cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Surfactants on Mechanical, Thermal, and Photostability of a Monoclonal Antibody

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of commonly used surfactants (at 0.01% w/v concentration) on mechanical, thermal, and photostability of a monoclonal antibody (MAb1) of IgG1 sub-class and to evaluate the minimum concentration of surfactant (Polysorbate 80) required in protecting MAb1 from mechanical stress. Surfactants evaluated were non-ionic surfactants, Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate 20, Pluronic F-68 (polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block polymer), Brij 35 (polyoxyethylene lauryl ether), Triton X-100, and an anionic surfactant, Caprylic acid (1-Heptanecarboxylic acid). After evaluating effect of surfactants and determining stabilizing effect of Polysorbate 80 against mechanical stress without compromising thermal and photostability of MAb1, the minimum concentration of Polysorbate 80 required for mechanical stability was further examined. Polysorbate 80 concentration was varied from 0 to 0.02%. Mechanical stability was evaluated by agitation of MAb1 at 300 rotations per minute at room temperature for 72 h. Samples were analyzed for purity by SEC-HPLC, turbidity by absorbance at 350 nm, visible particles by visual inspection, and sub-visible particles by light obscuration technique on a particle analyzer. All non-ionic surfactants tested showed a similar effect in protecting against mechanical stress and did not exhibit any significant negative effect on thermal and photostability. However, Caprylic acid had a slightly negative effect on mechanical and photostability when compared to the non-ionic surfactants or sample without surfactant. This work demonstrated that polysorbate 80 is better than other surfactants tested and that a concentration of at least 0.005% (w/v) Polysorbate 80 is needed to protect MAb1 against mechanical stress.
Policing everyday life: The FIR in the Tamil countryside, c. 1900–50

The judicial archive pertaining to the southern districts of Madras Presidency in the first half of the twentieth century indicates that judges, policemen and colonial subjects shared the belief that reports of crime made to the police, the â€˜First Information Reportsâ€™ or FIRs, were often fabricated, resulting in what was termed a â€˜false caseâ€™. This article argues that the prevalence of â€˜false casesâ€™ does not simply point to a colonial state that was weak in the countryside or whose judicial machinery had gone awry. Rather, the filing of police reports provided a mechanism for villagers to insert the disputes that were part of everyday life into the stateâ€™s legal apparatus and to make claims using the language of colonial law. The documentary practices of the colonial state thus shaped local politics, so that registering complaints with the police was an event in rural conflict, not simply the means of resolving conflict that had occurred earlier or elsewhere. Equally, these negotiations for local power through registering cases reaffirmed the authority of the colonial state in everyday practices that emerged around the figure of the policeman and in the space of the colonial police station.
ThinSIM-based Attacks on Mobile Money Systems

Phone-based mobile money is becoming the dominant paradigm for financial services in the developing world. For example, mPesa has a cash flow of over thirty billion USD, equivalent to nearly half of Kenya's GDP. Inside of these markets, competitors have appeared who leverage ThinSIMS, small SIM-card add-ons, to provide alternative mobile money implementations. However, the security implications of ThinSIMs are not well understood. To resolve this, we explore the security of phone-based mobile money systems against attacks via the SIM interface, the 3GPP-defined interface between a SIM card and a phone. Using a ThinSIM to intercept and initiate communication over the SIM interface, we demonstrate that a malicious ThinSIM can steal a user's mPesa credentials and initiate transactions without the user's consent or knowledge. We also demonstrate a similar ThinSIM-based attack against USSD-based mobile money systems that allows for similar transactions without the user's knowledge or participation. Lastly, we propose and implement modifications to both STK and USSD-based mobile money systems to limit the impact of our discovered ThinSIM-based attacks.
The Plume to Plate Transition: Hadean and Archean Crustal Evolution in the Northern Wyoming Province, U.S.A.

The 2.8–4.0 Ga record of crustal evolution preserved in the northern Wyoming Province of western North America provides insight into the role of plume- and plate-regimes in the generation of Hadean and Archean continental crust, and the associated elemental depletion of the primitive mantle. The most complete record is exposed in the Beartooth Mountains (Montana-Wyoming), which lie within the Beartooth-Bighorn magmatic zone (BBMZ) sub-province of the Wyoming Province. The BBMZ (> 100,000 km2) is characterized by a single, voluminous suite of Mesoarchean (~ 2.8–2.9 Ga) TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) plutonic and metaplutonic rocks. In the Beartooth Mountains these Mesoarchean rocks are exposed along an ~ 100 km E-W cross-section, along which they intrude greenschist grade turbidites in the west (South Snowy block) and high grade, older gneisses in the east (Beartooth Plateau block). The most complete assemblage of pre-2.8 Ga crust is preserved as enclaves within the plutonic Mesoarchean rocks of the Beartooth Plateau block. These older gneisses consist of 3.1–3.5 Ga, tectonically interleaved meta-plutonic (principally TTG and associated migmatites) and metasupracrustal lithologies (e.g., quartzites, schists, banded iron formation, and a range of paragneisses).
Synthesis of mitochondrial proteins.

