cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Staging Female Virtue: Elizabeth Cary and Katharina Lescailje

This chapter studies four Herod and Mariam plays produced in England and the Low Countries for what they can tell us about feminine publicity on stage. It begins by analyzing Elizabeth Cary’s Tragedy of Mariam, a complexly “private” text that nonetheless appeared in print. This work is contrasted with Samuel Pordage’s Restoration Herod and Mariamne, a play performed when actresses were allowed on the public stage. For the Dutch Republic, the chapter discusses Daniel Mostart’s Mariamne, composed for the all-male stage, followed by Katherine Lescailje’s translation of Francois Tristan l’Hermite’s La Mariane, which was written when women were acting on the public stage in Amsterdam. These four texts show that women writers were especially concerned with confronting a heroine drawn from an absolutist tradition of playwriting with newly emerging ideologies of domesticity. Female virtue is defined nostalgically in opposition to these ideologies, but a newer form of publicity is not available to the remarkable heroine of the story.
Buttressing of the EEA stapler during gastrojejunal anastomosis decreases rate of bleeding-related complications for laparoscopic gastric bypass

Abstract Background Bariatric surgery is a well-tolerated and effective treatment for severe obesity. Newer surgical techniques and equipment have improved safety standards surrounding bariatric surgery. In particular, buttressing of the staple line in sleeve gastrectomy has decreased rates of clinically significant postoperative bleeding. The present study investigates the effectiveness of buttressing the circular stapled anastomosis during laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Setting Academic, accredited hospital. Methods A total of 253 patients undergoing LRYGB at a single academic institution were included in this retrospective study between 2014 and 2015. Buttressing material was used in 125 of these cases. Demographic information was collected from both groups preoperatively. Surgical characteristics were also obtained analyzed using unpaired t or χ 2 tests. Results Patients in both buttressing and nonbuttressing groups were on average 46 years old and predominantly female (79.2% versus 74.2% female, respectively), with a body mass index of approximately 48 kg/m 2 . Postoperative weight loss did not significantly differ between groups at any time point (buttressing versus nonbuttressing percentage of excess weight loss: 39.5% versus 41.5% at 3 mo, P = .3860; 56.4% versus 56.7% at 6 mo, P = .9341). There were no significant differences for operating time, length of stay, readmissions, or reoperations. Complications due to strictures were found to be lower for the buttressing group (0% buttressing versus 2.3% nonbuttressing, P = .0851). Specific rates of bleeding-related complications were significantly lower for the group in which buttressing was used (0% buttressing versus 3.1% nonbuttressing, P = .0463). Conclusion Buttressing of the gastrojejunal anastomosis during LRYGB significantly reduces bleeding-related complications and increases tolerability of the procedure.
An Integrative Review on Standardized Exams as a Predictive Admission Criterion for RN Programs

Nursing programs reject qualified applicants due to limited clinical placements and faculty. By admitting the strongest candidates, schools of nursing will reduce attrition rates, increase NCLEX-RN pass rates, and speed the entry into practice of well-prepared nurses to help stem the nursing shortage. This integrative review identified the standardized admission exams most predictive of student success. Included were articles published between 2005 and 2016 that focused on admission criteria, RN programs, specific exams (e. g., HESI-A2, TEAS, SAT, CAAP, or ACT), NCLEX-RN performance, or program success. Standardized exams are effective predictors of success in programs of nursing and first-attempt NCLEX-RN. While predictive accuracy differs between exams, findings suggest that the HESI-A2 is currently the best predictor of success. By optimizing the use of standardized exams as admission criteria, nursing programs can reduce attrition rates and improve NCLEX-RN pass rates. This will maximize program capacity and contribute to a greater number of practicing nurses.
What Aspects of Rural Life Contribute to Rural-Urban Health Disparities in Older Adults? Evidence From a National Survey.

PURPOSE: Rural‐urban health disparities are well‐documented and particularly problematic for older adults. However, determining which specific aspects of rural or urban living initiate these disparities remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess associations between place‐based characteristics of rural‐urban status and health among adults age 65+. METHODS: Data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were geographically linked to place‐based characteristics from the American Community Survey. Self‐reported health (SRH), obesity, and health checkup within the last year were modeled against rural‐urban status (distance to nearest metropolitan area, population size, population density, percent urban, Urban Influence Codes [UIC], Rural‐Urban Continuum Codes [RUCC], and Rural‐Urban Commuting Area [RUCA]) using generalized linear models, accounting for covariates and complex sampling, overall, and stratified by area‐level income. FINDINGS: In general, increasing urbanicity was associated with a reduction in negative SRH for all 7 measures of rural‐urban status. For low‐income counties, this association held for all measures and characteristics of rural‐urban status except population density. However, for high‐income counties, the association was reversed—respondents living in areas of increasing urbanicity were more likely to report negative SRH for 4 of the 7 measures (RUCC, UIC, RUCA, and percent urban). Findings were mixed for the outcome of obesity, where rural areas had higher levels, except in low‐income counties, where the association between rurality and obesity was reversed (OR 1.033, 95%CI: 1.002‐1.064). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that rural‐urban status is both a continuum and multidimensional. Distinct elements of rural‐urban status may influence health in nuanced ways that require additional exploration in future studies.
Endometrial Ablation—Current Evidence for Patient Optimization and Long-Term Outcomes

