cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Identity in New Mexicans of Spanish-Speaking Descent Highlights Limitations of Using Standardized Ethnic Terminology in Research

In this study, we evaluated the extent to which regional history has shaped the social identity nomenclature in New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent (NMSD). We asked 507 NMSD to list the social-identity terms they used to describe themselves and their parents, and we examined the correspondence between these choices and family ties to the region, birthplace, and continental ancestry. NMSD frequently identified using the regional terms "Nuevomexicano/a" (15%) and "Spanish" (12%). These individuals reported family ties to the region that predate New Mexican statehood. They and their parents were frequently born in New Mexico, frequently chose the other of the two terms as a secondary descriptor, and frequently ascribed one of the two terms to their parents. About 10% of NMSD identified as "Mexican American" and "Mexican." About 25% of these individuals, and more than half of their parents, were born in Mexico. They also frequently chose the other of the two terms as a secondary descriptor and frequently ascribed one of the two terms to their parents. Compared to NMSD who identified as "Mexican" and "Mexican American," individuals who identified as "Nuevomexicano/a" and "Spanish" had higher European ancestry and lower Native American and African ancestry. Our results also suggest that the term "Hispanic," frequently chosen as both a primary and secondary social identity term by NMSD, may, as it continues to rise in prominence, mask more deeply rooted and potential socially relevant aspects of social identity in New Mexico. More broadly, these results indicate that regional history influences social identity nomenclatures in ways that are potentially incompatible with US Office of Management and Budget standards. This incompatibility may adversely affect the ability of researchers in the social sciences to assess the causes of social inequality and health disparities in individuals of Spanish-speaking descent in different regions of the United States. We argue that future studies would benefit from more fine-grained, region-specific analyses of social identity.
Sample size implications of mortality definitions in sepsis: a retrospective cohort study

Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) employ mortality at a given time as a primary outcome. There are at least three common ways to measure 90-day mortality: first, all-location mortality, that is, all-cause mortality within 90 days of randomization at any location. Second, ARDSnet mortality is death in a healthcare facility of greater intensity than the patient was in prior to the hospitalization during which they were randomized. Finally, in-hospital mortality is death prior to discharge from the primary hospitalization of randomization. Data comparing the impact of these different measurements on sample size are lacking. We evaluated the extent to which event rates vary by mortality definition. This was a retrospective cohort study of 30,691 patients hospitalized at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals for sepsis during 2009. 12,727 (41.5%) received care in an ICU setting. For each patient, we measured event rates for three different 90-day mortality outcomes: all-location mortality, ARDSnet mortality, and in-hospital mortality. We also calculated sample sizes necessary to power an example RCT given those event rates. At 90 days, all-location mortality was 26.4% (95% CI 25.9–26.9%), ARDSnet mortality was 19.2% (95% CI 18.8–19.7%), and in-hospital mortality was 13.4% (95% CI 13.0–13.8%) (p < 0.01 all comparisons). These respective event rates result in different required sample sizes to achieve a 20% relative reduction in mortality with 80% power and a 5% false positive rate. Such a trial of VA sepsis patients would require 2080 patients for all-location mortality, 3080 for ARDSnet mortality, and 4796 for in-hospital mortality. Among sepsis patients mechanically ventilated in an ICU, 2438 experienced all-location mortality (46.2% [95% CI 44.8–47.5%]), 2181 experienced ARDSnet mortality (41.3% [95% CI 40.0–42.6%]), and 1894 experienced in-hospital mortality (36.0% [95% CI 34.7–37.3%]). Event rates vary substantially in sepsis patients based on the chosen 90-day mortality definition. This could have important implications for RCT design trade-offs.
Utilizing Knots to Reduce Dynamic Loads in Fire Service Rope Systems

Rope systems are commonly used in applications including recreational sport climbing, industrial fall protection, and Fire Service rescue. These rope systems must be able to absorb energy in order to reduce the risk of impact injury to the individual experiencing the fall. However, there are several factors that go into the selection of the rope based on end use condition, whether that is weight, abrasion resistance or heat resistance. Thus some of the properties that are required for ropes to be effectively deployed for escape scenarios in the Fire Service, do not translate to optimal energy absorbing capabilities to prevent injuries to the individual attached to the system.
PET and PET/CT in Kidney Cancer

Renal cell carcinoma comprises about 3% of all malignancies. FDG has a modest affinity for RCC related to a lower expression of GLUT-1 than other cancers. Metabolic imaging using FDG and PET has a modest accuracy for primary lesions and local recurrence. The data for staging and restaging of RCC is similar: low sensitivity and high specificity. Possible interpretation problems related to the excreted FDG can be overcome by fusion of anatomic and metabolic images (PET/CT). Newer-generation scanners have improved spatial resolution, which will reduce false negatives. To date, there are no series available about the utility of this emerging dual-modality imaging technique in RCC. The modality is also suitable for therapy monitoring, but again there is insufficient data to assess the contribution of PET or PET/CT.
Steam Methane Reforming Furnace Temperature Balancing Using Bayesian Model Identification

