cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in active transportation and associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors among U.S. adults, 2007–2016

Abstract Active transportation (AT), or walking or bicycling for transportation, represents one way individuals can achieve recommended physical activity (PA) levels. This study describes AT prevalence and temporal trends, and examines associations between AT levels and measured CVD risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, low high-density [HDL] cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity) among U.S. adults. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2016 data (analyzed in 2017) were used to conduct overall trend analyses of reported AT in a typical week [none (0–9 min/week); low (10–149 min/week); or high (≥150 min/week)]. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between AT level and each CVD risk factor from NHANES 2011–2016 (n = 13,943). Covariates included age, sex, race/Hispanic origin, education, income, smoking, survey cycle, non-transportation PA, and urbanization level. U.S. adults who engaged in high AT levels increased from 13.1% in 2007–2008 to 17.9% in 2011–2012, and then decreased to 10.6% in 2015–2016 (p for quadratic trend = 0.004). Over the same period, the quadratic trend for low AT was not significant. During 2011–2016, 14.3% of adults engaged in high AT, 11.4% in low AT, and 74.4% in no AT. High AT levels were associated with decreased odds of each CVD risk factor assessed, compared to no AT. Low AT (versus no AT) was associated with decreased odds of hypertension (aOR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.64, 0.91) and diabetes (aOR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.54, 0.85). AT prevalence among adults has fluctuated from 2007 to 2016. Despite favorable associations between AT and CVD risk factors, most U.S. adults do not engage in any AT.
The Relationship between Social Dominance Orientation and Child Sexual Abuse Credibility Assessment

Allegations of child sexual abuse (CSA) across various contexts have often been denied or ignored by a multitude of people, including those who do not personally know the alleged perpetrators or vi...
Cleaved Cochlin: One Guard with Two Roles in Surveillance.

Since the inner ear is an important but sensitive organ of hearing, bacteria-driven immune responses must be tightly controlled. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Jung et al. (2019) demonstrate that cleaved cochlin plays a dual role to trap bacteria and recruit immune cells to improve ear function.
Where Have All the Flowers of Wisdom Gone? An Analysis of Teaching for Wisdom over the Years

Wisdom is increasingly important in the world. Yet schools are ill-preparing students for a world in which it is of such great importance. Wisdom-based problems, unlike school problems, are ill-defined, not susceptible to being answered in multiple-choice format, and almost always involve competing human interests. I analyzed elementary-school readers from the early 1900s, mid-1900s, and early 2000s. I found that stories with wisdom-related themes declined in frequency over the years, despite the even greater importance of wisdom than ever before. These data suggest that lack of wisdom in society may in part be due to schools abrogating their responsibility to teach children to think wisely.
Spontaneous-fission branching in the decay of /sup 259/104

The nuclide /sup 259/104 has been produced in the /sup 249/Cf(/sup 13/C,3n) reaction. Alpha particle groups of 8.77 +- 0.01 MeV and 8.87 +- 0.01 MeV were attributed to the decay of /sup 159/104, and the measured half-life was found to be 3.0 +- 1.3 s. The branching ratio for spontaneous fission decay was determined to be 0.063 +- 0.037.
Microfluidic System for Rapid Isolation of Sperm From Microdissection TESE Specimens

Objectives To demonstrate a novel prototype microfluidic system for rapid isolation of sperm from real and simulated microdissection testicular sperm extraction samples. Methods The novel microfluidic system was tested using minced testicular biopsies from patients with nonobstructive azoospermia. The samples were split into 2 portions, conventional processing vs microfluidic. The embryologists were blinded to the processing protocol and searched the specimens for sperm after processing. We recorded the number of sperm found and the time to sperm identification and compared the sperm retrieval rates. Results When compared to conventional methods, samples processed through the microfluidic system were cleaner (decreased somatic cells/debris), with the average number of sperm identified per minute improving from 1.52 sperm per minute for the control and 13.5 sperm per minute with the device yielding an 8.88 fold improvement in the sperm found per minute for the device as compared to the control. Preliminary viability and morphology tests show a minimal impact on sperm processed through the microfluidic system. Conclusion The presented microfluidic system can facilitate rapid and efficient isolation of sperm from microdissection testicular sperm extraction samples. A prospective clinical trial to verify these results is needed to confirm this preliminary data.
Insights and Experiences in Academic Mentoring and Education

It is a great honor to be named the awardee of the 2019 ASME Robert M. Nerem Education and Mentorship Medal. Bob Nerem has been a mentor to me since the beginning of my faculty career and has been a model to me for effectively dealing with the many dimensions of the interpersonal side of an academic career. This brief paper presents a summary of some of my personal insights and practices in this arena as gained during 46 years on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin.
Radiomic signatures to predict response to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma patients (pts) on neoadjuvant therapy.

