cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 10 – B-splines

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a theory for arbitrary degree B-spline curves. The original development of these curves makes use of divided differences and is mathematically involved. The theory of B-splines is based on an even more fundamental concept—the Boehm knot insertion algorithm. In general, for degree n, repeated insertion of a knot u no longer changes the polygon after the multiplicity of u has reached n. This fact is used in the algorithmic definition of a special function, called a B-spline curve. The de Boor algorithm is used to evaluate an nth degree B-spline curve at a parameter value u, insert u into the knot sequence until it has multiplicity n. The corresponding polygon vertex is the desired function value. The B-spline polygon corresponding to that knot sequence is the piecewise Bezier polygon of the curve. The number of independent constraints that one can impose on an arbitrary element, or its number of degrees of freedom, is equal to the dimension of the considered linear space.
Giles of Rome on Tyranny in His Regime of Princes

Giles of Rome on tyranny in the Regime of Princes. The recovered Politics by Aristotle is the fabric of Giles’s comment on tyranny, as reduced to short phrases.
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and Impact of Medications on Cardiovascular Disease in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

There is increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Studies have shown association between cardiovascular disease (eg, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke) and inflammatory bowel disease. Medications such as infliximab and adalimumab (monoclonal antibodies to tumor necrosis factor α) may help decrease the inflammatory burden and cardiovascular risk; however, there have been reports of hypertriglyceridemia and worsening of moderate to severe heart failure with these medications. Janus kinase inhibitors, such as tofacitinib, have been associated with hyperlipidemia and thromboembolism. We aim to discuss clinical and imaging modalities to assess cardiovascular risk in inflammatory bowel disease patients and review the role of various medications with respect to cardiovascular disease in this population.
An empirical study of teaching qualities of popular computer science and software engineering instructors using RateMyProfessor.com data

The employment opportunity for Computer Science (CS), Information Technology and Software Engineering and Development (SE) related occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average of all other occupations. Therefore, increase in student enrollment, retention and graduation rate is becoming very important, so is the need for effective teaching in these subjects. Many universities commonly use formal, institutional Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) systems to measure the teaching effectiveness. After each semester, through SET, students provide feedback and comments for their courses and instructors. However, evaluations are private and only a handful people have access to these. Therefore, these evaluations cannot be utilized to create a common understanding of the students' expectations, perspective, desired characteristics of the courses and instructors. On the other hand, third party online platforms like RateMyProfessor.com (RMP) are public, solicit anonymous student feedback and host tremendous amount of data about the instructors and their courses. These platforms are also popular among students. We mined and analyzed the RMP data for some research questions, e.g.: What are the common characteristics of the popular CS instructors? How different are they for the SE instructors? Are there any examples of special characteristics, tools and techniques popular CS instructors use? We captured and analyzed more than 9,000 students' comments for over 300 CS instructors for the top 20 universities in the U.S. and Canada. The paper contributes by presenting the findings for the research questions and making the data and the scripts available for public use for future research.
Demographic predictors of hospitalization and mortality in US children with COVID-19.

Understanding which children are at increased risk for poor outcome with COVID-19 is critical. In this study, we link pediatric population–based data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention to COVID-19 hospitalization and in-hospital death. In 27,045 US children with confirmed COVID-19, we demonstrate that African American [OR 2.28 (95% CI: 1.93, 2.70)] or mixed race [OR 2.95 (95% CI: 2.28, 3.82)] and an underlying medical condition [OR 3.55 (95% CI: 3.14, 4.01)] are strong predictors for hospitalization. Death occurred in 39 (0.19%) of 20,096 hospitalized children; children with a prior medical condition had an increased odd for death [OR 8.8 (95% CI: 3.7, 21.1)]. Conclusion: Hospitalization and in-hospital death are rare in children diagnosed with COVID-19. However, children at higher risk for these outcomes include those with an underlying medical condition, as well as those of African American descent.
A methodology for examining the association between plasma volume and micronutrient biomarker mass and concentration in healthy eumenorrheic women

Background Accurate estimation and interpretation of nutritional biomarker concentrations are important in nutritional research, clinical care, and public health surveillance. Plasma volume (PV) may affect the interpretation of plasma biomarkers but is rarely measured. We aimed to examine the association between plasma volume (PV) and micronutrient biomarker concentrations and mass as part of pilot work to develop methods. Methods Nine healthy women with regular menstrual cycles provided fasting blood samples to measure micronutrient biomarkers. Indocyanine green was injected, and five timed blood draws were taken from 2 to 5 min to measure PV. Visits were scheduled around menstrual cycle day 2. Retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, riboflavin, alpha-tocopherol, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iron, and ferritin concentrations were measured in serum. Total circulating micronutrient biomarker mass was calculated from PV and concentration. Results The mean PV was 2067 ± 470 mL. PV correlated positively with concentration of iron (r = 0.87, P = 0.005); other correlations were weaker with p > 0.05. PV and total mass of retinol (r = 0.90), 25(OH)D (r = 0.75), zinc (r = 0.88), copper (r = 0.83), magnesium (r = 0.93), manganese (r = 0.72), and iron (r = 0.92) were strongly correlated (all p < 0.05). PV was positively correlated with circulating micronutrient mass for most biomarkers, implying that concentrations are maintained at different volumes of plasma. Larger studies are needed to further examine these relationships. Conclusion Though there appear to be some association between micronutrient biomarker mass and plasma volume, we are unable to draw a firm conclusion about any relationship from these results because of the small sample size. We consider these findings as a preliminary analysis to establish methods for future studies.
The Effects of Local Market Conditions on Two Pay Setting Systems in the Federal Sector

