cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diabetes, Weight Change, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Importance Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States; however, few high-risk groups have been identified to facilitate early diagnosis strategies. Objective To evaluate the association of diabetes duration and recent weight change with subsequent risk of pancreatic cancer in the general population. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study obtained data from female participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and male participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, with repeated exposure assessments over 30 years. Incident cases of pancreatic cancer were identified from self-report or during follow-up of participant deaths. Deaths were ascertained through reports from the next of kin, the US Postal Service, or the National Death Index. Data collection was conducted from October 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. Data analysis was performed from January 1, 2019, to June 30, 2019. Exposures Duration of physician-diagnosed diabetes and recent weight change. Main Outcome and Measures Hazard ratios (HRs) for subsequent development of pancreatic cancer. Results Of the 112 818 women (with a mean [SD] age of 59.4 [11.7] years) and 46 207 men (with a mean [SD] age of 64.7 [10.8] years) included in the analysis, 1116 incident cases of pancreatic cancers were identified. Compared with participants with no diabetes, those with recent-onset diabetes had an age-adjusted HR for pancreatic cancer of 2.97 (95% CI, 2.31-3.82) and those with long-standing diabetes had an age-adjusted HR of 2.16 (95% CI, 1.78-2.60). Compared with those with no weight loss, participants who reported a 1- to 4-lb weight loss had an age-adjusted HR for pancreatic cancer of 1.25 (95% CI, 1.03-1.52), those with a 5- to 8-lb weight loss had an age-adjusted HR of 1.33 (95% CI, 1.06-1.66), and those with more than an 8-lb weight loss had an age-adjusted HR of 1.92 (95% CI, 1.58-2.32). Participants with recent-onset diabetes accompanied by weight loss of 1 to 8 lb (91 incident cases per 100 000 person-years [95% CI, 55-151]; HR, 3.61 [95% CI, 2.14-6.10]) or more than 8 lb (164 incident cases per 100 000 person-years [95% CI, 114-238]; HR, 6.75 [95% CI, 4.55-10.00]) had a substantially increased risk for pancreatic cancer compared with those with neither exposure (16 incident cases per 100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 14-17). Incidence rates were even higher among participants with recent-onset diabetes and weight loss with a body mass index of less than 25 before weight loss (400 incident cases per 100 000 person-years) or whose weight loss was not intentional judging from increased physical activity or healthier dietary choices (334 incident cases per 100 000 person-years). Conclusions and Relevance This study demonstrates that recent-onset diabetes accompanied by weight loss is associated with a substantially increased risk for developing pancreatic cancer. Older age, previous healthy weight, and no intentional weight loss further elevate this risk.
Granulosa cell genes that regulate ovarian follicle development beyond the antral stage: the role of estrogen receptor β

ABSTRACT Follicle development beyond the preantral stage is dependent on gonadotropins. FSH signaling is crucial for the advancement of preantral follicles to the antral stage, and LH signaling is essential for further maturation of preovulatory follicles. Estrogen is intricately tied to gonadotropin signaling during the advanced stages of folliculogenesis. We observed that Erβnull ovarian follicles fail to develop beyond the antral stage, even after exogenous gonadotropin stimulation. As ERβ is primarily expressed in the granulosa cells (GCs), we explored the gonadotropin-regulated GC genes that induce maturation of antral follicles. Synchronized follicle development was induced by administration of exogenous gonadotropins to wildtype 4-wk-old female rats. The GC transcriptome was analyzed via RNA-sequencing before and after gonadotropin stimulation. An Erβnull mutant model that fails to show follicle maturation was also included in order to identify the ERβ-regulated genes involved at this step. We observed that specific groups of genes were differentially expressed in response to PMSG or hCG administration in wildtype rats. While some of the PMSG or hCG-induced genes showed a similar expression pattern in Erβnull GCs, a subset of PMSG- or hCG-induced genes showed a differential expression in Erβnull GCs. These latter ERβ-regulated genes included previously known FSH or LH target genes including Lhcgr, Cyp11a1, Cyp19a1, Pgr, Runx2, Egfr, Kiss1, and Ptgs2, which are involved in follicle development, oocyte maturation, and ovulation. We also identified novel ERβ-regulated genes including Jaml, Galnt6, Znf750, Dusp9, Wnt16, and Mageb16 that failed to respond to gonadotropin stimulation in Erβnull GCs. Our findings indicate that the gonadotropin-induced spatiotemporal pattern of gene expression is essential for ovarian follicle maturation beyond the antral stage. However, expression of a subset of those gonadotropin-induced genes is dependent on transcriptional regulation by ERβ.
Popular Methods for Event Studies in Corporate Finance—Subjectivity Versus Robustness