10067Background: Metastatic melanoma pt outcomes have been revolutionized by targeted therapy (TT) and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), which are now being evaluated in the neoadjuvant (neoadj) se...
Opinion: We need better data about the environmental persistence of plastic goods

Plastic pollution is one of the most visible and complex environmental issues today. Interested and concerned parties include researchers, governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, industry, media, and the general public. One key assumption behind the issue and the public outcry is that plastics last indefinitely in the environment, resulting in chronic exposure that harms animals and humans. But the data supporting this assumption are scant. We don’t have a complete understanding of how long plastic consumer goods last in the environment. Here, artist Mark Dion displays pieces of plastic retrieved from the ocean. Image credit: Tanya Bonakdar Gallery and Mark Dion (artist). An accurate understanding of the persistence of plastic goods in the environment is critical for many stakeholders. Consumers need reliable information about that persistence to make informed choices. Researchers need this information because persistence is a key factor in models that predict how much plastic waste is in the environment and where it resides (1, 2), as well as the risks associated with this pollution (3). Legislators need this information to develop evidence-based policy that bans the use of plastics at the local, national, and international level. The ubiquity of these bans is rivaled only by the range of information that drives public perception of how long it takes for different types of plastic goods to degrade in the environment. Our fundamental belief that scientific evidence should inform the public and drive environmental policy led us to one seemingly simple question: What evidence underpins how long plastic goods last in the environment? To answer this question, we reviewed information graphics and documents reporting the lifetime of different plastic goods in the environment (Figure 1, Table S1). These 57 graphics and documents were published by governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, peer-reviewed journals (4), college textbooks (5), reference … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: cward{at}whoi.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Inclusive Religious Education: International Perspectives : Inclusive Religious Education: International Perspectives. Edited by Bert Roebben and Katharina Kammeyer. Berlin: LIT, 2014. 240 pp., €29.99 (Paperback)

The eleven essays in Inclusive Religious Education: International Perspectives are welcome resources for religious educators seeking to make religious education inclusive and viable in a world of d...
Highly stretchable multilayer electronic circuits using biphasic gallium-indium.

Stretchable electronic circuits are critical for soft robots, wearable technologies and biomedical applications. Development of sophisticated stretchable circuits requires new materials with stable conductivity over large strains, and low-resistance interfaces between soft and conventional (rigid) electronic components. To address this need, we introduce biphasic Ga–In, a printable conductor with high conductivity (2.06 × 106 S m−1), extreme stretchability (>1,000%), negligible resistance change when strained, cyclic stability (consistent performance over 1,500 cycles) and a reliable interface with rigid electronics. We employ a scalable transfer-printing process to create various stretchable circuit board assemblies that maintain their performance when stretched, including a multilayer light-emitting diode display, an amplifier circuit and a signal conditioning board for wearable sensing applications. The compatibility of biphasic Ga–In with scalable manufacturing methods, robust interfaces with off-the-shelf electronic components and electrical/mechanical cyclic stability enable direct conversion of established circuit board assemblies to soft and stretchable forms. Conductors made of a mixture of liquid and solid domains of Ga–In alloy can be stretched over 1,000%, keeping almost constant conductivity, and used to connect commercial electronic components and realize stretchable multilayer printed circuit boards.
Body image in children with gender incongruence

Background: In the DSM-5 diagnosis of childhood Gender Dysphoria, two of the eight criteria focus on body satisfaction of the child. Nevertheless, this subject is understudied. This study aims to describe the body image of children with gender incongruence (GI) in relation to birth assigned sex and the intensity of GI. Method: Self-report and parent-report measures on body satisfaction and gender incongruence were obtained from 207 children (<12 years) who were referred to the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location VUmc, between 2010 and 2016. First, a general description of body satisfaction in children who took part in this study is provided. Secondly, body image of birth assigned boys and girls are compared using chi-square tests and univariate ANCOVA’s. Thirdly, the association between intensity of GI and body image is examined using multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Of the 207 children with GI, 50% reported dissatisfaction with their gender-specific characteristics. Overall, children were less dissatisfied with their neutral body characteristics. Birth assigned girls report greater dissatisfaction with their body characteristics than birth assigned boys. Intensity of GI was significantly related to satisfaction with gender specific body characteristics where a greater intensity of GI relates to more body dissatisfaction. Conclusion: Mental health practitioners should be aware of the diversity in body dissatisfaction in this group. Furthermore, evaluation of body image should be an important topic in the counseling of these children. Future research should focus on the relation of body dissatisfaction and the development of gender incongruent feelings in children with GI.
The Invisible Ethnic: Vladimir Nabokov, Richard Rodriguez, and Ethnic Literature