Endometrial ablation is a minimally invasive surgical option to treat abnormal uterine bleeding. Here, we summarize the evidence regarding patient optimization prior to endometrial ablation and the long-term outcomes of this procedure. Patient optimization includes preoperative planning, patient selection, and preoperative predictors of postoperative failure. Long-term outcomes include postoperative bleeding patterns, frequency of additional procedures for treatment failure, patient satisfaction, risk of endometrial cancer, and pregnancy outcomes. Endometrial ablation is a safe procedure to treat abnormal uterine bleeding in high- and low-risk surgical patients. A prior low transverse cesarean section is not a contraindication to the procedure. Young age at ablation (less than 30–45 years of age) is the most significant risk factor for treatment failure. Preoperative dysmenorrhea, large uterine size, fibroids, and prior tubal ligation may also be risk factors for failure. Reduction in menstrual bleeding and patient satisfaction achieved at 12 months usually persist for 5–10 years. There is a 17–25% risk of subsequent hysterectomy that usually occurs within the first 5 years. Endometrial ablation does not appear to increase the risk for developing endometrial cancer. Lastly, outcomes of post-ablation pregnancy are poor, and preoperative counseling should include a discussion about reliable post-ablation contraception. Endometrial ablation can effectively reduce menstrual blood loss and improve patient satisfaction with effects sustained for years after the procedure and is appropriate to use in high-risk surgical candidates. Younger women should be counseled preoperatively about the risk of treatment failure and need for additional procedures in the future.
Demonstrating automatic content generation in the galactic arms race video game

In most modern video games, content (e.g. models, levels, weapons, etc.) shipped with the game is static and unchanging, or at best, randomized within a narrow set of parameters. However, if game content could be constantly renewed, players would remain engaged longer. To realize this ambition, the content-generating NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (cgNEAT) algorithm automatically evolves novel game content based on player preferences, as the game is played. To demonstrate this approach, the Galactic Arms Race (GAR) video game, which incorporates cgNEAT, will be presented. In GAR, players pilot space ships and fight enemies to acquire novel particle system weapons that are evolved by the game. The live demo will show how GAR players can discover a wide variety of weapons that are not only novel, but also based on and extended from previous content that they preferred in the past. The implication of cgNEAT is that it is now possible to create games that generate their own content, potentially significantly reducing the cost of content creation and increasing the replay value of games.
Place matters: variation in the black/white very preterm birth rate across U.S. metropolitan areas, 2002-2004.

Objective.We reported on the distribution of very preterm (VPT) birth rates by race across metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).Methods.Rates of singleton VPT birth for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic women were calculated with National Center for Health Statistics 2002–2004 natality files for infants in 168 MSAs. Subanalysis included stratification by parity, age, smoking, maternal education, metropolitan size, region, proportion of MSA that was black, proportion of black population living below the poverty line, and indices of residential segregation.Results.The mean metropolitan-level VPT birth rate was 12.3, 34.8, and 15.7 per 1,000 live births for white, black, and Hispanic women, respectively. There was virtually no overlap in the white and black distributions. The variation in mean risk across cities was three times greater for black women compared with white women. The threefold disparity in mean rate, and two- to threefold increased variation as indicated by standard deviati...
Improved Value of Individual Prenatal Care for the Interdisciplinary Team

Objective. Innovative models of prenatal care are needed to improve pregnancy outcomes and lower the cost of care. We sought to increase the value of traditional prenatal care by using a new model (PodCare) featuring a standardized visit schedule and coordination of care within small interdisciplinary teams in an academic setting. Methods. Prenatal providers and clinic staff were divided into four “Pods”. Testing and counseling topics were assigned to visits based on gestational age. Interdisciplinary weekly Pod meetings provided coordination of care. A retrospective chart review was performed. The primary endpoints were the number of prenatal care visits and number of providers seen. Results. After PodCare implementation, more patients choose care with the low-risk physician team (42% compared to 26%). Study subjects included 85 women in 2013 and 165 women in 2014. The median number of visits decreased from 13 to 10 (p < 0.00004) and the median number of providers seen decreased from 7 to 5 (p < 0.0000008). Conclusion. PodCare increased the value of individual prenatal care by decreasing the number of visits, increasing continuity, and providing care coordination. The model provides a robust experience in interdisciplinary care. The PodCare model may be successful at other academic institutions.
Defining Environmental Health Literacy