This chapter is to survey the conventional methods in event studies of corporate events. Intuitively, since the corporate (finance) events are considered as the newly available information concerning the specific institutions of interest, the information regarding the institutions alone is considered as especially firm-specific. Therefore, the methods usually consider the approximation of normal returns in using either the asset pricing models or time series modeling to filter them.
Using Virtual Reality in Electrostatics Instruction: The Impact of Training

Virtual reality-based instruction is not more effective than other media at teaching inherently 3D topics in introductory physics.
Bhutanese–Nepali Young Women’s Experiences with Racism Inside and Outside of Schools

This study explores how young Bhutanese-Nepali refugee women experience racism within and outside of school settings. Using data collected from a 16-month community-based culturally responsive lead...
Optical vector field rotation and switching with near-unity transmission by fully developed chiral photonic crystals

State-of-the-art nanostructured chiral photonic crystals (CPCs), metamaterials, and metasurfaces have shown giant optical rotatory power but are generally passive and beset with large optical losses and with inadequate performance due to limited size/interaction length and narrow operation bandwidth. In this work, we demonstrate by detailed theoretical modeling and experiments that a fully developed CPC, one for which the number of unit cells N is high enough that it acquires the full potentials of an ideal (N → ∞) crystal, will overcome the aforementioned limitations, leading to a new generation of versatile high-performance polarization manipulation optics. Such high-N CPCs are realized by field-assisted self-assembly of cholesteric liquid crystals to unprecedented thicknesses not possible with any other means. Characterization studies show that high-N CPCs exhibit broad transmission maxima accompanied by giant rotatory power, thereby enabling large (>π) polarization rotation with near-unity transmission over a large operation bandwidth. Polarization rotation is demonstrated to be independent of input polarization orientation and applies equally well on continuous-wave or ultrafast (picosecond to femtosecond) pulsed lasers of simple or complex (radial, azimuthal) vector fields. Liquid crystal–based CPCs also allow very wide tuning of the operation spectral range and dynamic polarization switching and control possibilities by virtue of several stimuli-induced index or birefringence changing mechanisms.
Financial Management Analysis of Nigerian Paints Industry in the SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) Phase: Questionnaire Survey

The author ’s study, based on questionnaire survey of the Nigerian Paints industry in the SAP Phase (Structural Adjustment Programme), examines the effect of government policies on the paints manufacturing industry focusing on soliciting information on possibility of sourcing the presently foreign-sourced materials or their substitutes locally and intensifying production of locally available raw materials, etc., focusing our financial management issues relating to paints industry during the pre-SAP and post-SAP periods.
The neurobehavioral and social-emotional development of infants and children.

Over the course of his esteemed career, he has received funding for hundreds of key studies in the US and abroad on normal and abnormal infant and child development-including his Mutual Regulation Model and Still-Face Paradigm, which revolutionized our understanding of infants' emotional capacities and coping-all of which led to critical contributions in the field. Much of his work serves as the benchmark for how mental health clinicians think about biopsychosocial states of consciousness, the process of meaning making, and how and why we engage with others in the world. Now, for the first time, Tronick has gathered together his most influential writings in a single, essential volume. Organized into five parts-(I) Neurobehavior, (II) Culture, (III) Infant Social-Emotional Interaction, (IV) Perturbations: Natural and Experimental, and (V) Dyadic Expansion of Consciousness and Meaning Making-this book represents his major ideas and studies regarding infant-adult interactions, developmental processes, and mutual regulation, carefully addressing such questions as: * What is a state of consciousness? * What are the developing infant's capacities for neurobehavioral self-organization? * How are early infant-adult interactions organized? * How can we understand the nature of normal versus abnormal development? * How do self and mutual regulation relate to developmental processes? * Is meaning making purely a function of the brain, or is it in our bodies as well? As a bonus, the book includes a DVD-ROM, with video clips of Tronick's Still-Face Paradigm, an invaluable teaching aid.
A mathematical model of fractone-controlled morphogenesis

