cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Total Body Iodine Content in Normal Young Men

Total body iodine content was estimated in six normal young men, who underwent 125I balance studies during 64-92 days of daily 125I administration. Total body retention of 125I was measured as the difference between total administered 125I and that collected in the urine and feces. Extrathyroidal 125I was the difference between total and thyroidal 125I content. The time-activity data for the ratio of extrathyroidal to total retained 125I were fitted to a growth (inverse exponential) function. Fits of this growth function to the individual data sets yielded asymptotes, the equilibrium extrathyroidal/total 125I ratios. The slopes of this function predicted the time that would have been required to achieve 125I/127I equilibration (approximately 10 months). Geometric mean for the asymptotic extrathyroidal/total 125I ratio was 0.34 (range, 0.19-0.63), if it was assumed that measured urine and feces represented all of the 125I lost to the body. If 90% measurement of 125I loss was assumed, the geometric mean ratio was 0.32 (range, 0.17-0.60). Assuming that 90% of total loss is reflected in measured excreta and that total iodine content of the thyroid gland is 10 mg, geometric mean for total body iodine in these subjects was 14.6 mg (range, 12.1-25.3 mg).
Commensurate vortex pinning in Nb films patterned onto anodized aluminum oxide.

Abstract Anodic aluminum oxide templates containing extended arrays of holes with ∼30-nm diameter and approximately 128-nm spacing were sputter-coated with Nb. We find pronounced matching effects in the transport and magnetization measurements beyond 4 kOe. In addition, we observe Little–Parks oscillations of the superconducting critical temperature. We compare the flux pinning in the patterned samples to unpatterned reference samples and find a significant enhancement of the critical current.
Regulatory Mechanisms by Which Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor Blocks Autointegration and Stimulates Intermolecular Integration of Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Preintegration Complexes

Retroviral integration is mediated by a preintegration complex (PIC) which contains the viral DNA made by reverse transcription together with associated protein factors. Prior to association with target DNA, the PIC must avoid suicidal intramolecular integration of its viral DNA (autointegration). We have demonstrated that barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF) blocks the autointegration of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) PICs in vitro. In this study, we show that BAF is an authentic component of MoMLV. Analysis of the sedimentation properties of initial, salt-stripped, and BAF-reconstituted PICs reveals that the viral DNA within the PIC is reversibly compacted by BAF, consistent with the functional role of BAF in protecting the viral DNA from autointegration. Furthermore, we find that BAF can promote the association of PICs with target DNA. Thus, our data suggest that BAF plays critical roles in promoting preferential intermolecular integration by both blocking autointegration and stimulating the capture of target DNA.
« Aujourd’hui, les villageois ne sont plus en retard sur leur temps. Aujourd’hui, on vend du Pepsi dans les villages » : Répercussions sur la collectivité rurale de l’Inde des émissions de télévision axées sur la vie urbaine

En 1959, lorsque la television a fait son apparition en Inde, le premier ministre de l’epoque, Jawaharlal Nehru, a affirme qu’il s’agissait d’un luxe que le pays ne pouvait se permettre. Il estimait que ce media devait etre axe sur la population rurale, et servir a l’education et au developpement. A l’epoque de ma recherche en 2002-2003, bien que 70 % de la population de l’Inde vive encore en milieu rural, la vision de Nehru etait largement oubliee et les emissions presentaient principalement des familles des classes moyenne et superieure dans un environnement urbain. Cet article etudie les differentes repercussions de cette programmation pour les collectivites urbaines plutot que rurales chez les habitants de Kothariya au Rajasthan, en Inde. Apres avoir presente un resume de l’histoire de la television en Inde, l’article traite des realisateurs et des producteurs qui creent des emissions generalement axees sur les collectivites urbaines pour la chaine publique de l’Inde, Doordarshan. Il fait ensuite etat des repercussions de ces emissions sur les habitants des milieux ruraux, en s’interessant particulierement aux perceptions des comportements urbains et aux desirs de consommer acquis par le biais de la television.
Using ESTs to improve the accuracy of de novo gene prediction

ESTs are a tremendous resource for determining the exon-intron structures of genes, but even extensive EST sequencing tends to leave many exons and genes untouched. Gene prediction systems based exclusively on EST alignments miss these exons and genes, leading to poor sensitivity. De novo gene prediction systems, which ignore ESTs in favor of genomic sequence, can predict such "untouched" exons, but they are less accurate when predicting exons to which ESTs align. TWINSCAN is the most accurate de novo gene finder available for nematodes and N-SCAN is the most accurate for mammals, as measured by exact CDS gene prediction and exact exon prediction. TWINSCAN_EST is a new system that successfully combines EST alignments with TWINSCAN. On the whole C. elegans genome TWINSCAN_EST shows 14% improvement in sensitivity and 13% in specificity in predicting exact gene structures compared to TWINSCAN without EST alignments. Not only are the structures revealed by EST alignments predicted correctly, but these also constrain the predictions without alignments, improving their accuracy. For the human genome, we used the same approach with N-SCAN, creating N-SCAN_EST. On the whole genome, N-SCAN_EST produced a 6% improvement in sensitivity and 1% in specificity of exact gene structure predictions compared to N-SCAN. TWINSCAN_EST and N-SCAN_EST are more accurate than TWINSCAN and N-SCAN, while retaining their ability to discover novel genes to which no ESTs align. Thus, we recommend using the EST versions of these programs to annotate any genome for which EST information is available. TWINSCAN_EST and N-SCAN_EST are part of the TWINSCAN open source software package http://genes.cse.wustl.edu/distribution/download_TS.html .
Methods for Supporting Bioinspired Design