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is an emerging area of study that incorporates content and strategies from environmental, health, and social sciences to promote understanding of the ways environmental contaminants affect health. The basic knowledge and skills needed for comprehending environmental health risks and for devising, assessing, implementing and evaluating potential solutions form the foundations of EHL. EHL strives to improve understanding of how individuals and communities make sense of and act on health-related information about environmental hazards. In this chapter, the concept of EHL and its background are introduced, and foundational contributions from health, risk, and participatory communication are discussed.
Reflection coefficient of HfO2-based RRAM in different resistance states

Impedance spectra of multiple resistive states in a stable-switching Resistive Random-Access Memory device based on a stack of Ru/HfO2/Zr/W was studied in this work. Using these observations, reflection-coefficients were extracted for different resistive states. Clear changes in the reflection coefficient for different resistive states were observed. The device in a low resistive state showed a significantly higher reflection coefficient compared to its high resistive state. An increasing trend in the reflection coefficient was observed as the device state was gradually reconfigured towards lower resistances. Maximum frequency for reflection increased with the decrease in the device area. The physics behind this observation is attributed to the interplay of oxygen ion transport among the interfacial layer, conductive filament, and HfO2-film.
Elevational differences in hydrogeomorphic disturbance regime influence sediment residence times within mountain river corridors

High-elevation mountain streams are commonly viewed as erosive environments, but they can retain sediment along river corridors for thousands of years. In 2013, an extreme flood evacuated floodplain sediment in the Colorado Front Range, USA. We use fifty-two 14C ages collected along four streams prior to the flood to estimate mean residence time of floodplain sediment. Here we show that mountain streams above the elevation of the Pleistocene terminal moraine retain floodplain sediment for longer durations than those at lower elevation, but that wildfires may decrease floodplain sediment residence time at high elevations. Comparison of field sites and differencing of pre- and post-flood lidar show that valley confinement is a significant predictor of residence time, sediment flux, and floodplains disturbed by the 2013 flood. Elevational trends in floodplain disturbance regime also reflect differences in forest type, precipitation pattern, and wildfire regime, which are expected to shift under a changing climate.
Assessing The Factual Accuracy of Generated Text.

We propose a model-based metric to estimate the factual accuracy of generated text that is complementary to typical scoring schemes like ROUGE (Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation) and BLEU (Bilingual Evaluation Understudy). We introduce and release a new large-scale dataset based on Wikipedia and Wikidata to train relation classifiers and end-to-end fact extraction models. The end-to-end models are shown to be able to extract complete sets of facts from datasets with full pages of text. We then analyse multiple models that estimate factual accuracy on a Wikipedia text summarization task, and show their efficacy compared to ROUGE and other model-free variants by conducting a human evaluation study.
Synchronous Crepuscular Flight of Female Asian Gypsy Moths: Relationships of Light Intensity and Ambient and Body Temperatures

Female gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar) of Asian heritage studied in central Siberia and Germany exhibit a highly synchronous flight at dusk, after light intensity falls to about 2 lux. This critical light intensity sets the timing of flight behaviors independent of ambient temperature. Flight follows several minutes of preflight wing fanning during which females in Germany and those from a laboratory colony (derived from Siberian stock) raised their thoracic temperatures to 32–33°C at ambient temperatures of 19–22°C. Thoracic temperature of females in free flight exceeded the air temperature (19–22°C) by approximately 11–13°C. The duration of wing fanning was strongly dependent on ambient temperature. In Germany, where ambient temperatures at dusk ranged between 21 and 25°C, females wing fanned for only 2.1 ± 0.2 (SE) min; in the much colder temperatures prevalent at dusk in Bellyk, central Siberia (11–13°C), females spent 11.2 ± 0.6 min in preflight wing fanning. The majority (≤80%) of mated and even virgin females initiated flight during the evening of the day they eclosed. However, in Bellyk, a small proportion (12%) of females wing fanned for an extended time but then stopped, whereas others (8%) never wing fanned and, therefore, did not take flight. Females also were capable of flight when disturbed during the daylight hours in Germany where the maximal temperature was high (27–30°C), but not in Siberia, where temperatures peaked at only 17–19°C. However, Siberian females were able to propel themselves off the tree on which they were perched by executing several vigorous wing flicks when approached by the predaceous tettigoniid, Tettigonia caudata.
Voluntary Disclosure of Non-Financial Information and its Association with Sustainability Performance

This paper investigates management incentives for disclosing voluntary non-financial information and whether such disclosure is associated with firms' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability performance. We hand-collect 580 sample firms' voluntary non-financial disclosure on product, competition, industry, customers, trends, and technology data from their annual reports in 2010. We find that information contents and managerial motivations play an important role in assessing the antecedents and consequences of non-financial disclosure. Specifically, we find that earnings quality is a more pronounced factor in influencing forward-looking non-financial disclosures whereas proprietary cost is a more pronounced factor in influencing historical nonfinancial disclosures. Using the ratings from the KLD database to construct ESG sustainability performance, we find a two-directional association between non-financial disclosures and sustainability performance. Specifically, forward-looking non-financial disclosures are associated with a one year lead in sustainability performance, whereas current year sustainability performance is linked to more disclosures of historical non-financial information in the year-end annual filings.
Improving Diabetes Education in Mexican American Older Adults

