cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complexation of Tc(IV) with acetate at varying ionic strengths

Summary. In order to accurately model and predict the fate and transport of metals and radionuclides at multiple radio-contaminated sites, there is a need for an understanding on how metals such as technetium interact with their environment. Many contaminated sites are known to contain large amounts of organic ligands that can affect the solubility and mobility of metals. This study focuses on the effect of acetate on the complexation and dissolution of Tc(IV). Studies were performed at pcH 4.5 (±0.3), at which TcOOH + is the predominant species. The stability constants for the TcOOHacetate complex were determined at ionic strengths varying from 0.5 to 3.0 M (NaCl), using a solvent extraction method. The stability constants showed the expected increasing trend over the range of ionic strengths, from 2.46 ± 0.03 (I = 0.5) to 3.09 ± 0.08 (I = 3.0). A stability constant of 2.8 ± 0.16 at zero ionic strength was determined by specific ion interaction theory. Geochemical modeling data suggest that the dissolution of TcO2 ·1.6H2O is not greatly affected by the presence of acetate, at concentrations equal or less than 20 mM.
Isolation of Escherichia coli mutants lacking methylcytosine-dependent restriction systems for cloning extensively methylated frog virus 3 DNA

Many bacterial strains possess methylation-dependent restriction systems (MDRS) that demonstrate methylcytosine-dependent restriction endonuclease activity for the dinucleotide sequence, dCpdG. This makes these strains unsuitable for cloning methylated DNA. Some commercially available bacterial cells are recommended for cloning DNA fragments with methylated cytosines and adenines, e.g., Escherichia coli DH5-alpha MCR. Our attempts to clone frog virus 3 (FV3) DNA, which has the highest degree of cytosine methylation ever reported, using DH5-alpha MCR cells, were not successful. This and other observations suggested the existence of additional MDRS that have not yet been eliminated from DH5-alpha MCR cells. In order to isolate a mutant from this bacterial strain that is suitable to clone highly methylated FV3 DNA, we transformed these cells with a recombinant pUC19 plasmid containing a methylated 1.4-kb genomic DNA fragment from FV3, and selected for ampicillin (Ap) resistance. Three such attempts yielded only one colony that contained a fully methylated 1.4-kb FV3 genomic DNA fragment. Furthermore, plasmid-cured Ap-sensitive colonies originating from this clone were isolated and have been successfully employed to clone the highly methylated FV3 genomic DNA fragment.
On the Gottlieb-Turkel time filter for Chebyshev spectral methods

Abstract Highly accurate solutions to hyperbolic boundary value problems may be obtained using Chebyshev spectral methods. However, with explicit time differencing the increased resolution of the Chebyshev series near the boundaries necessitates using very small time steps for stability, thus compromising efficiency. Recently, a method of time filtering was proposed which is claimed to make explicit time integrations unconditionally stable so that time steps may be chosen by accuracy requirements alone. An analysis of this method shows that the filtering can in fact lead to absolute instability for any time step and that it does not relax the stability condition of the unfiltered method in a useful manner.
Three bad arguments for intentional property epiphenomenalism

As I sit at my desk on a warm and sunny day, I begin to desire a cold drink. Because I believe I can get cold drinking water from the fountain in the hallway I leave my office and go down to the fountain where I satisfy my thirst. Having done so, I return to my office. It's a boring story, but one that illustrates the common sense view that intentional states, such as beliefs and desires, cause behaviors and do so because of their intentional content. Had I not desired a cold drink or not believed that the fountain would provide cold water, I would not have acted as I did. However, even if a causal story about intentional states is implicit in common sense and not everyone agrees it is (Dennett 1987, Bennett 1990) that story need not be true. Many reasons might be found to reject it. One could be an anti-realist of one sort or another about propositional attitudes; if there really are no beliefs or desires then obviously any story that appeals to them as causes must be false. According to the neuro-scientific eliminativists (P. M. Churchland, 1981; P. S. Churchland 1986), brain science will show us that the real causes of human behavior are so unlike beliefs and desires that propositional attitudes will join phlogiston and caloric in the dustbin of mistaken theoretical posits. One could also take an instrumentalist or quasi-realist view of propositional attitudes by allowing that statements about beliefs and desires can be literally true, but holding that their truth consists entirely in facts about patterns of actual and counterfac tual behavior (Dennett 1987, 1991). On such a view, belief and desire talk makes no reference to internal causes of behavior or to any states or events below the personal level (i.e., below the level of facts about the whole person and her behavior). Eliminativists and instrumentalists are alike in denying that there are any beliefs or desires that act as causes of behavior; the success of either version of anti-realism would suffice to refute the common sense causal story. However, defeating anti-realism would not conversely suffice to save the causal story. Showing that there really are propositional attitudes and that they are among the causes of our behavior would not vindicate
Cumulative exposure to medical sources of ionizing radiation in the first year after pediatric heart transplantation