This essay explores the possibilities and constraints of reading texts as ethnic literature. It does so by tracing the master theme of transcendence in Vladimir Nabokov’s Speak, Memory and by drawing comparisons with Latino autobiographer and essayist Richard Rodriguez. To date Speak, Memory has transcended categorization as a particular conception of ethnic literature that precludes also reading it as universal. Rodriguez, in contrast, laments that his books are less likely to be read as universal precisely because shelved and categorized as ethnic literature rather than as memoir or simply “literature.” As Rodriguez notes, the conception of Ethnic Literature as a genre marginalizes even as it celebrates ethnic cultures. That is, treating works by ethnic authors as a conventional genre—in the sense that memoirs, westerns, and mystery novels are genres—can have a ghettoizing effect. I argue that ethnic literature is universal despite its focus on a particular culture. To the extent that any work of literature can said to be universal it achieves that status through the particular: a story grounded in a particular culture and, usually, focusing on the particularity of individual characters. There is no view from nowhere. As with other works of literature, ethnic literature is the view from somewhere. I conclude that, when it comes to how we read ethnic literature, it is time for a paradigm shift.
Morphosyntactic Tagging with Pre-trained Language Models for Arabic and its Dialects.

We present state-of-the-art results on morphosyntactic tagging across different varieties of Arabic using fine-tuned pre-trained transformer language models. Our models consistently outperform existing systems in Modern Standard Arabic and all the Arabic dialects we study, achieving 2.6% absolute improvement over the previous state-of-the-art in Modern Standard Arabic, 2.8% in Gulf, 1.6% in Egyptian, and 7.0% in Levantine. We explore different training setups for fine-tuning pre-trained transformer language models, including training data size, the use of external linguistic resources, and the use of annotated data from other dialects in a low-resource scenario. Our results show that strategic fine-tuning using datasets from other high-resource dialects is beneficial for a low-resource dialect. Additionally, we show that high-quality morphological analyzers as external linguistic resources are beneficial especially in low-resource settings.
Regulation of glutamic acid decarboxylase gene expression in efferent neurons of the basal ganglia.

Publisher Summary The majority of efferent neurons of the striatum and of its main target areas, the pallidum and substantia nigra pars reticulata, are GABA-ergic. Therefore, GABA-ergic neurons constitute the backbone of the output system of the basal ganglia, and regulation of GABA synthesis is likely to play a critical role in the adaptation of basal ganglia neurons to physiological and pathological challenges. The limiting step in GABA synthesis is catalyzed by glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), an enzyme detected with immunohistochemical techniques in brain GABA-ergic neurons. In recent years, the changes in steady-state levels of GAD and its mRNA occurring in the basal ganglia have been examined in response to lesions of neuronal inputs and pharmacological treatments. The ultimate goal of this chapter is to provide new insights into the plasticity of GAD gene expression in the basal ganglia and its functional significance in neurodegenerative diseases and chronic drug therapy.
Experimental herpetic ulcers in rabbit oral mucosa: Clinical, cultural and histologic studies of primary lesions

Abstract Herpes simplex virus (HSV) was inoculated into the oral mucosa of rabbits and the resulting lesions were studied clinically, culturally and histologically. Sites inoculated with 10 5.7 plaque-forming units of HSV formed ulcerations which required approximately 6 days to reach full size and another 5 days to heal. Cultural and histologic findings correlated well with this clinical pattern. During the period of ulcer enlargement, but not afterwards, cultures from the lesions were positive for virus, and histologie signs were pathognomonic of a herpetic infection. The infection not only spread laterally along the mucosal surface but also extended into the local mucous gland ducts for a considerable distance. In contrast to the viral lesions, bacterial lesions in the same tissue site consisted of superficial abscesses which did not tend to ulcerate.
The Voyage Home: New Mexico Libraries Migrate to WMS, OCLC's Cloud-Based ILS

Cloud-computing is causing a major shift in the way organizations manage their data. For libraries this shift entails the switch from stand-alone ILSs to cloud-based systems. The new generation of ILSs embraces this model. The University of New Mexico Libraries undertook the migration to OCLC's cloud-based ILS, WorldShare Management Services (WMS). The process required choosing the vendor, preparing the data for migration, and implementing workflows. Through this article the authors will look at each of these stages of the migration and describe the process along the way. They will conclude with a look at the major paradigm shift caused by moving to a cloud-based environment.
A simple estimated fetal weight equation based on real-time ultrasound measurements of fetuses less than thirty-four weeks' gestation

Based on ultrasonographic mensuration, a number of equations have previously been devised for the purpose of estimating fetal weights. The objective of this study was to develop a mathematical equation that is simple, accurate, and easy to use when applied to preterm or low-birth weight fetuses (less than 2,500 gm). Real-time ultrasound measurements of fetal biparietal diameters (BPDs) and abdominal circumferences (ACs) were obtained in 62 pregnant women within one week of premature delivery. Mean gestational age and mean birth weight +/- SD for this study group of neonates were 28.5 +/- 3.5 weeks and 1,135 +/- 343 gm, respectively. With the aid of computer analysis, a simple regression equation was derived: EFW = (BPD x AC x 9.337) - 229. When predicted estimated fetal weight (EFW) was compared with actual birth weight (ABW), multiple regression analysis demonstrated a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.957. Preliminary results on 19 patients of a prospective study showed an absolute mean difference between the computed EFWs and the ABWs to be within 7.0% of ABW (70 gm/kg of ABW). The standard deviation of the difference was 9.3% of ABW (93 gm/kg of ABW). Based on these data, this simple equation appears to be clinically reliable and easy to use when estimating weights of preterm or low-birth weight fetuses of less than 2,500 gm.
Pediococci Residing on Plants