It has been hypothesized that the generation of new neural cells (neurogenesis) resulting from stem and progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in the developing and adult brain is guided by the extracellular matrix. The extracellular matrix of the neurogenic niches comprises specialized structures termed fractones, which are scattered in between stem/progenitor cells. Growing evidence indicates that fractones of the adult brain bind and activate growth factors at the surface of stem/progenitor cells to influence their proliferation. It has been shown that neuroepithelial cell proliferation is also associated with fractones during early brain development, although the functional links between fractones and neuroepithelial cells have not been elucidated. We present a mathematical model that considers the role of fractones as captors and activators of growth factors that influence the rate of proliferation and the location of the newly generated neuroepithelial cells in the forming brain. This model allows for the dynamic placement and removal of fractones into the evolving cell mass, giving us control over its developing shape. Using this model, we simulate early brain morphogenesis, focusing on the formation of the lateral ventricle walls from the anterior portion of the neural tube.
National plans: case study Belgium

In October 2011 the Belgian Fund for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs, a consortium of stakeholders supported by the King Baudouin Foundation, handed over the recommendations and proposed measures for a Belgian Plan for Rare Diseases. In follow-up of the EU recommendations to issue national plans by 2013, the Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs commissioned the Fund to propose a comprehensive plan. The proposals cover 11 action domains, among them patient empowerment, improving access to treatment, ethics and governance. 42 measures have been proposed and a budgetary estimate was issued. Realising the plan would necessitate a 17 million euro investment over a 5 year period and an additional yearly expenditure of 44 million euro: compared to the national health Insurance budget of 25 billion euro, this seems a limited effort to realise! Still, adding expenditure to the budget under actual pressure to curb down health expenditure growth rates is not evident. Although governmental endorsement of a national plan has not yet taken place, most probably due to the economic and budgetary context, several measures have been launched by the Minister. These measures pertain to the core of action to be taken: setting up a national registry for rare diseases, disclosing information through Orphanet in national languages, developing centers of expertise based upon international guidelines, recommendations and guidance through Eucerd, adapting procedures in order to make early temporary reimbursement possible.
Effects of systemic recombinant interleukin-2 on natural killer and lymphokine activated killer activity of human tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.

The purpose of these studies was to compare local and systemic human lymphokine activated killer (LAK) and natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity and to determine its modulation by the systemic administration of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2). After preoperative systemic rIL-2, we extracted tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from patients with pulmonary tumors and compared pre- and posttreatment spontaneous NK activity and their response to in vitro rIL-2. Spontaneous TIL NK activity was increased in patients receiving 15,000 units/kg rIL-2 preoperatively [6.6 lytic units (LU)] compared to those receiving 1,000–10,000 units/kg (0.8 LU) or no rIL-2 (1.4 LU). After 3 days incubation with 1,000 units/ml rIL-2, TIL NK cytotoxic activity was increased in patients receiving 15,000 units/kg rIL-2 (65.4 LU) compared to those receiving 1,000–10,000 units/kg (6.0 LU) or no treatment (24.9 LU). Spontaneous TIL LAK activity was low overall (1.1 LU) with the exception of two patients receiving 15,000 units/kg who had 3.1 and 3.7 LU spontaneously. TIL LAK precursor activity was only slightly increased in patients receiving 1,000–10,000 units/kg rIL-2, whereas those receiving 15,000 units/kg rIL-2 had an average of 22.8 LU. Systemic rIL-2 also increased spontaneous PBL NK activity. Reincubation of PBL obtained at time of surgery or 3 days after discontinuing systemic rIL-2 resulted in significant increases in cytotoxic response to in vitro rIL-2 compared to pre-IL-2 in vitro responses. Systemic rIL-2 had no effect on spontaneous PBL LAK activity. Thus, the immunosuppressive tumor environment can be partially reversed with 15,000 units/kg systemic rIL-2. Higher doses of systemic rIL-2 also increased spontaneous PBL NK activity at time of surgery and 3 days after discontinuing rIL-2. Both TIL and PBL inducible cytotoxicity were boosted in vitro following higher doses of systemic rIL-2.
Solutions to the Affordable Housing Crisis: Perspectives on Privatization

This article examines the government efforts to respond to affordable housing issues and summarizes the criticisms of these policies and programs. The author focuses on the privatization movement which pushes for a reduction in government participation in public housing activities in order to transfer control and responsibility to the private sector. The article also reviews European policies such as the concept of social housing. The article stresses that careful attention must be paid to the privatization mechanisms selected and emphasizes that shared expectations, shared values, and shared commitment can bring about a successful affordable housing strategy. The article describes some current models of affordable housing in both urban and suburban areas, using examples from St. Louis and other cities. Much of the article attempts to answer the question concerning the appropriate role of the government in securing affordable and decent housing for its citizens.
Molecular Magnets: Phenomenology and Theory