Background Pediatric heart transplant recipients undergo a variety of radiologic tests with the attendant risk of exposure to ionizing radiation. We sought to quantify and describe the cumulative exposure to all forms of medical radiation during the first year after pediatric heart transplantation and identify factors associated with higher exposure. Methods Pediatric patients who received a heart transplant between January 2009 and May 2012 with follow-up at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included if they survived through 1 year and the first coronary angiography. All medical testing using ionizing radiation performed during follow-up was compiled, and exposures were converted to effective dose (mSv). Results Included were 31 patients who underwent heart transplantation at a median age of 13.6 years (range, 0.3–18.3 years). The median number of radiologic tests performed was 38 (range, 18–154), including 8 catheterizations (range, 2–12), and 28 X-ray images (range, 11–135). Median cumulative effective dose was 53.5 mSv (range, 10.6–153.5 mSv), of which 91% (range, 34%–98%) derived from catheterizations, 31% (range, 8%–89%) of the exposure occurred during the transplant admission, 59% (range, 11%–88%) during planned follow-up, and 3% (0%–56%) during unplanned follow-up. Older age at transplant was a risk factor for increased exposure ( p = 0.006). When adjusted for age, a trend toward increased exposure was shown for congenital heart disease as the indication for transplant ( p = 0.08), pre-sensitization ( p = 0.12), and positive crossmatch ( p = 0.09). Conclusions Pediatric heart transplant patients are exposed to significant amounts of ionizing radiation during the first post-transplant year, most during scheduled catheterization. As survival improves, considering the long-term risks associated with these levels of exposure is important.
Children's mathematical performance: five cognitive tasks across five grades.

Children in elementary school, along with college adults, were tested on a battery of basic mathematical tasks, including digit naming, number comparison, dot enumeration, and simple addition or subtraction. Beyond cataloguing performance to these standard tasks in Grades 1 to 5, we also examined relationships among the tasks, including previously reported results on a number line estimation task. Accuracy and latency improved across grades for all tasks, and classic interaction patterns were found, for example, a speed-up of subitizing and counting, increasingly shallow slopes in number comparison, and progressive speeding of responses especially to larger addition and subtraction problems. Surprisingly, digit naming was faster than subitizing at all ages, arguing against a pre-attentive processing explanation for subitizing. Estimation accuracy and speed were strong predictors of children’s addition and subtraction performance. Children who gave exponential responses on the number line estimation task were slower at counting in the dot enumeration task and had longer latencies on addition and subtraction problems. The results provided further support for the importance of estimation as an indicator of children’s current and future mathematical expertise.
A generalized technique for deletion of specific genes in large genomes: a gene 22 of herpes simplex virus 1 is not essential for growth

Abstract We describe a general method for inactivation and deletion of genes at specific sites in large DNA genomes. In the first step of the procedure, the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase is inserted into the genome at a specific site. In the second step, the thymidine kinase gene and desired sequences flanking the insertion site are deleted. Both steps involve recombination of the genomes with cloned chimeric fragments and utilize the available selection for or against thymidine kinase to select the desired genomes. We have applied the procedure to inactivate and to delete portions of an a gene of herpes simplex virus 1 specifying protein 22. The recombinant virus carrying the thymidine kinase inserted into the gene 22 and viruses exhibiting 0.1 kb and 0.7 kb deletions in the gene 22 specify new α polypeptides with molecular weights approximately 30% of the wild-type gene 22 product and grown normally in Vero cell cultures.
Tendency of nanosecond optical parametric oscillators to produce purely phase-modulated light

We show that nanosecond optical parametric oscillators pumped well above threshold by single-longitudinal-mode pulses produce signal and idler light that is nearly purely phase modulated under a variety of conditions, including both seeded and unseeded operation.
Yellowstone embodied: Truman Everts' ‘Thirty-seven days of peril’

In September 1870, explorer Truman C. Everts, a member of the Washburn-Doane expedition to the then little-known region of the Upper Valley of the Yellowstone River, became separated from the main party and found himself without his horse and supplies alone in the ‘wilderness’. Everts spent 37 days struggling to effect his escape from his life-threatening predicament before being rescued by a two-man search party. The news of his separation, conjecture as to his possible fate, and reports of his subsequent rescue caused a sensation both locally and nationally and consequently earned celebrity for Everts and, crucially, for the place where the calamity occurred. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology and non-representational work in cultural geography which explores the relation between self and world, body and landscape, this article revisits Everts' 1871 account of his ‘perilous’ misadventure to consider how his encounter with Yellowstone was embodied and, through its retelling, ultimately became inscr...
Mechanism of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in a case of mushroom poisoning by Chlorophyllum molybdites.