The present work extends our recent efforts on designing a systematic operating method for reformers at commercial-scale hydrogen plants that adjusts the furnace-side feed (FSF) distribution to reduce the nonuniformity in the outer tube wall temperature (OTWT) distributions along the reforming tube length, which allows the the reformer efficiency to be subsequently increased. To this end, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of the reformer, the furnace-balancing scheme framework and the statistical-based model identification procedure developed in our previous work are integrated with the balancing procedure to create a more versatile scheme that simultaneously optimizes the total FSF mass flow rate and its respective distribution to maximize the reformer efficiency without damaging the reforming tubes. The balancing procedure is designed to use information about the current OTWT distribution to guide the search for the optimized total FSF flow rate in a heuristic fashion. For instance, it iteratively proposes different total FSF flow rates based on the previous guess or the current value (in the case of the first iteration of the balancing procedure) using the algorithm developed in this work and, then finds the corresponding FSF distributions until the maximum value of the OTWT distribution estimated by the empirical model for the OTWT distribution approximates the design temperature of the reforming tube wall from the left. Finally, the reformer CFD model is used to validate the optimized total FSF flow rate and its distribution generated from the balancing procedure to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Impact of Targeted Temperature Management on ED Patients with Drug Overdose–Related Cardiac Arrest

Drug overdose is the leading cause of non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) among young adults. This study investigates whether targeted temperature management (TTM) improves hospital survival from presumed overdose-related cardiac arrest. Retrospective chart review of consecutive cardiac arrests presenting to an urban tertiary care hospital ED from 2011 to 2015. ED patients with cardiac arrest were included if < 50 years old, and excluded if there was a non-overdose etiology (e.g., trauma, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, subarachnoid hemorrhage). The main intervention was TTM, carried out with a combination of the Arctic Sun device and refrigerated crystalloid/antipyretics (goal temperature 33–36 °C). The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge; neurologically intact survival was the secondary outcome. Of 923 patients with cardiac arrest, 802 (86.9%) met exclusion criteria, leaving 121 patients for final analysis. There were 29 patients in the TTM group (24.0%) vs 92 patients in the non-TTM group (76.0%). Eleven patients (9.1%) survived to hospital discharge. TTM was associated with increased odds of survival to hospital discharge (OR 11.3, 95% CI 2.8–46.3, p < 0.001), which increased substantially when palliative outcomes were excluded from the cohort (OR 117.3, 95% CI 17.0–808.4, p < 0.001). Despite achieving statistical significance (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0–1.3), TTM had no clinically significant effect on neurologically intact survival. TTM was associated with improved survival in ED patients with presumed drug overdose–related cardiac arrest. The impact of TTM on neurologically intact survival among these patients requires further study.
Freedom of expression in the digital age: a historian’s perspective

AbstractThis essay surveys the history of freedom of expression from classical antiquity to the present. It contends that a principled defense of free expression dates to the seventeenth century, w...
Conversion of corn oil to alkyl esters

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel for diesel engine. It is made from non-toxic, biodegradable, renewable resources, such as vegetable oils, animal fats or triglycerides. The most common process used to produce biodiesel is the transesterification reaction, also known as alcoholysis. In the transesterification reaction, triglycerides reacted with an alcohol to produce chemical compounds known as fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel). Glycerol is produced as the by-product in the transesterification reaction. The high cost of raw material and the process costs make the production of biodiesel more expensive than the petroleum diesel fuel. Transesterification reactions of pure corn oil and corn oil from Distiller’s Dry Grain and Solubles were done in a pressurized batch reactor using methanol and ethanol as the alcohol reactants. Two different homogeneous catalysts (sodium methoxide and sodium hydroxide) and one heterogeneous catalyst (zinc aluminate) were tested to find the one that leads to the higher conversion of triglycerides to alkyl esters. The higher conversion achieved was with pure corn oil and the homogeneous catalyst sodium methoxide. A kinetic study was conducted to compare the initial reaction rates of methanol versus ethanol. The study demonstrated that there is no significance difference of using ethanol instead of methanol as the transesterification alcohol. Kinetic constants of triglycerides are smaller than kinetic constants of diglycerides and kinetic constants of diglycerides are smaller than kinetic constants of monoglycerides for both alcohols tested.
Monolithically integrated silicon photonic chip sensor for near-infrared trace-gas spectroscopy