One special class of molecular magnets may be characterized as a finite array of exchange-coupled transition metal ions that are held in place by ligands. Depending upon the relative strength of the exchange-coupling and the spin-orbit interactions, two different types of collective excitations can emerge as the low-energy excitations. When spin-orbit interactions are negligible, the lowest excitations are generally highly correlated and are associated with changes in spin-coupling. Such systems may be described within a Heisenberg Hamiltonian. A description of how to calculate parameters for such a Hamiltonian is presented in this work. However, the phenomenon now referred to as resonant tunnelling of magnetization (RTM) occurs when the exchange coupling is sufficiently strong that the electronic ground state of the molecule may be well idealized as a single Ising-like configuration of spin-ordered metal centers. Within this idealization the spin-orbit energy depends upon axis of spin-quantization and the magnetic behavior can be described in terms of a simple anisotropy Hamiltonian. In this work we review these points through discussions of two nanostructures which here are respectively referred to as the V15 spin molecular magnet and the Mn12-Acetate anisotropic molecular magnet. The distinctions between these two classes are reviewed. In particular we emphasize that more complicated collective behaviors may occur in cases with either low-energy electronic excitations or for cases where a decoupling of the kinetic-exchange and spin-orbit interaction energies does not occur. For the latter idealized case, it is still somewhat remarkable that the anisotropy Hamiltonians of many of the AMM may be computationally determined from second-order perturbative analyses of the collinear spin-ordered state within an all-electron density-functional formalism. The primary emphasis of this work is to provide many details related to the perturbative derivation of the Hamiltonian for an AMM. A combination of analytic and computational techniques are used in the derivation. Keywords: molecular magnets; nanomagnets; density-functional theory; Mn12-acetate; magnetic anisotropy theory
Assessing Reliability of Early Adolescent Girls' Reports of Romantic and Sexual Behavior

Increasing rates of HIV among urban adolescents have raised concerns about their participation in sexual risk behaviors. The accuracy of adolescents' sexual reports is critical to the assessment of risk, which may later guide the development of public policy, interventions, and education efforts. The data presented here are part of a larger study on a range of sexual behaviors and cognitions believed to be important regarding adolescent girls' sexual choices and decision-making. Our goal here was to assess the test-retest reliability of early adolescent girls' reports of their romantic and sexual experiences. This information will contribute to our limited information base regarding sexuality research with early adolescents. Fifty urban African American and Latina girls between the ages of 12 and 14 years were recruited from community settings around New York City. A battery of sexual behavior and sexual cognition measures was administered by interviewers at two time points separated by a 3-week interval. Results indicated that the girls were highly reliable in reporting their sexual experiences, especially those experiences related to age of first romantic and sexual milestone experiences.
To Snoop or Not to Snoop: Evaluation of Fine-Grain and Coarse-Grain Snoop Filtering Techniques

Cache coherency protocols implemented in today's shared memory multiprocessor systems use snooping mechanism to keep the data correct and consistent between the caches and the system memory. This requires a large number of snoops sent out on the system interconnection links. However, published research has been shown that a large percentage of these snoops are not necessary or can be eliminated. To detect and eliminate these unnecessary snoops, several techniques have been proposed. But these techniques have not been evaluated using commercial server benchmarks and large caches that are common on today's server platforms. In this paper, we evaluate three popular snoop filtering techniques, namely Region Scout (RS), Region Coherence Array (RCA) and Directory Cache (DC), using four different commercial server workloads. We compare and contrast these three techniques and show how effective these techniques are in eliminating unnecessary snoops. These techniques differ in implementation approaches and the implementation differences yield accuracy and areas tradeoffs. We show 38% to 98% of the last level cache snoops are unnecessary in major commercial server benchmarks. With the snoop filtering techniques we are able to eliminate 35% to 97% of the unnecessary snoops with 1-3% additional die area.
Periodic and nonperiodic interstratification in the chlorite-biotite series

