cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interprofessional collaboration and smartphone use as promising strategies to improve prenatal oral health care utilization among US underserved women: results from a qualitative study.

Data on barriers and facilitators to prenatal oral health care among low-income US women are lacking. The objective of this study was to understand barriers/facilitators and patient-centered mitigation strategies related to the use of prenatal oral health care among underserved US women. We used community-based participatory research to conduct two focus groups with eight pregnant/parenting women; ten individual in-depth interviews with medical providers, dental providers and community/social workers; and one community engagement studio with five representative community stakeholders in 2018–2019. Using an interpretive description research design, we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for thematic content. We identified individual and systemic barriers/facilitators to the utilization of prenatal oral health care by underserved US women. Strategies reported to improve utilization included healthcare system-wide changes to promote inter-professional collaborations, innovative educational programs to improve dissemination and implementation of prenatal oral health care guidelines, and specialized dental facilities providing prenatal oral health care to underserved women. Moreover, smartphones have the potential to be an innovative entry point to promote utilization of prenatal oral care at the individual level. Low-income women face multiple, addressable barriers to obtaining oral health care during pregnancy. Inter-professional collaboration holds strong promise for improving prenatal oral health care utilization.
Do Service Provision NGOs Perform Civil Society Functions? Evidence of NGOs’ Relationship With Democratic Participation:

Scholars have long been interested in the relationship between civil society and democracy. Today, international donors promote civil society in developing countries, and they explicitly define civ...
TERT promoter mutation as a prognostic marker in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

476Background: Reliable predictive markers are lacking in patients (pts) with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (aUC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We sought to...
Functional Status as a Predictor of Pediatric Heart Transplant Outcomes

Purpose Functional status at listing predicts waitlist survival in adult heart transplant candidates including those on mechanical circulatory support. This has not been studied in pediatric heart transplantation although it is an independent predictor of outcomes in pediatric liver transplantation. We aimed to determine the association of: 1) functional status at listing with waitlist and post-transplant outcomes, and 2) functional status at transplant with post-transplant outcomes in pediatric heart transplant candidates. Methods Retrospective registry study of 5754 patients ≤18 years old listed for heart transplant between 1995 and 2019 with Lansky/Karnofsky Play Performance Scale (LPPS) scores in the UNOS database. Standard statistical methods were used to assess relationships of LPPS scores at listing and transplant with waitlist and post-transplant outcomes. A positive waitlist outcome was defined as transplantation, removal from waitlist due to clinical improvement, or remaining on waitlist. Results At listing, 1463 patients had the ability to carry out normal activities (LPPS 80-100), 2338 had mild-moderate restriction in functional status (LPPS 50-70), and 1953 had moderate-severe restriction (LPPS 10-40). Normal activity and mild-moderate restriction at listing were associated with a higher positive waitlist outcome rate compared with moderate-severe restriction (90% vs 80%, p Conclusion Candidate functional status is associated with waitlist as well as post-transplant outcomes. Improvement in functional status between listing and transplant is associated with better outcomes 1-year post-transplant. These data suggest that interventions targeting functional impairment (e.g. physical rehabilitation) have the potential to improve pediatric heart transplant outcomes.
Pharmacologic activation of autophagy without direct mTOR inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for treating dry macular degeneration

Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is marked by the accumulation of extracellular and intracellular lipid-rich deposits within and around the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Inducing autophagy, a conserved, intracellular degradative pathway, is a potential treatment strategy to prevent disease by clearing these deposits. However, mTOR inhibition, the major mechanism for inducing autophagy, disrupts core RPE functions. Here, we screened autophagy inducers that do not directly inhibit mTOR for their potential as an AMD therapeutic in primary human RPE culture. Only two out of more than thirty autophagy inducers tested reliably increased autophagy flux in RPE, emphasizing that autophagy induction mechanistically differs across distinct tissues. In contrast to mTOR inhibitors, these compounds preserved RPE health, and one inducer, the FDA-approved compound flubendazole (FLBZ), reduced the secretion of apolipoprotein that contributes to extracellular deposits termed drusen. Simultaneously, FLBZ increased production of the lipid-degradation product β-hydroxybutyrate, which is used by photoreceptor cells as an energy source. FLBZ also reduced the accumulation of intracellular deposits, termed lipofuscin, and alleviated lipofuscin-induced cellular senescence and tight-junction disruption. FLBZ triggered compaction of lipofuscin-like granules into a potentially less toxic form. Thus, induction of RPE autophagy without direct mTOR inhibition is a promising therapeutic approach for dry AMD.
On the extension of the mode-matching procedure for modeling a wave-bearing cavity:

The present work highlights the scattering of fluid–structure coupled waves through a wave-bearing cavity in rigid waveguide. The cavity is filled with compressible fluid and comprises horizontal a...
Control of V/STOL aircraft