Abstract A twenty-seven year old female evaluated for gastrointestinal bleeding following ingestion of C. molybdites was found to have hematologic abnormalities consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation. We suggest that the gastrointestinal hemorrhage was due to disseminated intravascular coagulation, a toxic effect of the mushroom.
Cases of incongruity: exploring the divide between adolescents’ beliefs and behavior related to academic dishonesty

The past several decades of research has produced many important insights into prevalence and correlates of academic dishonesty. While these studies have offered important contributions to our understanding of such cheating, we are in need of research that allows us to hear what students have to say about it. This paper begins to fill the relative void of student voices by presenting results from individual interviews with a sample of adolescents who acknowledge cheating despite believing that is wrong to do so. Specifically, the present investigation uses a multi‐case research design to explore the phenomenon of belief–behaviour incongruity, as it relates to academic dishonesty, among a demographically and academically diverse group of high school students. Four distinct cases of BBI are presented, each representing a complex configuration of psychological, social, cultural and situational factors: unable, under‐interested, under pressure and unrepentant. Educational implications and suggestion for furth...
The influence of age, sex, and race on the incidence of esophageal cancer in the United States (1992-2006).

Abstract Background. There is a striking male predominance in esophageal cancer patients. Sex hormones have been suggested as a contributing factor and these are influenced by age and race. In this study, we examined the male-to-female incidence rate ratios of esophageal cancer in the United States. Methods. We used data from 13 registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to calculate male-to-female incidence rate ratios of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) diagnosed during 1992–2006 in different age and race groups. Results. For EA, all races had similar sex and age-specific incidence patterns showing a peak in the male-to-female incidence rate ratio in the age group 50–59, and an age-related decline thereafter. The highest male-to-female ratio was seen in Hispanics (20.5) and the lowest in Blacks (7.0) compared with 10.8 in Whites. By contrast, the male-to-female incidence rate ratios were low and fairly stable throughout the d...
Sediment Melt-Migration Dynamics in Perennial Antarctic Lake Ice

Abstract We examined sediment melt-migration dynamics in the ice cover of Lake Fryxell, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, using a combination of laboratory experiments, field observations, and modeling. The specific objectives were to determine the thermal conditions required for sediment melt and how sediment migration rates vary with meteorological forcings and ice microstructure. These characteristics are relevant to the influence of climate change on lake ice structure and ecosystem processes in polar regions. Sediment began melting through laboratory ice at −2 °C in simulated summer conditions, with warmer ice producing faster melt rates. An energy balance model, supported by our laboratory experiments, demonstrated that subsurface sediment can melt down to an equilibrium depth of ∼2 m in two years. Field experiments and modeling revealed that surficial sediment melts at about half the rate of subsurface sediment because of heat losses to shallow, cold ice and the cold, dry atmosphere. ...
On the Pricing Of Chinese Stocks

This study identifies the leading risk attributes to Chinese stock returns. We demonstrate that the forecasting ability of a multifactor expression that includes micro (fundamental) risk factors conditioned by time-varying macro global and local risk factors is significantly superior to the forecasting ability of simpler nested unconditional models. We conclude that micro and macro local and global risks are instrumental in describing the return-generating process of Chinese equities. Using an attribution analysis, we further show that the valuation of Chinese equities is largely conditioned by expected changes in local and global macro risks, and less by unconditional micro risk premiums.
Efficient optimization for bilingual sentence alignment based on linear regression

This paper presents a study on optimizing sentence pair alignment scores of a bilingual sentence alignment module. Five candidate scores based on perplexity and sentence length are introduced and tested. Then a linear regression model based on those candidates is proposed and trained to predict sentence pairs' alignment quality scores solicited from human subjects. Experiments are carried out on data automatically collected from Internet. The correlation between the scores generated by the linear regression model and the scores from human subjects is in the range of the inter-subject agreement score correlations. Pearson's correlation ranges from 0.53 up to 0.72 in our experiments.
An overview of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will be launched in August 2005 by an intermediate-class, expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station, USA. It will deliver to Mars orbit a payload to conduct remote sensing science observations, characterize sites for future landers, and provide critical telecom/navigation relay capability for follow-on missions. The mission is designed to provide both global and targeted observations from a low 200 by 400 km Mars orbit with a 3:00 P.M. local mean solar time ascending node. During the one Martian year (687 Earth days) primary science phase, the orbiter will acquire visual and infrared high-resolution images of the planet's surface. After this science phase is completed, the orbiter will provide telecommunications support for spacecraft launched to Mars in the 2007 and 2009 opportunities. The primary mission ends on December 31, 2010, approximately 5.5 years after launch.
Molecular-Scale Structure of Pentacene Interfaces with Si (111)

The morphology and crystal structure of the first few molecular layers of organic semiconductor thin films at organic-inorganic interfaces are important from both electronic and structural perspectives. The first upright layer of pentacene on Si (111) forms on top of a disordered layer of strongly bonded pentacene molecules in a structure similar to the pentacene monolayers formed on insulators. We describe a high-resolution structural study of this crystalline phase of pentacene using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The arrangement of molecules in these layers observed with STM agrees the results of with structural studies using scattering techniques. The imaging conditions and sample preparation techniques necessary to achieve molecular resolution can be adapted to subsequent STM and scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments probing individual structural defects including vacancies, dislocations and grain boundaries within and between islands.
Sex differences in brainstem neural activation after injury to the TMJ region.