We present a fully integrated photonic chip spectrometer for near-infrared tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy of methane (CH4). The integrated photonic sensor incorporates a heterogeneously integrated III-V laser/detector chip coupled to a silicon external cavity for broadband tuning, and a long waveguide element (>20 cm) for ambient methane sensing. An on-chip sealed CH4 reference cell is utilized for in-situ wavelength calibration of the external cavity, and a real-time wavelength compensation method for laser calibration is described and demonstrated. The resulting signal is guided back to the III-V photodiodes for spectral signal readout using a custom-designed acquisition board, remotely controlled and operated by a Raspberry Pi unit. Component-level testing of the waveguide sensitivity, external cavity laser, and reference cell is demonstrated. Full-stack testing of the integrated sensor chip yields sub-100 ppmv∙Hz-1/2 sensitivity, and spectral density analysis demonstrates our integrated chip sensor to have a fundamental performance within an order of magnitude of commercially available fiber-pigtailed DFB laser units. We envision our integrated photonic chip sensors to provide disruptive capability in SWaP-C (size, weight, power, and cost) limited applications, and we describe an achievable short-term pathway towards sensitivity enhancement to near-10 ppmv levels.
Participant voices: examining issue, program and policy priorities of SNAP-Ed eligible adults in California

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) aims to prevent obesity and chronic disease among SNAP-eligible families by facilitating healthy eating and active living. This study aimed to capture the voices of California SNAP-Ed eligible parents to inform program planners of their challenges in feeding their families, their available supports and priorities for intervention. We conducted eight focus groups with 55 participants across five counties in California from May through August 2017. Trained researchers used Dedoose to code and analyze data for substantive themes and overarching findings.Ten key findings and 4 additional findings were identified. Participants experience multiple challenges, primarily inadequate income and limited access to high quality, affordable healthy food contrasted with easy access to affordable unhealthy food. Despite efforts to manage food resources, most struggle to afford adequate diets. Employed parents confront a particularly challenging dual poverty of money and time. Many parents report feeling guilt related to feeding their children. Participants appreciate available programs and services and suggest increasing community input; providing sustainable programs; lowering the cost of and improving access to healthy food; reducing access to unhealthy food; modifying food assistance efforts; and improving nutrition education and promotion. Overall, low-income parents in California struggle to feed their families the way they would like. Participants generally understand what to feed their children, but struggle with how to do it, perceiving their circumstances and environments as inhospitable to healthy eating. Participants' suggestions can help SNAP-Ed programs and other efforts better support families' needs.
Influence of temperature on gas transport properties of tetraaminodiphenylsulfone (TADPS) based polybenzimidazoles

Abstract Polybenzimidazoles have been the focus of increasing study due to their good H2/CO2 separation properties and high thermal stability. Gas transport properties of a series of polybenzimidazoles based on a tetraaminodiphenylsulfone (TADPS) monomer have been characterized at temperatures from 35 to 190 °C. Permeability increases with increasing temperature for all gases, and activation energies of permeation increase with increasing gas size with the exception of CO2. CO2 exhibits a lower activation energy of permeation than H2 or He, presumably due to strong sorption effects. Gas separations with TADPS-based PBIs are strongly size selective, with CO2/N2, CO2/CH4, and N2/CH4 selectivities decreasing with increasing temperature. However, H2/CO2 selectivities increase with increasing temperature due to a lower activation energy of permeation for CO2 than for H2. All PBIs tested move toward the upper right on the H2/CO2 upper bound as temperature increases. Estimated diffusivities increase significantly with temperature, indicating high activation energies of diffusion that are consistent with the strongly size-sieving nature of these materials.
Modeling and analysis of hydraulic piston actuation of McKibben fluidic artificial muscles for hand rehabilitation

Soft robotic actuators are well-suited for interactions with the human body, particularly in rehabilitation applications. The fluidic artificial muscle (FAM), specifically the McKibben FAM, is a ty...
Feasibility of Peer-Led Didactics in the Core Clinical Year on a Regional Medical Campus

Purpose The best methods for learning outside of the clinical setting in the core clinical year, especially at Regional Medical Campuses with limited full-time academic faculty, are unknown. Methods We developed and implemented a peer-led didactic program to complement our longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) for students at our new regional medical campus (RMC) to achieve the same goals, objectives, and competencies as students at our main campus. These didactic sessions were developed and led by students for their peers with the assistance of community faculty members. Student scores on USMLE Step exams and National Board of Medical Examiner (NBME) subject exams for the core specialties were compared among the intervention group at the Regional Medical Campus, the main campus, and the national average. Finally, a student focus group provided qualitative data about student perceptions of these sessions. Results Among participating students, ninety-five percent reported that the student-led didactics were relevant to their clinical work and eighty percent reported that these sessions enhanced their knowledge and the content was provided at the right pace and level. Students ranked preparing to teach student-led didactics as one of the most valuable learning experiences and “worth the time it took to prepare.” Students scored comparably to their main campus peers on all seven NBME subject exams and the Step 2 CK exam. Conclusion Utilizing peer-led didactics as a part of a longitudinal integrated clerkship is feasible and effective in helping students achieve the goals, objectives, and competencies of the core clinical year. This educational method should be considered at other LIC-based programs. The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose. This project received no funding. As all data were completely anonymized thought the internet survey and no patients were involved, this was not reviewed by an ethics board.
Strabismus Patterns in Patients with Intrauterine Drug Exposure