Bioinspired design, the use of nature to inspire solutions to engineering problems, is a powerful approach for innovation but is generally practiced on an ad hoc basis. Only recently, however, have researchers sought to develop formal tools and principles to effectively tap the wealth of design solutions found within nature. Research efforts in applying design tools such as the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), functional modeling, and keyword searches to bioinspired design are summarized in this paper. The efforts to develop effective tools to search biological information for design inspiration are also discussed. This paper presents a case study where BioTRIZ, functional modeling, and bio-keyword searches were taught in a weekend-long workshop to working professionals in the process of obtaining their graduate degrees. The students were then given a project to re-engineer a product using the bioinspired methods. An analysis of their reports is given that discusses student success in implementing bioinspired design methods and student feedback on the methods.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Vacuole membrane topography of the DPP1-encoded diacylglycerol pyrophosphate phosphatase catalytic site from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae DPP1-encoded diacylglycerol pyrophosphate phosphatase is a vacuole membrane-associated enzyme that catalyzes the removal of the β-phosphate from diacylglycerol pyrophosphate to form phosphatidate, and it then removes the phosphate from phosphatidate to form diacylglycerol. The enzyme has six putative transmembrane domains and a hydrophilic region that contains a phosphatase motif required for its catalytic activity. In this work, we examined the topography of diacylglycerol-pyrophosphate phosphatase catalytic site within the transverse plane of the vacuole membrane. Results of protease protection analysis using endoproteinase Lys-C and labeling of cysteine residues using sulfhydryl reagents were consistent with a model where the catalytic site of diacylglycerol-pyrophosphate phosphatase was oriented to the cytosolic face of the vacuole membrane. In addition, diacylglycerol-pyrophosphate phosphatase activity was found with intact vacuoles. The phospholipids diacylglycerol pyrophosphate (0.6 mol %) and phosphatidate (1.4 mol %) were found in the vacuole membrane, and their levels decreased to an undetectable level and by 79%, respectively, when cells were depleted for zinc. The reduced levels of diacylglycerol pyrophosphate and phosphatidate correlated with the induced expression of diacylglycerol-pyrophosphate phosphatase. This work suggested that diacylglycerol pyrophosphate phosphatase functions to regulate the levels of diacylglycerol pyrophosphate and phosphatidate on the cytosolic face of the vacuole membrane.
Interobserver Agreement in the Classification of Stroke in the Physicians’ Health Study

Background and Purpose The evaluation of cerebrovascular end points in prospective studies is often based exclusively on medical record examination and may be made by more than one observer over time. To address the issues of adequacy of medical record information and consistency in diagnosis over time, we evaluated interobserver agreement for the main items of the stroke classification system used in the Physicians’ Health Study. This trial included 22 071 physicians randomly assigned in 1982 to receive either aspirin or placebo to assess the subsequent risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke. Methods Stroke subtype, stroke severity, and certainty of diagnosis were first classified from medical records from the years 1982 through 1988. The 216 stroke events reported in this period were independently reclassified in 1994 and compared with the initial classification using kappa statistics. Results Overall agreement in major stroke types (hemorrhagic, ischemic, undetermined stroke) as well as in hem...
Tarcil: reconciling scheduling speed and quality in large shared clusters

Scheduling diverse applications in large, shared clusters is particularly challenging. Recent research on cluster scheduling focuses either on scheduling speed, using sampling to quickly assign resources to tasks, or on scheduling quality, using centralized algorithms that search for the resources that improve both task performance and cluster utilization. We present Tarcil, a distributed scheduler that targets both scheduling speed and quality. Tarcil uses an analytically derived sampling framework that adjusts the sample size based on load, and provides statistical guarantees on the quality of allocated resources. It also implements admission control when sampling is unlikely to find suitable resources. This makes it appropriate for large, shared clusters hosting short- and long-running jobs. We evaluate Tarcil on clusters with hundreds of servers on EC2. For highly-loaded clusters running short jobs, Tarcil improves task execution time by 41% over a distributed, sampling-based scheduler. For more general scenarios, Tarcil achieves near-optimal performance for 4× and 2× more jobs than sampling-based and centralized schedulers respectively.
Oxygen diffusivity in MoO3 as determined by a temperature programmed method