The basis for a higher prevalence of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among women than men is not known. The present study used Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos-LI) to quantify the pattern and magnitude of neural activation within the trigeminal brainstem complex of male and female rats caused by acute inflammatory injury to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region. Also, Fos-LI was assessed in animals given morphine, a preferential mu opioid receptor agonist, or U50,488H, a selective kappa opioid agonist, prior to TMJ injury to determine if opioid modulation of neural activation was similar in males and females. The general pattern of Fos-LI after TMJ injury was similar in males and females. This pattern was characterized by a high density of Fos-positive neurons in the dorsal paratrigeminal nucleus (dPa5), subnucleus interpolaris/caudalis transition region (Vi/Vc-vl), and in the superficial laminae at the subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical spinal cord (Vc/C2) junction ipsilateral to TMJ injury. In contrast to other regions the number of Fos-positive neurons produced at the Vc/C2 junction was proportional to the concentration of mustard oil injected into the TMJ region. In addition, proestrus females produced higher levels of Fos-LI at the Vc/C2 junction than diestrus females or males. Morphine caused a greater dose-related reduction in Fos-LI at the dPa5 and Vc/C2 junction in males than females. By contrast, U50,488H caused a dose-related reduction in Fos-LI only at the Vc/C2 junction of proestrus females. These results support the hypothesis that the Vc/C2 junction region plays a critical role in the integration of pain signals originating from the TMJ region and may underlie sex differences in sensory processing related to TMJ pain.
Klystron power specifications based on transient beam loading analysis in damping rings

A useful diagram is presented and used to study RF cavity voltage regulation in a damping ring or other circular accelerator where large beam currents are injected and extracted rapidly. With conventional feedback systems and high particle beam currents, the maximum beam current can be limited by the ability of the klystron to maintain constant gap voltage at high currents, low currents, or in the absence of beam. Techniques for storing high current beams are suggested when the maximum klystron output power is predetermined. Alternately, these techniques may be applied and used to specify the performance requirements of the klystron if the desired particle beam current and nominal RF cavity voltage are known.
Structural coherence and temporal stability of psychopathic personality features during emerging adulthood.

Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder characterized by affective, interpersonal, and behavioral dimensions. Although features of psychopathy have been extended downwardly to earlier developmental periods, there is a discerning lack of studies that have focused on critically important issues such as longitudinal invariance and stability/change in these features across time. The current study examines these issues using a large sample of male adolescent offenders (N 1,170) assessed across 7 annual time points during the transition into emerging adulthood (ages 17 to 24 years). Findings demonstrated that features of psychopathy remained longitudinally invariant across this developmental period, and showed temporally consistent and theoretically coherent associations with other measures of personality, psychopathology, and criminal behaviors. Results also demonstrated that mean levels of psychopathic personality features tended to decrease into emerging adulthood and showed relatively modest rank-order stability across assessments with 7-year lags. These findings suggest that reductions in maladaptive personality features seem to parallel the well-documented decreases in offending that occur during the early 20s.
19-Norsteroids of unnatural configuration from ergosterol

A new method for the preparation of a 19-norsteroid of unnatural configuration from ergosterol has been described. This method led to the preparation of 5α,8α,9α,10α-19-norpregnan-3,20-dione which possesses unnatural configuration at positions 8 and 10. The following reaction sequence was utilized to prepare this steroid. Ergosterol was photo-oxidized to give bisergostatrienol that was pyrolyzed to yield neoergosterol whose side chain was cleaved by ozonolysis to yield 3β-hydroxy-19-norpregna-5,7,9(10)-20α-aldehyde. This aldehyde, for the first time obtained in a crystalline state, was degraded via ozonolysis of the 3β-hydroxy-20-morpholino-methylene-19-norpregna-5,7,9(10)-triene derivative to give 3β-hydroxy-19-norpregna-5,7,9(10)-triene-20-one. The latter was reduced to the corresponding diol with Ru/carbon, and its Ring B in turn successfully hydrogenated in cyclohexane with Rh/alumina as the catalyst. The diol was oxidized to the diketone with the Jones reagent. Although some of the above transformations previously have been recorded, this report describes marked improvements in the techniques and yields of most of the intermediates.
“The Dying Middle”: Weimar Germany and the Fragmentation of Bourgeois Politics