The recent discovery that the ubiquitous energy-transducing organelle of eukaryotic cells, the mitochondrion, contains its own DNA, distinct from that of the nucleus (for recent reviews, see 1-4), has generated intensive investigations in a number of related areas. They have made accessible possible answers to such fundamental questions as the nature and extent of the genetic and biogenetic autonomy of the organelle; the origin, mode of transmission, and significance of extrachromosomal, non-Mendelian hereditary determinants; and the whole chain of events that must intervene in the course of the expression of the mitochondrial genome. Central to this area is the problem of mitochondrial protein synthesis, both in vivo and in vitro; known now for some 13 years (5,6), it has been raised from its former status of relative obscurity as a laboratory curiosity to one of the fashionable fields of inquiry of contemporary biochemistry and molecular biology. Since the topic has been the subject of several recent and comprehensive reviews (7ߝ11), I shall restrict my presentation, in the main, to our own investigations with the unicellular eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae or baker’s yeast.
Optimal Tap Selection of Step-Voltage Regulators in Multi-Phase Distribution Networks

An optimal power flow (OPF) problem is formulated that allows for tap selection of various types of step-voltage regulators (SVRS) in multi-phase distribution networks. The goal of the OPF is power-import minimization while satisfying operational constraints. Variables include nodal power injections, nodal voltages, and SVR tap ratios. SVRS are modeled according to their voltage gains and their connecting transmission line parameters. A set of power flow equations that rely on the nodal admittance model of SVRS and explicitly account for the tap ratios are derived. Chordal SDP relaxations of the power flow equations are pursued for non-SVR edges. For each SVR type, novel relaxations are proposed to handle the non-convex primary-to-secondary voltage relationship. Numerical tests on the IEEE 37-bus feeder indicate the success of the proposed formulation in selecting taps of wye, closed-delta, and open-delta SVRS while keeping the incurred cost within 1% of its optimal value.
Interleaved Cellular Automata, Evolved Artwork and Packing Problems

We convert a generative architecture scheme into a generative art scheme whereby grids each of whose cell's edges are labeled with zeros and ones are used to construct grids whose cells are labeled with hex digits. In turn, the hex grids are used to create two-dimensional visual compositions. The scheme makes use of interleaved one-dimensional cellular automata to provide the edge labelings and a genetic algorithm to select for hex grids with a desired compositional aesthetic. We give examples of evolved artworks and show how our selection criterion is related to a suite of packing problems. We solve two such problems and offer remarks about others.
Generalized Anxiety disorder but not depression is associated with insomnia: a population based study.

Background Insomnia is a common problem, however, its prevalence has never been examined in Indian population. Moreover, a number of psychiatric disorders have been found to be associated with insomnia in clinical population, but this association has scarcely been examined in general population. Methods This epidemiological study was done in an urban and a rural population. Subjects were selected using Kish method. After obtaining informed consent, psychiatric disorders were diagnosed using Hindi version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Hindi version of Insomnia Severity Index was used to diagnose insomnia. Results 1700 subjects were included in this study. In this study, prevalence of insomnia was 10.3%. Its prevalence increased with increasing years of education (p=0.009). Insomnia was more frequent in subjects living in joint families (p<0.001), having higher education (p=0.009), those who were separated (p<0.001), among subjects belonging to middle socio-economic status (p<0.001) and in urban population compared to semi-urban and rural population (p<0.001). Insomnia was also more frequent among subjects with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol dependence, cannabis dependence and tobacco use. However, binary logistic regression analysis showed that only higher education, unemployment, generalized anxiety disorder and tobacco use were associated with insomnia. Conclusion Insomnia in general population is associated with higher education, unemployment, generalized anxiety disorders and tobacco use.
Initiation of Standardized Depression Screening in College Health: A Quality Improvement Project.

Background Depression is a leading health concern in college health. An on-campus health clinic was identified as conducting complaint-based screening. U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends standardized screening in all primary care settings. Objective To implement a quality improvement project for standardized screening and referral of depressive symptoms and identify factors related to mentoring program interest in a college health clinic. Methods Demographic survey and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) were distributed to students who met inclusion criteria. Positive screens received further intervention with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and immediate evaluation, encouragement of follow-up, or educational handout. Results Of students receiving primary care services at a college health center, 221 completed demographic surveys, 165 completed the PHQ-2, and eight students received interventions for positive screens. Furthermore, 74.6% of students expressed interest in a mentoring program. Conclusions The project demonstrates ease of standardized screening in the college health setting without excessive burden to staff or budget. This is a critical preventative care measure for improving early detection and management of depression at college health centers. Implications for nursing Initiation of standardized screening on college campuses is a worthwhile investment and should be implemented by registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice nurses. Support program initiation should be considered to help students with unmanaged symptoms.
OsGPAT3 Plays a Critical Role in Anther Wall Programmed Cell Death and Pollen Development in Rice