A temperature programmed method for determining diffusivities has been previously applied to oxygen diffusivity in V2O5. In this communication we extend the method to the case of oxygen diffusivity in MoO3. The reduction of MoO3 to MoO2 using NH3 is utilized to obtain experimental parameters such as the temperature of reduction and the activation energy for oxygen diffusion. These parameters are in turn used to solve Fick's equation for the oxygen diffusivity D0. The utility of this temperature programmed method for obtaining diffusivities has now been clearly established by extension to MoO3.
Qualitative Research Traditions: A Review

This article illustrates how various qualitative traditions could be used in educational research by describing and comparing the traditions of ecological psychology, holistic ethnography, cognitive anthropology, ethnography of communication, and symbolic interactionism. The analysis shows that qualitative traditions present diverse approaches to research and that each tradition forms a coherent whole, comprising internally consistent assumptions about human nature and society, foci of study, and methodology. Implications of the analysis suggest that qualitative traditions may offer a richer and fuller understanding of education. Educational researchers could conduct either basic or applied research within these traditions, or they could adapt the traditions to address new problems. Moreover, it is suggested that educators who wish to perform qualitative research should seek to employ the totality of a tradition, not just generic assumptions or methods.
Comparison of genetic algorithms and simulated annealing for cost minimization in a multisensor system

Many sensor fusion systems combine redundant inputs to increase information reliability. In spite of this, few studies show how to choose redundant sensors for these systems. We find sensor configurations that minimize system cost while ensuring system dependability. Dependability is the generic term for system reliability and availability. Given many types of sensors, all fulfilling system operational requirements, but with different dependability and per item cost, heuristic search methods are used to find minimum cost configurations. Our main contributions are deriving the optimization problem, showing the search can be limited to a multidimensional surface, deriving a fitness function, and providing an efficient algorithm for computing dependability bounds. Two heuristics, genetic algorithms and simulated annealing, are proposed as methods. Experimental results show cost savings of up to 20% compared to systems with only one component type.
A statistical examination of FBP and ML for estimating mixture models from dynamic PET data

The authors have been developing the use of mixture models for quantitative analysis of dynamic PET data (O'Sullivan, IEEE, TMI, 1993). In the approach pixel-wise time activity curve (TAG) data are represented as a mixture of a set of underlying sub-TACs corresponding to distinct tissue types represented in the data. This work attempts to quantify the potential improvements of using maximum likelihood based approaches to estimating these models. Maximum likelihood makes use of the assumed Poissonness of raw sinogram counts and because of this might be expected to have some theoretical statistical advantage. An iterative expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm was developed to determine parameters in the mixture model. The EM approach was compared to a simpler non-iterative filtered backprojection (FBP) based approach as well a modified form of the EM algorithm called EMS. A set of 1-d numerical simulations were carried out to compare these. The results show that there is little indication that the EM algorithm for estimating mixture models in PET would yield appreciable improvements in statistical accuracy over FBP. EMS, however does show some improvement over FBP.
The Power Law Dependence of Electroluminescence Intensity on Forward Current in a-Si:H p-i-n Devices

Both total electroluminescence intensity and spectrum have been measured as a function of applied voltage at various temperatures on p-i-n devices with i-layer thickness from 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm. At constant temperature the luminescence intensity shows a power-law dependence on forward bias current with an exponent, γ. As the temperature increases from 80 K to 300 K, γ decreases from 1.5 to 0.9 in thin (≤ 0.5 μm) samples. Thick, 2.0 μm, samples on the other hand, show γ ≈ 1 over the same temperature range. Each electroluminescence spectrum has been decomposed into two gaussian functions corresponding to the main band and the defect band luminescence, respectively. We find that the integral intensity of the high energy luminescence band versus the current obeys a power-law with exponent γ1, while the integral intensity of the low energy luminescence band versus the current obeys a power-law with exponent γ2· γ1 > γ2 for all samples at all temperatures in these Measurements.
Microwave assisted phase transformation of silicoaluminophosphate zeolite crystals

SAPO-34 zeolite displaying ∼0.5 µm crystal size with a narrow particle size distribution and preferential adsorption of CO2 over that of CH4 was prepared via phase transformation of SAPO-5 under microwave heating.
Anti-dorsalizing morphogenetic protein is a novel TGF-beta homolog expressed in the Spemann organizer

We have identified a novel growth factor in Xenopus, which is most closely related to human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-3. Its expression peaks during gastrulation, most prominently in the Spemann organizer, and persists in the posterior neural floor plate and prechordal plate during neurulation. Injection of the corresponding mRNA into dorsal blastomeres results in dose-dependent suppression of dorsal and anterior structures, even in the presence of lithium chloride. Overexpression of the gene downregulates the dorsalizing factors noggin, goosecoid and follistatin, as well as the dorsal markers NCAM, muscle actin and MyoD; conversely, ventral markers are induced. We therefore designate this gene product Anti-Dorsalizing Morphogenetic Protein (ADMP). Though development of dorsoanterior structures is suppressed when exogenous ADMP is injected, the gene is induced by lithium chloride treatment or activin, both of which are known to produce the opposite effect. Thus, the expression of ADMP resembles that of several dorsalizing signals, but its product exerts dorsal-suppressing activity. This suggests that ADMP may moderate organizer-associated dorsalizing influences. These findings are also consistent with the recently advanced proposal of dorsally expressed inhibitory activin-like signals.
Should Gleason Score 6 Still Be Called Cancer