On September 14, 1930, the National Socialist German Workers' Party led by Adolf Hitler scored its first national triumph by polling over six million votes and winning more than a hundred seats in the German Reichstag. Its gains came mainly at the expense of the established bourgeois parties. The success of the National Socialists stemmed primarily from the ability of Hitler and his colleagues to articulate the anxieties and frustrated ambitions of the German middle class. These anxieties grew out of a multitude of factors, of which the world economic crisis was the most spectacular. But the dramatic character of the world economic crisis has generally obscured the extent to which these anxieties were the product of certain long-range factors present in the structure of German society ever since the end of the previous century. In the period before World War I the German economy underwent a series of changes which resulted in a partial rationalization of its productive and distributive processes. This process was accelerated during the course of World War I and reached a climax in the middle of the 1920's before the world economic crisis deprived German management of the capital it needed for the purposes of rationalization.
A systems biology framework for modeling metabolic enzyme inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background: Because metabolism is fundamental in sustaining microbial life, drugs that target pathogen-specific metabolic enzymes and pathways can be very effective. In particular, the metabolic challenges faced by intracellular pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, residing in the infected host provide novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Results: We developed a mathematical framework to simulate the effects on the growth of a pathogen when enzymes in its metabolic pathways are inhibited. Combining detailed models of enzyme kinetics, a complete metabolic network description as modeled by flux balance analysis, and a dynamic cell population growth model, we quantitatively modeled and predicted the doseresponse of the 3-nitropropionate inhibitor on the growth of M. tuberculosis in a medium whose carbon source was restricted to fatty acids, and that of the 5'-O-(N-salicylsulfamoyl) adenosine inhibitor in a medium with low-iron concentration. Conclusion: The predicted results quantitatively reproduced the experimentally measured doseresponse curves, ranging over three orders of magnitude in inhibitor concentration. Thus, by allowing for detailed specifications of the underlying enzymatic kinetics, metabolic reactions/ constraints, and growth media, our model captured the essential chemical and biological factors that determine the effects of drug inhibition on in vitro growth of M. tuberculosis cells.
The significance of heart rate for behavior: A critique of Lacey's hypothesis.

It is the purpose of this paper to examine critically Lacey's (1959, 1967; Laccy, Kagan, Laccy, & Moss, 1963) recent hypothesis about the relation between cardiovascular responses—especially heart rate—and performance on sundry tasks. This examination consists of a review of relatively direct assessments of the validity of the hypothesis, of the status of the "intake-rejection" dimension and difficulties in its application, and of the relative merits of viewing cardiovascular events as causes rather than effects in psychologically relevant tasks.
Neurobiological and psychiatric consequences of child abuse and neglect

The effects of early-life trauma and its consequences for the treatment of depression are reviewed. The prevalence and clinical sequelae of early sexual and physical abuse, neglect and parental loss are described. An overview of preclinical studies that help guide clinical research and practice is presented. Human clinical studies on the neurobiological consequences of early trauma are summarized. Moderating factors, such as genetic variation and sex differences, are discussed. The few current treatment outcome studies relevant to this research area are described. Guidance for the management of patients with depression and a history of child abuse and neglect are provided. Most patients who have experienced early traumatic experiences are likely best treated with a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. This review is dedicated to the memory of Seymour Levine who pioneered the field of early experience research and to a considerable extent inspired the clinical studies described in this review.
Effects of ovariectomy on the binding of [125I]-αbungarotoxin (2.2 and 3.3) to the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus: An in vivo autoradiographic analysis

Abstract α-Bungarotoxin (α-BTX) has been used to label receptor binding sites on neural membranes. α-BTX fractions 2.2 and 3.3 were purified from Bungarus multicinctus by the method of Ravdin and Berg (1979) and were iodinated. There was no difference between these two fractions in their binding affinity or specificity of binding with hypothalamic synaptosomes. [125I]α-BTX 2.2S, 3.3 and commercially obtained [125I]α-BTX were injected into the third ventricle of ovariectomized female rats (n = 22), normally cycling rats (n = 12) or normal male rats (n = 4) and autoradiographic examination performed. Saline injected hypothalami (n = 4) or hypothalami injected with unlabeled α-BTX in combination with radioligand (n = 2) did not show silver grain accumulation in the hypothalamus. Examination of serial sections from animals injected with each [125I]α-BTX showed that the supraoptic, periventricular, arcuate, premamillary and mamillary nuclei were consistently labeled. While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the intact females and males both showed high densities of α-BTX binding, the SCN in ovariectomized females showed little or no α-BTX binding. Thus, the labeling of the SCN in females without ovaries and ovarian hormones was markedly different from that of the intact males and females. Labeling patterns in castrate and intact animals may contribute to our understanding of gonadal steroid regulation of hypothalamic function.
Job Characteristics and Job Design in Table-Service Restaurants