The pediococci residing on plants resemble the lactobacilli, but they differ from the streptococci in their limited distribution and low population level on plants. They are a subgroup within the genus Pediococcus which grow freely in neutral media and require neither NaCl nor CO(2). They are most readily recognized by the ability to initiate growth in liquid media, acidified to pH 5.0, which contain 1.5% sodium acetate. In stained preparations the cells occur singly and in pairs, short chains, and clusters. The occurrence of two-dimensional tetrads may be rare; this varies with the individual culture and with the culture medium. The terminal pH in 2% glucose broth varies from 3.6 to 4.3. Ability to initiate growth at 45 C, production of ammonia from arginine, dissimilation of malate, and fermentation of arabinose are confirmatory characteristics. The subgroup contains only two quite similar, but differentiable, species. P. acidilactici initiates growth at 50 C and produces catalase on heated blood medium but does not produce acid-sensitive catalase; a majority of the strains fail to initiate growth at 10 C and many fail to ferment maltose and lactose. P. pentosaceus initiates growth at 10 C but not at 50 C and produces acid-sensitive catalase; catalase production on heated blood medium is transient; a majority of the cultures ferment maltose, salicin, and trehalose. No carbohydrate serves reliably to differentiate between the species. The guanine plus cytosine ratio of P. pentosaceus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was determined to be 35.1 +/- 1.2 and that of P. acidilactici DNA is 38.5 +/- 0.8.
Using Gas Chromatography with Ion Mobility Spectrometry to Resolve Explosive Compounds in the Presence of Interferents

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a valued field detection technology because of its speed and high sensitivity, but IMS cannot easily resolve analytes of interest within mixtures. Coupling gas chromatography (GC) to IMS adds a separation capability to resolve complex matrices. A GC-IONSCAN® operated in IMS and GC⁄ IMS modes was evaluated with combinations of five explosives and four interferents. In 100 explosive/interferent combinations, IMS yielded 21 false positives while GC⁄ IMS substantially reduced the occurrence of false positives to one. In addition, the results indicate that through redesign or modification of the preconcentrator there would be significant advantages to using GC⁄ IMS, such as enhancement of the linear dynamic range (LDR) in some situations. By balancing sensitivity with LDR, GC⁄ IMS could prove to be a very advantageous tool when addressing real world complex mixture situations.
Multicultural Counselor Training in a Single Course: Review of Research

In an effort to provide clarity and future direction in training and research practices, this article consolidates the literature related to outcomes from a single multicultural counseling course (e.g., a course of 15 to 17 weeks). A critique of the literature and implications for future research and training are included. En un esfuerzo para proporcionar claridad y direccion para el futuro de la practica de formacion e investigacion, este articulo consolida la literatura relacionada con los resultados derivados de un unico curso de consejeria multicultural (por ejemplo, un curso de 15 a 17 semanas). Se incluye tambien una critica de la literatura y las implicaciones futuras para la investigacion y formacion.
Tempest Over Teapot Dome: The Story of Albert B. Fall

Albert B. Fall, interior secretary in the Harding administration, was the first American cabinet member sent to prison for a crime committed in office. In the Teapot Dome affair - the worst modern political scandal until Watergate - Fall leased two naval oil reserves, Wyoming's Teapot Dome and California's Elk Hills, to Harry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny and received payments of $404,000 from the two millionaire oilmen. Historian David Stratton pulls no punches as he sheds new light on western and national politics, conservation, and economic development in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.Tempest over Teapot Dome describes Fall's role in Harding's administration, his tribulations in court before going to prison in 1931, his freewheeling career in New Mexico politics, his lawyering for underdog ranchers in a bloody range war, his gut-fighting style as a U. S. senator who opposed Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy, and his strident activities as an expert on Latin American affairs, particularly U. S.-Mexican relations. Fall's belief in the unrestricted and immediate disposition of public lands was as typically western as his black, broad-brimmed Stetson hat and his love of fine horses.
InfoPad - past, present and future

The InfoPad project was a large interdisciplinary effort, which had a goal of implementing a complete system for wireless access of multimedia data from a high bandwidth wired infrastructure. The basic approach was to minimize the cost and energy consumption of the portable user device by using network based resources. A system approach was taken in this investigation, which attempted to optimize all aspects of the design from the user interface to the low power design of the terminal hardware, which uncovered a need to deal with the issues of project management and intergroup communications. From what was learned in this project a new effort is now underway investigating the present and future capabilities of implementing single chip wireless systems in advanced CMOS technology.
Exchange and exchange-correlation functionals based on the gradient correction of the electron gas.