Abstract Pure Gleason 3 + 3 = 6 prostate cancer lacks many of the established hallmarks of malignancy at the molecular level. In patients undergoing radical prostatectomy with Gleason 6 disease on final pathology, the likelihood of synchronous metastatic disease is extremely low as is the risk of recurrence. While contemporary active surveillance series emphasize an indolent disease course for patients with Gleason 6 disease, they also highlight the undersampling and undergrading associated with current biopsy techniques. Calling Gleason 3 + 3 = 6 something other than cancer may decrease anxiety and overtreatment of clinically insignificant disease; however, diagnostic shortcomings have limited widespread enthusiasm for a shift in nomenclature.
Analysis on the Laboratory Surveillance Results Of Japanese Encephalitis Cases in 2010,Guizhou

Objective Summary and Analyses the laboratory surveillance status of Japanese encephalitis(JE)in Guizhou Province in 2010,and to improve the lab confirmed ratio of JE cases.Method ELIS A Capture Method was used to detect the JE IgM antibody of the reported suspect JE cases,and the results were analyzed.Results A total of 367 cases with JE were reported in Guizhou province in 2006,448 Serum and CSF samples were collected from 350 reported JE cases with 95.4%sample collection rate.After detection it showed that,there were 173 JE IgM positive cases with 49.4%positive ratio and 173 confirmed JE cases with 47.1%lab confirmed ratio in all JE reported cases.The sample collection rate were not reached 95%in some prefecture,and the agreement rate between prefectural JE laboratories and provincial JE laboratory were lower than 90%in some prefecture.Conclusion The surveillance of prefectural JE lab network should be strengthened further,and the detection quality of the JE lab network should be improved.
Change in the Meaning and Experience of Work in Later Life: Introduction to the Special Issue

The script for later life is being re-written, in part due to increased longevity, improved health, shifts in the economy, and changes to pension systems. Thus, we solicited a series of papers from members of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work that examine changes in the meaning and experience of work in later life, with implications for future research, employers, and policy makers. The articles selected for this special issue provide new insights about two aspects of the realities of aging and work today: (a) assets that older adults can bring to their work (Zacher, Hacker, and Frese; Scheibe, Spieler, and Kuba); and (b) challenges that can affect the successful engagement of older workers (Curtis and McMullin; Fisher, Ryan, Sonnega, and Naude; Moen, Kojola, Kelly, and Karasakaya). The findings provide new insights, and they importantly echo a message urging researchers to reach beyond the forecasts and analyses of trends associated with the phenomenon of working longer. The articles suggest that scholarship which examines patterns of work and retirement transitions is ready to explore new questions and carefully consider the nuances of job fit over the life course. It is no longer sufficient to design studies, policies, and practices that focus only on whether older adults can successfully get and retain jobs.
Multiple diagram navigation (MDN)

Domain novices learning about a new subject can struggle to find their way in large collections. Typical searching and browsing tools are better utilized if users know what to search for or browse to. Navigation systems with richer user interfaces could go beyond search and browse facilities by providing overviews and exploration features. We present Multiple Diagram Navigation (MDN) to assist domain novices by providing multiple overviews of the content matter. Rather than relying on specific types of visualizations, MDN superimposes any type of diagram or map over a collection of information resources, allowing content providers to reveal interesting perspectives of their content. Domain novices can navigate through the content in an exploratory way using three types of browsing (queries): diagram to content, diagram to diagram, and content to diagram. We present positive indications of MDN usability and usefulness we received from a preliminary user study. We also present our vision for using heuristics about diagram structures to help rank results returned by MDN queries.
Multinational Firms in the Theory of International Trade

The core of trade theory once consisted of several ideas embodied in a few ‘standard’ models — most notably the Heckscher—Ohlin—Samuelson model. Most active research applied, modified or extended these models. But, increasingly, the apparent implications of this theory have been dramatically contradicted by actual world commerce. This tension between theory and fact has driven most recent developments in the theory of international trade.
Imaging Oscillations of Protein Kinase C Activity in Cells