ABSTRACTPurpose: This retrospective study evaluates the patterns of strabismus, the incidence of amblyopia, and prevalence of anatomical ocular pathology in patients with intrauterine drug exposure...
Italian Cinema(s) Abroad - Conference Report

The two-day conference ‘Italian Cinema(s) Abroad’ took place on 22 and 23 March 2019 at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. This conference was organised through a joint effort by The Ohio...
How State Presence Leads to Civil Conflict

Political scientists and policy-makers have long argued that state weakness leads to civil conflict while enhancing state power helps prevent violence. Why, then, has increased state capacity world...
State-Space Randles Cell Model for Instrument Calibration

It is desirable to calibrate electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) instrumentation using a Randles circuit. This presents a challenge as realistic loads, simulated by this circuit, contain theoretical components (Warburg elements) that are difficult to model. This paper proposes a state-space solution to this problem that facilitates digital realizations of high accuracy Randles circuit approximations for the purposes of verifying and calibrating instrumentation. Using Valsa, Dvořak, and Friedl's network approximation of a Warburg element, a collection of state-space relations describing the impedance of a Randles circuit are derived.
Reporting Rules in Bank Runs

We study the role of reporting rules in the context of bank runs. In our model, a financial institution receives an early but imprecise estimate of the performance of its investment and issues a report subject to a reporting rule. We find that, from a financial-stability standpoint, the optimal reporting rule requires full disclosure when the financial institution's early estimate is sufficiently unfavorable, but no disclosure otherwise. Importantly, the threshold below which the financial institution reports should be tailored to the financial institution's exposure to bank-run risk. In particular, the optimal reporting threshold is non-monotonic and U-shaped in the bank-run risk. We also relate our results to current accounting standards for asset impairments.
Out on Waters: The Religious Life and Learning of Young Catholics beyond the Church: By James Michael Nagle. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2020. 150 pp. $20.00 (paperback). ISBN 9781725255791

Like many other recent works dealing with religious disaffiliation, James Michael Nagle’s book begins by presenting the numbers of religiously unaffiliated Americans and churches closing each year....
Predictors of College Women’s Rape Myth Acceptance and Bystander Attitudes:Informing Prevention

We examined predictors of rape myth acceptance (RMA) and bystander attitudes among college women (n = 137). Participants completed self-report measures of RMA, bystander attitudes, sexist beliefs, ...
Transitions in Current Substance Use from Adolescence to Early-Adulthood

Substance use behaviors do not occur in isolation of one another and are not static over time. As adolescents age into early adulthood, there may be dynamic changes in their substance use behaviors, and these changes may be influenced by family and school factors. The current study uses Latent Transition Analysis to examine these changes by measuring transitions among different substance use profiles based on past 30-day alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, and by estimating associations with demographic, family and school factors. Data were from youth (n = 850; 80 % African American, 17 % white, 3 % mixed race, 50 % female and 50 % male) in grade 10 (Time 1), with 24- (Time 2) and 48-month (Time 3) follow-ups. Substance use profiles included Non-users (54 %), Alcohol and Marijuana Users (20 %), and Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana Users (26 %). There were considerable transitions among profiles from Time 1 to Time 2, and fewer transitions from Time 2 to Time 3. At Time 1, African American race and positive school attitudes were negatively associated with being an Alcohol and Marijuana User, and being an Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana User. Family conflict, parental school involvement, female gender and African American race were associated with transitions among substance use profiles. Implications are discussed for a better understanding of transitions in substance use profiles, and for promoting maintenance of non-use and transitions from substance using profiles to non-use.
Behavioral effects of MK-801 mimic deficits associated with hippocampal damage

This study was undertaken to assess the behavioral effects of MK-801 [(+)5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo-[a,d]cyclo-hepten-5,10-imine maleate], an anticonvulsant that binds to thereby blocks N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) fonction. Such compounds prevent long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus and provide an important tool for assessing whether animals depend on LTP for learning. The results of the present experiments indicate that MK-801 administration impairs acquisition of some forms of learning (i.e., spatial learning and taste potentiation of an acquired odor aversion) that are normally dependent on the integrity of the hippocampal formation. In a narrow dose range, deficits were obtained on these tasks while other measures of learning/performance (i.e., cue learning in the same maze as was used for assessment of spatial learning, and simple associations formed between either a taste or odor stimulus paired with an effective unconditioned stimulus) were spared. These results are consistent with the view that an NMDA mechanism is critical for certain forms of learning, and that the effects of MK-801 mimic deficits produced by hippocampal damage.
3D shape comparison of cardiac geometries using a Laplace spectral-shape-matching approach