We demonstrate that the functional form of the Pad\'e approximant of the second-order density gradient correction of Rasolt and Geldart [Phys. Rev. Lett. 35, 1234 (1975)] for the inhomogeneous electron gas yields excellent results when applied to atoms. The gradient correction employed by us uses the 10/7 factor as suggested by Kleinman and Lee [Phys. Rev. B 37, 4634 (1988)] with the constants of Rasolt and Geldart replaced by an empirically derived set, based upon numerical fits of the exchange and exchange-correlation energies of the atoms He through Ar. The resulting fitted nonlocal gradient corrections were then used in the minimization of the Kohn-Sham functional to solve for the exchange-only and exchange-correlation total energies. The resulting standard deviations in the calculated total energies were 0.0043 for exchange only and 0.0014 for exchange correlation.
Skin, Affect, Aggregation: Guattarian Variations on Fanon

Geography has turned to phenomenology, poststructuralism, and psychoanalysis to understand human bodies in non-Cartesian terms as always-already positioned within social formations. But how exactly do we conceive of the constitution of many bodies at once? Specifically, how do bodies ‘aggregate’ into racial formations? ‘The body’ is not a target of socialization—racializing, gendering, disciplining—as if it sits alone until its senses and viscera are stirred by the environment. Bodies never come alone. Racial formations are from the start phenomena of collective embodiment, not ideological structures that secondarily have corporeal effects. In this paper I will argue that racial difference (like all social relations) is a reality involving the interactions, imaginations, and biologies of human bodies. First, Frantz Fanon’s influential theory of racialization and racial difference is recast in an embodied framework through one of his own examples. This framework will be construed through the concept of affect in Baruch Spinoza, the phenomenology of Michel Henry, and the ‘machinic’ approach to psychoanalysis suggested by Felix Guattari. Aggregation is thereafter explained through the contemporary Spinozism of Antonio Negri and population biology. Finally, the political implications of a machinic theory of race are explored using another concrete example from Fanon.
Hg isotopes on the moon and in achondrites

196Hg and 202Hg isotopes measured by neutron activation analysis have been found to have ratios differing from normal in some lunar and meteoritic matter. Some Hg fractions extracted by stepwise heating from several samples of Apollo-14 breccia 14305 and one sample of 14321 exhibit deviations from the normal isotopic ratio by ∼ 20–30%. Samples from three Antarctic basaltic achondrites contain 196Hg202Hg ratios that are lower than normal by factors of 2–4. The anomalies in these meteorites and the temperature fractions in which they occur are reproducible. The anomalous Hg occurs in a single but variable temperature fraction from 14305 samples but only in the 130°C fraction from the three achondrites; data on two of the Antarctic achondrites have been published. The amount of Hg in the fractions with anomalous ratios varied from 10% to ∼ 0.1 % in samples with total Hg of 2–200 ppb. The other 5 to 6 thermally extracted Hg fractions per sample have normal ratios. These fractions act as internal standards and thus serve to reduce uncertainties related to neutron flux variables and sample matrix effects. The anomalous Hg is found in samples from three possible parent bodies: the Moon, that of the shergottites and that of the eucrites. The final thermal evolution of the samples occurred over a time-span ranging from < l.3 to ⩾ 3.9 Ga ago. These facts present obstacles to understanding how this anomalous Hg was acquired; a possible explanation is periodic encounters of the solar system with a dense cloud of interstellar dust containing such Hg.
Spectral line profile variations in the γ Doradus variable HD 164615: non-radial pulsations versus star-spots

High-resolution spectral data of the Fe II 5318 A line in the γ Doradus star HD 164615 are presented. These show systematic changes in the spectral lineshapes with the photometric period of 0.8133 d which are modelled using either non-radial pulsations or cool star-spots. The non-radial modes that can fit the lineshape changes have m degree of 2–4. However, only the m= 2 mode seems to be consistent with the amplitude of the radial velocity variations measured for this star. The star-spot model, although it can qualitatively fit the lineshape changes, is excluded as a possible hypothesis on the basis of (1) poorer fits to the observed spectral line profiles, (2) an inability to account for the large changes in the spectral linewidth as a function of phase, (3) a predicted radial velocity curve that looks qualitatively different from the observed one, and (4) a predicted photometric curve that is a factor of 5 larger than the observed light curve (and with the wrong qualitative shape). Finally, a ‘Doppler image’ (assuming cool spots) derived from a sequence of synthetic line profiles having non-radial pulsations results in an image that is almost identical to the Doppler image derived for HD 164615. These results provide strong evidence that non-radial pulsations are indeed the explanation for the variability of HD 164615 as well as the other γ Dor variables.
Mechanisms of interspecific competition among an invasive and two native fire ants