A systematic TEM investigation of interstratified chlorite-biotite crystals showed that the crystals are composed of domains of periodically interstratified chlorite-biotite, non-periodically interstratified chlorite-biotite, biotite, and chlorite. The interstratified chlorite-biotite occurs as a vein filling and was apparently crystallized from a hydrothermal solution. The complex structure of the interstratified chlorite-biotite presumably results from a nonlinear growth phenomenon occurring under a nonequilibrium state. A simple nonlinear dynamics model derived from Duffing`s equation was constructed with an additional chemical potential that accounts for the variation of structural configuration of tetrahedral sheets or 2:1 layers in chlorite and biotite, a simple periodic fluctuation of hydrothermal fluid composition, and a simple damping force for two-dimensional lattice misfit on (001) resulting from the intergrowth of different types of layers with different structural configurations and other dissipation effects. Solutions to the equations of the model show that periodic interstratification, nonperiodic interstratification, and domains of the two end-member components (biotite, chlorite) can be formed during crystallization under various conditions. The nonperiodic sequences of biotite and chlorite layers along the c axis in the interstratified crystals produced by this model are chaotic rather than random. The calculations suggest that both periodic and nonperiodic interstratifications can result from periodic externalmore » force, e.g., compositional fluctuation of the fluid.« less
El precio de la ausencia: La Psiquiatría Latinoamericana en el mundo

Globalization, a phenomenon nourished by massive migrations and increasingly complex technological advances, creates challenges to individual and collective identities, to the cultural texture of world regions and continents, and to their scientific expressions, among them medicine and psychiatry. After briefly describing the historical routes of Latin-American psychiatry, this article examines the work of some of its most distinguished figures and their contributions in areas such as social psychiatry, psychoanalysis, neurobiology and others. A focus on the visibility and acceptance of Latin-American contributions to the world psychiatry scene is based on the study of Impact Factor figures of publications, recognition and participation of Latin-American psychiatrists in international organizations and events, collaborative participation in research projects, etc. It is concluded that such visibility is modest, reasons for this and the reactions of the Latin-American psychiatric community in the face of it are examined. Finally, suggestions and management strategies aimed at reaffirming the value and quality of such contributions in the academic, heuristic and clinical fields, are formulated.
Circumstantial Evidence for a Stiff Nuclear Equation of State

Abstract We discuss the recent attempts to extract the nuclear equation of state from event-by-event data on high energy heavy ion collisions via the Vlasov-Uehling-Uhlenbeck theory. In this approach, the time evolution of the Wigner function is followed in configuration and momentum space. Rapid stopping of the projectile occurs at small impact parameters. For intermediate impact parameters, the theory predicts simultaneously the bounce-off effect of the projectile fragments and the sidewards flow of the participant matter. The latter can be displayed via a peak in the distribution of the flow angle Op at large values of Op, while the bounce-off is most easily observed via a pronounced maximum of the transverse momentum transfer p x (y) at the projectile rapidity. A drastic dependence of p x and Op on the mass of the colliding system, impact parameter, and bombarding energy is predicted. Recent data are used to extract an equation of state. The resulting EOS is consistently the same and in quantitative agreement with results obtained from pion multiplicities via various methods.
Use of Long-Term Opportunistic Surveys to Estimate Trends in Abundance of Hibernating Townsend's Big-Eared Bats

Abstract The advent of broad-scale threats to bats such as white-nose syndrome and climate change highlights the need for reliable baseline assessment of their populations. However, few long-term, rigorously designed assessments of bat populations exist, particularly in western North America. Consequently, results of informal monitoring efforts are often the only data available upon which to base population assessments. We evaluated whether an opportunistic collection of surveys recorded over a 22-y period could be used to assess population trend of Townsend's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) at Lava Beds National Monument in northern California. We used records of counts of hibernating bats conducted during 1991–2012 to estimate the number of bats in 52 individual caves as well as cumulatively. Seventeen of 22 caves surveyed in four or more years had an increasing trend in the number of hibernating bats. We estimated the cumulative annual growth rate over the period to be 1.79%. Stable or increas...
Testing of Large Lead Stationary Batteries

This paper presents background information on capacity and qualification testing of lead batteries and provides an analysis of the measurement of connector contact resistance. Due to parallel resistive paths the measured resistance can be from 36 to 95 percent lower than the actual resistance.
Transplantation of B16/C3 melanoma cells into the brains of rats and mice.