In flowering plants, ideal male reproductive development requires the systematic coordination of various processes, in which timely differentiation and degradation of the anther wall, especially the tapetum, is essential for both pollen formation and anther dehiscence. Here, we show that OsGPAT3, a conserved glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene, plays a critical role in regulating anther wall degradation and pollen exine formation. The gpat3-2 mutant had defective synthesis of Ubisch bodies, delayed programmed cell death (PCD) of the inner three anther layers, and abnormal degradation of micropores/pollen grains, resulting in failure of pollen maturation and complete male sterility. Complementation and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) experiments demonstrated that OsGPAT3 is responsible for the male sterility phenotype. Furthermore, the expression level of tapetal PCD-related and nutrient metabolism-related genes changed significantly in the gpat3-2 anthers. Based on these genetic and cytological analyses, OsGPAT3 is proposed to coordinate the differentiation and degradation of the anther wall and pollen grains in addition to regulating lipid biosynthesis. This study provides insights for understanding the function of GPATs in regulating rice male reproductive development, and also lays a theoretical basis for hybrid rice breeding.
Using Brand Equity to Model ROI for Social Media Marketing

ABSTRACTThis study proposes a model that measures the value of audience responses to company-initiated social media posts by assessing their direct and indirect effects on brand equity. The model w...
Is Grit the New Fit?—Assessing Non-Cognitive Variables in Orthopedic Surgery Trainees

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine overall levels of grit, self-control, and conscientiousness among orthopedic surgery residents, to compare levels of grit across orthopedic resident training levels, and to identify common applicant variables which may correlate with these valuable noncognitive attributes. Design A cross-sectional study composed of a confidential electronic survey consisting of a 17-item Grit scale, 10-item Self-control scale, and 9-item Conscientiousness scale was completed by Orthopedic residents and fellows. Setting Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; a tertiary medical center. Participants Grit, ambition, consistency of interest, perseverance of effort, self-control, and conscientiousness were assessed in orthopedic surgery residents and fellows. The survey was distributed to program coordinators of ACGME accredited Orthopedic Surgery residency programs and fellowship. 431 (431 out of 621, 69.4%) respondents completed the assessment. Results Orthopedic residents demonstrated high baseline levels of grit (4.0 of 5.0), self-control (3.8 of 5.0), and conscientiousness (4.4 of 5.0). The grit score of 4.0 places them in the 65th percentile of the general adult population. There were no significant differences in scores between training levels of orthopedic residents and fellows. Significantly higher self-control scores were seen in female trainees (p = 0.042), inductees of Alpha Omega Alpha honor society (p = 0.008), and those with higher numbers of publications (p = 0.037). Orthopedic trainees with more publications scored higher in the ambition sub-score (0 publications: 4.0 ± 0.7; 1-3 publications: 4.2 ± 0.5, 3 or more publications: 4.3 ± 0.5; p Conclusions Orthopedic surgery residents demonstrated high levels of grit compared to the general population. Key objective variables utilized in the residency application process including Alpha Omega Alpha status and volume of research publications were predictive of these qualities.
Case Study: Program Management of Volume Modules

Volume module systems in the refining and petrochemical industries are large, multi-level systems that are fabricated offsite and stacked onsite, with integral piping and wiring interconnections. This is a case study in a program management system that was introduced for a particular volume module system. Modular design and fabrication suffer from inherent shortcomings: it is neither cheap nor fast nor does it result in any meaningful increase in quality. Lessons learned reveal cheaper, faster and better methods that overcome the inherent shortcomings of modular design and construction. These lessons can inform current trends in modular design and fabrication in the USA and Canada.
Mycorrhizae Alter Constitutive and Herbivore-Induced Volatile Emissions by Milkweeds

Plants use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to cue natural enemies to their herbivore prey on plants. Simultaneously, herbivores utilize volatile cues to identify appropriate hosts. Despite extensive efforts to understand sources of variation in plant communication by VOCs, we lack an understanding of how ubiquitous belowground mutualists, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), influence plant VOC emissions. In a full factorial experiment, we subjected plants of two milkweed (Asclepias) species under three levels of AMF availability to damage by aphids (Aphis nerii). We then measured plant headspace volatiles and chemical defenses (cardenolides) and compared these to VOCs emitted and cardenolides produced by plants without herbivores. We found that AMF have plant species-specific effects on constitutive and aphid-induced VOC emissions. High AMF availability increased emissions of total VOCs, two green leaf volatiles (3-hexenyl acetate and hexyl acetate), and methyl salicylate in A. curassavica, but did not affect emissions in A. incarnata. In contrast, aphids consistently increased emissions of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and benzeneacetaldehyde in both species, independent of AMF availability. Both high AMF availability and aphids alone suppressed emissions of individual terpenes. However, aphid damage on plants under high AMF availability increased, or did not affect, emissions of those terpenes. Lastly, aphid feeding suppressed cardenolide concentrations only in A. curassavica, and AMF did not affect cardenolides in either plant species. Our findings suggest that by altering milkweed VOC profiles, AMF may affect both herbivore performance and natural enemy attraction.
Band gap opening and optical absorption enhancement in graphene using ZnO nanocluster