ABSTRACT This study assessed the relationships of job characteristics, job satisfaction, and job performance in a sample of 315 table service restaurant employees. Results demonstrate the job characteristics to be reliable constructs, and that the sample perceived them to exist at varying levels in their jobs. Multiple measures of job satisfaction are reported and compared. Perceived job characteristics do appear to influence job satisfaction, but demonstrate only a very limited relationship with job performance. Recommendations are suggested for job design or job redesign that may enhance satisfaction and performance.
Needle puncture of fetus: A complication of second-trimester amniocentesis

Needle puncture of the fetus has rarely been reported with midtrimester amniocentesis. This paper contains the report of five cases of needle scars in infants born after second-trimester amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis of fetal genetic disorders. Since this complication may be more frequent than has been previously believed, there is the possibility that damage to the fetus may occur. It is suggested that the products of all abortions and all live-born and stillborn infants delivered following amniocentesis should be examined for evidence of injury.
Welding residual stress impact on fatigue life of a welded structure

A welded component has been fatigue tested and then analyzed using both the nominal stress approach and the fracture mechanics approach. The nominal stress approach predicted the wrong failure location as well as a very short fatigue life. A welding simulation was then performed to understand the residual stresses generated in the structure by welding. Results showed a highly compressive stress state at the low life location predicted by the nominal stress approach. A fracture mechanics-based assessment of fatigue was then performed, incorporating welding residual stresses. The results showed excellent agreement with the fatigue test results, emphasizing the important role played by residual stresses in determining the failure location.
Availability of sodium pyruvate for human brain oxidations

Summary and ConclusionsThe availability of sodium pyruvate for brain oxidations in hypoglycemic insulin coma was studied in human patients. In 2 of 14 experiments with various amounts of pyruvate the patients roused slightly from coma, and in the remaining 12 there was no change observed in the clinical state. In 9 patients the oxygen uptake of the brain was observed, and there was a small, though statistically significant, rise. These results are in striking contrast to those observed with glucose, and indicate that the oxidation of pyruvate by the brain is not sufficient to adequately support cerebral functions.
PCSK9 INHIBITION-MEDIATED REDUCTION IN TRIGLYCERIDE WITH EVOLOCUMAB IS RELATED TO BASELINE TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS: AN ANALYSIS FROM 1791 PATIENTS

Two decades ago all statins demonstrated effective triglyceride (TG) reductions although mainly in hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) patients. The studies supported increased receptor (LDLR) mediated removal of TG-rich lipoproteins (LP) in subjects with increased concentrations of these LPs; however
Una revisión histórica con poderes curativos: Mariátegui leído desde la perspectiva andina de José Luis Ayala

This article deals with Jose Luis Ayala’s book Mariategui y la guerra del Chaco [Mariategui and the Chaco War, 2014]. This writer and yatiri confronts us with an unclassifiable final product which goes beyond the guidelines of traditional literary genres. The article discusses the relationship between the textual peculiarity of Ayala’s book and its singular purpose: the healing of our historical understanding of the Chaco War. Specifically, the healing of historical trauma left in the wake of the War. Este articulo aborda la lectura del libro del escritor y yatiri Jose Luis Ayala: Mariategui y la guerra del Chaco (2014). Ayala nos arranca de espacios escriturales familiares y nos enfrenta a un producto final inclasificable que escapa a los lineamientos de los generos literarios tradicionales. El articulo analiza y discute la relacion entre la peculiaridad de este texto y su singular proposito: la curacion de nuestra comprension historica de la guerra del Chaco. Concretamente, la curacion del trauma historico que dejo la guerra.
The integration and application of supporting techniques for rural modern distance education

【Objective】The related supporting technologies for modern distance education in rural areas were comprehensively studied in order to provide references for similar projects. 【Method】The supporting technologies for modern distance education in rural areas were analyzed, and their application in practice was illustrated so as to provide guidance for distance education related work. 【 Result 】 The supporting technologies for modern distance education in rural areas mainly included courseware resources construction, design of digital non-linear editing system, carrier forms,transmission and receiving technologies of courseware resources remote communication, etc. In the courseware resources construction, the topic planning and production should be emphasized. In the design of digital non-linear editing system, hardware and software system should be well designed. Courseware resources remote communication technologies could be divided into VCD/DVD multimedia CD-ROM production technology and network streaming media technology,and courseware resources spreading mainly relied on the "network" and "grid". According to the regional economic development situation, the information network infrastructure construction level, the intensive degree of population distribution and regions at different receiving sites, the acceptance model of distance education terminal was different. 【Suggestion】In order to further promote the digital process of agricultural science and technology remote training, the units and individuals participated in modern distance education in rural areas should be understood and the related technologies should be mastered comprehensively and deeply. To achieve high output with small investment, the relevant standards and techniques in practical work should be scientifically followed.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: Kritická zamyšlení