The authors examine the sensitivity of wage setting in two federal pay systems--the General Schedule (GS) system, covering white-collar workers, and the Federal Wage System (FWS), covering blue-collar workers--to local wages and cost-of-living. In 1978 and 1980, the years of the data, FWS wages were designed to reflect local labor market wage levels, while GS wages were intended to be responsive to national wage trends, independent of local wage levels. The authors find that FWS wages were closely tied to local external market conditions, as intended. However, GS wages, both for new hires and for longer-tenure employees, were also responsive to those conditions (though less so than FWS wages). To circumvent regulations designed to screen out local labor market effects, GS administrators apparently employed such practices as assigning new employees to higher grade levels than were formally warranted.
Multilabel hybridization probes for sequence-specific detection of sepsis-related drug resistance genes in plasmids

Abstract Emerging antimicrobial drug resistance is increasing the complexity involved in treating critical conditions such as bacterial induced sepsis. Methods for diagnosing specific drug resistance tend to be rapid or sensitive, but not both. Detection methods like sequence-specific single-molecule analysis could address this concern if they could be adapted to work on smaller targets similar to those produced in traditional clinical situations. In this work we demonstrate that a 120 bp double stranded polynucleotide with an overhanging single stranded 25 bp probe sequence can be created by immobilizing DNA with a biotin/streptavidin magnetic bead system, labeling with SYBR Gold, and rinsing the excess away while the probe retains multiple fluorophores. These probes with multiple fluorophores can then be used to label a bacterial plasmid target in a sequence-specific manner. These probes enabled the detection of 1 pM plasmid samples containing a portion of an antibiotic resistance gene sequence. This system shows the possibility of improving capture and fluorescence labeling of small nucleic acid fragments, generating lower limits of detection for clinically relevant samples while maintaining rapid processing times.
“Part of getting to where we are is because we have been open to change” integrating community health workers on care teams at ten Ryan White HIV/AIDS program recipient sites

Community Health Workers (CHWs) have long been integrated in the delivery of HIV care in middle- and low-income countries. However, less is known about CHW integration into HIV care teams in the United States (US). To date, US-based CHW integration studies have studies explored integration in the context of primary care and patient-centered medical homes. There is a need for research related to strategies that promote the successful integration of CHWs into HIV care delivery systems. In 2016, the Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau launched a three-year initiative to provide training, technical assistance and evaluation for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) recipient sites to integrate CHWs into their multidisciplinary care teams, and in turn strengthen their capacity to reach communities of color and reduce HIV inequities. Ten RWHAP sites were selected from across eight states. The multi-site program evaluation included a process evaluation guided by RE-AIM to understand how the organizations integrated CHWs into their care teams. Site team members participated in group interviews to walk-the-process during early implementation and following the program period. Directed content analysis was employed to examine program implementation. Codes developed using implementation strategies outlined in the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change project were applied to group interviews (n = 20). Implementation strategies most frequently described by sites were associated with organizational-level adaptations in order to integrate the CHW into the HIV care team. These included revising, defining, and differentiating professional roles and changing organizational policies. Strategies used for implementation, such as network weaving, supervision, and promoting adaptability, were second most commonly cited strategies, followed by training and Technical Assistance strategies. Wrapped up in the implementation experience of the sites there were some underlying issues that pose challenges for healthcare organizations. Organizational policies and the ability to adapt proved significant in facilitating CHW program implementation. The integration of the CHWs in the delivery of HIV care requires clearly distinguishing their role from the roles of other members of the healthcare delivery team.
MO‐A‐BRD‐02: Physics Perspective

Yttrium-90 (Y90) microsphere therapy, a form of radiation therapy, is an increasingly popular option for care of patients with liver metastases or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. The therapy directly delivers Y90 microspheres via the hepatic artery to disease sites. Following delivery, a vast majority of microspheres preferentially lodge in the capillary vessels due to their embolic size and targeted trans-arterial delivery – depositing up to 90% of its energy in the first 5 mm of tissue. There have been a number of advances in tomographic imaging within both interventional radiology and nuclear medicine that has advanced therapy planning techniques. Quantitative imaging of Y90 microsphere distribution post-therapy has also seen innovations that have led to improvements in tumor dosimetry and characterization of tumor response. A review of current trends and recent innovation in Y90 microsphere therapies will be presented. Learning Objectives: 1. To present the imaging requirements for Y90 microsphere therapy planning 2. To explain the standard dosimetry models used in Y90 microsphere therapy planning 3. To report on advances in imaging for therapy planning and posttherapy assessment of tumor dosimetry and response
Beyond associative memory : connectionists must search for other cognitive primitives