Lack of culturally sensitive, age-specific diabetes education in Mexican American older aged people may contribute to deficits in diabetes knowledge, self-management, and glycemic control. This quality improvement initiative applied evidence-based, culturally competent, age-specific education to improve health outcomes. A one-group, pretest/posttest design guided this project in a primary care community clinic. Mexican American adults >60 years, with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM; N = 12) received 3 months of biweekly innovative classes including: healthy Mexican foods; family involvement; Spanish interpreter using simultaneous earphone technology; and interactive, bilingual, large-print materials. Paired sample t tests compared diabetes knowledge, self-management, and A1C levels. There was a significant improvement in preeducation and posteducation outcomes: knowledge, t(11) = -7.969, p = .000; d = 2.32, self-management, t(11) = -7.930, p = .000; d = 2.43, and A1C levels, t(11) = 6.434, p = .000; d = 0.78. Culturally competent, language-friendly innovation, age-specific T2DM education can positively impact knowledge, self-management behaviors, and glycemic values in older aged Mexican American people.
Roles of Brassinosteroids in Mitigating Heat Stress Damage in Cereal Crops.

Heat stress causes huge losses in the yield of cereal crops. Temperature influences the rate of plant metabolic and developmental processes that ultimately determine the production of grains, with high temperatures causing a reduction in grain yield and quality. To ensure continued food security, the tolerance of high temperature is rapidly becoming necessary. Brassinosteroids (BR) are a class of plant hormones that impact tolerance to various biotic and abiotic stresses and regulate cereal growth and fertility. Fine-tuning the action of BR has the potential to increase cereals’ tolerance and acclimation to heat stress and maintain yields. Mechanistically, exogenous applications of BR protect yields through amplifying responses to heat stress and rescuing the expression of growth promoters. Varied BR compounds and differential signaling mechanisms across cereals point to a diversity of mechanisms that can be leveraged to mitigate heat stress. Further, hormone transport and BR interaction with other molecules in plants may be critical to utilizing BR as protective agrochemicals against heat stress. Understanding the interplay between heat stress responses, growth processes and hormone signaling may lead us to a comprehensive dogma of how to tune BR application for optimizing cereal growth under challenging environments in the field.
Impact of COVID-19 on adolescent and emerging adult brain tumor survivors and their parents.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted unprecedented challenges, contributing to greater difficulties among families of children with special health care needs, such as pediatric brain tumor survivors. We examined the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial functioning of adolescent and emerging adult survivors and their parents. We hypothesized that COVID-19 disruptions and survivor social connectedness would be associated with survivor-reported posttraumatic stress and family outcomes, including family functioning, parenting, and parent mental health. PROCEDURE: Fifty-five families (44 survivors, 48 parents) were recruited via phone and email to participate in the study. Survivors were ages 13-25 (M = 19.62, SD = 3.47) and at least 5 years post diagnosis. Parents completed the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey (CEFIS), and survivors completed the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) COVID-19 child self-report form, which assessed pandemic impacts on their psychosocial functioning. RESULTS: Parents reported a mean of 7.52 (SD = 2.83) disruptions to their families' lives. The pandemic negatively affected survivors' life satisfaction (Mdiff = 0.46, t(44) = 3.96, p < .001), with 92% reporting reduced social connectedness (n = 39). Total disruptions due to COVID-19 and survivor social connectedness predicted survivor-reported posttraumatic stress, above and beyond survivors' pre-pandemic psychosocial risk. Most parents reported positive changes in their parenting (n = 31, 67.4%) and family cohesion (n = 30, 66.7%). However, they also reported worsened mood (n = 28, 62.3%) and increased anxiety (n = 31, 71.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Parents and survivors reported positive and negative impacts of COVID-19, which had downstream consequences on survivor psychosocial functioning. Follow-up care should consider potential adverse effects on social connectedness and stress symptoms.
Selected differences between directors and other personnel in assessment of their own U.S. academic library

The findings reported in this paper are based on analyses of a subset of data originally collected for a comparative survey of library personnel in Germany and the USA. This subset focuses on those survey respondents working in a library in the USA for a higher education institution granting doctoral degrees, and the analyses described here compare and contrast the views of those respondents holding positions as library directors with those who do not. Findings include differing views on leadership, diversity, employee morale, and meeting user expectations.
String Theory: A first look at strings