The protein kinase C (PKC) family contains ten members that share a catalytic core but differ in the composition of their regulatory modules. The conventional PKCs are a subfamily whose regulatory domains bind to Ca 2+ and to the lipid second messenger diacylglycerol and thus they are activated by coincidence detection of Ca 2+ and diacylglycerol at the plasma membrane. In HeLa cells, oscillations in Ca 2+ evoke oscillations in membrane PKC activity. The only method to date that offers the time resolution to observe these rapid changes in PKC activity is the utilization of a genetically encoded membrane-targeted PKC activity reporter, MyrPalm-CKAR (C Kinase Activity Reporter). CKAR is a fl uorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based, modular protein that undergoes a conformational change upon phosphorylation resulting in a change in FRET, thereby serving as a direct readout of cellular kinase activity. As a genetically encoded reporter, it is easily introduced into cells and can be targeted to distinct intracellular compartments through the addition of short targeting sequences. MyrPalm-CKAR is targeted to plasma membranes through the amino-terminal addition of seven amino acids that encode a sequence that is myristoylated and palmitoylated in the cell. This chapter details the method of utilizing MyrPalm-CKAR to monitor acute changes in PKC signaling at the plasma membrane that are a consequence of acute changes in Ca 2+ levels.
Selected Testimonies: Hearings Before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress (HJEC)

Keyserling testified many times before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress on economic matters. Each of his testimonies concentrated on the concept of growth: the concept of balance in the economy between the growth of output (investment) and the subsequent need for a growth of demand (consumption) necessary to absorb the increased output, and the policies which maintained these needed balances. Below, I will divide his testimony into two parts: the 1946â€“53 period of his membership on the Council of Economic Advisers, and the period after that time, 1953â€“87. The former period will be briefly covered due to its more complete coverage in chapter 3. Lastly, I will attempt to put the testimony in terms of an analytical perspective of what Keyserling was always attempting to say. This analytical framework will be expanded in chapter 7.
Bending the Arc of Chinese History: The Cultural Revolution's Paradoxical Legacy

Contrary to its initiators’ intentions, the Cultural Revolution laid political foundations for a transition to a market-oriented economy whilst also creating circumstances that helped to ensure the cohesion and survival of China's Soviet-style party-state. The Cultural Revolution left the Chinese Communist Party and civilian state structures weak and in flux, and drastically weakened entrenched bureaucratic interests that might have blocked market reform. The weakening of central government structures created a decentralized planned economy, the regional and local leaders of which were receptive to initial market-oriented opportunities. The economic and technological backwardness fostered by the Cultural Revolution left little support for maintaining the status quo. Mao put Deng Xiaoping in charge of rebuilding the Party and economy briefly in the mid-1970s before purging him a second time, inadvertently making him the standard-bearer for post-Mao rebuilding and recovery. Mutual animosities with the Soviet Union provoked by Maoist polemics led to a surprising strategic turn to the United States and other Western countries in the early 1970s. The resulting economic and political ties subsequently advanced the agenda of reform and opening. China's first post-Mao decade was therefore one of rebuilding and renewal under a pre-eminent leader who was able to overcome opposition to a new course. The impact of this legacy becomes especially clear when contrasted with the Soviet Union in the 1980s, where political circumstances were starkly different, and where Gorbachev's attempts to implement similar changes in the face of entrenched bureaucratic opposition led to the collapse and dismemberment of the Soviet state.
The innovation journey: you can't control it, but you can learn to maneuver it

Our Minnesota Innovation Research Program and other studies have found that a common set of issues are encountered while the innovation journey unfolds in the development of a wide variety of new technologies, products, programs, and services. These issues challenge the belief that managers or entrepreneurs can control the innovation journey. However, managers and entrepreneurs can increase their odds of success by developing and practicing skills in learning, leading, relating, and cycling through the innovation journey.
Improving Departments of Psychology.

Our procedures for creating excellent departments of psychology are based largely on selection—hiring and promoting the best people. I argue that these procedures have been successful, but I suggest the implementation of policies that I believe will further improve departments in the behavioral and brain sciences. I recommend that we institute more faculty development programs attached to incentives to guarantee continuing education and scholarly activities after the Ph.D. degree. I also argue that we would do a much better job if we more strongly stream our faculty into research, education, or service and not expect all faculty members to carry equal responsibility for each of these. Finally, I argue that more hiring should occur at advanced levels, where scholars have a proven track record of independent scholarship. Although these practices will be a challenge to implement, institutions do ossify over time and thus searching for ways to improve our departments should be a key element of faculty governance.
Natural Killer T-Cell Lymphoma of the Cauda Equina

This is a tumor of the cauda equina, consisting of nasal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) of the cauda equina. According to Aozasa et al., nasal NKTCL is an uncommon disease, but usually shows in highly aggressive clinical course. The disease is much more common in Asian and Latin Amercan countries than in Western countries. It is usually associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In the disease rapid destruction of the noes and midline of the face was first described by McBride in 1897.
Ransom’s Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter

(1994). Ransom’s Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter. The Explicator: Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 99-101.
Microstructural evolution of single Ni2TiAl or hierarchical NiAl/Ni2TiAl precipitates in Fe-Ni-Al-Cr-Ti ferritic alloys during thermal treatment for elevated-temperature applications