This paper deals with control of V/STOL aircraft in powered-lift flight. A review of representative operational mission tasks is presented for the take-off, transition, hover and landing flight phases. Characteristics inherent in the basic airframe and propulsion system and the behavior associated with control augmentation systems are considered. Demands for augmented stability and control response to meet certain mission operational requirements are discussed. Experience from ground-based simulation and flight experiments that illustrates the impact of augmented stability and control on aircraft design is related by example.
The Elysian Fields of the Law

In Democracy and Distrust and War and Responsibility, John Hart Ely advanced a participation-oriented, representation-reinforcing approach to judicial review that addressed problems of entrenchment, discrimination, and legislative delegation. This essay, which was written as the foreword to a symposium honoring Ely held at Stanford Law School in April 2004, discusses four recent Supreme Court decisions that map onto the central preoccupations in Ely's work: McConnell v. Federal Election Commission; Lawrence v. Texas; Vieth v. Jubelirer; and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld. McConnell raises important questions about how the Court ought to approach campaign finance legislation, given cross-cutting concerns with problems of entrenchment. While there are anti-entrenchment arguments on both sides of the debate over campaign finance reform, we suggest that, given the way in which Ely's anti-entrenchment theory focused on incumbent holders of government power, courts should be especially wary of restrictions that limit the speech of challengers. Lawrence offers an intriguing variation on judicial protection of discrete and insular minorities. Ely was a harsh critic of substantive due process. While the Court's opinion rests as a formal matter on substantive due process, rather than equal protection, a close reading suggests that Lawrence gives perhaps the first known Elysian reason for a substantive due process ruling: that it was necessary to invalidate a discriminatory law as if it applied to all persons in order to prevent the aftereffects of discrimination that would linger if it were not. Vieth shows how questions of political gerrymandering lie at the intersection of Ely's concerns with entrenchment and discrimination. While the Supreme Court has seen political gerrymandering as a species of discrimination, the larger problem is one of entrenchment, rather than the mistreatment of discrete and insular groups. The problem with the contemporary approach is not just that it is factually ill grounded: whatever else may be the case, it is hard to view the adherents of the two major political parties as discrete and insular minorities incapable of protecting themselves and victimized by prejudice. Rather, the problem is that the failure to recognize the issue as one of entrenchment can actually exacerbate political channel clogging and undercut effective and accountable representation. Finally, Hamdi confronts the question of how judicial review can reinforce congressional responsibility with respect to the use of military force and the protection of civil liberties given a world in which our most threatening enemies are no longer other nations. We show how War and Responsibility fleshes out one of the often-overlooked sections of Democracy and Distrust - its proposal to revive some version of the nondelegation doctrine - as a tool for ensuring accountability in decisions regarding the decision to go to war and identify echoes of Ely's theory in the three opinions in Hamdi that reject the government's sweeping assertion of executive power.
RECATHON: A Middleware for Context-Aware Recommendation in Database Systems

This paper presents RECATHON, a context-aware recommender system built entirely inside a database system. Unlike traditional recommender systems that are context-free where they support the general query of Recommend movies for a certain user, RECATHON users can request recommendations based on their age, location, gender, or any other contextual/ demographical/preferential user attribute. A main challenge of supporting such kind of recommenders is the difficulty of deciding what attributes to build recommenders on. RECATHON addresses this challenge as it supports building recommenders in database systems in an analogous way to building index structures. Users can decide to create recommenders on selected attributes, e.g., Age and/or gender, and then entertain efficient support of multidimensional recommenders on the selected attributes. RECATHON employs a multi-dimensional index structure for each built recommender that can be accessed using novel query execution algorithms to support efficient retrieval for recommender queries. Experimental results based on an actual prototype of RECATHON, built inside Postgre SQL, using real Movie Lens and Foursquare data show that RECATHON exhibits real time performance for large-scale multidimensional recommendation.
TRUCE: Agent Coordination Through Concurrent Interpretation of Role-Based Protocols

Established protocols for coordination are essential for implementing joint-action activities among collaborating software agents. Most existing agents, however, are designed only to support static protocols, limiting their interaction domain to specific sets of agents. We developed an agent collaboration framework for open systems that enables an agent to expand its acquaintance set and to adapt to various coordination protocols dynamically. This is achieved by writing coordination scripts that are interpreted at collaboration time. A script is a protocol specification for coordination. Proper synchronization is implemented via distributed rendezvous points. The concurrent interpretation of the same script constitutes the basic engine for enforcing coordination rules. In this paper, we present and demonstrate the major elements of the TRUCE language.
Resistance of Sézary cells to TNF-α-induced apoptosis is mediated in part by a loss of TNFR1 and a high level of the IER3 expression.