The mechanisms of interspecific competition among an invasive and two native Solenopsis fire ant forms were investigated in a series of laboratory experiments. In separate trials each with a different food resource, the native S. geminata×xyloni retrieved the greatest amount of a protein- and lipid-rich artificial food resource and a high protein natural food resource, and the native S. geminata retrieved the greatest amount of a high carbohydrate food resource. In trials investigating aspects of interference competition at the colony level, the invasive S. invicta proved to be initially more aggressive than S. geminata, but less aggressive than S. geminata×xyloni. Solenopsis invicta eventually controlled more of the foraging arenas against both native forms when colonies were equivalent by worker biomass, but not when colonies were equivalent by worker number. When paired with S. invicta, S. geminata suffered a significantly greater proportional reduction in both workers and entire colonies when colonies were initially standardized by worker biomass, but not when colonies were standardized by worker number. When paired with S. invicta, a significantly greater proportional reduction of workers occurred in S. geminata×xyloni, regardless of how colonies were standardized. In pairwise trials at the individual level, majors always exhibited significantly less mortality than minors, regardless of the Solenopsis form. The majors of both native forms suffered significantly less mortality than those of S. invicta. Superiority in colony-level interference ability appears to be an important mechanism allowing S. invicta to displace native Solenopsis forms. The ability of S. invicta to reach high population densities, because of intrinsic biological characteristics or an escape from natural enemies, plays an important contributory role. Similar mechanisms may underlie the success of other invasive ant species.
Structural, NMR, and EPR studies of S = (1)/(2) and S = (3)/(2) Fe(III) bis(4-cyanopyridine) complexes of dodecasubstituted porphyrins.

The NMR and EPR spectra for three complexes, iron(III) octamethyltetraphenylporphyrin bis(4-cyanopyridine) perchlorate, [FeOMTPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4, and its octaethyl- and tetra-β,β‘-tetramethylenetetraphenylporphyrin analogues, [FeOETPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4 and [FeTC6TPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4, are presented. The crystal structures of two different forms of [FeOETPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4 and one form of [FeOMTPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4 are also reported. Attempts to crystallize [FeTC6TPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4 were not successful. The crystal structure of [FeOMTPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4 reveals a saddled porphyrin core, a small dihedral angle between the axial ligand planes, 64.3°, and an unusually large tilt angle (24.4°) of one of the axial 4-cyanopyridine ligands with respect to the normal to the porphyrin mean plane. There are 4 and 2 independent molecules in the asymmetric units of [FeOETPP(4-CNPy)2]ClO4 crystallized from CD2Cl2/dodecane (1−4) and CDCl3/cyclohexane (5−6), respectively. The geometries of the porphyrin cores in 1−6 vary from purely saddled ...
Integrated system optimization and parameter estimation using a general form of steady-state model

Based on a general form of steady-state model, the integrated system optimization and parameter estimation problem is formulated and two algorithms arc derived for determining the optimal operating point of a process. A set of model qualifications, which are very mild, is defined to ensure that the real process optimum can be obtained by solving an equivalent model based optimization problem. Optimality and convergence conditions of the algorithms are analysed. The practical utility of the approach is demonstrated by a simulation of a continuous chemical reactor. It is observed that the correct optimum is quickly achieved in spite of using an incorrect model.
Single, trapped Sr + atom: laser cooling and quantum jumps by means of the 4d 2 D 5/2 –5s 2 S 1/2 transition

A single Sr+ atom was confined in a radio-frequency quadrupole trap and laser cooled with resonant laser light. Examination of the transition Doppler profile indicated an ion kinetic temperature of less than 500 mK. Quantum jumps into and out of the metastable 4d2D5/2 level were observed by laser excitation on the electric-quadrupole-allowed transition from the ground state at 674 nm. The dark and bright periods in the strong fluorescence showed variations owing to the applied driving field on the electric-quadrupole transition. These results provide an improved determination of τ = 372 ± 25 msec for the natural metastable-state lifetime.
Acute Ethanol Impairs Spatial Memory But Not Stimulus/Response Memory in the Rat

The present studies investigate how acutely administered ethanol (ETOH) affects the use of spatial memory. Previous electrophysiological results have shown that acutely administered ETOH alters the firing of hippocampal neurons and that prenatal or chronic exposure to ETOH produces deficits on spatial learning tasks, tasks dependent on the hippocampus. In contrast, it has also been demonstrated that acutely administered ETOH does not impair spatial localization. In the current studies, rats were trained to perform a spatial or stimulus/response task under saline. After training, rats were injected with ETOH, and the use of spatial or stimulus/response memory was tested. Acutely administered ETOH impaired the use of spatial memory, but not the use of stimulus/response memory. Because the use of spatial memory requires an intact hippocampus, the present studies suggest that acutely administered ETOH selectively impairs behaviors dependent on the hippocampus.
Ebola prevention to recovery: A student-to-student social media campaign

A.M. Abud, E. deArmas, N. Leon, L.B. Pilling, R. Simmons; Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA/US, Thomas Jefferson University, School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA/US, Thomas Jefferson University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA/US, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA/US, Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA/US
Tricuspid atresia with double-outlet left ventricle and bilateral conus.