Abstract Electronic, optical and transport properties of the graphene/ZnO heterostructure have been explored using first-principles density functional theory. The results show that Zn12O12 can open a band gap of 14.5 meV in graphene, increase its optical absorption by 1.67 times covering the visible spectrum which extends to the infra-red (IR) range, and exhibits a slight non-linear I–V characteristic depending on the applied bias. These findings envisage that a graphene/Zn12O12 heterostructure can be appropriate for energy harvesting, photodetection, and photochemical devices.
Hamilton-Pontryagin Integrators on Lie Groups Part I: Introduction & Structure-Preserving Properties

In this paper structure-preserving time-integrators for rigid body-type mechanical systems are derived from a discrete Hamilton-Pontryagin variational principle. From this principle one can derive a novel class of variational partitioned Runge-Kutta methods on Lie groups. Included among these integrators are generalizations of symplectic Euler and Stormer-Verlet integrators from flat spaces to Lie groups. Because of their variational design, these integrators preserve a discrete momentum map (in the presence of symmetry) and a symplectic form. In a companion paper, we perform a numerical analysis of these methods and report on numerical experiments on the rigid body and chaotic dynamics of an underwater vehicle. The numerics reveal that these variational integrators possess structure-preserving properties that methods designed to preserve momentum (using the coadjoint action of the Lie group) and energy (for example, by projection) lack.
A Systematic Review of Social Networking Research in Information Systems

Social networking applications such as blogs, instant messaging, podcasts, social networking websites (e.g., Renren in China, Vkontakte in Russia, Facebook), professional networking websites (e.g., LinkedIn), Twitter, and virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life) have become increasingly popular in the last few years. Because these applications have substantial implications for users, organizations, and society, online social networks (OSN) have gained attention from information systems (IS) researchers and grown steadily as a research area since 2004. However, to organize the accumulated research and encourage researchers to examine new and pressing issues in social networks, available knowledge needs to be synthesized and research gaps need to be addressed [Bandara et al., 2011]. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of publications about OSN published in major IS journals between January 2004 and August 2013 and provide an overview of the state of IS research regarding OSN. The objective of this study is to show the evolution of the existing IS research on OSN, to build a common nomenclature and taxonomy for this area of research, to identify theories used, and to provide a useful roadmap for future research in this area.
Hilbert space multidimensional modelling of continuous measurements

Data fusion problems arise when a researcher needs to analyse results obtained by measuring empirical variables under different measurement contexts. A context is defined by a subset of variables taken from a complete set of variables under investigation. Multiple contexts can be formed from different subsets, which produce a separate distribution of measurements associated with each context. A context effect occurs when the distributions produced by the different contexts cannot be reproduced by marginalizing over a complete joint distribution formed by all the variables. We propose a Hilbert space multidimensional theory that uses a state vector and measurement operators to account for multiple distributions produced by different contexts. This article is part of the theme issue 'Contextuality and probability in quantum mechanics and beyond'.
Comparing steady state photothermalization dynamics in copper and gold nanostructures

Metal nanostructures have been the focus of several recent studies due to their ability to generate high energy, non-equilibrium “hot” electrons for use in photochemical and photocatalytic applications. In particular, there is growing interest to understand how differences in the electronic structure and optical response of different metals may impact the behavior and utility of their hot electrons in chemical reactions. Using a continuous wave anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy technique recently developed in our laboratory, in this study, we measured the temperature and lifetime of hot electrons in gold and copper nanostructures in order to understand how the choice of metal impacts hot electron dynamics during steady state illumination. We found that hot electrons in copper are more abundant and more reactive than those in gold, suggesting that copper nanostructures may be a more promising platform for performing hot electron photochemistry.
Not all adrenal incidentalomas require biochemical testing to exclude pheochromocytoma: Mayo clinic experience and a meta- analysis