Failure to execute an apoptotic programme is one of the critical steps and a common mechanism promoting tumorogenesis. Immediate early responsive gene 3 (IER3) has been shown to be upregulated in several cancers. IER3 is a stress-induced gene, which upregulation leads to reduction in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) protecting malignant cells from apoptosis. We observed that malignant lymphocytes from patients with Sezary syndrome (SzS) were resistant to pro-apoptotic dose of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IER3 in the mechanism of such resistance. CD4+ CD26- lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of patients with SzS and healthy controls were negatively selected using CD4 and CD26 magnetic beads and analysed for expression of TNFR1, TNFR2, IER3 expression, and ROS production in response to TNF-α at an apoptotic dose. Sezary cells with a higher level of IER3 expression retained their viability to TNF-α. IER3 upregulation correlated with a decrease level of intracellular ROS and low TNFR1 expression on malignant cells. Targeting IER3 could be of interest for the development of future therapeutic strategies for patients with SzS.
Stoking the Voters' Passions

Campaigning for Hearts and Minds . How Emotional Appeals in Political Ads Work. By Ted Brader . University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2006. 296 pp. $60, £38. ISBN 0-226-06988-5. Paper, $24, £15.50. ISBN 0-226-06989-3. Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion. The author examines the emotional appeals of political advertising and the use of ads that stoke enthusiasm or fear.
Common LISP: an interactive approach

The text uses a tutorial style that focuses on learning by interaction and experimentation. The text also thoroughly covers programming in Pure LISP before programming in Imperative LISP so that students get used to recursive programming. It gives an ordered presentation of Commom LISP - for example, it introduces packages simultaneously with symbols for easier assimilation and provides extensive example interactions with LISP to illustrate material being taught. The book devotes attention to style and debugging to familiarize students with realistic situations and helps novices recognize error messages and what they mean through intentional keyboard errors.
Influence of hydration on ion–biomolecule interactions: M+(indole)(H2O)n (M = Na, K; n = 3–6)

The indole functional group can be found in many biologically relevant molecules, such as neurotransmitters, pineal hormones and medicines. Indole has been used as a tractable model to study the hydration structures of biomolecules as well as the interplay of non-covalent interactions within ion-biomolecule-water complexes, which largely determine their structure and dynamics. With three potential binding sites: above the six- or five-member ring, and the N-H group, the competition between π and hydrogen bond interactions involves multiple locations. Electrostatic interactions from monovalent cations are in direct competition with hydrogen bonding interactions, as structural configurations involving both direct cation-indole interactions and cation-water-indole bridging interactions were observed. The different charge densities of Na(+) and K(+) give rise to different structural conformers at the same level of hydration. Infrared spectra with parallel hybrid functional-based calculations and Gibbs free energy calculations revealed rich structural insights into the Na(+)/K(+)(indole)(H2O)3-6 cluster ion complexes. Isotopic (H/D) analyses were applied to decouple the spectral features originating from the OH and NH stretches. Results showed no evidence of direct interaction between water and the NH group of indole (via a σ-hydrogen bond) at current levels of hydration with the incorporation of cations. Hydrogen bonding to a π-system, however, was ubiquitous at hydration levels between two and five.
Fundamental Properties of Löschian Spatial Demand

Spatial demand is the aggregate demand expressed at a particular location, under given supply conditions, by a set of individual consumers whose locations are dispersed over a geographical market area. Although the concept of spatial demand has played a central role in location and spatial economics since its development by Losch and his incorporation of it into his model of spatial competitive equilibrium, a comprehensive rigorous characterization of spatial demand does not presently exist. Accordingly, the contribution of this paper is a quite general formulation of spatial demand and a rigorous specification and evaluation of some of its most important properties.Spatial demand is found to consist of two components: free spatial demand which corresponds to a situation in which the geographic market areas of suppliers do not interact, and competitive spatial demand which corresponds to a situation in which they do. This distinction allows the derivation of conditions for, among other things, the (1) exi...
Automated Classification of Stance in Student Essays: An Approach Using Stance Target Information and the Wikipedia Link-Based Measure

We present a new approach to the automated classification of document-level argument stance, a relatively under-researched sub-task of Sentiment Analysis. In place of the noisy online debate data currently used in stance classification research, a corpus of student essays annotated for essay-level stance is constructed for use in a series of classification experiments. A novel set of features designed to capture the stance, stance targets, and topical relationships between the essay prompt and the student's essay is described. Models trained on this feature set showed significant increases in accuracy relative to two high baselines.
IL-15 Superagonist-Mediated Immunotoxicity: Role of NK Cells and IFN-γ.