The eigen-modes of the Laplace–Beltrami operator (LBO) applied to triangulated three-dimensional (3D) surface geometries have been shown to be effective parametric representations of overall shape and structural detail, which may constitute promising feature spaces for statistical shape comparison. The objective of this study is to explore a Laplace spectral-matching approach to compare pairs of similar 3D surface geometries using their respective Laplace spectral representations, obtained from the LBO or the graph Laplacian of the distributed points over each surface manifold. We demonstrate the efficacy of a greedy algorithm for appropriate selection of a set of Laplacian eigen-mode shape descriptors, while resolving their respective sign ambiguities, for optimal shape matching. We test our algorithm on three pairs of experimental shapes, as well as three sets of clinically relevant test geometries, i.e. surface models of two similar patient-specific models of the left atrial appendage of the atrial cha...
Three candidate clusters around high redshift radio-loud sources: MG1 J04426+0202, 3C 068.2, MS 1426.9+1052

We present near-infrared observations of the environments around three radio-loud sources (MG1 J0442+0202, 3C 068.2, and MS 1426.9+1052) at redshifts z=1.10,1.57, and 1.83 (respectively), that are surrounded by near-infrared galaxy overdensities. Overdensities with respect to field counts were found to be significant up to 19-sigma, with twelve times the expected number of galaxies within the inner regions of the densest proto-cluster. Color-magnitude relations are constructed in K_s, J-K_s, with each candidate cluster exhibiting a feature consistent with the beginnings of a red sequence. Galaxy models based on the redshift of the radio source are used to compare expected color-magnitude relations for a given formation epoch with the observed red sequence of each candidate, and are found to be consistent with an old (z_f > 5) formation epoch for a few bright, red galaxies on the red sequence.
Dual function microtubule- and mitochondria-associated proteins mediate mitotic cell death

Background: Survival and evolution of aneuploid cells after an asymmetric segregation of chromosomes at mitosis may be the common initiating event and underlying cause of the genetic diversity and adaptability of cancers. We hypothesize that mechanisms exist to detect impending aneuploidy and prevent it before completion of an aberrant mitosis. Methods: The distribution of isoforms of C19ORF5, an interactive partner with mitochondria-associated LRPPRC and tumor suppressor RASSF1A, state of spindle microtubules and mitochondrial aggregation was analyzed in synchronized mitotic cells and cells stalled in mitosis after treatment with paclitaxel. Results: C19ORF5 distributed broadly across the mitotic spindle and reversibly accumulated during reversible mitotic arrest. Prolonged stabilization of microtubules caused an accumulation of a C19ORF5 product with dual MAP and MtAP properties that caused irreversible aggregation of mitochondria and death of mitotic cells. Conclusions: Dual function microtubule-associated (MAP) and mitochondria-associated (MtAP) proteins generated by prolonged mitotic arrest trigger mitochondrial-induced mitotic cell death. This is a potential mechanism to prevent minimal survivable aneuploidy resulting from an aberrant cell division and cancers in general at their earliest common origin.
Latent viral infection alters the immune architecture of the lung (VIR5P.1030)

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is ubiquitous virus infecting most humans and developing persistent latent infections. HCMV reactivation occurs in ~33% of immune-competent patients during critical illness associated with doubled risk of mortality. In many persistent infections Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) cause T cell dysfunction, creating an immunosuppressive microenvironment. We hypothesized that latent CMV infection induces MDSC, perhaps contributing the impairment of host resolution of infection and thus latency. BALB/c mice were infected with 1×106 PFU of Smith strain murine CMV and lung mononuclear cells (LMNC) were cultured ex vivo or stained for surface markers and analyzed by ELISA or FACS. During latency, we observed a change in frequency (million/gm of lung tissue) of cell subsets such as marked reduction of CD4+T and B cells, increased CD8+T cells and significant increase in NK cells compared to naive mice. Interestingly, the percentage of MDSC was unchanged at 2 weeks, but was significantly reduced at12 weeks post infection (p.i.). Both IL-6 and TNF-α were elevated in unstimulated or LPS, ConA stimulated LMNC at 2 and 12 weeks p.i. conferring the risk of lung pathology under critical illness. Our findings suggest that during the transition from acute to latent infection, persistent pro-inflammatory lung immune environment is associated with reduced MDSC. Longitudinal studies are underway to explore the role of MDSC in lungs of latently infected mice.
AN EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN FLOW REGIME COMPONENTS, STREAM CHARACTERISTICS, SPECIES TRAITS, AND META-DEMOGRAPHIC RATES OF WARM-WATER-STREAM FISHES: IMPLICATIONS FOR AQUATIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Fishery biologists are increasingly recognizing the importance of considering the dynamic nature of streams when developing streamflow policies. Such approaches require information on how flow regimes influence the physical environment and how those factors, in turn, affect species-specific demographic rates. A more cost-effective alternative could be the use of dynamic occupancy models to predict how species are likely to respond to changes in flow. To appraise the efficacy of this approach, we evaluated relative support for hypothesized effects of seasonal streamflow components, stream channel characteristics, and fish species traits on local extinction, colonization, and recruitment (meta-demographic rates) of stream fishes. We used 4 years of seasonal fish collection data from 23 streams to fit multistate, multiseason occupancy models for 42 fish species in the lower Flint River Basin, Georgia. Modelling results suggested that meta-demographic rates were influenced by streamflows, particularly short-term (10-day) flows. Flow effects on meta-demographic rates also varied with stream size, channel morphology, and fish species traits. Small-bodied species with generalized life-history characteristics were more resilient to flow variability than large-bodied species with specialized life-history characteristics. Using this approach, we simplified the modelling framework, thereby facilitating the development of dynamic, spatially explicit evaluations of the ecological consequences of water resource development activities over broad geographic areas. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Synergism between radiation and other risk factors for breast cancer