Background Excluding a pheochromocytoma is important when a patient presents with an incidentally discovered adrenal mass. However, biochemical testing for pheochromocytoma can be cumbersome, time consuming, or falsely positive. Our objective was to determine if unenhanced computed tomography (CT) imaging alone can be used to rule out pheochromocytoma. Methods We performed a retrospective study of all patients with a pathologically confirmed pheochromocytoma and unenhanced CT imaging who were treated at the Mayo Clinic between 1998 and 2016. Additionally, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of original studies published after 2005 with patients who had adrenal masses, more than 10 patients with pheochromocytomas, and reported attenuation on unenhanced CT imaging in Hounsfield units (HU). Results In the Mayo cohort, we identified 186 patients and 199 pheochromocytomas with unenhanced CT imaging. The mean unenhanced CT attenuation was 35±9 HU (range, 15-62), and only 15 tumors had attenuation ≤20 HU. The systematic review identified 26 studies (1,217 tumors), and 23 studies provided a mean unenhanced CT attenuation. The overall mean unenhanced CT attenuation across the studies was 35.6 HU (95% CI, 22.0-49.1 HU). A cutoff of >10 HU had a 100% sensitivity (95% CI, 1.00-1.00) for pheochromocytoma with low heterogeneity between the 21 qualified studies (I2=0%). Sensitivity for pheochromocytoma was 100% and 99% for an unenhanced CT attenuation cutoff of >15 and >20 HU. Conclusions Biochemical testing may not be required to exclude pheochromocytoma if an incidental adrenal mass has low attenuation (<10 HU) on unenhanced CT images.
Hypogammaglobulinemia following heart transplantation: Prevalence, predictors, and clinical importance.

Hypogammaglobulinemia (HGG) can occur following solid organ transplantation. However, there are limited data describing the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes associated with HGG following heart transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed data of 132 patients who had undergone heart transplantation at our institution between April 2014 and December 2018. We classified patients into three groups based on the lowest serum IgG level post-transplant: normal (≥700 mg/dL), mild HGG (≥450 and <700 mg/dL), and severe HGG (<450 mg/dL). We compared clinical outcomes from the date of the lowest IgG level. Mean age was 57 (47, 64) years, and 94 (71%) patients were male. Prevalence of severe HGG was the highest (27%) at 3-6 months following heart transplantation and then decreased to 5% after 1 year. Multivariate analysis showed that older age and Caucasian race were independent risk factors for HGG. Overall survival was comparable between the groups; however, survival free of infection was 73%, 60%, and 45% at 1 year in the normal, mild HGG, and severe HGG groups, respectively (P = .013). In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of HGG in the early post-heart transplant period that decreases over time. HGG is associated with an increased incidence of infection.
Dynamic Inconsistency in Food Choice: Experimental Evidence from Two Food Deserts

Despite the great deal of research on dynamic inconsistency in time preferences, few studies have ventured into investigating the question in a natural context. To address this gap, we conduct a natural field experiment with over 200 customers at a grocery store to investigate dynamic inconsistency and the demand for commitment in food choice. Over a 3 week time period, subjects are invited to allocate and re-allocate food items received as part of a grocery delivery program. We observe substantial dynamic inconsistency in our experiment, as well as a demand for commitment among a non-negligible number of subjects. Interestingly, individuals who demand commitment are more likely to be dynamically consistent in their prior behavior. For academics, our work provides direct evidence of dynamic inconsistency in consumption choices in the field and points towards potential extensions to models of temptation. For policy-makers, our findings provide insights on innovations to alter food choices.
The malleability of attentional capture

We suggest that consideration of trial-by-trial variations, individual differences, and training data will enrich the current framework in Luck, S. J., Gaspelin, N., Folk, C. L., Remington, R. W., ...
Deconstructing Commercial Wearable Technology: Contributions toward Accurate and Free-Living Monitoring of Sleep

Despite prolific demands and sales, commercial sleep assessment is primarily limited by the inability to "measure" sleep itself; rather, secondary physiological signals are captured, combined, and subsequently classified as sleep or a specific sleep state. Using markedly different approaches compared with gold-standard polysomnography, wearable companies purporting to measure sleep have rapidly developed during recent decades. These devices are advertised to monitor sleep via sensors such as accelerometers, electrocardiography, photoplethysmography, and temperature, alone or in combination, to estimate sleep stage based upon physiological patterns. However, without regulatory oversight, this market has historically manufactured products of poor accuracy, and rarely with third-party validation. Specifically, these devices vary in their capacities to capture a signal of interest, process the signal, perform physiological calculations, and ultimately classify a state (sleep vs. wake) or sleep stage during a given time domain. Device performance depends largely on success in all the aforementioned requirements. Thus, this review provides context surrounding the complex hardware and software developed by wearable device companies in their attempts to estimate sleep-related phenomena, and outlines considerations and contributing factors for overall device success.
Using Eye Movements to Test Assumptions of the Situation Present Assessment Method