IL-15 is currently undergoing clinical trials to assess its efficacy for treatment of advanced cancers. The combination of IL-15 with soluble IL-15Rα generates a complex termed IL-15 superagonist (IL-15 SA) that possesses greater biological activity than IL-15 alone. IL-15 SA is considered an attractive antitumor and antiviral agent because of its ability to selectively expand NK and memory CD8+ T (mCD8+ T) lymphocytes. However, the adverse consequences of IL-15 SA treatment have not been defined. In this study, the effect of IL-15 SA on physiologic and immunologic functions of mice was evaluated. IL-15 SA caused dose- and time-dependent hypothermia, weight loss, liver injury, and mortality. NK (especially the proinflammatory NK subset), NKT, and mCD8+ T cells were preferentially expanded in spleen and liver upon IL-15 SA treatment. IL-15 SA caused NK cell activation as indicated by increased CD69 expression and IFN-γ, perforin, and granzyme B production, whereas NKT and mCD8+ T cells showed minimal, if any, activation. Cell depletion and adoptive transfer studies showed that the systemic toxicity of IL-15 SA was mediated by hyperproliferation of activated NK cells. Production of the proinflammatory cytokine IFN-γ, but not TNF-α or perforin, was essential to IL-15 SA–induced immunotoxicity. The toxicity and immunological alterations shown in this study are comparable to those reported in recent clinical trials of IL-15 in patients with refractory cancers and advance current knowledge by providing mechanistic insights into IL-15 SA–mediated immunotoxicity.
The Role of Abstract and Specific Knowledge in the Formation of Product Judgments: An Analogical Learning Perspective

Prior research has assumed that existing knowledge exerts its influence on consumer judgments primarily through abstract knowledge structures. Consequently, little attention has been given to the possibility that judgments may, under certain circumstances, be influenced by knowledge associated with more specific knowledge structures. This article examines the factors responsible for determining the impact of abstract versus specific knowledge on consumer judgments. Based on the Consumer Learning by Analogy model (CLA model; Gregan-Paxton & John, 1997), it is argued that the relative influence of abstract and specific knowledge is a function of (a) the relation between the new product and existing knowledge and (b) the nature of consumer's knowledge. These ideas were tested in a series of experiments in which participants were required to judge a new product that varied in its relation to an existing product or brand. In this context, the influence of specific knowledge was most evident when participants were able to construct an attribute mapping, but not a relational mapping, to link the novel product to a familiar brand exemplar. When it was possible to construct a relational mapping, a more abstract knowledge structure, such as a schema, was retrieved and used as the basis of product judgments.
Low-temperature chemical-vapor deposition of 3C-SiC films on Si(100) using SiH4-C2H4-HCl-H2

Abstract The benefits of adding HCl on the low-temperature (1000°C) epitaxial growth of 3C–SiC on Si(1 0 0) were examined. At either silicon rich (C/Si 1) inlet gas ratios, the SiC film composition approached stoichiometry by adding HCl, but only at an inlet C/Si ratio of 1 was the composition of the SiC film approximate 1.0 with a Cl/Si input ratio of 50. The structure of the films improved with the addition of HCl, confirmed by both X-ray diffraction and TEM. For epitaxial films, the FWHM of X-ray diffraction rocking curves decreased to 0.37° or 1348 arcs with increasing Cl/Si to 50 at a C/Si ratio of 1. The film dislocation density was reduced from 1.1×10 10 cm −2 for a 2.0 μm thick film for a Cl/Si ratio of 0 to 4.27×10 9 cm −2 for a 0.75 μm thick film at a Cl/Si ratio of 50. The benefits of adding HCl are attributed to the suppression of pure silicon nucleation and the reduction in growth rate.
Cervical total disc replacement exhibits similar stiffness to intact cervical functional spinal units tested on a dynamic pendulum testing system.

Abstract Background context The pendulum testing system is capable of applying physiologic compressive loads without constraining the motion of functional spinal units (FSUs). The number of cycles to equilibrium observed under pendulum testing is a measure of the energy absorbed by the FSU. Objective To examine the dynamic bending stiffness and energy absorption of the cervical spine, with and without implanted cervical total disc replacement (TDR) under simulated physiologic motion. Study design A biomechanical cadaver investigation. Methods Nine unembalmed, frozen human cervical FSUs from levels C3–C4 and C5–C6 were tested on the pendulum system with axial compressive loads of 25, 50, and 100 N before and after TDR implantation. Testing in flexion, extension, and lateral bending began by rotating the pendulum to 5°, resulting in unconstrained oscillatory motion. The number of rotations to equilibrium was recorded and the bending stiffness (Newton-meter/°) was calculated and compared for each testing mode. Results In flexion/extension, with increasing compressive loading from 25 to 100 N, the average number of cycles to equilibrium for the intact FSUs increased from 6.6 to 19.1, compared with 4.1 to 12.7 after TDR implantation (p Conclusions Cervical FSUs with implanted TDR were found to have similar stiffness, but had greater energy absorption than intact FSUs during cyclic loading with an unconstrained pendulum system. These results provide further insight into the biomechanical behavior of cervical TDR under approximated physiologic loading conditions.
SURGICAL MODIFICATIONS OF RADICAL RETROPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY TO DECREASE INCIDENCE OF POSITIVE SURGICAL MARGINS