Abstract Precipitate features, such as the size, morphology, and distribution, are important parameters determining the mechanical properties of semi- or fully-coherent precipitate-hardened alloys at elevated temperatures. In this study, the microstructural formation and evolution of recently-developed Fe-Ni-Al-Cr-Ti alloys with superior creep resistance have been systematically investigated using transmission-electron microscopy (TEM), scanning-electron microscopy (SEM), and atom-probe tomography (APT). These alloys were designed by adding 2 or 4 wt percent (wt. %) Ti into a NiAl-hardened ferritic alloy with a nominal composition of Fe-6.5Al-10Cr-10Ni-3.4Mo-0.25Zr-0.005B in wt. %. These alloys were, then, subjected to a homogenization treatment at 1473 K for 0.5 h, followed by aging treatments at 973 K for 1–500 h. In the homogenization-treated case, both alloys contain a primary L21-type Ni2TiAl precipitate, but with the distinct size and morphology of the precipitates and precipitate/matrix interface structures. In the subsequent aging treatments, the 2 wt % Ti alloy establishes a hierarchical-precipitate structure consisting of a fine network of a B2-type NiAl phase within the parent L21-type Ni2TiAl precipitate, while the 4 wt % Ti alloy retains the single Ni2TiAl precipitate. It was found that the hierarchical structure is more effective in remaining the coherent interface during the growth/coarsening of the precipitate. The formation of the different types of the precipitates, and their effects on the microstructural evolution are discussed, and the driving forces for these features are identified from the competition between the interface energy and elastic interactions due to the lattice misfit and misfit dislocations.
Rituximab (Rituxan) Combined with ESHAP Chemotherapy Is Highly Active in Relapsed/ Refractory Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Abstract Patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphoma have limited options for achieving long-term remission other than stem cell transplantation. ESHAP is active in aggressive NHL and has the added advantage of being a non-anthracycline regimen. However, the response rate and remission duration with ESHAP chemotherapy alone are low in this group of patients. Encouraged by the increased efficacy of chemo-immunotherapy combinations like CHOP + Rituximab (Rituxan) in untreated aggressive lymphoma, and the in vitro synergy of Rituximab with cisplatin, cyclophosphamide and steroids, we studied the safety and efficacy of ESHAP + Rituximab combination in this group of patients. Standard ESHAP regimen (Etoposide 40 mg/m2/d IV/2h day1–4; Methylprednisolone 500 mg/m2 IV days 1–4; Cytarabine 2 g/m2 IV/3h day 5 and Cisplatin 25 mg/m2/d CIV days 1–4) was administered. Rituximab 375 mg/m2 IV was administered in the following manner: 2 doses separated by one week prior to the first cycle of ESHAP and 2 doses administered similarly after completion of the sixth cycle of ESHAP; one dose of Rituximab each was also given 48 hours prior to the third and fifth cycle of ESHAP. Treatment cycles were repeated every 28 days x 6. GMCSF (Leukine) and Erythropoietin (Procrit) were used at the discretion of the investigator. 14 patients were enrolled in the study. Median age was 55.5 years (range 37–70); there were 12 males and 2 females. 11/14 (71%) of patients had advanced disease (stage III/IV). Extranodal disease sites included kidney, lungs and adrenals. Histology was Diffuse Large Cell: 13 (93%) and Mantle Cell Lymphoma: 1 (7%). All patients had prior therapy: 1st relapse 11, 2nd relapse 1 and 3rd relapse 2. Prior therapies included CHOP, modified CHOP, Fludarabine-based regimen, Rituxan and Bexxar. 7 patients (50%) achieved CR, 2 PR, 1 stable disease and 4 PD. Among the 6 patients who received all 6 cycles of therapy, 4/6 (67%) achieved CR and 2/6 (33%) PR, (ORR 100%). Duration of response in patients who received all 6 cycles: All Responders: 26.3 months (1–53.3) and Patients who achieved CR: 35 months (24.1–53.3). Significant toxicity included grade III/IV hematologic in 43% and grade III/IV infection/febrile neutropenia in 21%. Conclusion : ESHAP combined with Rituximab appears to be more active than ESHAP alone with no additional toxicity other than infusion-related adverse events in patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphoma. Patients who achieved CR with this regimen appear to have longer remissions. Prospective, controlled trials are warranted.
The Role of Child Temperament on Low-Income Preschool Children's Relationships with Their Parents and Teachers.

The current study examined the associations between low-income preschool children's temperament (reactive and regulatory) and their relationships with parents and teachers. In particular, we focused on the moderating role of regulatory temperament on reactive temperament in the prediction of closeness and conflict with parents and teachers. Two hundred ninety-one children (M = 53.88 months, SD = 6.44 months), their parents, and teachers from 3 different preschools serving low-income children in 2 midwestern cities in the United States participated. Parents reported on temperament and parent–child relationships, and teachers reported on teacher–child relationships. Hierarchical regression models using SAS PROC MIXED were employed to allow for nesting of children within classrooms. After controlling for child age, gender, ethnicity, and parent education, children's reactive temperament was negatively associated with parent–child closeness and positively associated with parent–child conflict and teacher–child conflict. Children's regulatory temperament was positively related to teacher–child closeness and negatively associated with teacher–child conflict. Regulatory temperament moderated the association between reactive temperament and teacher–child closeness. These findings suggest that although reactive temperament potentially undermines closeness in relationships with teachers, regulatory temperament can buffer the influence of reactive temperament on teacher–child closeness. Highlights This study examined the association between children's temperament and their relationships with parents and teachers. Reactive temperament was positively associated with parent/teacher–child conflict and negatively associated with parent–child closeness. Regulatory temperament was a moderator for the association between reactive temperament and teacher–child closeness. Improving children's regulatory temperament may be helpful for children with the reactive temperament to have better social relationships with their teachers.
Loss of native α-synuclein multimerization by strategically mutating its amphipathic helix causes abnormal vesicle interactions in neuronal cells.