Abstract The question of whether the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer is additive or multiplicative (synergistic) with other risk factors for breast cancer has important implications for determining optimal guidelines for mammographic screening. Data from a follow-up study of 571 women given X-ray therapy for acute postpartum mastitis in Rochester, New York, and 993 control women were analyzed to examine this question. No synergism was found between breast irradiation and family history of breast cancer, late parity, oral contraceptive use, menopausal hormone use, or a composite of ovarian-related factors. Results indicated that women with a history of breast irradiation who develop benign breast disease, particularly cystic disease, are at high risk for breast cancer and should be carefully monitored. Women who were irradiated at the time of their first childbirth are also at especially high risk for breast cancer.
Design and application of basic amino acids displaying enhanced hydrophobicity.

Three noncoding basic amino acids, mono-, di-, and trimethyldiaminopropionic acid (mmdap, dmdap, and tmdap), have been synthesized for use in protein design. Covalent modification of a diaminopropionic acid (dap) side chain with an increasing number of methyl moieties results in a family of residues displaying short basic side chains with varying degrees of enhanced hydrophobic character. These residues may be used to introduce charged/polar interactions into the confining hydrophobic interior or interfacial spaces of proteins. As a demonstration of their utility, the ability of these residues to promote interior salt bridge formation at the helix/helix interface of GCN4-p1, a dimeric two-stranded coiled coil, was assessed. Heterodimerization mediated by buried salt bridge formation between a GCN4-based peptide containing either mmdap, dmdap, or tmdap at position 16 and an analogous peptide containing aspartic acid at the same position was studied. Mmdap-derived heterodimers are 0.5 kcal/mol more stable t...
Process for the preparation of pathogen-inactivated RBC concentrates by using PEN110 chemistry: preclinical studies.

BACKGROUND: A pathogen-inactivation process for RBC concentrates is being developed by using PEN110 chemistry (INACTINE, V.I. Technologies). The objective of this study was to characterize the quality of RBCs prepared by using the PEN110 process and to measure the virucidal effect achieved against two viruses. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Virology and RBC studies were conducted with standard RBC units treated with 0.1-percent (vol/vol) PEN110 at 22°C for 6 hours. The quality of PEN110-treated human RBCs was assessed with biochemical and phenotypic variables. The in vivo viability of PEN110-treated RBCs in baboons was studied with the double-label 51Cr/125I method. RESULTS: Decreases in infectious titer by inactivation of greater than a 5 log 50-percent tissue culture infectious doses per mL of bovine viral diarrhea virus (an enveloped RNA virus) and porcine parvovirus (a nonenveloped DNA virus) was observed. RBC hemolysis was less than 1 percent after 42 days of storage, and no changes in RBC antigens were observed. The in vivo viability of PEN110-treated baboon RBCs was unchanged from control. CONCLUSION: The preparation of RBCs by using the PEN110 process achieved a significant viral reduction of two diverse viruses without causing adverse effects to the RBCs. The process appears to be a promising approach, thus justifying further study.
Effect of feeding different levels of corn oil on the composition of submandibular salivary gland fatty acids in rats.

Abstract Male, weanling rats were fed synthetic diets containing 0, 3, 10 and 20 per cent corn oil. Rats were killed after 3 weeks, their plasma and submandibular salivary glands were extracted for lipids, and the fatty acid composition was determined. There were significant changes in the fatty acid composition of both plasma and submandibular salivary glands as a result of feeding different levels of corn oil in the diet. The proportions of monoenoic fatty acids (16:1, 18:1) decreased whereas those of linoleic acid increased as the level of corn oil was increased from 0 to 20 per cent. Arachidonic acid level was the lowest in the fat-free group as compared with the other groups. Plasma and submandibular salivary gland lipids of rats fed 0 per cent corn oil in their diet contained another fatty acid which appears to be eicosadicnoic fatty acid. The changes in submandibular salivary gland fatty acids were correlated with the changes in plasma fatty acids. Fractions of neutral lipids and phospholipids which were isolated from the submandibular salivary glands showed changes in their fatty acid composition similar to those observed in the total lipid extract.
Vasopressin and sex differences in hamster flank marking