AbstractPurpose: We sought to determine whether recent surgical modifications in the technique of radical retropubic prostatectomy decrease the incidence of positive surgical margins.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 144 consecutive patients a mean of 60.8 years old who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy using a modified surgical technique. Mean prostate specific antigen was 8.6 ng./ml. and mean Gleason grade was 5.8. Surgical modifications included division of the dorsal venous complex of the penis 10 to 15 mm. distal to the prostatic apex; transection of the urethra 3 mm. beyond the prostatic apex; division of the anterior aspect of the urethra, leaving the investing periurethral musculature intact, and division of the posterior aspect of the urethra en bloc with the striated urethral sphinter; sharp dissection of the rectourethralis muscle and remaining attachments of the prostate to the rectum; wide excision of the neurovascular bundle posterolateral to the prostate when adjace...
pKa calculations with QM/MM free energy perturbations

A new approach for predicting the pKa value for a specific residue in complex environments has been proposed. It is based on a combination of hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) potential and the free energy perturbation (FEP) technique. With a specific thermodynamic cycle, the QM/MM-FEP protocol can be carried out for pKa predictions taking advantage of the dual-topology−single-coordinate scheme proposed earlier for performing FEP calculations with QM/MM potentials. The new method has been tested for ethanethiol (CH3CH2SH) in solution. It was shown that, although the dominant contribution is from electrostatic interactions between the solute and solvent, many other factors have to be carefully dealt with to obtain reliable pKa values. The contribution from van der Waals interactions associated with the dummy atom was found to be insignificant for the present case, because the solvent structure around the solute is essentially determined by the heavy atoms. With more systematic benchmar...
Leveraging Public Health Nursing to Build a Culture of Health

Public health nurses promote and protect the health of communities and populations and seek to reduce health disparities. They provide reliable information to a variety of community groups of all ages to explain proper nutrition, demonstrate effective safety practices, and promote early detection of common diseases. Despite the potential of public health nurses to contribute to better population-based health outcomes, the field remains beset with challenges. State and federal budget cuts have slashed public health departments, with public health nursing sustaining the largest share of the cuts. Public health nurses need more competitive salaries for hiring and retaining qualified staff. The workforce is aging and has too few diverse and baccalaureate-prepared nurses, and there is a concurrent shortage of faculty to teach the next generation. Furthermore, schools of nursing should teach more public health nursing content in their classes, and public health departments should offer additional training opportunities to nurses already in the field. Leveraging the public health nursing field is crucial to fully achieving the promise of health reform, with a health system that prevents disease and promotes health instead of focusing on acuity and illness. Public health nurses must help to lead efforts to build a Culture of Health, which the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) defines as shifting the values—and the actions—of this country so that health and healthy decisions become a part of everything Americans do. RWJF wants to enable all of U.S. society to lead healthy lives, now and for generations to come.
Anterior ST segment depression in acute inferior myocardial infarction as a marker of greater inferior, apical, and posterolateral damage

The clinical significance of anterior precordial ST segment depression during acute inferior myocardial infarction was evaluated in 67 consecutive patients early after onset of symptoms with gated blood pool scans, thallium-201 perfusion images, and 12-lead ECGs. Patients with anterior ST depression (n = 33) had depressed mean values for left ventricular ejection fraction (54 +/- 2% [mean +/- S.E.M.] vs 59 +/- 2%; p = 0.02), cardiac index (3.1 +/- 0.2 vs 3.6 +/- 0.2 L/m2; p = 0.03), and ratio of systolic blood pressure to end-systolic volume (2.0 +/- 0.1 vs 2.5 +/- 0.3 mm Hg/ml; p = 0.04) compared to patients with no anterior ST depression (n = 34). Patients with anterior ST depression had (1) lower mean wall motion values for the inferior, apical, and inferior posterolateral segments (p less than 0.05) and (2) greater reductions in thallium-201 uptake in the inferior and posterolateral regions (p less than 0.05). However, anterior and septal (1) wall motion and (2) thallium-201 uptake were similar in patients with and without ST depression. Thus, anterior precordial ST segment depression in patients with acute inferior wall myocardial infarction represents more than a reciprocal electrical phenomenon. It identifies patients with more severe wall motion impairment and greater hypoperfusion of the inferior and adjacent segments. The poorer global left ventricular function in these patients is a result of more extensive inferior infarction and not of remote septal or anterior injury.
Stress in polish compounds