α-Synuclein (αS) forms round cytoplasmic inclusions in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Evidence suggests a physiological function of αS in vesicle trafficking and release. In contrast to earlier tenets, recent work indicates that αS normally exists in cells in a dynamic equilibrium between monomers and tetramers/multimers. We engineered αS mutants incapable of multimerization, leading to excess monomers at vesicle membranes. By EM, such mutants induced prominent vesicle clustering, leading to round cytoplasmic inclusions. Immunogold labeling revealed abundant αS intimately associated with vesicles of varied size. Fluorescence microscopy with marker proteins showed that the αS-associated vesicles were of diverse endocytic and secretory origin. An αS ‘3K’ mutant (E35K + E46K + E61K) that amplifies the PD/DLB-causing E46K mutation induced αS-rich vesicle clusters resembling the vesicle-rich areas of Lewy bodies, supporting pathogenic relevance. Mechanistically, E46K can increase αS vesicle binding via membrane-induced amphipathic helix formation, and ‘3K’ further enhances this effect. Another engineered αS variant added hydrophobicity to the hydrophobic half of αS helices, thereby stabilizing αS-membrane interactions. Importantly, substituting charged for uncharged residues within the hydrophobic half of the stabilized helix not only reversed the strong membrane interaction of the multimer-abolishing αS variant but also restored multimerization and prevented the aberrant vesicle interactions. Thus, reversible αS amphipathic helix formation and dynamic multimerization regulate a normal function of αS at vesicles, and abrogating multimers has pathogenic consequences.
The Tale of the Tailor: Munshi Mohammad Meherullah and Muslim–Christian Apologetics in Bengal, 1885–1907

Rural Muslim atrap communities in the eastern part of the colonial Bengal Presidency were the target demographic ofChristian conversion efforts in the last decades of the nineteenth century. Debates (bahas) between Muslim preachers and Christian missionaries, as well as religious meetings (waz mahfils), characterized these apologetics. Disseminated through street-market chapbooks in Musalmani-Bengali or dobashi Bengali, such polemics translated the cultural valences of Christianity and Islam both as personal faith and as communitarian identifying markers. In this paper, I analyze a selection of such pamphlets authored by an itinerant tailor called Munshi Meherullah, who spearheaded the atrap Bengali reaction against missionary efforts. Meherullah understood that the theological debates between Christian missionaries and Muslim alims was colonially and racially inflected and pre-determined, and the very act of engagement in apologetics was merely a performance of social, racial and theological superiority....
Luminance measurement for underground mine lighting

Underground mine lighting is critical for the safety of miners and for the ability of miners to perform their jobs. Measuring luminance to determine proper illumination within an underground mine is faced with many challenges because in practice, luminance measurements are affected by the photometer accuracy, measurement method, and condition of the measurement surface. Laboratory experiments and field testing in an underground coal mine were performed at four rib locations in order to quantify various sources of variance, including the variances due to angle offset of the photometer, measurement distance from the coal rib, changing texture of the coal rib, and wetness of the coal. The variations among different locations of coal ribs within the mine were also considered. Results showed a very large variation in the luminance measurements that ranged from a −42.9% luminance change when the coal rib was wetted up to a 76% luminance change when the photometer perpendicularity was offset by 5°. The results indicate that field measurement of luminance is likely impractical given it is affected by multiple factors that are difficult to control in the field.
Symbolic perceptions of methamphetamine: Differentiating between ice and shake

Abstract Background Although public perceptions of methamphetamine (meth) consider all forms of the drug as the same, this is not true among those who use it. Our aim is to examine how those who use meth perceive two forms of meth (ice and shake) using the theoretical framework of symbolic boundaries. Methods We rely on data collected from a photo-ethnography with people who use methamphetamine in rural Alabama. The ethnography consisted of formal interviews (with 52 participants), informal observations, and photography. Results Participants had a strong preference for ice (49 of 52 preferred ice over shake). In discussing why they prefer ice they point to the various short- and long-term health problems associated with shake. This distinction allowed them to create symbolic definitions of shake as being dirty due to impure chemicals and its users as desperate. Conclusion We argue that this symbolic differentiation of the two forms allows users to frame themselves as rational users (i.e., they avoid the unsafe form of meth) and shape use patterns and prevalence, with shake being used infrequently and often intravenously.
Brief Report: Adults with Autism are Less Accurate at Predicting How Their Personality Traits are Evaluated by Unfamiliar Observers