Abstract : Many recent connectionist models can be categorized as associative memories or pattern classifiers. Viewed at the right level of abstraction, the two are the same. Connectionists sometimes appear to be trying to squeeze all of cognition into the associative memory paradigm, perhaps because it's the only thing they know how to implement with gradient descent learning algorithms. But the combinatorial structure of thought and language indicates that the answer to 'How can slow components think so fast' lies beyond mere associative recall. We must search for additional cognitive primitives that can be implemented in parallel hardware. One modest successor to associative recall is considered here. (eg)
A High Point for Evolution

Evolving Brains . John Morgan Allman. Scientific American Library, New York, 1999. 238 pp. $34.95. ISBN 0-7167-5076-7. Allman integrates recent findings from molecular genetics, behavior, and paleontology into an interesting evolutionary narrative, based on large-brained animals' needs for dependable, high-quality food supplies.
Playing with masks: Fragmentation and continuity in the presentation of self in an occupational online forum

Purpose – To investigate the presentation of self of participants in occupational online forums.Design/methodology/approach – Interpretation of more than 300 profiles of participants to a banking‐related occupational online forum based on Goffman's seminal analysis of presentation of self and on the literature on mystification and fragmentation in virtual environments.Findings – Contributors to the occupational online forum adopted one of several main categories of profiles. These categories differed in the degree of detail with which profiles were filled and showed that forum users chose a certain degree of mystification or de‐mystification for their profile. The presentation of self in the online occupational forum was related to the presentation in offline environments, such as in the workplace as well as to other online contexts, such as in electronic chats. The categories of profiles were also associated with strikingly different registration dates and number of posts per year and per contributor.Res...
Patient, companion, and oncologist agreement regarding information discussed during triadic oncology clinical interactions.

Background Although people with cancer want and need information from their oncologists, patients and oncologists often disagree about what information was discussed during clinical interactions. Most patients have companions present during oncology visits; we investigated whether companions process information more accurately than patients. Specifically, we examined whether patients and companions differed in agreement with oncologists about what was discussed. We also investigated the effect of topic on agreement and patient/companion self-reported understanding of discussions.
The Latina/o Racial and Citizenship Divide on Perceptions of the Influence of Immigrant Mobilizations*

In spring 2006, the United States witnessed immigrant marches throughout the nation. Although Latina/os are often depicted as the “face” of the immigrant marches, we know little about how racial and citizenship statuses shaped Latina/os’ perceptions of how the marches influenced public perceptions of undocumented immigrants. Using logistic regression on data from the 2006 National Survey of Latinos, we find that Latina/os identifying as white are less likely to be supportive of the immigrant marches than those who defied standard racial classifications, and instead identified as “Latina/o.” Moreover, Latina/os who are born in the United States are not as supportive of the immigrant marches in comparison with naturalized citizens and non-citizen Latina/os, accounting for demographic and human capital factors. This study suggests there is a “racial- and citizenship divide” among Latina/os that fragments perceptions on the immigrant mobilizations in the United States.
Antibodies in Histoplasmosis

Production of precipitating and complement-fixing antibody in rabbits and other animals was induced by immunization with live yeast-phase cells of Histoplasma capsulatum. Results of studies of polysaccharide antigens from three strains of H. capsulatum, by quantitative complement-fixation with human and rabbit antisera, strongly suggest the presence of type specificity. The variations of titer during 11 weeks in one patient with histoplasmosis and the variations of titer among a group of patients with histoplasmosis were studied by use of quantitative complement-fixation tests.
Gonadal Hormones and Behavior in Women: Concentrations versus Context

Gonadal steroids are major neuroregulators, and their actions have been proposed to underlie many of the sex differences in brain structure and function. Both basic and clinical studies suggest that these neuroregulatory effects of reproductive steroids are context dependent, with context including age, sex, environment/past experience, and genotype. This chapter focuses on the effects of gonadal steroids on brain function and behavior in women. First, background information is provided on the reproductive endocrine system in women, including the regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis, as well as the endocrinology of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum, and the menopause transition. Second, data will be discussed that demonstrate the role context plays in determining a differential response to gonadal steroids within the central nervous system. Third, evidence from neuroimaging and neuroendocrine studies in humans is described that demonstrate the important neuroregulatory effects of gonadal steroids on physiological systems mediating affective adaptation. Fourth, existing literature is reviewed regarding clinical characteristics and neurobiology of reproductive endocrine-related mood disorders. Finally, recent findings are discussed that identify sources of differential behavioral sensitivity in humans, including polymorphic genetic variants in the steroid signaling pathways and differences in steroid metabolism.
Tailoring Managerial Economics to Suit the MBA