Abstract This paper provides the examination of stress in natural language with new empirical data. It describes a previously unnoticed phenomenon of stress variation in Polish compounds with monosyllabic heads. Those with disyllabic non-heads invariably undergo the rule Demoting, while those that have non-heads containing more than two syllables may undergo Demoting or be stressed by the Compound Stress Rule. It is hypothesized that the speaker's psychological perception of the compound as a compound or a non-compound influences his or her application of the appropriate stress placement rule.
Dynamic Game Theoretic Model of Multi-Layer Infrastructure Networks

Due to similarities in terms of network structure and interactions among them, most infrastructure systems can be viewed as coupled layers of a generalized transportation network in which the passenger, freight, data, water, and energy flows are the commodities in the different layers. The coupling is due to the varying degrees of interactions among these layers in terms of shared physical networks, budgetary constraints, socio-economic environments, environmental concerns, information/other resources, and in particular, functional interdependencies. However, these interactions are normally ignored in the engineering planning, design and analysis of infrastructure systems. Identifying and understanding these interactions using a holistic perspective can lead to more efficient infrastructure systems. This paper presents a preliminary network flow equilibrium model of dynamic multi-layer infrastructure networks in the form of a differential game involving two essential time scales. In particular, three coupled network layers—automobiles, urban freight and data—are modeled as being comprised of Cournot-Nash dynamic agents. An agent-based simulation solution structure is introduced to solve the flow equilibrium and optimal budget allocation problem for these three layers under the assumption of a super authority that oversees investments in the infrastructure of all three technologies and thereby creates a dynamic Stackelberg leader-follower game.
Ontogenetic change in skull morphology and mechanical advantage in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

Weaning represents a challenging transition for young mammals, one particularly difficult for species coping with extreme conditions during feeding. Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) experience such extreme conditions imposed by intense feeding competition during which the ability to consume large quantities of food quickly is highly advantageous. As adult spotted hyenas have massive skulls specialized for durophagy and can feed very rapidly, young individuals are likely at a competitive disadvantage until that specialized morphology is completely developed. Here we document developmental changes in skull size, shape, and mechanical advantage of the jaws. Sampling an ontogenetic series of Crocuta skulls from individuals ranging in age from 2 months to 18 years, we use linear measurements and geometric morphometrics to test hypotheses suggesting that size, limited mechanical advantage of the jaws, and/or limited attachment sites for jaw muscles might constrain the feeding performance of juveniles. We also examine skull development in relation to key life history events, including weaning and reproductive maturity, to inquire whether ontogeny of the feeding apparatus is slower or more protracted in this species than in carnivores not specialized for durophagy. We find that, although mechanical advantage reaches maturity in hyenas at 22 months, adult skull size is not achieved until 29 months of age, and skull shape does not reach maturity until 35 months. The latter is nearly 2 years after mean weaning age, and more than 1 year after reproductive maturity. Thus, skull development in Crocuta is indeed protracted relative to that in most other carnivores. Based on the skull features that continue to change and to provide additional muscle attachment area, protracted development may be largely due to development of the massive musculature required by durophagy. These findings may ultimately shed light on the adaptive significance of the unusual "role-reversed" pattern of female dominance over males in this species.
‘The Choicest, Best-Arranged Museums I Have Ever Seen’: The Pitt-Rivers Museum, Farnham, Dorset, 1880s–1970s

The privately owned Pitt-Rivers Museum in Farnham, Dorset, was established by General Pitt-Rivers in the early 1880s. A discussion of the original purpose of the museum and its early development is followed by an account of its later history.
Immunoglobulin M heavy chain disease: Intracellular origin of the Mu chain fragment

Cells obtained from a patient with mu heavy chain disease synthesize a mu heavy chain fragment with a molecular weight of 55,000. The fragment is detected intracellularly after short labeling times and then is assembled inside the cell and secreted as a disulfide-linked polymer.
Benchmarks on tera-scalable models for DNS of turbulent channel flow

Due to the extensive requirements of memory and speed for direct numerical simulation (DNS) of channel turbulence, people could only perform DNS at moderate Reynolds number before. However, with the fast development of supercomputers, it has become more and more approachable for researchers to perform DNS of turbulence at high Reynolds number. This makes it imperative to consider the development of tera-scalable DNS codes that are capable of fully exploiting these massively parallel machines. In order to achieve this, three parallel models (1D, 2D and 3D decompositions) have been implemented and benchmarked. All these models have been successfully ported on BlueGene/L. We have benchmarked these models on BG/L at ANL and BGW at IBM Watson center. Details of these models have been described, discussed and presented in this paper. The optimized model can be used to perform DNS at high Reynolds number in the near future.
Suitability of some farmscaping plants as nectar sources for the parasitoid wasp, Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Effects on longevity and body nutrients