Why strings? One of the main themes in the history of science has been unification. Time and again diverse phenomena have been understood in terms of a small number of underlying principles and building blocks. The principle that underlies our current understanding of nature is quantum field theory, quantum mechanics with the basic observables living at spacetime points. In the late 1940s it was shown that quantum field theory is the correct framework for the unification of quantum mechanics and electromagnetism. By the early 1970s it was understood that the weak and strong nuclear forces are also described by quantum field theory. The full theory, the SU (3) × SU (2) × U (1) Model or Standard Model , has been confirmed repeatedly in the ensuing years. Combined with general relativity, this theory is consistent with virtually all physics down to the scales probed by particle accelerators, roughly 10 −16 cm. It also passes a variety of indirect tests that probe to shorter distances, including precision tests of quantum electrodynamics, searches for rare meson decays, limits on neutrino masses, limits on axions (light weakly interacting particles) from astrophysics, searches for proton decay, and gravitational limits on the couplings of massless scalars. In each of these indirect tests new physics might well have appeared, but in no case has clear evidence for it yet been seen; at the time of writing, the strongest sign is the solar neutrino problem, suggesting nonzero neutrino masses.
A 5-HT1A agonist and a 5-HT2c antagonist reduce social interaction deficit induced by multiple ethanol withdrawals in rats

Rationale Repeated withdrawals from chronic forced ethanol exposure sensitize animals to withdrawal-induced deficits in social interaction behavior. The deficits in social interaction behavior following withdrawal from continuous ethanol exposure can be reduced following acute treatments with 5-HT2C antagonists or 5-HT1A agonists.
Integrated Facility Design Using an Evolutionary Approach with a Subordinate Network Algorithm

The facility design problem is a common one in manufacturing and service industries and has been studied extensively in the literature. However, restrictions on the scope of the design problem have been imposed by the limitations of the optimization techniques employed. This paper uses an evolutionary approach with a subordinate network optimization algorithm to produce integrated designs that have better translations into physical plant designs. A new distance metric to consider material travel along the perimeter of the departments to and from input/output locations is devised. This perimeter distance metric is used in the objective function to produce facility designs that simultaneously optimize design of department shapes, department placement and location of the department input/output points.
Replication of bacteriophage M13: II. The role of replicative forms in single-strand synthesis

Abstract Sucrose-gradient sedimentation of DNA from cells pulse-labeled with tritiated thymidine at 130 minutes after M13 infection shows a flow of material from RF ‡ to progeny single strands. For pulses less than 40 seconds, most of the phagospecific DNA sediments at the rates of RFI and RFII. Pulses for 15 seconds or less show a third component sedimenting even more rapidly than RFI. All of the pulse label in this component is contained in linear viral strands, some of which sediment even more rapidly than circular viral DNA in alkaline sucrose gradients. The label in RFII is contained almost entirely in linear viral strands of unit length. The relative amount of label in RFII decreases with increasing pulse lengths up to about 180 seconds. After a lag of at least 40 seconds, label rapidly accumulates in progeny single strands; by five minutes the distribution of label is similar to that observed in long-term labeling with 70 to 80% of the label in single-stranded DNA. When pulse-labeling is followed by growth in unlabeled medium, most of the incorporated label is chased into progeny single strands. Label is found in both viral and complementary strands of RF only after long-term labeling from the time of infection. Labeled complementary strands of RF molecules are conserved during further growth in unlabeled medium while labeled viral strands are displaced from the RF as new viral strands are synthesized.
A 2‐D numerical simulation study on longitudinal solute transport and longitudinal dispersion coefficient

[1] The longitudinal dispersion coefficient, DL, is a fundamental parameter of longitudinal solute transport models: the advection-dispersion (AD) model and various deadzone models. Since DL cannot be measured directly, and since its calibration using tracer test data is quite expensive and not always available, researchers have developed various methods, theoretical or empirical, for estimating DL by easier available cross-sectional hydraulic measurements (i.e., the transverse velocity profile, etc.). However, for known and unknown reasons, DL cannot be satisfactorily predicted using these theoretical/empirical formulae. Either there is very large prediction error for theoretical methods, or there is a lack of generality for the empirical formulae. Here, numerical experiments using Mike21, a software package that implements one of the most rigorous two-dimensional hydrodynamic and solute transport equations, for longitudinal solute transport in hypothetical streams, are presented. An analysis of the evolution of simulated solute clouds indicates that the two fundamental assumptions in Fischer's longitudinal transport analysis may be not reasonable. The transverse solute concentration distribution, and hence the longitudinal transport appears to be controlled by a dimensionless number , where Q is the average volumetric flowrate, Dt is a cross-sectional average transverse dispersion coefficient, and W is channel flow width. A simple empirical relationship may be established. Analysis and a revision of Fischer's theoretical formula suggest that ɛ influences the efficiency of transverse mixing and hence has restraining effect on longitudinal spreading. The findings presented here would improve and expand our understanding of longitudinal solute transport in open channel flow.
Vaccines, Adjuvants, and Dendritic Cell Activators—Current Status and Future Challenges