Vasopressin (AVP) within the medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic continuum (MPOA-AH) plays an essential role in the control of flank marking in Syrian hamsters. Sex differences are found in the scent marking of many mammalian species, including hamsters. The first two experiments tested the hypothesis that sex differences in flank marking are the result of sex differences in the availability of AVP for release in several CNS sites. No support for this hypothesis was provided because neither immunohistochemical analysis nor radioimmunoassay of tissue punches revealed sex differences in AVP immunoreactivity in the MPOA-AH or other sites likely to be involved in flank marking. The third experiment, which tested the hypothesis that sex differences in flank marking are the result of sex differences in the sensitivity or response of the MPOA-AH to AVP, found no sex differences in the amount of flank marking stimulated by microinjection of AVP in the MPOA-AH. These data provide no support for the hypothesis that sex differences in vasopressinergic activity are responsible for sex differences in flank marking.
Comparison of maximum size–density relationships based on alternate stand attributes for predicting tree numbers and stand growth

Abstract Quantification of site occupancy or stand density is essential for modeling forest stand mortality, growth and yield. A variety of measures of stand density have been proposed. Diverse tree and stand attributes have been employed, but direct comparisons of the effectiveness of various measures for estimating number of trees for fully stocked stands and for predicting growth for stands at different stages of development are not possible due to the varying forms of the measures. Maximum size–density relationships are a widely-used type of stand density measure. Reineke’s stand density index (SDI), which is based on number of stems per unit area and quadratic mean stem diameter, is the most commonly-applied stand density measure of this type. In the study reported here, stand density indices were developed by employing the structure of Reineke’s index but using the stand attributes of mean stem volume and mean stand height, as well as mean stem diameter. When estimating number of trees and periodic volume growth per unit area using data from sample plots in planted stands of loblolly pine, the SDI based on mean diameter performed best with mean stem volume being second best and mean stand height third.
Alveolar Cell Carcinoma Associated with Rheumatoid Nodule

We report a young woman with rheumatoid arthritis whose solitary pulmonary lesion was composed of an alveolar cell carcinoma in intimate association with an apparent rheumatoid nodule. Rheumatoid disease is thus added to a growing and diverse list of disorders wherein pulmonary fibrosis can give rise to this neoplasm. A solitary lung nodule in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis cannot be categorically regarded as benign.
Metabolism of Dietary Polyphenols and Possible Interactions with Drugs

Polyphenolic compounds are abundant in the human diet and gram quantities are ingested daily. The consumption of polyphenols is expected to rise due to the use of dietary supplements and public health initiatives promoting the consumption of more fruits and vegetables. It is known that these dietary polyphenols are extensively metabolized. Many of these compounds are therefore are expected to compete with other substrates of Phases I, II, III enzymes and transporters. In addition, some dietary polyphenols may induce certain drug metabolizing enzymes and affect the metabolism of important therapeutic agents. This review will discuss 1) the metabolism of dietary polyphenols using green tea polyphenols (catechins) as an example, 2) inhibition of drug metabolism by polyphenols, and 3) induction of drug metabolizing enzymes by dietary polyphenols. The potential consequences of these effects on drug metabolism will also be discussed.
Some reactions of phenolic maleamic acids relevant to carboxypeptidase catalysis

Abstract In neutral aqueous acetonitrile, N- o -hydroxybenzyl-2,3-dimethylmaleamic acid is rapidly converted to N- o -hydroxybenzyl-2,3-dimethylmaleimide, while N-propyl-N- o -hydroxybenzyl-2,3-dimethylmaleamic acid is converted to dimethylmaleic anhydride; both reactions are catalyzed by the phenolic groups.
Cost reduction by integration of the assurance technologies.

It is shown how the cost of applying assurance disciplines to the development of complex systems can be reduced by integrating the mechanics of system engineering and system management into a 'Development Risk Control System'. The essential features of the integration process are examined. A 'Development Risk Management Model' is described, and the use of the model to integrate and thereby reduce the cost of other assurance disciplines is discussed and illustrated.
Interfacial fracture energy and the toughness of composites

The premises upon which prevailing composite toughness theories are based are discussed in the light of observed strength variations in boron-epoxy composites with differing shear strengths of the interfacial bond. None of the extant toughness theories (pull-out, debonding, stress redistribution) successfully predicts the work of fracture of the boronepoxy system. However, incorporation of the work to create new surfaces into the total toughness analysis gives better agreement with experiment, and work of fracture predictions for other sytems, such as carbon-polyester, can also be modified. The approach is more generalized than the Outwater/Murphy debonding explanation for toughness, which in the way usually presented only applies when the filament fracture strain is greater than the matrix fracture strain. The present analysis suggests how to tailor the interfacial shear strength in order to obtain a reasonable toughness yet still maintain strengths of the order of the rule of mixtures.
Predictive Sagiv-Stroeve Model for Diffusion through Monolayer and Multilayer Films.