Abstract In support of an ongoing study to evaluate potential farmscaping plants for utilization in organic vegetable production systems, we examined the effects of the nectar of three flowering plant species, sweet alyssum ( Lobularia maritima ), buckwheat ( Fagopyrum sagittatum ), and licorice mint ( Agastache foeniculum ), on the lifespan and body nutrient levels of the wasp, Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a key parasitoid of some caterpillar pests of vegetable crops in the USA. The greatest longevity (∼16 days) was recorded for honey-fed wasps (positive control). Buckwheat significantly increased the lifespan of female and male wasps by at least two-fold relative to wasps provided water only (longevity = 3–4 days). Licorice mint significantly increased female longevity and numerically increased male longevity. Sweet alyssum slightly increased longevity of both sexes but this was not significantly different from the water only control. Females had a significantly longer longevity than males on all the diet treatments. The greatest carbohydrate nutrient levels (sugar content and glycogen) were recorded in honey-fed wasps followed by wasps fed buckwheat, whereas very little nutrients were detected in wasps provided sweet alyssum, licorice mint or water only. However, female wasps were observed to attempt to feed on all three flowering plant species. Thus, the low nutrient levels detected in wasps provided sweet alyssum or licorice mint may be because the nectars were not accessible or were of poor quality. Further studies will evaluate the effects of the promising farmscaping plants on the beneficial and pest insect communities in the field.
Role of Biofilm in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis Ventricular Assist Device Driveline Infections

Objective Infections, especially those involving drivelines, are among the most serious complications that follow ventricular assist device implantation. Staphylococci are the most common causes of these infections. Once driveline infections are established, they can remain localized or progress as an ascending infection to cause metastatic seeding of other tissue sites. Although elaboration of biofilm appears to be critical in prosthetic device infections, its role as a facilitator of staphylococcal infection and migration along the driveline and other prosthetic devices is unclear. Methods A murine model of driveline infection was used to investigate staphylococcal migration along the driveline. A biofilm-producing strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis and a Staphylococcus aureus strain and its intercellular adhesion gene cluster (ica) –negative (biofilm-deficient) isogenic mutant were used in these studies. Bacterial density on the driveline and the underlying tissue was measured over time. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphology of S epidermidis biofilm formation as the infection progressed. Results The biofilm-deficient S aureus mutant was less effective at infecting and migrating along the driveline than the wild-type strain over time. However, the ica mutation had no effect on the ability of the strain to infect underlying tissue. S aureus exhibited more rapid migration than S epidermidis . Scanning electron microscopy revealed the deposition of host matrix on the Dacron material after implantation. This was followed by elaboration of a bacterial biofilm that correlated with more rapid migration along the driveline. Conclusions Biofilm formation is a critical virulence determinant that facilitates the progression of drivelines infections.
Arctic Research in the National Interest

The Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 was designed to advance arctic research in the national interest. Some of the research fields that require attention are weather and climate; national defense; renewable and nonrenewable resources; transportation; communications and spacedisturbance effects; environmental protection; health, culture, and socioeconomics; and international cooperation. A research framework recommended by the Arctic Research Commission includes, in order of priority, integrated investigations to understand: (i) the Arctic Ocean (including the marginal seas, sea ice, and seabed) and how the ocean and atmosphere operate as coupled components of the arctic system; (ii) the coupled atmosphere and land components and how their interaction governs the terrestrial environment; and (iii) the high-latitude upper atmosphere and its extension into the magnetosphere with emphasis on predicting and mitigating effects on communications and defense systems. A separate recommendation is for high priority research to resolve the major health, behavioral, and cultural problems related to the arctic environment. Recommendations are also made concerning support services and management.
Diet manipulation and prevention of aging, cancer and autoimmune disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Dietary supplementation and other dietary regimens have become increasingly popular in the US population. Information regarding how different dietary constituents interact when consumed simultaneously is needed. This review examines the recent literature on how different dietary constituents may interact physiologically when consumed in combination. Furthermore, the potential human relevance of calorie restriction and nonclassical function of vitamin E is discussed. RECENT FINDINGS Long-term calorie restriction in monkeys has shown similar beneficial effects as has been shown in rodents. Limited calorie restriction studies in humans have shown promise in reducing the incidence of heart disease and breast cancer. The combination of calorie restriction and omega-3 fatty acids may be a more potent antiinflammatory diet than either regimen alone. The type of fiber that is most protective against colon cancer may be dependent on the type of dietary fat consumed simultaneously. Vitamin E derivatives that possess no antioxidant activity may be potent inhibitors of cancer, but not normal, cell growth. SUMMARY Dietary modification has shown its greatest beneficial effect when started prior to or immediately after the onset of disease. Also, understanding how the subtypes or isoforms of nutrients function is important since their physiological effects may be drastically different. It is important to understand the entire dietary profile of an individual when making dietary recommendations because one nutrient, or dietary ingredient, may enhance or cancel out the beneficial effects of another dietary ingredient.
Thermodynamic properties of aqueous 1-n-alkanepyridinium chlorides at temperatures from 283.15 K to 343.15 K