Cancer vaccines offer a low-toxicity approach to induce anticancer immune responses. They have shown promise for clinical benefit with one cancer vaccine approved in the United States for advanced prostate cancer. As other immune therapies are now clearly effective for treatment of advanced cancers of many histologies, there is renewed enthusiasm for optimizing cancer vaccines for use to prevent recurrence in early-stage cancers and/or to combine with other immune therapies for therapy of advanced cancers. Future advancements in vaccine therapy will involve the identification and selection of effective antigen formulations, optimization of adjuvants, dendritic cell (DC) activation, and combination therapies. In this summary we present the current practice, the broad collection of challenges, and the promising future directions of vaccine therapy for cancer.
Escherichia coli F41 adhesin: genetic organization, nucleotide sequence, and homology with the K88 determinant.

Abstract The genetic organization of the polypeptides required for the biosynthesis of the F41 adhesin of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains was investigated. Maxicell analysis demonstrated that a recombinant plasmid which mediated mannose-resistant hemagglutination and F41 antigen production encoded four polypeptides of 29, 30, 32, and 86 kilodaltons. The 29-kilodalton protein was identified as the F41 antigen, and the nucleotide sequence of the gene was determined. Extensive homology was observed between the region encoding the putative signal sequences of the F41 and K88 antigens and in the region immediately upstream of the antigen genes. The nucleotide sequence homology between F41 and K88 determinants was further investigated by Southern blot hybridization. A K88 probe hybridized at high stringency to all fragments shown to be essential for F41 production except for fragments internal to the F41 antigen gene.
Systematic review: microbial dysbiosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

SummaryBackground The human intestinal microbiota is a key regulator of host metabolic and immune functions and alterations in the microbiome (‘dysbiosis’) have been implicated in several human diseases. Because of the anatomical links between the intestines and the liver, dysbiosis may also disrupt hepatic function and thereby contribute to the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Aim To perform a comprehensive review of the medical literature investigating associations between intestinal dysbiosis and NAFLD, with a particular emphasis on studies that characterise the microbiome in NAFLD. Methods We conducted a search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science using multiple search terms including: ‘NAFLD, NASH, fatty liver, steatohepatitis’ combined with ‘metagenome, microbiom*, microbiota*, fecal flora, intestinal flora, gut bacteria’. Results were manually reviewed and studies selected based on relevance to intestinal microbiota and NAFLD. We also included studies that addressed potential mechanistic models of pathways linking the dysbiosis to NAFLD. Results Nine studies (five human and four animal models) were identified in our search that assessed associations between specific intestinal microbiota composition and NAFLD. We reviewed and summarised the results of additional investigations that more broadly addressed the mechanisms by which the microbiome may impact NAFLD pathogenesis. Conclusions Investigations in humans and animals demonstrate associations between intestinal dysbiosis and NAFLD; however, causality has not been proven and mechanistic links require further delineation. As the field of microbiome research matures in techniques and study design, more detailed insights into NAFLD pathogenesis and its associations with the intestinal microbiota will be elucidated.
Strain analysis by one-beam laser speckle interferometry. 2: Multiaperture method.

A detailed analysis of using multiple apertures to record laser speckles for strain analysis is presented. It is shown that the basic fringe-forming mechanism is no different from that of single-aperture recording, except that at the Fourier filtering stage the diffracted light energy is concentrated at the spatial frequencies admitted by the apertures. As a result, better isothetic fringes at higher frequencies are obtainable. The concept of moire is not utilized in the analysis. Indeed, it is shown that some of the observed phenomena cannot be explained using the moire concept. Multiaperture arrangements studied include two, three, and four apertures.
1.1 μm superficially porous particles for liquid chromatography. Part I: synthesis and particle structure characterization.

Superficially porous particles are characterized by a non-porous particle core surrounded by a thin porous layer. Superficially porous particles have been shown to have chromatographic advantages over traditional totally porous particles by reducing the resistance to mass transfer and the eddy diffusion contributions to the theoretical plate height, particularly for biomolecule separations. Currently, 1.7 μm superficially porous particles are commercially available, but a further decrease in the particle diameter and reduction in the porous layer thickness has the potential to further improve the efficiency of the column packing material. In this study, the synthesis of smaller diameter superficially porous particles was investigated. As the particle diameter was decreased, however, synthesis parameters previously reported were rendered unsuitable due to particle agglomeration, non-uniform coating, and porous layer disintegration. Parameters such as colloidal silica size, drying process, and sintering temperature were investigated to improve the structural characteristics of smaller diameter superficially porous particles. Reported is a synthetic route for production of 1.1 μm superficially porous particles having a 0.1 μm porous layer. Based on the revised method, the particles produced have a surface area, pore diameter, and particle size distribution RSD of 52 m(2)/g, 71 A, and 2.2%, respectively.
Enhancing the Network of Peer Support on College Campuses