Social cognitive impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are well-documented, yet little research has examined whether ASD is also characterized by difficulties in meta-perception, or the ability to gauge how one is perceived. In this study, ASD and TD adults (N = 22) largely did not differ on the self-perception of their personality traits or on how they expected to be perceived by unfamiliar observers. However adults with ASD were rated less favorably by TD observers (N = 412) on 19 out of 20 personality items, and adults with ASD were less accurate at predicting how they would be perceived. These findings suggest impaired meta-perception in ASD that may serve as a potential mechanism through which reduced social cognitive ability contributes to social impairment.
Sural Nerve Entrapment

The sural nerve is a sensory branch arising from the medial popliteal nerve in the distal portion of the popliteal fossa. The nerve supplies sensation to the posterior and lateral aspects of the distal third of the leg, whereas in the foot, there are articular branches and sensory elements to the lateral border and to the fifth toe. The entrapment generally occurs distally about the lateral aspect of the foot and ankle, with an increasing number of cases of neuropathy reported resulting from either trauma or compression.
Conceptualizing climate vulnerability: Understanding the negotiating strategies of Small Island Developing States

Abstract The discourse on vulnerability to climate change presents many complexities. Among these are the constant tension between policy makers and academics. This paper unpacks these complexities in order to analyze how Small Island Developing States (SIDS) deal with the notion of vulnerability at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The lack of a clear definition of vulnerability at the UNFCCC has created many tensions among developing countries because the notion of vulnerability is associated with financial and technical resource distribution. However, on a strategic level SIDS have had to demonstrate their vulnerabilities within the UNFCCC in order to remain relevant and compete with other groups for these resources. This paper highlights some of these tensions, especially among developing countries, through an in-depth analysis of vulnerability within academia and foreign policy through the UNFCCC. We argue that competing definitions of vulnerability by academics and policymakers evoke different methodologies for understanding and measuring vulnerability. Further, we find that within the UNFCCC, prioritizing mitigation policies over adaptation has increased SIDS’ vulnerability.
Drug Mortality and Lost Life Years Among U.S. Midlife Adults, 1999-2015.

Introduction Increasing mortality rates among midlife non-Hispanic whites have been identified but are not well understood. Methods Vital statistics data were used in 2017 to examine to what extent increases in mortality rates and years of potential life lost among midlife non-Hispanic whites from 1999 to 2015 are correlated with increases in fatal overdoses and specific drug categories. Results The mortality rate rose by 21.2 per 100,000 people and years of potential life lost by 712,000 years from 1999 to 2015 for non-Hispanic whites aged 22–56 years; 63% of the mortality rate and 76% of the years of potential life lost increase occurred among individuals aged 22–39 years. For males, 92% of the mortality rate and 98% of the years of potential life lost growth was among individuals aged 22–39 years. The increases attributed to drug poisonings were: 26.4 per 100,000 people and 854,000 years, 51% and 64% of which occurred among individuals aged 22–39 years. Illicit opioids without involvement of prescription opioids were involved in mortality rate and years of potential life lost increases of 13.9 (95% CI=13.2, 14.7) per 100,000 people and 489,000 (95% CI=463,000, 515,000) years. For prescription opioids without illicit opioid involvement, the growth was 7.8 (95% CI=7.3, 8.3) per 100,000 people and 230,000 (95% CI=214,000, 246,000) years. Illicit opioids played a key role for individuals aged 22–39 years, especially males. Mortality rate and years of potential life lost declined dramatically for nonwhites or Hispanics aged 22–56 years, with only small increases because of drug deaths. Conclusions Growth in fatal overdoses was strongly correlated with increased mortality rate and years of potential life lost for midlife non-Hispanic whites from 1999 to 2015, with a particularly large rise for young adults, especially males, and illicit opioids contributing most to this association.
Reliability-based optimization using SFEM

The problem of reliability-based optimum design of realistic structures requires the resolution of several issues, some of which are as follows. (i) Most practical structures have complicated configurations, and their analysis has to be done using computer-based numerical procedures such as finite element analysis; for such structures, the response is not available as a closed-form expression in terms of the basic parameters. As a result, earlier methods of reliability analysis and reliability-based design are not convenient for application to large structures. (ii) Several stochastic parameters not only have random variation across samples but also fluctuations in space; i.e., they may be regarded not simply as random variables, but as random fields. This complicates the reliability analysis and subsequent design even further. (iii) The stochastic design variables may have different types of distributions (several of them being Lognormal, Type I Extreme Value etc.). Also, there may be statistical correlations among the design variables. Such information has to be rationally incorporated in the optimization. (iv) Two types of performance have to be addressed: one at the element level and the other at the system level. Consideration of element level reliabilities in design optimization ensures a distribution of weight such that there is uniform risk in the structure, whereas the consideration of system reliability accounts for interacting failure modes and ensures overall safety. Therefore an optimization algorithm that considers both types of reliability is desirable.