to E Rx 1972-76 infants. Vitamin E seems to exert a beneficial effect at all stages of ROP, perhaps because of its broadly based regulatory role.
On the evaporation rates of multicomponent oil droplets

Abstract An experimental method is presented for the measurement of the evaporation rates of supermicronsized multicomponent oil droplets. The fundamental principle of the method rests upon balancing the time-dependent gravitational force on the droplet against an adjustable electrostatic force. Applying continuum diffusion theory to the evaporation process, the total droplet vapor pressure is evaluated both as a function of time and percentage mass evaporated. The evaporation rates of 100 pale oil droplets at 40°C and no. 2 diesel oil droplets at 25 and 40°C are measured. Results indicate vapor pressures measured for 100 pale oil compare favorably with those values extrapolated from distillation curves. In addition for the multicomponent liquids studied here, the vapor pressure is well modeled as an exponential function of percentage mass evaporated.
The effect of a carbon-nanotube forest-mat strike face on the ballistic-protection performance of E-glass reinforced poly-vinyl-ester-epoxy composite armour

In the present work, a ballistic material-model development approach is combined with transient non-linear dynamics simulations of the projectile/armour interactions to explore the armour-hard-faci...
Thermocline forced by annual and decadal surface temperature variation

Abstract A two-layer thermocline model is modified by adding an essentially passive mixed layer above it. The surface temperature variation is simulated by a moving outcrop line. It is found that, in contrast to a surface wind stress, a surface temperature variation causes strong variability in the ventilated zone through subducted water, while it affects the shadow zone little. Two types of buoyancy-forced solution are found. When the outcrop line moves slowly, the solutions are nonentrainment solutions. For these solutions, the surface beat flux is mainly balanced by the horizontal advection in the permanent thermocline. The mixed layer never entrains. The time-mean thermocline is close to the steady thermocline with the time-mean outcrop line. When the outcrop line moves southward rapidly during the cooling season, the solutions become entrainment solutions. Now, deep vertical convection must occur because the horizontal advection in the permanent thermocline is no longer strong enough to balance the s...
The helix-loop-helix protein Id-1 and a retinoblastoma protein binding mutant of SV40 T antigen synergize to reactivate DNA synthesis in senescent human fibroblasts

Normal somatic cells of higher organisms do not divide indefinitely. After a finite number of divisions, normal cells irreversibly cease proliferation by a process termed replicative or cellular senescence. Replicative senescence is controlled by multiple, dominant-acting genes about which very little is known. The only genes known to reactivate DNA synthesis in senescent cells are viral oncogenes encoding proteins that bind and inactivate the p53 and retinoblastoma (pRb) tumor suppressor proteins. SV40 T antigen is the best studied of these viral oncoproteins. T[K1] is a T antigen point mutant that selectively is defective in binding pRb and the pRb-related proteins p107 and p130. We show that T[K1] stimulated quiescent human fibroblasts to synthesize DNA nearly as well as wild-type T but was incapable of stimulating senescent cells. We tested several growth regulatory genes that are repressed in senescent cells for ability to restore activity to T[K1]. These included c-fos, c-jun, Id-1, Id-2, E2F-1, and cdc2. Only the helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein, Id-1, restored the ability of T[K1] to reactivate DNA synthesis in senescent cells. This activity of Id-1 was not shared by Id-2, a related protein, and depended on an intact HLH domain. It did not appear that Id-1 interacted directly with pRb or p107. Constitutive Id-1 expression failed to rescue proliferating cells from growth inhibition by pRb, p107, or p130, and failed to interact with pRb in the yeast two hybrid system. Because Id proteins negatively regulate basic-HLH (bHLH) transcription factors, we suggest that senescent cells express one or more bHLH factor that cooperates with pRb, or pRb-related proteins, to suppress proliferation. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.