Surveys of college student mental health detail large numbers of students with significant mental health concerns and highlight the fact that students in distress turn most often to their friends for help. These student helpers often feel unequipped and overwhelmed by their friends’ requests for help and don't know where to turn. This article describes a program which seeks to identify, train, and support students within their natural helping roles. The Student Support Network (SSN) program identifies student helpers and offers them a 6-week training to improve their ability to recognize and respond to their peers’ distress.
Physicochemical characterization of carbon-coated alumina

Abstract A commercial alumina powder was coated with carbon via deposition from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at 800°C. The chemical and thermal properties of the resulting material were evaluated via (a) the selective neutralization of surface groups; (b) electrophoresis; (c) mass titration; (d) thermogravimetric analysis; (e) carbon gasification reactivity in air; and (f) temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and oxidation (TPO). The air-exposed material was found to contain predominantly basic and weakly acidic surface sites, in the latter case mainly through the contribution of surface hydroxyl groups on uncoated Al 2 O 3 . These groups desorb as H 2 O upon heating and lead to an overestimate of carbon deposition from weight loss data. Temperature-programmed oxidation estimates of carbon deposition are more consistent with those of other techniques after correction for heteroatom (O, H) content of the deposit. The deposit was thus found to comprise ca. 0.30% wt. of a material having an empirical formula close to CH 0.4 O 0.115 and covering 2 O 3 surface. Preferential coating of the inner pore walls by deposited material (which rendered the internal surface of Al 2 O 3 basic) is inferred from a combination of electrophoresis and mass titration data. In addition, the appearance of a low- (420°C) and a high-temperature (580°C) CO 2 peak upon TPO is ascribed, in the absence of metallic impurities, to carbon deposits on Lewis acid sites distant from or close to electron-withdrawing (e.g., chlorine) ions, respectively.
The Effects of Birth Chair Delivery on Maternal Perceptions

A prospective quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine women's perceptions of their childbirth experiences using a birth chair. The sample consisted of 55 primiparas, from 37 to 41 gestational weeks, with normal pregnancy and labor; 22 women delivered on a traditional delivery table (DT), and 33 women used a birth chair (BC). A questionnaire consisting of 21 items on a five-point scale (the higher the score, the more positive the perception) was self-administered by subjects during postpartum hospitalization. No significant differences were found between groups on overall score. However, women using the birth chair had a significantly higher score on the comfort subscale, as did women who had attended prepared childbirth classes.
p-Chloroamphetamine--inhibition of cerebral tryptophan hydroxylase.

Abstract Earlier experiments have suggested that the simultaneous decrease in the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5HIAA) in brain following the administration of p -chloroamphetamine and p -chloromethamphetamine may be the consequence of an inhibition of the synthesis of cerebral 5HT. In the present investigations, the effects of these drugs have been examined on the activity of cerebral tryptophan hydroxylase. The addition in vitro of either p -chloroamphetamine or p -chloromethamphetamine does not reduce the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase isolated from brainstems of rats. Under similar conditions, p -chlorophenylalanine causes marked inhibition. However, when tryptophan hydroxylase was assayed in preparations obtained from brains of rats treated 16 hr previously with p -chloroamphetamine, a dose-related reduction in the activity of the enzyme was observed. Experiments involving various combinations of enzyme preparations from control rats and from rats pretreated with p -chloroamphetamine do not indicate the presence of an inhibitor in the preparations isolated from rats pretreated with the drug. Moreover, the reduction in enzyme activity was not removed by dialysis. Kinetic studies showed that the K m values for tryptophan and DMPH 4 were the same for the enzyme isolated from control rats and from rats pretreated with p -chloroamphetamine. The reduction of cerebral 5HT and the decrease in the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase occur simultaneously; both effects are still present 6 days following a single dose of 10 mg/kg of p -chloroamphetamine. It is concluded that the inhibition of cerebral tryptophan hydroxylase by p -chloroamphetamine can satisfactorily explain the prolonged reduction in the levels of 5HT and 5HIAA in brain
Improving QRISs through the use of existing data: A virtual pilot of the California QRIS

Abstract Available research underscores the value of using data to make and modify the many decisions required to design a child care quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). This paper argues for analyzing existing program data to address key questions and decisions in the early design stages of a QRIS, even in advance of pilot activities. We employed two datasets covering California ECE programs to provide cost-effective and timely input to policymakers for the proposed California QRIS, a block design system with five quality elements and five rating tiers. The first data source is the provider sample component of the 2007 RAND California Preschool Study (CPS), which represents all California providers. The second dataset derives from quality measurement of the ECE providers required to participate in San Francisco County's Gateway to Quality (GTQ) initiative. To address the study questions, we replicated as closely as possible the proposed QRIS rating structure for the available quality elements. Our “virtual pilot” analysis had limitations: we could examine only three of the five quality elements. Findings revealed that most programs in our statewide center-based sample would rate better on some quality elements than others. GTQ data revealed that center-based classrooms serving infants and toddlers did not score as well as those serving preschool-age children and home-based programs scored considerably lower on the applicable Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) than center-based programs.
Rate and depth of thaw in Arctic soils