The B16/C3 mouse melanoma cell line produces l -DOPA, catecholamines and melanin in tissue culture. Growth and development of these cells after transplantation into the rat and mouse brain were studied by immunocytochemical and histological techniques. The implanted cells were localized by prelabelling the cell nuclei with bisbenzimide, a fluorescent marker which binds to DNA. Following transplantation into rats, B16/C3 melanoma cells were found to survive for at least 4–6 weeks. These cells initially expressed tyrosinase and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and in some cases contained catecholamines. After 3 weeks, the cytoplasm of the transplanted cells began to accumulate melanin; catecholamines and tyrosinase immunoreactivity were no longer detected. Ultimately the cells became round in shape and densely pigmented. Growth of the tumor in the rats was restricted and the implant was encapsulated within a glial sheath. There was evidence of an immune reaction to the tumor in the cells with Ia antigen immunoreactivity were present surrounding the graft. The rat hosts were not adversely affected by presence of the tumor, nor did the tumor cell grafts alter rotational behavior consequent to unilateral substantia nigra lesions. In mouse hosts, however, the melanoma grew rapidly, was not encapsulated by glia and led to death of all animals. These data suggest that the tumor was not rapidly destroyed in rats, even though its growth was controlled through immunological mechanisms. Both tropic and immunological mechanisms may therefore be involved in the regulation of survival and differentiation of intracerebral grafts of tumor cells.
Public Pedagogy and Educational Leadership: Politically Engaged Scholarly Communities and Possibilities for Critical Engagement

(2006). Public Pedagogy and Educational Leadership: Politically Engaged Scholarly Communities and Possibilities for Critical Engagement. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 57-60.
Cell-free translation of messenger RNAs of embryonic tooth organs: Synthesis of the major extracellular matrix proteins

Abstract In order to understand the regulation of embryonic mammalian enamel and dentine extracellular matrix protein synthesis, the biological activity of embryonic rabbit molar tooth organ messenger RNAs has been examined. Total RNA was extracted from 26-day embryonic tooth organs and fractionated by chromatography on oligo(dT)-cellulose. Replicate samples were fractionated on sucrose density gradients and the poly(A)-containing distribution determined using a poly(U) 3 H assay. The poly(A)-containing fractions stimulated 3 H-proline incorporation 10-fold in wheat germ cell-free extracts. Analysis of the labelled reaction products on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gels revealed seven major peaks, one co-migrating with procollagen alpha chains (circa 145,000 daltons) and the others migrating slightly faster than the various extracellular matrix proteins which characterize amelogenesis and dentinogenesis. Purified collagenase digestion of the cell-free reaction products eliminated the 145,000 dalton procollagen-like polypeptide. This is the first demonstration of the isolation of embryonic tooth organ messenger RNAs and provides an experimental approach by which to study the regulation of extracellular matrix formation during tooth morphogenesis. We predict that the non-collagenous proteins synthesized in vitro represent enamel proteins, alkaline phosphatase, dentine phosphoproteins and proteins associated with proteoglycans.
Hyperstable miniproteins: additive effects of D- and L-Ala mutations.

The folding enantioselectivity for D-AlaversusL-Ala at one glycine site in the Trp-cage is 16 kJ mol−1; judicious introductions of alanines of the correct chirality raises the melting temperature of this 20-residue fold to 83 °C.
Effect of Insulin on Free Tumor Cells in Peritoneal Exudate and on Their Host.

Summary and ConclusionsCFW mice were inoculated i.p. with S-180 or S-37 cell suspensions and treated with 3 daily i.m. injections of globin insulin (0.5 to 2 units). On the 4th or 5th day, specimens of peritoneal exudate were withdrawn from these mice and from untreated controls; the number of tumor cells per cmm and the percentage of their mitoses were consistently lower in insulin treated animals; this effect of insulin could be prevented by repeated injections of glucose (1 cc of 20% solution). In other experiments, the survival span was recorded for insulin treated tumor-bearing animals, their untreated controls and insulin treated normal mice. The first group showed the shortest survival which could not be extended by injections of glucose. It is concluded that growth of free tumor cells in the exudate was reversibly inhibited by hypoglycemia, its metabolic products or by the direct effect of insulin on tumor cells (permeability?) and that the same factors (or some of them) provided additional stress...
The Emergence of Gender-Neutral Housing on American University Campuses

American college housing is beginning to introduce gender-neutral housing, or the housing of students in the same room regardless of gender. This study provides a descriptive overview of gender-neutral housing from 148 universities and documents central areas of debate in current policy discussions. Information regarding gender-neutral housing policies and practices at each of these campuses was collected. Results suggest that gender-neutral housing is currently an uncommon occurrence as a formalized housing option for most students. However, almost half of the schools sampled are currently engaging in formal or informal policy discussion regarding the addition of gender-neutral housing. Important future questions and priorities for both college administrators and scholars are suggested.
Thermal ion flow in Saturn's inner magnetosphere measured by the Cassini plasma spectrometer: A signature of the Enceladus torus?