Managerial economics, which seeks to use microeconomic principles to solve managerial problems, has become firmly established in business curricula, particularly at the MBA level. Surveys of MBA directors and MBA alumni, however, have indicated that managerial economics tends to be an unpopular course among students. This paper examines the criticisms and makes recommendations for new directions in the curriculum.
Error estimation for the EFIE with RWG bases

Adaptive refinement procedures require local error estimators to identify regions of the problem domain where cells should be reduced in size (h-refinement) or the representation order increased (p-refinement). Several error estimators are evaluated for use with the electric field integral equation (EFIE) and Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis functions. These estimators appear to correctly identify regions of high error and thus may be suitable for use in adaptive refinement approaches for conducting targets.
The Presence, Value, and Incentive Properties of Relative Performance Evaluation in Executive Compensation Contracts

Using data that includes specific contractual details of Relative Performance Evaluation (RPE) contracts granted to executives for 1,833 firms for the period 1998 to 2012, we develop new methods to characterize RPE awards and measure their value and incentive properties. The frequency in the use of these awards has grown over time with 37% of the firms in our sample granting an RPE award in 2012. When RPE awards are used they are typically granted to the five named executive officers and they represent about 32% of total recipient compensation. Stock is most frequently the instrument conveyed, followed by cash, and options are almost never granted. RPE awards are more likely to be used at firms with diversified business lines, less concentrated industries, greater exposure to systematic risk, larger size, lower M/B, higher dividend yield, fewer insiders on the board, greater institutional ownership, and that engage a compensation consultant. The typical award is a rank-order tournament based on three year stock returns compared to a select group of 13 peers (median) and is paid out with stock. Payout functions typically include regions of concavity, convexity, explicit inelasticity, and implicit inelasticity. The median firm achieves a threshold for at least some payout of stock or cash about 70% of the time and target payout about 50% of the time. In general, RPE grant value differs significantly from the fair market value reported by firms. We find that RPE awards convey to executives the incentive to increase shareholder wealth. RPE awards of stock contingent on either stock or accounting performance and RPE awards of cash contingent on accounting performance convey the incentive to increase firm risk, while RPE cash awards do not. These incentives can be significant in comparison to those conveyed by APE grants with similar attributes.
Benefits and challenges of managing heterogeneous data centers

Today's businesses have a wealth of options available to them for running their applications. They can use proprietary infrastructures, private data centers, co-location facilities, or public clouds. Applications can be deployed on native hardware or virtualization can be used to improve consolidation and manageability. Public cloud platforms are growing in popularity, but businesses must decide both what types of services to use within a cloud and which cloud platform to use in the first place. While making use of these diverse resources poses management challenges, it also opens new opportunities for optimizing performance and ensuring reliability by carefully matching applications to the resources that will best support them. In this paper we present the benefits and drawbacks of data center diversity, and discuss our experience enhancing IBM's Tivoli Endpoint Manager system to better support mixed proprietary infrastructure, public, and private cloud environments.
Dynamic vulnerability assessment.

With increased terrorist threats in the past few years, it is no longer feasible to feel confident that a facility is well protected with a static security system. Potential adversaries often research their targets, examining procedural and system changes, in order to attack at a vulnerable time. Such system changes may include scheduled sensor maintenance, scheduled or unscheduled changes in the guard force, facility alert level changes, sensor failures or degradation, etc. All of these changes impact the system effectiveness and can make a facility more vulnerable. Currently, a standard analysis of system effectiveness is performed approximately every six months using a vulnerability assessment tool called ASSESS (Analytical Systems and Software for Evaluating Safeguards and Systems). New standards for determining a facility's system effectiveness will be defined by tools that are currently under development, such as ATLAS (Adversary Time-line Analysis System) and NextGen (Next Generation Security Simulation). Although these tools are useful to model analyses at different spatial resolutions and can support some sensor dynamics using statistical models, they are limited in that they require a static system state as input. They cannot account for the dynamics of the system through day-to-day operations. The emphasis of this project was tomore » determine the feasibility of dynamically monitoring the facility security system and performing an analysis as changes occur. Hence, the system effectiveness is known at all times, greatly assisting time-critical decisions in response to a threat or a potential threat.« less
Separation of Ten Reovirus Genome Segments by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Double-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) extracted from purified reoviruses of all three serotypes and from type 3 virus-infected cells was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It was calculated that each RNA includes 10 segments: 3 large, 3 intermediate, and 4 small fragments corresponding to molecular weights of about 2.5, 1.4, and 0.8 × 106 daltons, respectively, or a total of 15 × 106 daltons.
Teaching pronunciation: Is explicit phonetics instruction beneficial for FL learners?