The first case of tricuspid atresia with a double-outlet left ventricle, l -transposition of the great arteries {S,D,L}, and bilateral conus in levocardia diagnosed correctly during life is reported. This case is unique and differs from the classic double-outlet left ventricle in that there is a bilateral conus.
Asymptotic property of the distribution of the maxima of a random walk

Abstract Let F be a univariate distribution with negative expectation, and let M denote the distribution of the positive maxima of a random walk generated by a sequence of independent observations from F . We consider the Laplace transforms of 1− F ( x ) and 1− M ( x ). A relation between the transforms yields some known results on the moments and the regularly varying properties of the two distributions.
Season of birth in schizophrenia: a maternal-fetal chronobiological hypothesis.

Abstract Being born in the winter and spring significantly increases one’s risk for developing schizophrenia. This birth seasonality may account for as many as 10% of all cases of schizophrenia. Maternal third trimester infections or vitamin D deficiencies are hypothesized to be the most likely cause and can account for many of the important features of schizophrenia, although each hypothesis has limitations. Alternatively, around the winter solstice, reduced maternal sunlight exposure during the second trimester of pregnancy may result in a reduced amplitude maternal circadian pacemaker, reduced maternal nocturnal plasma melatonin concentrations, elevated maternal nocturnal core body and incubator temperatures, and elevated fetal core body and brain temperatures. Indeed, studies in humans have shown that the core body temperatures of human fetuses near birth may vary by >2.5 °C. Reduced melatonin concentrations and elevated temperatures have been shown to have detrimental effects on immature hippocampal neurons in animals. In addition, plasma melatonin concentrations and core body temperatures are critical determinants of the dopaminergic programming of the striatal component of the human central thermostat, which appears to be functioning by the second trimester of gestation and responsive to whatever chronobiological signals its mother correctly or incorrectly transduces from the prevailing meteorological conditions. Both hippocampal and striatal thermostat dysfunction may result in reduced striatal extracellular dopamine concentrations and a tendency towards increased phasic dopamine release—the characteristic biochemical lesion in schizophrenia. Thus, the maternal–fetal chronobiological dysfunction hypothesis could account for the birth seasonality in schizophrenia and warrants further investigation.
On projective ordinals

We study in this paper the projective ordinals δ^1_n, where δ^1_n = sup{ξ: ξ is the length of ɑ Δ^1_n prewellordering of the continuum}. These ordinals were introduced by Moschovakis in [8] to serve as a measure of the "definable length" of the continuum. We prove first in §2 that projective determinacy implies δ^1_n 0 (the same result for odd n is due to Moschovakis). Next, in the context of full determinacy, we partly generalize (in §3) the classical fact that δ^1_1 ℵ_l and the result of Martin that δ^1_3 = ℵ_(ω + 1) by proving that δ^1_(n2+1) = λ^+_(2n+1), where λ_(2n+1) is a cardinal of cofinality ω. Finally we discuss in §4 the connection between the projective ordinals and Solovay's uniform indiscernibles. We prove among other things that ∀α (α^# exists) implies that every δ^1_n with n ≥ 3 is a fixed point of the increasing enumeration of the uniform indiscernibles.
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) Lasofoxifene Forms Reactive Quinones Similar to Estradiol

The bioactivation of both endogenous and equine estrogens to electrophilic quinoid metabolites has been postulated as a contributing factor in carcinogenic initiation and/or promotion in hormone sensitive tissues. Bearing structural resemblance to estrogens, extensive studies have shown that many selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are subject to similar bioactivation pathways. Lasofoxifene (LAS), a third generation SERM which has completed phase III clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, is currently approved in the European Union for this indication. Previously, Prakash et al. (Drug Metab. Dispos. (2008) 36, 1218−1226) reported that similar to estradiol, two catechol regioisomers of LAS are formed as primary oxidative metabolites, accounting for roughly half of the total LAS metabolism. However, the potential for further oxidation of these catechols to electrophilic o-quinones has not been reported. In the present study, LAS was synthesized and its oxidative metabol...
Three-dimensional numerical modeling of single geocell-reinforced sand