Geopaleontolog a jezuitský kněz Pierre Teilhard de Chardin se směle pokusil sloucit osobniho Boha a kosmickou evoluci do unikatniho filozofickeho světonazoru, jenž uznava hodnotu vědy i teologie. Vychazeje ze svých vlastnich zamysleni a zkusenosti, nabidl obsahlou a sjednocenou interpretaci skutecnosti založenou na ctyřech zakladnich myslenkach: pronikajici duch, zakon komplexity-vědomi, kriticke hranice, a budouci Bod Omega. Výsledkem je dynamický panenteismus, který v ramci planetarni historie přiklada lidske existenci zvlastni význam a zaroveň obhajuje mystickou jednotu naseho druhu s Bohem-Omega na konci lidske evoluce na Zemi.
Translation Control and Insulin Signaling

Publisher Summary Insulin controls a number of key anabolic responses in specific target tissues including liver, adipose, and muscle including the activation and maintenance of high rates of protein synthesis, which is the most energy consuming process. Insulin signaling regulates the first step of translation initiation by controlling the phosphorylation state of eIF2B. Translation initiation is a highly regulated, dynamic stepwise process. It is classically separated into four steps: formation of the 43S preinitiation complex, which contains eukaryotic initiation factor methionine transfer RNA, the 40S ribosomal subunit, eIF3, and eIF1A; recruitment of the 43S preinitiation complex to the 5’ cap of the messenger RNA by eIF4F leading to the formation of the 48S initiation complex; scanning of the 5’ untranslated region of the mRNA by the eIF 4F complex until reaching the AUG start codon; and recruitment of the 60S subunit to assemble a complete 80S ribosome. Insulin induced activation of PKB/Akt causes phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK3 leading to eIF2B dephosphorylation and consequent activation. In mammalian cells, transit of the 80S ribosome along the mRNA, termed translational elongation, requires two elongation factors: eukaryotic elongation factors 1 and 2 (eEF1 and eEF2). Insulin treatment decreases the activity of eEF2K resulting in dephosphorylation of eEF2, which leads to accelerated rates of elongation. Insulin signaling also regulates ribosome biogenesis leading to increased translational capacity in the cell by two apparent mechanisms: increasing the translation of ribosomal proteins and increasing ribosomal RNA (rRNA) production.
Prop 8 and Future Citizenship

Politics around California’s Proposition 8 provide a window into how political discourse is constrained by “reproductive futurity,” the compulsion to always be for the future for the children. Marriage—gay and straight—is represented as of primary importance because it is “good for children.” Proper citizen-parents should strive to build the best environments possible for the development of healthy “normal” children (i.e. neither queer nor disabled). This chapter explores the ways child-centered arguments were mobilized both for and against gay marriage. I end with a discussion of reproductive futurity as a form of blood logics that helps secure a proper heterosexual and able-bodied nation and citizenship, one that will in turn reproduce itself.
Software Engineering as a Central Computer Science Discipline

It is well known that quantitative changes, if sufficiently large, make for qualitative changes. The classical example is the automobile which represented a single order of magnitude improvement over the horse and buggy. But cars do not ride well over muddy roads. Therefore, we changed the face and the nature of our society by paving roads to accommodate this new reality. Computers represent six or seven orders of magnitude improvement over hand calculation. Again, we have changed society to better use this new reality. “The cashless society”, airline reservation systems, college boards, very large data bases, the space-military programs, are indicative of this change. By now computers, more properly computer systems, are crucial to society. Hence, they are studied in Universities just as civil engineering structures are.
Metasurface lens: Shrinking the camera size.

A miniaturized camera has been developed by integrating a planar metasurface lens doublet with a CMOS image sensor. The metasurface lens doublet corrects the monochromatic aberration and thus delivers nearly diffraction-limited image quality over a wide field of view.
Discovery and Pharmacology of Nonsteroidal Estrogens and Antiestrogens

The application of synthetic organic chemistry to establish the simplest basic structure of estrogenic compounds was a major triumph for medicinal chemistry in the 1930s. Two groups of compounds were discovered: the hydroxylated stilbenes with high potency and rapid excretion and the triphenylethylenes with high lipophilicity, metabolic activation, and a very long duration of action. A study of structure-function relationships in laboratory animals would result in the use of high-dose estrogen treatment for metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal patients in the 1940s. The triphenylethylene-based antiestrogens would evolve into the nonsteroidal antiestrogens that in the 1960s were predicted to be potential postcoital contraceptives in women based on compelling rodent studies. This application did not succeed and enthusiasm for clinical development waned.
Chapter e74 – Firewalls