Pronunciation instruction has been shown to improve learners' L2 accent in some, though certainly not all, cases. A core component of traditional pronunciation instruction is explicit lessons in L2 phonetics. Studies suggest that Spanish FL learners improve their pronunciation after receiving instruction, but the effect of phonetics instruction has not been directly compared with other pedagogical alternatives. This study reports on the pronunciation gains that first, second, and third year learners ( n = 95) made after receiving either explicit instruction in Spanish phonetics or a more implicit treatment with similar input, practice, and feedback. The target phones included a variety of consonants that are problematic for English speakers learning Spanish: stop consonants (/p, t, k/), approximants ([]), and rhotics (/, r/). Learners' production of the target phones was measured in a pretest, posttest, delayed posttest design using a word list reading task. Learners in both groups improved their pronunciation equally, suggesting that it might be the input, practice, and/or feedback included in pronunciation instruction, rather than the explicit phonetics lessons, that are most facilitative of improvement in pronunciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Effect of the location of Mn sites in ferromagnetic Ga 1-x Mn x As on its Curie temperature

We report a strong correlation between the location of Mn sites in ferromagnetic Ga{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}As measured by channeling Rutherford backscattering and by particle induced x-ray emission experiments and its Curie temperature. The concentrations of free holes determined by electrochemical capacitance-voltage profiling and of uncompensated Mn{sup ++} spins determined from SQUID magnetization measurements are found to depend on the concentration of unstable defects involving highly mobile Mn interstitials. This leads to large variations in T{sub c} of Ga{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}As when it is annealed at different temperatures in a narrow temperature range. The fact that annealing under various conditions has failed to produce Curie temperatures above {approx}110K is attributed to the existence of an upper limit on the free hole concentration in low-temperature-grown Ga{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}As.
Fabrication of cell patches using scaffolds with a hexagonal array of interconnected pores (SHAIPs)

Cell patches are widely used for healing injuries on the surfaces or interfaces of tissues. Here we present a novel class of porous scaffolds made of poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic) acid for fabricating cell patches. The scaffolds have a single layer of spherical pores that are arranged in a unique hexagonal pattern and are therefore referred to as “scaffolds with a hexagonal array of interconnected pores (SHAIPs)”. SHAIPs contain both uniform pores and interconnecting windows that can facilitate the exchange of biomacromolecules, ensure homogeneous cell seeding, and promote cell migration. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we have created skeletal muscle patches with a thickness of approximately 150 μm using SHAIPs. The myoblasts seeded in the scaffolds maintained high viability and were able to differentiate into multi-nucleated myotubes. Moreover, neovasculature could efficiently develop into the patches upon subcutaneous implantation in vivo.
On the Sign Convention in Thermodynamics: An Asset or an Evil?

In thermodynamics the sign convention normally used is energy added to a system in the form of heat is taken as positive and that added in the form of work is taken as negative – HIP to WIN (heat in positive – work in negative). This is a common sign convention although some texts specify that all forms of energy added to a system as heat or work are positive. However, regardless of the sign convention adopted for heat and work interactions, later in the same text the specified convention is abandoned in favor of magnitudes or absolute values. This occurs particularly in relation to cycle analyses in which the absolute value is used for energy transfers. Generally for reversible cycles there is no proof as to why the ratio of energy added/rejected via heat transfer equals the ratio of the absolute temperatures of the thermal reservoirs. To promote sign convention consistency, this paper develops the appropriate relationship between energy transfers and thermal reservoir temperatures for reversible cycles and applies the result to power producing and power consuming engineering devices.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Nutrient depletion indicates high primary productivity in the Weddell Sea

The Southern Ocean, and in particular the Weddell Sea, have long been considered areas of high biological productivity1, but recent isotopic measurements of primary productivity have not confirmed this view2,3. Because the large Zooplankton and marine mammal populations of the Southern Ocean depend ultimately on phytoplankton as the base of the food web, accurate knowledge of primary productivity is essential to our understanding of the Antarctic ecosystem. Oceanographie data collected aboard the Soviet icebreaker Mikhail Somov have allowed us to derive a new productivity estimate, based on the seasonal depletion of nitrate, phosphate and silicic acid in the surface layer. From these depletions and data on the elemental composition of Southern Ocean phytoplankton, we estimate average primary productivity in the Weddell Sea in the springtime to be 220–420 mg C m−2 day−1. Our most conservative estimate is 1.5–4 times higher than recently reported measurements of productivity in the open ocean areas of the Southern Ocean2–5. Our estimates are inherently averages over time and space, including the effects of brief, intense spring blooms of phytoplankton which may occur near the receding ice edge6–8. Studies of primary productivity based on isotope uptake experiments, particularly in the austral summer, may fail to account for the significance of such blooms.
Increased expression of cytoplasmic tail-containing form of gp600/megalin in active Heymann nephritis.