The Situated approach to Situation Awareness (SA) holds that when the immediate task environment is present, an operator will form partial internal representations of a situation and offload detailed information to the environment to access later, as needed. In the context of air traffic control (ATC), Situated SA states operators store general features of the airspace internally, along with high priority information, and offload specific and low priority information. The following describes a method for testing these claims that involves combining the Situation Present Assessment Method (SPAM) with a web camera used to record eye movements to the radar display while probe questions are presented during a simulated air traffic control task. In the present study, probe queries address information specificity and information priority. Images from queries that are correctly responded to are coded for total number of glances and total glance duration. We argue that this technique is reliable for determining whether information is stored internally or offloaded by operators.
Regulation of Business in the USA: Talking Points

This manuscript summarizes a speech given at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia on May 14, 2013. The speech begins with a discussion of ethical theory and how it can be applied to the topic of government regulation of business, and proceeds to summarize some recent studies on the costs that regulation imposes on businesses and individuals.
Estimation of Principal Points

SUMMARY The k principal points of a p-variate random vector X are defined as those points E, . k which minimize the expected squared distance between X and the nearest of the tj. This paper reviews some of the theory of principal points and redefines them in terms of self-consistent points. An anthropometrical problem which initiated the theoretical developments is described. Four methods of estimation, ranging from normal theory maximum likelihood to the usual k-means algorithm in cluster analysis, are introduced and applied to the example. Finally, a leave-one-out method is used to assess the performance of the four methods.
Introduction to Bifurcation and Stability

On several occasions when working out examples in the earlier chapters, we came across problems that had more than one solution. Such situations are not uncommon when studying nonlinear problems, and we are now going to examine them in detail. The first step is to determine when multiple solutions appear. Once the solutions are found, the next step is to determine if they are stable. Thus, we will focus our attention on what is known as linear stability theory. In terms of perturbation methods, almost all the tools we need were developed in earlier chapters. For example, the analysis of steady-state bifurcation uses only regular expansions (Chap. 1), and the stability arguments will use regular and multiple-scale expansions (Chap. 3). On certain examples, such as when studying relaxation dynamics, we will use matched asymptotic expansions (Chap. 2).
Sparfloxacin Selects Gyrase Mutations in First-Step Mycoplasma hominis Mutants, whereas Ofloxacin Selects Topoisonmerase IV Mutations

The role of mutations in the genes for GyrA and ParC in quinolone resistance in Mycoplasma hominis was studied. Selection with sparfloxacin gave mutations at GyrA83 (Ser→Leu; Escherichia coli numbering) or GyrA87 (Glu→Lys), and mutants had increased levels of resistance to sparfloxacin (8- to 16-fold) but not to ofloxacin. Selection with ofloxacin gave changes at ParC80 (Ser→Ile) or ParC84 (Glu→Lys), and mutants were four- to eightfold more resistant to ofloxacin but not to sparfloxacin. Selection of second-step mutants from strains with ParC mutations with either quinolone yielded double mutants with additional mutations at GyrA83 (Ser→Trp or Ser→Leu) or GyrA87 (Glu→Lys). Second-step selection of GyrA mutants gave additional mutations at ParC80 (Ser→Ile) or ParC84 (Glu→Lys). Two-step mutants showed high levels of resistance to ofloxacin (MICs, 64 to 128 μg/ml) and moderate levels of resistance to sparfloxacin (MICs, 2 to 8 μg/ml). The primary target of ofloxacin in first-step mutants of Mycoplasma hominis was ParC, whereas that for sparfloxacin was GyrA.
Cosmetic Nasal Deformities Complicating Prolonged Nasotracheal Intubation in Critically III Newborn Infants

Complications following prolonged endotracheal intubation in neonates have been widely reported. 1-4 With increasing intact survival of infants who have received prolonged ventilatory assistance, these complications assume greater importance. This report concerns the particular complication of cosmetic nasal deformities secondary to nasotracheal intubation in critically ill newborn infants. A high incidence of this complication has not been previously reported. The secure fixation of endotracheal tubes in neonates for long periods of ventilatory assistance is difficult. Techniques for fixation of both orotracheal and nasotracheal tubes 2,6,7 have been described. Those utilizing adhesive tape are not entirely satisfactory. Secretions invariably dampen the tape, rendering the fixation ineffective.
Using an unconventional perfusion pattern in ear replantation—arterialization of the venous system

Ear amputation is a devastating injury characterized by a conspicuous deformity that is not easily concealed and can result in tremendous psychological trauma in addition to the physical insult. While numerous different approaches have been proposed, microvascular replantation is widely considered to deliver the best esthetic outcome. In this article, the authors report a case in which an unconventional perfusion pattern (i.e., arterialization of the venous system) was chosen, as intraoperative anatomic conditions precluded conventional vascular reconstruction. A 25-year-old male patient sustained a human bite resulting in subtotal amputation of his left ear. In the setting of an adequate arterial donor vessel, that is, branch of the posterior auricular artery, and a single suitable recipient vein (0.4 mm), the decision was made to perform an end-to-end arterio-venous anastomosis without the use of vein grafts. Medicinal leeches were applied postoperatively to provide for venous drainage. The ear survived and the patient was discharged after 14 days. To the best of our knowledge, this is first case of a subtotal ear amputation that was successfully replanted by arterialization of the venous system without the use of vein grafts and with preservation of the superficial temporal vessels. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 34:657–661, 2014.
Cleavage of abasic sites in DNA by intercalator-amines.