For the middle and outer magnetosphere of Saturn (>5.5 R S ), Cassini plasma spectrometer ion counting data provides thermal ion moments by assuming Maxwellian phase space density distributions for each ion species. However, in the inner magnetosphere (<5.5 R S ) within Saturn's extended neutral cloud and proposed Enceladus torus, there is fresh ion production via charge exchange, yielding a complex ion velocity distribution. In this study, ion flow velocities in the inner region are obtained using the assumption that the ion phase space distributions are gyrotropic. Significantly sub-corotating ion flow velocities (∼75% of corotation) are found in the vicinity of the Enceladus orbit and the radial extent of the sub-corotation is about 1.0 R S , in reasonable agreement with the simulated radial dimension of the Enceladus torus.
144 SERIM ARGININE VASOPRESSIN RESPONSES IN CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

In addition to its antidiuretic properties, arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a potent vasoactive homone. If unopposed by baroreceptor mediated reflexes, even low serun levels of AVP nay exert pressor effects. Since early life is associated with an enhanced ability to release AVP and with an increase in its cardiovascular effects, we evaluated whether congestive heart failure (CHF) is a stimulus for AVP release. AVP levels were measured by RIA using the modified Bentonite technique in 40 infants and children divided into 5 groups: Group I (n = 7) with CHF; Group II (n = 6) with cyanotic heart disease; Group III(n = 3) with persistent neonatal pulmonary hypertension; Group IV (n = 12) stressed infants with respiratory disease but no heart disease; and Group V (n = 12) healthy unstressed controls. Group IV had statistically higher AVP levels (13 pcg/ml ± 6) when compared to Group V normals (6 peg/ml ± 2)(p ≤ 0.05). Groups II & III were not significantly different from Group V (7 pcg/ml ± 5 and 6 peg/ml ± 2 respectively). CHF patients (Group I) had variable AVP levels with peak levels markedly elevated above other groups (102 peg/ml ± 135), (p<0.05) and further increased with worsening clinical status. Additional data suggest that hyperosrrotic angiographic contrast madia increase AVP levels by 2 to 10 times pre-dye levels in most instances (n = 12 of 15 patients, p < 0.02). We conclude that AVP levels are increased in children with CHF and that diagnostic interventions such as angiography may further elevate AVP. This may result in increased cardiac afterload further impairing already diminished cardiac function.
Aerosol particle charging by free electrons

Abstract The strong dependence of electrostatic precipitator efficiency on particle charge has initiated a number of investigations of charge enhancement techniques. Measurements of free electron charging of aerosol particles reported here for nitrogen and argon confirm the earlier evidence (DuBard et al., J. Aerosol Sci. 14 , 5, 1983) that free electron charging in nitrogen produced a substantially higher particle charge than charging by ions. The measured particle charge was 2–10 times larger for free electron charging than for ionic charging depending upon the experimental conditions. The dependence of free electron charging upon the gas, electric field, particle radius, and the charging parameter N 0 t has been measured. Previously available charging theories do not predict the observed dependence of free electron charging on the various parameters. The importance of electric-field-enhanced electron temperatures is recognized for diffusion charging, and a new high electron temperature continuum-regime field-diffusion charging model is presented which utilizes the Boltzmann relation as an approximate solution for the electron densities near the particle. The predictions of this model are dependent upon the boundary conditions utilized at the particle surface, but are in satisfactory agreement with the data (considering the possible sensitivity of electron charging to gas impurities).
A preliminary study of keratinophilic fungi from Abaco Island, the Bahamas.