Measurements at Point Barrow, Alaska, indicate that rate and depth of thaw in Arctic soils are highly related to soil type. Arctic brown soil thawed earlier in the spring, thawed to a greater depth, and froze earlier in the fall than did the adjacent poorly drained areas. During 1956, arctic brown soil thawed to a maximum depth of 40 inches while the depth of thaw in the nearby tundra soil approximated 18 inches. Diurnal near-surface temperature amplitude was greater in the arctic brown than the adjacent poorly drained areas. The willow-lichen-moss complex was the dominant vegetation with the arctic brown soil, while in the tundra soil, it consisted mainly of Dupontia-Carex-Eriophorum scheuchzeri. Other vegetation units in relation to soils are given.
Over-relaxation method for the Monte Carlo evaluation of the partition function for multiquadratic actions

I formulate a successive over-relaxation (SOR) procedure for the Monte Carlo evaluation of the Euclidean partition function for multiquadratic actions (such as the Yang-Mills action with canonical gauge fixing). A convergence analysis for the quadratic-action (Abelian) case shows that as thermalization proceeds the mean nodal fields relax according to the difference equation arising from the standard SOR analysis of the associated classical Euclidean field equation. Hence, SOR should accelerate the thermalization process, just as it accelerates convergence in the numerical solution of second-order elliptic differential equations.
A Multivariate Approach to the Analysis of Average Evoked Potentials

An approach to the quantitative analysis of average evoked potential data is presented. An average evoked potential is assumed to be a sample from a multivariate normal distribution. Using this assumption, multivariate statistical techniques can be applied to test hypotheses about the similarity or difference of evoked potentials obtained under different conditions.
Global trends in body-mass index

1916 www.thelancet.com Vol 377 June 4, 2011 Mariel Finucane and colleagues used population-representative data on measured weight and height from 199 countries and territories to estimate national, regional, and worldwide trends in body-mass index (BMI) in adult men and women from 1980 to 2008. They found an increase in mean BMI in all regions worldwide; in 2008, an estimated 1·46 billion adults were overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2), including 500 million who were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Estimated prevalences for higher BMI categories, however, were not reported. Although the risks of disease and premature death increase progressively with BMI, few reliable data exist for population-based trends in extreme BMI ranges (eg, BMI ≥40 kg/m2 and BMI ≥50 kg/m2) owing to the large sample sizes required. Telephone survey data from the USA suggest that the prevalence of adults with extreme BMIs has increased several times faster than have the pre valences of overweight and moderate obesity. Population distri butions of BMI do not follow a bell-shaped form but are rightskewed, particularly in women. In a study of 4776 people who had had bariatric surgery, in which 33% had a BMI of 50 kg/m2 or more, 3767 (79%) were women. A disproportionately rapid increase in the prevalence of extreme BMI highlights the need to prevent obesity in the general population and to enable health-care services to tackle increasing numbers of patients with severe obesity. Finucane and col leagues could use their unique dataset to assess sex-specifi c trends for higher BMI categories on national, regional, and global levels.
Hsp90 and co‐chaperones twist the functions of diverse client proteins

Hsp90 molecular chaperones are required for the stability and activity of a diverse range of client proteins that have critical roles in signal transduction, cellular trafficking, chromatin remodeling, cell growth, differentiation, and reproduction. Mammalian cells contain three types of Hsp90s: cytosolic Hsp90, mitochondrial Trap-1, and Grp94 of the endoplasmic reticulum. Each of the Hsp90s, as well as the bacterial homolog, HtpG, hydrolyze ATP and undergo similar conformational changes. Unlike the other forms of Hsp90, cytosolic Hsp90 function is dependent on a battery of co-chaperone proteins that regulate the ATPase activity of Hsp90 or direct Hsp90 to interact with specific client proteins. This review will summarize what is known about Hsp90's ability to mediate the folding and activation of diverse client proteins that contribute to human diseases, such as cancer and fungal and viral infections.
1-soliton solution of the Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation with dual-power law nonlinearity

Abstract In this paper, the Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation, with dual-power law nonlinearity is solved by using the solitary wave ansatze and 1-soliton solution is obtained. Using this soliton solution, a couple of conserved quantities, of this equation, are calculated.
Hybrid finite element methods

The purpose of this paper is to show how Lagrange multipliers can be used with finite elements to achieve a number of desirable properties in the underlying approximation. For elliptic boundary value problems, variational principles can be developed in which all boundary conditions are natural. In fluid flow problems, one can endow the approximations with physically essential conservation laws.