Anthraquinone and naphthalene diimide intercalators with amine-containing side chains cleave plasmid DNA at abasic sites (apurinic or apyrimidinic (AP) sites). The intercalator-amine is substantially more effective than the amine itself; many intercalators with diamine side chains cleave most of the abasic sites at micromolar concentration (30 min at 37°C). Intercalators with two amino moieties in the side chain are more efficient than those with one, arguing for a role for each of two amines in the cleavage mechanism. Side chains ending in tertiary amines are somewhat more effective than those ending in primary amines, indicating that imine formation is not required for cleavage at the abasic site. We also report a systematic study of abasic site cleavage by polyamines, including piperidine, spermine, spermidine and 12 other di-, tri- and tetra-amines. For polyamines as well as intercalator-amines, examples with three carbon atoms between neighboring nitrogens atoms cleave most efficiently. This may reflect a particularly favorable geometry for proton abstraction for these species. The effect of nitrogen–nitrogen spacing on the pKa values of the nitrogens may contribute as well. Overall, cleavage of plasmid DNA at adventitious abasic sites by intercalator-amines bearing two nitrogens in a single side chain occurs readily.
Fatigue performance of Friction Stir Welded Ti–6Al–4V subjected to various post weld heat treatment temperatures

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate a variety of post weld heat treatment temperatures on the fatigue performance of Friction Stir Welded Ti–6Al–4V joints in order to identify an optimal post weld heat treatment condition. Microstructure, microhardness and tensile properties were also evaluated for each heat treatment condition to provide additional insight into the fatigue results obtained. Four heat treatment temperatures were evaluated, 760, 816, 871 and 927 °C. In general, it was found that that hardness and strength decreased with heat treatment temperature, but ductility and fatigue performance improved. It is recommended that a high heat treatment temperature be used on Ti FSW’s to obtain the best combination of strength, ductility and fatigue performance.
Alteration of alcohol effects by calcium and other inorganic cations

Abstract The duration of loss of righting reflex (sleeping-time) produced by ethanol in mice was increased by intracerebroventricular (IVT) administration of CaCl 2 or MnCl 2 but was not altered by injection of MgCl 2 , LaCl 3 or verapamil. Calcium also increased t -butanol, chloral hydrate and pentobarbital sleeping-time and decreased the ED 50 for loss of righting reflex for ethanol, t -butanol, chloral hydrate and pentobarbital. In contrast to the enhancement of sleeping-time, calcium did not potentiate the hypothermic effects of these four drugs. However, lanthanum, a calcium antagonist, was found to antagonize the hypothermic effect of ethanol. In other experiments, mice were made dependent upon ethanol by a liquid diet technique. After withdrawal of the diet, convulsions on handling and body temperature were evaluated hourly to estimate withdrawal severity. Injection of calcium during withdrawal was found to markedly suppress the convulsions on handling and to completely reverse the hypothermia produced by withdrawal of ethanol. Injection of magnesium also suppressed signs of withdrawal, but was less effective than calcium. Further evidence for the involvement of calcium in the actions of alcohols was obtained in experiments where acute administration of ethanol reduced the toxicity produced by IVT injection of EGTA, a specific calcium chelator. In addition, the CNS toxicity of EGTA was increased during ethanol withdrawal. These results demonstrate that signs of both alcohol and sedative intoxication and alcohol withdrawal can be modulated by the availability of brain calcium, and suggest that acute and chronic ethanol treatments may alter the availability of calcium in brain.
Periodic review inventory control with fluctuating purchasing costs

For an inventory control problem in which the purchasing cost changes (e.g. exchange rate fluctuations), we show that an order up to policy is optimal and determine conditions under which the optimal up to levels are monotonically ordered. We also propose a simple method for predicting the effectiveness of myopic heuristics.
Electromechanical modeling of charge sensing in ionic polymers

A model for charge sensing due to imposed deformation in ionic polymer materials is presented. The basic concept of this model is that mechanical deformation induces charge at the surface of the polymer and produces a measureable discharge of current as the material is deformed. This discharge of current occurs when a short-circuit electrical boundary condition is applied across the material electrodes. An expression for charge density, electric field and electric potential under short-circuit conditions is developed from the electrostatic field equations. The solution for charge density is coupled with the mechanical deformation through a proportionality constant. Expressions for induced charge and current flow are then derived from the equations for electric displacement at the surface of the material. Experimental results support the basic form of the model and also demonstrate that the geometric scaling predicted in the model agrees with measured data. Analysis of the length scale predicted by the model produces qualitative agreement with previously published results but also points to the need for a greater understanding of the interfacial mechanics in the ionic polymer transducers.
Effect of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition on Food Intake, Triglycerides, and Hypothalamic Peptides