Active Heymann nephritis of rat, an autoimmune glomerular disease, is a model of human membranous glomerulonephropathy. The major target autoantigen of this disease is a 600 kD renal glycoprotein, variously named gp600/gp330/megalin/LRP2. It has been shown previously that there is a marked increase in the gp600/megalin mRNA level in glomeruli of rats with this disease. A rabbit antibody was prepared against a peptide located at the very end of the cytoplasmic tail of rat gp600/megalin. Affinity purified anti-peptide antibody was monospecific and reacted only with gp600/megalin on the immunoblots of total kidney proteins. Immunofluorescence microscopy on frozen kidney sections probed with this antibody revealed the presence of the cytoplasmic tail-containing form of gp600/megalin in both proximal tubules and glomeruli. Expression in glomeruli of normal kidneys was less than in tubules but was clearly detectable. In active Heymann nephritis kidneys, expression of this form was increased most remarkably in glomeruli. These results, showing increased expression of the cytoplasmic tail-containing form in active Heymann nephritis glomeruli, contradict previous reports of its absence. This is the first study to show that there is increased expression of the cytoplasmic tail-containing form of gp600/megalin in the glomeruli of rats with this disease and its role in active Heymann nephritis is discussed.
Connection between oxygen-ion conductivity of pyrochlore fuel-cell materials and structural change with composition and temperature

Oxides are believed to assume the A{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7} pyrochlore structure type for a specific range of ratios of the cation radii, R{sub A}/R{sub B}. Substitution of a larger B' ion in solid solution for B can progressively drive the system to complete disorder as in Y{sub 2}(Zr{sub y}Ti{sub 1-y}){sub 2}O{sub 7}, producing an oxygen-ion conductivity, {sigma}, greater than 10{sup -2} S/cm at 1000{sup o}C, comparable to the values of 10{sup -1} S/cm found for M{sup 3+}-stabilized cubic zirconias. Rietveld analyses of neutron and X-ray powder diffraction data have been employed to obtain structural data for the related systems Y{sub 2}(Sn{sub y}Ti{sub 1-y}){sub 2}O{sub 7}, Y{sub 2}(Zr{sub y}Sn{sub 1-y}){sub 2}O{sub 7}, Gd{sub 2}(Sn{sub y}Ti{sub 1-y}){sub 2}O{sub 7} and (Sc{sub z}Yb{sub 1-z}){sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7} to test whether the state of disorder and attendant ionic conductivity are indeed determined by R{sub A}/{l_angle}R{sub B'},R{sub B}{r_angle}. This was not the case for the Sn-Ti solid solutions: they retained an ordered pyrochlore structure for all values of y. The slight variation of ionic conductivity (less than one order of magnitude with a maximum in {sigma} at intermediate y) was successfully explained by the structural data. The behavior of Y{sub 2}(Zr{sub y}Sn{sub 1-y}){sub 2}O{submore » 7} solid solutions was very similar to that of the Zr-Ti phases. Neutron powder diffraction profiles were recorded as fully-ordered Y{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}O{sub 7} and highly-disordered Y{sub 2}(Zr{sub 0.6}Ti{sub 0.4}){sub 2}O{sub 7} were heated in situ at temperatures in the range 20-1500{sup o}C. The structure of Y{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}O{sub 7} steadfastly remained fully-ordered over this temperature range. The principal change in the structure was increase in the positional coordinate, x, for O(1), corresponding to increased distortion of the oxygen-ion array as temperature was increased, a consequence of greater thermal expansion of the A{sup 3+}-O bond relative to change in the B{sup 4+}-O separation. The highly-disordered cation arrangements in Y{sub 2}(Zr{sub 0.6}Ti{sub 0.4}){sub 2}O{sub 7} remain unchanged up to 1250{sup o}C when the oxygen array began to undergo further disorder. The same anion site occupancies were observed during heating and cooling cycles suggesting that their distribution does represent an equilibrium state.« less
Serum Anticardiolipin Concentrations in Patients With Chronic Periodontitis Following Scaling and Root Planing

Background: Anticardiolipin antibodies (antiCl), present in some patients with autoimmune disease, are associated with thrombosis, fetal loss, and other conditions. A significant proportion of patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) test positive for antiCl, likely because some periodontal pathogens contain antigens homologous to the target antigen of antiCl on the serum protein β-2 glycoprotein-I (β2GPI) and thus can induce antiCl by molecular mimicry. The authors hypothesized that treatment of periodontitis by scaling and root planing (SRP) could therefore decrease serum titers of antiCl in patients with CP.Methods: Thirty patients with CP received complete periodontal examinations at baseline including assessment of probing depth, attachment loss, gingival index, and plaque index. SRP was performed in two sessions at 2-week intervals. Eight weeks later, patients were reexamined. Blood samples were taken at baseline, 2 weeks after the initial therapy appointment, and 8 weeks after the completion of tre...
Conjugated circuits and resonance energies of benzenoid hydrocarbons