Abstract A one-parameter model has been derived by A. Sagiv and P. Stroeve for diffusion through crystalline monolayer and multilayer Langmuir–Blodgett films ( J. Colloid Interface Sci. 204, 173 (1998)). The model can describe well a number of experimental observations. The parameter that is needed for the model, the activation rate constant ( k ), is obtained by fitting the experimental data. It is shown in this letter that the parameter can be calculated independently; hence, the model can be predictive. Examples for predictions are given.
von Willebrand factor, Jedi knight of the bloodstream

When blood vessels are cut, the forces in the bloodstream increase and change character. The dark side of these forces causes hemorrhage and death. However, von Willebrand factor (VWF), with help from our circulatory system and platelets, harnesses the same forces to form a hemostatic plug. Force and VWF function are so closely intertwined that, like members of the Jedi Order in the movie Star Wars who learn to use “the Force” to do good, VWF may be considered the Jedi knight of the bloodstream. The long length of VWF enables responsiveness to flow. The shape of VWF is predicted to alter from irregularly coiled to extended thread-like in the transition from shear to elongational flow at sites of hemostasis and thrombosis. Elongational force propagated through the length of VWF in its thread-like shape exposes its monomers for multimeric binding to platelets and subendothelium and likely also increases affinity of the A1 domain for platelets. Specialized domains concatenate and compact VWF during biosynthesis. A2 domain unfolding by hydrodynamic force enables postsecretion regulation of VWF length. Mutations in VWF in von Willebrand disease contribute to and are illuminated by VWF biology. I attempt to integrate classic studies on the physiology of hemostatic plug formation into modern molecular understanding, and point out what remains to be learned.
Research in instrument sharing

Continued progress in many areas of science depends on access to advanced modern instruments and the data they provide. Costly instruments have been shared in a number of disciplines for many years, and common patterns of shared usage have developed independently. The scientific and financial aspects of large instrument usage are discussed from the points of view of the instrument centers, the users, and the funding agencies. The instrument problem is not one problem but many, and coordinated solutions must be implemented with well-defined goals based on knowledge of the needs of the users and developers of instruments.
Extension of the Unit Disk Gyrogroup into the Unit Ball of Any Real Inner Product Space

Abstract The group of all holomorphic automorphisms of the complex unit disk consists of Mobius transformations involving translation-like holomorphic automorphisms and rotations. The former are called gyrotranslations . As opposed to translations of the complex plane, which are associative-commutative operations (i.e., their composition law is associative and commutative) forming a group, gyrotranslations of the complex unit disk fail to form a group. Rather, left gyrotranslations are gyroassociative-gyrocommutative operations (i.e., their composition law is gyroassociative and gyrocommutative) forming a gyrogroup . The complex unit disk gyrogroup has previously been studied by the author ( Aequationes Math. 47 , 1994, 240–254). Employing analogies shared by complex numbers and linear transformations of vector spaces, we extend in this article the complex disk gyrogroup and its Mobius transformations into the ball of any real inner product space and its generalized Mobius transformations. A gyrogroup is a mathematical object which first arose in the study of relativistic velocities which, under velocity addition, form a nongroup gyrogroup, as opposed to prerelativistic velocities, which form a group under velocity addition. It has been discovered that the mathematical regularity, seemingly lost in the transition from prerelativistic to relativistic velocities, is concealed in a relativistic effect known as Thomas precession. In its abstract context, Thomas precession is called Thomas gyration, giving rise to our “gyroterminology.” Our gyroterminology, developed by the author ( Amer. J. Phys. 59 , 1991, 824–834), involves terms like gyrogroups, gyroassociative-gyrocommutative laws, and gyroautomorphisms, in which we extensively use the prefix “gyro.”
Compensation and recovery of feeding guilds in a northwest Atlantic shelf fish community

Disturbance of marine ecosystems from fishing has resulted in significant shifts in the composition of fish communities. Such changes can result in shifts in dominance of functional (trophic) guilds within communities and the role that guilds play in ecosystem functioning. In partic- ular, studies in coral reef and kelp forest fish communities have demonstrated a low level of func- tional redundancy, yet few studies have examined fish communities from temperate large marine ecosystems. We compared the abundance and composition of feeding guilds (i.e. planktivores, ben- thivores, amphipod-shrimp feeders, crabivores, echinoderm feeders, shrimp-fish feeders, and pisci- vores) on the continental shelf of the northeast US across 4 decades (i.e. 1970s to the present), exam- ining changes in guild structure to determine if: (1) there have been significant changes in the abundance of functional guilds within the fish community, (2) there have been significant changes within guilds, and (3) there are commonalities in responses with studies from other habitats. We found that 5 of the 7 guilds exhibited remarkable stability in abundance over time despite extreme levels of exploitation and shifts in the abundance of individual species. We suggest there are compen- satory mechanisms within those guilds that resulted in, or are an outcome of, their functional role within the shelf fish community. Comparing our results with studies in more spatially discrete habi- tats such as coral reefs or kelp forests suggests that erosion of functionally redundancies may be related to the resolution involved, be it spatial extent of observations, movement patterns of fishes, taxonomic precision of functional role, or variations in the diversity of species interactions within these ecosystems. Regardless, to prevent any potential for erosion of functional roles, we recommend that guild structure be considered as a unit for monitoring and resource management.