While a high-fat diet when compared to low-fat diet is known to produce overeating and health complications, less is known about the effects produced by fat-rich diets differing in their specific composition of fat. This study examined the effects of a high-fat diet containing relatively high levels of saturated compared to unsaturated fatty acids (HiSat) to a high-fat diet with higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids (USat). A HiSat compared to USat meal caused rats to consume more calories in a subsequent chow test meal. The HiSat meal also increased circulating levels of triglycerides (TG) and expression of the orexigenic peptides, galanin (GAL) in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and orexin (OX) in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus (PFLH). A similar increase in TG levels and PVN GAL and PFLH OX was also seen in rats given chronic access to the HiSat compared to USat diet, while neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related protein (AgRP) in the arcuate nucleus showed decreased expression. The importance of TG in producing these changes was supported by the finding that the TG-lowering medication gemfibrozil as compared to vehicle, when peripherally administered before consumption of a HiSat meal, significantly decreased the expression of OX, while increasing the expression of NPY and AgRP. These findings substantiate the importance of the fat composition in a diet, indicating that those rich in saturated compared to unsaturated fatty acids may promote overeating by increasing circulating lipids and specific hypothalamic peptides, GAL and OX, known to preferentially stimulate the consumption of a fat-rich diet.
First- and second-order Raman scattering from finite-size crystals of graphite

First- and second-order Raman scattering from graphite has been studied. The second-order spectra of single crystals and of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite are continuous and exhibit several well-defined bands which can be attributed to features in the density of vibrational states as determined from current lattice-dynamics models. The density of states deduced from the lattice-dynamics model of Nicklow, Wakabayashi, and Smith provides the best replication of the second-order Raman spectrum, but is nevertheless somewhat deficient in this regard, and in need of improvement. The dependence of the first- and second-order graphite Raman spectra on crystallite size has also been studied for a series of samples with typical dimensions ${L}_{c}$ and ${L}_{a}$ as small as 30 \AA{}. With decreasing crystal size the features in the second-order spectrum broaden noticeably and additional broad features appear in both the first- and second-order spectra. The additional first- and second-order features are also attributed to structure in the vibrational density of states and arise from the wave-vector selection-rule relaxation that results from finite-crystal-size effects. Evidence is presented to demonstrate that the above described spectral features are intrinsic and not associated with impurity excitations.
Reliability evaluation of axially loaded steel members design criteria in AASHTO LRFD bridge design code

Abstract Reliability based structural design insures a uniformly designed structure, in terms of safety. By considering an adequate reliability index (or probability of failure) for different parts of a structure, a reasonable balance between cost and safety of the structure can be achieved. In this study, the reliability of steel tension and compression members designed with AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications (2007) is evaluated. These members are prevalent in different types of truss or arch bridges. Various conditions such as redundancy, ductility and importance of the bridge are taken into account by changing the load modification factor, η. To include the effect of the span length, a variable ratio of dead load to total load is considered. Current load factors in AASHTO LRFD code are accepted due to their verification in a comprehensive study for reliability of girder-type bridges. Furthermore, load and resistance distribution models are chosen based on the latest existing experimental data. The Monte Carlo simulation technique with randomly generated samples is applied in numerical calculations. For tension members, analysis results show relatively high reliability indices in yielding design, while having slightly low reliabilities for the fracture mode. For fracture design of steel tension members, an increase in vehicular dynamic load allowance (IM) from 33% to 75% is suggested to insure a safer behavior. Also, it is shown that the resistance factor for yielding of gross section, φy, can be increased from 0.95 to 1.00 while maintaining enough safety for designed tension members. In addition, obtained reliability curves for steel compression members show a safe behavior of designed compression members with conservative response in some cases. More results and plotted curves are discussed in detail and possible adjustments in code criteria are presented in this paper.
Viral enhancement of mycoplasma growth in tracheal organ cultures.

Abstract Organ cultures made from tracheas of calves or of bovine embryos supported good growth of Mycoplasma hyorhinis, although the unmodified medium used to maintain the organ cultures did not support growth of this organism. Media conditioned by contact with the organ cultures supported only limited growth of mycoplasmas and the presence of the tissue was necessary for their growth to high titres. If the organ cultures were infected with either a bovine rhinovirus or parainfluenza virus type 3, both of which were cytopathic for the tracheal epithelium, the growth of several mycoplasma species was enhanced. M. hyorhinis grew in closer association with virus-infected tissues than with normal tissues. The effects of some other forms of tissue damage were similar to those produced by virus infection. The possible relevance of the findings to mechanisms of the pathogenicity of mycoplasmas is discussed.