This paper summarizes the development of a three-dimensional numerical model for analyzing single geocell-reinforced soil. In this model, the infill soil was modeled using the Duncan-Chang model, which can simulate non-linearity and stress-dependency of soil. Geocell was modeled using linearly elastic plate elements, which can carry both bending and membrane stresses. A linear interface stress-strain relationship with a Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion was adopted to model the interface friction between the geocell wall and the soil. By modeling the geocell and the soil separately, the interaction between the soil and the geocell can be accurately simulated. To verify this model, a plate load test was conducted in the laboratory, in which a 12-cm-thick sand layer reinforced by a single geocell was subjected to a vertical load from a circular steel plate. The load-displacement curves and the horizontal tensile strain of the geocell were recorded during the test. A numerical model was created according to the setup of the load test. The numerical results compared reasonably well with the test data.
ICS logging solution for network-based attacks using Gumistix technology

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) monitor and control operations associated with the national critical infrastructure (e.g., electric power grid, oil and gas pipelines and water treatment facilities). These systems rely on technologies and architectures that were designed for system reliability and availability. Security associated with ICS was never an inherent concern, primarily due to the protections afforded by network isolation. However, a trend in ICS operations is to migrate to commercial networks via TCP/IP in order to leverage commodity benefits and cost savings. As a result, system vulnerabilities are now exposed to the online community. Indeed, recent research has demonstrated that many exposed ICS devices are being discovered using readily available applications (e.g., ShodanHQ search engine and Google-esque queries). Due to the lack of security and logging capabilities for ICS, most knowledge about attacks are derived from real world incidents after an attack has already been carried out and the damage has been done. This research provides a method for introducing sensors into the ICS environment that collect information about network-based attacks. The sensors are developed using an inexpensive Gumstix platform that can be deployed and incorporated with production systems. Data obtained from the sensors provide insight into attack tactics (e.g., port scans, Nessus scans, Metasploit modules, and zero-day exploits) and characteristics (e.g., attack origin, frequency, and level of persistence). Findings enable security professionals to draw an accurate, real-time awareness of the threats against ICS devices and help shift the security posture from reactionary to preventative.
The mechanism of aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction between ethanolamine and fluoro-nitrobenzenes: an investigation by kinetic measurements and DFT calculations

We have studied the kinetics and elucidated the mechanism by DFT calculation of the reaction between ethanolamine (EOA) and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB) in acetonitrile and toluene. To determine the contribution of the nitro group, the activation energy of the reaction between ethanolamine and 1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzene (MNFB) vs. DNFB was determined in acetonitrile and calculated by DFT method. Kinetic measurements reveal that the reaction is faster in acetonitrile than in toluene. The reaction follows overall second-order kinetics: first order with respect to both EOA and DNFB which is similar to the results reported for reaction between other primary amines and 1-substituted-2,4-dinitrobenzenes. The calculations by using DFT methods reveal that the mechanism of the reaction involves the formation and decomposition of a Meisenheimer complex (MC). DFT calculations also reveal that the activation energy of the reaction is highest in vacuum and decreases with increasing polarity of the solvent reaching a minimum in acetonitrile. In addition, activation energies obtained by both DFT calculations and experiments show that the reactivity of MNFB is less than that of DNFB showing the effect of the 4-nitro group. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enteric Commensal Bacteria Induce Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase Pathway Signaling via Formyl Peptide Receptor-dependent Redox Modulation of Dual Specific Phosphatase 3

The normal microbial occupants of the mammalian intestine are crucial for maintaining gut homeostasis, yet the mechanisms by which intestinal cells perceive and respond to the microbiota are largely unknown. Intestinal epithelial contact with commensal bacteria and/or their products has been shown to activate noninflammatory signaling pathways, such as extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), thus influencing homeostatic processes. We previously demonstrated that commensal bacteria stimulate ERK pathway activity via interaction with formyl peptide receptors (FPRs). In the current study, we expand on these findings and show that commensal bacteria initiate ERK signaling through rapid FPR-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and subsequent modulation of MAP kinase phosphatase redox status. ROS generation induced by the commensal bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and the FPR peptide ligand, N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe, was abolished in the presence of selective inhibitors for G protein-coupled signaling and FPR ligand interaction. In addition, pretreatment of cells with inhibitors of ROS generation attenuated commensal bacteria-induced ERK signaling, indicating that ROS generation is required for ERK pathway activation. Bacterial colonization also led to oxidative inactivation of the redox-sensitive and ERK-specific phosphatase, DUSP3/VHR, and consequent stimulation of ERK pathway signaling. Together, these data demonstrate that commensal bacteria and their products activate ROS signaling in an FPR-dependent manner and define a mechanism by which cellular ROS influences the ERK pathway through a redox-sensitive regulatory circuit.
Labor and the Third‐Party Route

While there are great obstacles facing third-party organizing, several fledgling groups have developed effective strategies for organizing in the U.S. environment, including the establishment of viable local projects linked to union support.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery to the upper thoracic spine

Background: The standard open technique for exposure of the upper thoracic spine, T1–T4, usually requires a difficult thoracotomy. From November 1, 1995 to June 30, 1997, eight patients underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic spinal surgery in our institute to treat their upper thoracic spinal lesions endoscopically.