The purpose of the firewall and its location is to have network connections traverse the firewall, which can then stop any unauthorized packets. A simple firewall will filter packets based on IP addresses and ports. A useful analogy is filtering your postal mail based only on the information on the envelope. You typically accept any letter addressed to you and return any letter addressed to someone else. This act of filtering is essentially the same for firewalls. This chapter refers to the secure network as the internal network; the insecure network is the external network. The remainder of this chapter provides an overview of firewall policies, designs, features, and configurations. Of course, technology is always changing, and network firewalls are no exception. However, the intent of this chapter is to describe aspects of network firewalls that tend to endure over time.
Worms in a straight alley: Acquisition and extinction or phototaxis

This study investigated the behavior changes of worms in a straight alley with two different goal conditions and levels of illumination. A straight-alley (plastic tube) was selected to avoid problems that seem inherent in the maze as used with worms. Earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris, were assigned among three groups. Groups 1 and 2 were run into a darkened goal box with different conditions of illumination over the alley. Group 3 was run into an open area. Goal conditions were then shifted so that Groups 1 and 2 ran to the open area while Group 3 ran to the darkened goal box. Worms going to the goal box showed a rapid decrease in time to traverse the alley (acquisition), and a rapid increase when goal conditions were shifted (extinction). Worms going to the open area showed higher and more variable response times until shifted to the goal box condition. Conditions of illumination over the alley had little effect on response times. The behavior changes are discussed in terms of the alternatives of learning and phototactic responses.
Post-projection removal of row- and column-correlated noise in line-scanning data: Application to THEMIS infrared data

Post-calibration row- and column-correlated noise resulting from voltage instability in the electronics of the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), on-board the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is mapped with the data during map projection, making reliable spectral analysis of small areas (< 4km2) problematic. The majority of detector-row and column correlated noise is removed during calibration using a windowed algorithm and utilizing information in the Instrument Response Function (IRF), but residual noise dubbed “plaid” and processing artifacts remain after the calibrated data has been projected. These artifacts can be readily viewed using decorrelation stretches or by numerically comparing radiance or emissivity differences in small regions. We present an algorithm to remove the residual row- and column-correlated noise from THEMIS data, leveraging post-projection information to improve the accuracy in radiance and emissivity analyses of small areas. The removal of the “plaid” is essential for the detection of spectrally significant surface materials.
Microenvironmental Modulation of Calcium Wave Propagation Velocity in Engineered Cardiac Tissues

In the myocardium, rapid propagation of action potentials and subsequent calcium waves is critical for synchronizing the contraction of cardiac myocytes and maximizing cardiac output. In many pathological settings, diverse remodeling of the tissue microenvironment is correlated with arrhythmias and decreased cardiac output, but the precise impact of tissue remodeling on propagation is not completely understood. Our objective was to delineate how multiple features within the cardiac tissue microenvironment modulate propagation velocity. To recapitulate diverse myocardial tissue microenvironments, we engineered substrates with tunable elasticity, patterning, composition, and topography using two formulations of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropatterned with fibronectin and gelatin hydrogels with flat or micromolded features. We cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes on these substrates and quantified cell density, tissue alignment, and cell shape. We used a fluorescent calcium indicator, high-speed microscopy, and newly-developed analysis software to record and quantify calcium wave propagation velocity (CPV). For all substrates, tissue alignment and cell aspect ratio were higher in aligned compared to isotropic tissues. Isotropic CPV and longitudinal CPV were similar across conditions, but transverse CPV was lower on micromolded gelatin hydrogels compared to micropatterned soft and stiff PDMS. In aligned tissues, the anisotropy ratio of CPV (longitudinal CPV/transverse CPV) was lower on micropatterned soft PDMS compared to micropatterned stiff PDMS and micromolded gelatin hydrogels. Propagation velocity in engineered cardiac tissues is sensitive to features in the tissue microenvironment, such as alignment, matrix elasticity, and matrix topography, which may underlie arrhythmias in conditions with pathological tissue remodeling.
Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Grafted Polymeric Analogue of Dimethyl Sulfoxide as Potential Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents

Novel water-dispersible hybrid iron oxide nanoparticles grafted with a polymeric analogue of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were prepared. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with immobilized atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators were prepared via an in situ method using 12-(2-bromoisobutyramido)dodecanoic acid as a surface ligand/initiator. The initiator-functionalized particles were employed in a surface-initiated initiator for continuous activator regeneration ATRP to graft poly(2-(methylsulfinyl)ethyl acrylate) (a polyacrylate analogue of DMSO) from the surface. The resulting hybrid nanoparticles showed a high magnetic relaxivity ratio (r2/r1) of 600 at 7 T in fetal bovine serum, and a good biocompatibility up to 1000 mg L–1.