Abstract Osmotic coefficients φ of aqueous solutions of 1-n-decanepyridinium chloride, 1-n-dodecanepyridinium chloride, and 1-n-hexadecanepyridinium chloride are estimated atT=328.15 K from vapor pressure osmometric measurements. Molar integral enthalpies of dilution ΔdilHmhave been measured for aqueous solutions of these surfactants, and also for aqueous solutions of 1-n-tetradecanepyridinium chloride, atT=(283.15, 298.15, 313.15, 328.15, and 343.15) K. Measurements were made, where possible, at molalities from well below to well above the critical micelle molalitym(cmc). Values of φ and ΔdilHmfor each surfactant were treated using a mass-action model that includes ion-interaction term for the activity coefficients of both micellar and monomeric ionic species in solution. The ion–ion interaction parameters were estimated from values of φ reported in this investigation and from values reported in the literature. The temperature coefficients of these parameters were estimated from values of ΔdilHm. Treatment of ΔdilHmwith the model also leads to values of ΔrH°mfor the reaction of monomeric surfactant and Cl−(aq) to form micelles, and to the corresponding values valid at finite molalities, includingm(cmc). Fitting all values of ΔdilHmsimultaneously for a surfactant yields numerical values of a small number of parameters for equations that represent its behavior in terms of an equilibrium constant, an activity coefficient equation, and their temperature derivatives. Systematic trends in measured properties and derived parameters as functions of molality, temperature, and surfactant structure are discussed briefly.
Kinetics of Thermodiffusion Saturation of VT22 Titanium Alloy with Nitrogen Within the Temperature Range 800–950°С

We investigate the kinetics of saturation of VT22 titanium alloy in molecular nitrogen under atmospheric pressure within the temperature range 800–950°С and find the kinetic constants of nitriding. The preferred orientations of the TiN x and Ti2N phases in the formed surface nitride films are determined. It his shown that, within the temperature range 800–900°С, the interaction of the β -phase with nitrogen controls the β → α transformation by affecting the diffusion of nitrogen into the bulk of the titanium matrix.
Thermal-Demand-Meter Testing Techniques

THIS PAPER is written to encourage thinking and development on the subject of thermal-demand-meter testing procedures with specific reference to the development of shorter testing techniques. Conventional test methods in the past have involved relatively long periods of load holding to bring the meters under test to thermal equilibrium for the calibration check and adjustment. With the increasing use of thermal meters it is desirable to use some testing method which more nearly resembles tests on watt-hour meters. This paper outlines three general methods for shortening the test time and leaves to the reader the choice of the method, or modification of it, best suited to his requirements.
Oxygen consumption in adult Echinostoma revolutum

Abstract Seven- to 28-day-old Echinostoma revolutum adults (Trematoda) from chicks consume oxygen in vitro independently of light, age, exogenous glucose, and exogenous 2-deoxyglucose. Cyanide reduces worm oxygen consumption and activity. E. revolutum is red in situ and with in vitro aerobiosis. The organism is tan with in vitro anaerobiosis but becomes red again on exposure to air. A benzidine test for a hemoglobin-like compound in worms was positive. The cuticle of worms was positive for cytochrome oxidase as revealed by the modified Nadi reaction.
More efficient peptide binding to MHC class II molecules during cathepsin B digestion of Ii than after Ii release

The binding of a T cell-presented peptide to MHC class II alpha,beta chains occurs as a concurrent process with the release of the associated invariant chain (Ii) by cathepsin B. Ii was digested by cathepsin B from solubilized, MHC class II alpha,beta,Ii complexes in the presence of N-hydroxysuccinimidyl-4-azidobenzoate-conjugated, 125I-labeled, influenza virus matrix (18-29) peptide. The peptide was crosslinked where it became bound. This HLA-DR1-restricted peptide bound about three times more efficiently to class II alpha,beta chains of DR1-positive B cells when present during cathepsin B digestion of Ii than when added afterward, also at pH 5.0. Binding was competed by similarly DR-restricted peptides. Cathepsin D cleaved Ii but did not enhance peptide binding. However, a trace level of cathepsin D, added to the assay for peptide binding in the presence of cathepsin B, further enhanced peptide binding about three times. These experiments support an hypothesis for the staged release of Ii fragments by cathepsin D and cathepsin B, catalyzing at one point the insertion of a peptide into the antigen binding site formed by class II alpha and beta chains.