Abstract A concept of conjugated circuits contained in Kekule forms of benzenoid hydrocarbons is considered. Circuits of size (4n + 2) in which CC single and double bonds formally alternate are enumerated and serve as the basis for the characterization of a given system. Resonance energies of benzenoid systems are given by contributions of conjugated circuits of different size. The scheme permits the expression of resonance energies of different molecules in terms of selected reference compounds, such as linear acenes. The approach is illustrated on a dozen benzenoid hydrocarbons and the calculated resonance energies are on average within 0.05 eV of the values obtained by SCF MO calculations.
Use of toenail fluoride levels as an indicator for the risk of hip and forearm fractures in women

The relation between fluoride intake and risk of osteoporotic fractures remains unclear. The lack of individual measures of long-term fluoride intake has limited epidemiologic studies. We used toenail fluoride in this study as a measure of long-term intake to evaluate the relation between fluoride intake and subsequent risk of hip and distal forearm fractures. Between 1982 and 1984, we collected toenail clippings from 62,641 women in the Nurses' Health Study who were free from cancer, heart disease, stroke, and previous hip or forearm fracture. We identified fracture cases (53 proximal femur and 188 distal forearm) through subsequent biennial mailed questionnaires and matched controls to cases on year of birth. The odds ratio of hip fracture among women in the highest quartile of toenail fluoride [ > 5.50 parts per million (ppm)], compared with those in the lowest quartile (> 2.00 ppm), was 0.8 (95% confidence interval = 0.2-4.0), with adjustment for menopausal status, postmenopausal hormone use, caffeine intake, and alcohol consumption. The corresponding adjusted odds ratio for forearm fracture was 1.6 (95% confidence interval = 0.8-3.1). Further adjustment for body mass index, smoking status, and calcium and vitamin D intake did not alter these results.
Characterization of the high-density lipoprotein and its major apoprotein from human, canine, bovine and chicken plasma.

Abstract The high-density lipoproteins (HDL) from canine, bovine, and chicken plasma have been shown to contain almost exclusively the apolipoprotein A-I, while human HDL contains a second major component, the apolipoprotein A-II. Chemical cross-linking demonstrated that dog and chicken HDL contain three apolipoprotein A-I molecules per particle, while bovine HDL contain approximately six apolipoprotein A-I molecules per particle. By this method, the amount of protein in human HDL2 (d = 1.063–1.12) was found to be approximately 120000 g/mol, while for human HDL3 (d = 1.12–1.21) a value of approximately 90000 g/mol was obtained, suggesting that the protein complement of HDL2 and HDL3 differ by only one apolipoprotein A-I chain per particle. Comparison of the apolipoprotein A-I from various animal species indicated that the canine and human apolipoprotein A-I proteins were the most similar by fluorescence, self-association properties, and immunoreactivity. Cross-linking of chicken and bovine apolipoprotein A-I yielded patterns distinctly different from that obtained with the human or canine counterpart. It is concluded that the quaternary structure of the various species of HDL is not directly correlated with the degree of self-association found for the protein constituents.
On the equivalence of the Fokker-Planck method and the free-energy method for the calculation of carrier density fluctuations in semiconductors

Synopsis The Fokker-Planck method for the calculation of carrier density fluctuations in semiconductors, which has been discussed previously 1 ) is applied to a semiconductor with transitions between the valence band, the conduction band, and one kind of impurity levels. It is shown that the results are quite consistent with Burgess' equations 4 ), obtained by the thermodynamic free-energy method.
Total-ionizing-dose radiation response of partially-depleted SOI devices

The high body doping inherent in sub-100 nm partially-depleted SOI devices tends to mitigate the sensitivity to TID-induced leakage, providing that the doping reaches the STI sidewalls and back channel. Measured TID response on 45 nm NMOS SOI is consistent with trends observed in simulations.
Primary malignant lymphoma of urinary bladder

A case of primary malignant lymphoma of the urinary bladder is described. The classic presentation of gross hematuria and dysuria with a benign clinical course is illustrated. From a review of the literature and our experience, we conclude that localized primary lymphoma of the bladder, especially those with favorable histologic findings, often does not require medical or surgical intervention. Persistent irritative bladder symptoms can be palliated adequately with external beam radiotherapy, while surgical intervention is rarely indicated.
A Close Look at13C CPMAS Linewidths in Solids for Rigid, Strongly Coupled Carbons under CW Proton Decoupling

Abstract Ambient-temperature13C linewidth (LW) and transverse relaxation (TC2) data are presented for the natural-abundance crystalline carbons of linear polyethylene (LPE) under CW proton decoupling conditions and magic angle spinning (MAS). This linewidth behavior typifies that seen for rigid methylene carbons whose attached protons are also strongly coupled to other protons. These data are presented for two LPE samples (unoriented, melt-crystallized and uniaxially oriented, extruded) as a function of several parameters including static field (1.4 T d -glucopyranoside tetraacetate (MGT), a rigid, polycrystalline material containing carbons with 0, 1, 2, and 3 attached protons. The behaviors of the methylene, methine, and methyl carbons at 9.4 T are compared with the behavior of LPE.
Postoperative Morbidity of Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Approach and Uterine Size

Background: The optimal approach to minimally invasive hysterectomy when uterine size is larger than 250 g is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate 30-day postoperative complications after minimally invasive hysterectomy by surgical approach and uterine size. Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was searched for patients who underwent laparoscopic or vaginal hysterectomy between 2005 and 2012. Patient demographics and 30-day postsurgical complication rates were compared by hysterectomy approach and uterine size classified as either less than or equal to 250 g (small uterine size) and greater than 250 g (large uterine size) by billing codes. Multivariable regression analyses were used to study the independent effect of uterine size on outcomes. Results: Of patients undergoing hysterectomy, 31,754 (86.2%) patients had small uterine size and 5,067 (13.8%) patients had large uterine size. No surgical approach was associated with better or worse outcomes in the large uterus size group (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.00, 95% CI: 0.76 - 1.30, P = 0.990). Overall morbidity was significantly more common with large uterine size than small uterine size (5.78% and 3.44%, respectively, P < 0.001). Blood transfusions were significantly more common with large than small uterine size (3.04% and 1.11%, respectively, P < 0.001). Median operative time is increased in the large uterus size group 148 minutes compared to 111 minutes in the small uterine size group (P < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that uterine size was a significant predictor of overall postoperative morbidity (aOR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.31 - 2.29). Conclusions: No approach to hysterectomy of large uteri is clearly superior in this study. Patient and surgeon preference may guide surgical approach to minimally invasive hysterectomy with large uterine size. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2015;4(1):153-159 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jcgo323w
Origin of the Coronal Lines

IN a recent communication in these columns, Frerichs1 has criticised de Bruin's classification of the strongest visible lines of the corona. In the same issue of NATURE, Dingle2 also has criticised the identification of these lines. In each of these communications the authors failed to direct attention to another very strong objection to de Bruin's conclusion that the green auroral line and the green coronal line originate on the same metastable level of oxygen, the 1S0 level. Since no trace of the green auroral line has ever been observed in the corona, and as no one has ever observed the green coronal line in either the aurora or in laboratory discharges in which the green auroral line was very intense, it is extremely difficult to see how the two lines can originate on the same initial state. If the two lines did originate on the same initial state, their relative intensities should be the same in both the aurora and the corona spectra. One might be able to account for a slight difference in relative intensities by postulating reabsorption of one of the lines, but it seems impossible to explain the profound difference which would follow from de Bruin's classification of the green coronal line.
Matrix isolation investigation of the reaction of B2H6 with carbon–carbon multiple bonds

B2H6 was copyrolyzed at 335°C in separate experiments with C2H2 and C2H4 in a flow reactor followed by trapping into an argon matrix at 14 K. Small but distinct and reproducible yields of C2H4 and C2H6, respectively, were observed in these experiments indicating that some hydrogenation is occurring, while no evidence for alkylboranes was obtained. Extensive experiments with C2D2 and C2D4 yielded B2H5D, C2HD and several additional species indicative of extensive hydrogen isotope exchange. Possible reaction mechanisms are discussed.
Deciphering the phosphorylation "code" of the glucocorticoid receptor in vivo.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is phosphorylated at multiple serine residues in a hormone-dependent manner, yet progress on elucidating the function of GR phosphorylation has been hindered by the lack of a simple assay to detect receptor phosphorylation in vivo. We have produced antibodies that specifically recognize phosphorylation sites within human GR at Ser203 and Ser211. In the absence of hormone, the level of GR phosphorylation at Ser211 was low compared with phosphorylation at Ser203. Phosphorylation of both residues increased upon treatment with the GR agonist dexamethasone. Using a battery of agonists and antagonists, we found that the transcriptional activity of GR correlated with the amount of phosphorylation at Ser211, suggesting that Ser211 phosphorylation is a biomarker for activated GR in vivo. Mechanistically, the kinetics of Ser203 and Ser211 phosphorylation in response to hormone differed, with Ser211 displaying a more robust and sustained phosphorylation relative to Ser203. Analysis of GR immunoprecipitates with phospho-GR-specific antibodies indicated that the receptor was phosphorylated heterogeneously at Ser203 in the absence of hormone, whereas in the presence of hormone, a subpopulation of receptors was phosphorylated at both Ser203 and Ser211. Interestingly, biochemical fractionation studies following hormone treatment indicated that the Ser203-phosphorylated form of the receptor was predominantly cytoplasmic, whereas Ser211-phosphorylated GR was found in the nucleus. Likewise, by immunofluorescence, Ser203-phosphorylated GR was located in the cytoplasm and perinuclear regions of the cell, but not in the nucleoplasm, whereas strong phospho-Ser211 staining was evident in the nucleoplasm of hormone-treated cells. Our results suggest that differentially phosphorylated receptor species are located in unique subcellular compartments, likely modulating distinct aspects of receptor function.