The soil of two Bahamian communities on Abaco Island was examined for keratinophilic fungi. Isolated fungal species in soil identifies possible causal agents of dermatophytoses. Inhabitants of the area may have contaminated the soil, or species present may represent a potential source of new clinical cases. Fungal pathogens have been reported as free living soil saprophytes.
Influence of Viscous, Gravitational, and Capillary Forces on DNAPL Saturation

Four dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) -- bromoform, chlorobenzene, tetrachloroethylene, and trichloroethylene -- were used to investigate the influence of viscous, gravitational, and capillary forces on DNAPL saturation in a natural aquifer sand. The relative magnitudes of these forces are expressed in terms of two dimensionless groups, the Capillary Number (N{sub Ca}), defined as the ratio of the viscous force to capillary force, and the Bond Number (N{sub Bo}), defined as the ratio of the gravitational force to capillary force. Nondimensionalization of the equations governing two-phase flow suggests that DNAPL saturation should be a function of a linear combination of the Capillary and Bond Numbers (N{sub Ca}/k{sub rw} {minus} N{sub Bo}), provided the permeability to water (k{sub rw}) in the presence of discontinuous DNAPL is considered. Experimental studies in which DNAPL saturations were measured over a range of Capillary and Bond Numbers for upward, horizontal, and downward displacement of DNAPL by water corroborate the results of the nondimensionalization. DNAPL saturations generally decreased with increasing Capillary Number and with decreasing Bond Number until N{sub Ca}/k{sub rw} {minus} N{sub Bo} was greater than approximately 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}5}, at which point residual saturation was attained. For the DNAPLs used in this study,more » with adhesion tensions on the order of 26 dynes/cm and Bond Numbers ranging from 1.3 {times} 10{sup {minus}7} to 2.4 {times} 10{sup {minus}6}, residual saturation was attained at Capillary Numbers greater than approximately 5 {times} 10{sup {minus}5}. These results provide a means of estimating the system conditions under which the DNAPLs studied achieve residual saturation in aquifer material.« less
THE IMPACT OF ELECTRICITY MARKET CONDITIONS ON THE VALUE OF FLEXIBLE CO2 CAPTURE

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture with amine scrubbing at coal-fired power plants can remove 90% of the CO2 from flue gas, but operational energy requirements reduce net electrical output by 20–30%. Temporarily reducing the load on energy intensive components of the amine scrubbing process could temporarily increase power output and allow additional electricity sales when prices are high. Doing so could entail additional CO2 emissions, or amine solvent storage can be utilized to allow increased power output without additional CO2 emissions. Price-responsive flexible capture is studied for $0–200/tCO2 and $2–11/MMBTU natural gas using a nominal 500 MW coal-fired facility in the 2010 Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid. CO2 capture systems use a 7 molal monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent. Venting additional CO2 while increasing electrical output provides significant benefit only at $30–60/tCO2 and when natural gas prices exceed $4/MMBTU. Solvent storage can improve profitability with CO2 capture at higher CO2 emissions penalties, but primarily at low-to-moderate natural gas prices when power plant capacity factor is less than 90%.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Global spectral irradiance variability and material discrimination at Boulder, Colorado.

We analyze 7258 global spectral irradiance functions over 0.4–2.2 µm that were acquired over a wide range of conditions at Boulder, Colorado, during the summer of 1997. We show that low-dimensional linear models can be used to capture the variability in these spectra over both the visible and the 0.4–2.2 µm spectral ranges. Using a linear model, we compare the Boulder data with the previous study of Judd et al. [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 54, 1031 (1964)] over the visible wavelengths. We also examine the agreement of the Boulder data with a spectral database generated by using the MODTRAN 4.0 radiative transfer code. We use a database of 223 minerals to consider the effect of the spectral variability in the global spectral irradiance functions on hyperspectral material identification. We show that the 223 minerals can be discriminated accurately over the variability in the Boulder data with subspace projection techniques.
Development of stereoscopic molecular tagging velocimetry

This paper describes the development of a stereoscopic molecular tagging velocimetry (sMTV) technique for measuring the instantaneous three-component velocity field over a plane in a flow. The calibration technique employed allows the stereo imaging parameters to be determined directly from a target image without the direct physical measurement of those parameters. Effects of index of refraction variations are accounted for approximately in the calibration method. Sensitivity analysis and target test experiments for a typical optical setup indicate maximum error levels for the in-plane components to be nominally the same as two-component MTV measurements. The error in the out-of-plane velocity component can be one to three times larger, depending on the stereo viewing angle. Experimental results are presented to validate the sMTV technique against other known measured results, along with an application to the highly three-dimensional flow field near the tip of a model propeller.
Altered protein expression detected in the F1 offspring of male mice exposed to fission neutrons

Liver protein expression in F1 offspring arising from spermatogonia exposed to 60 cGy of fission spectrum neutrons from the JANUS reactor was compared to that in offspring from unexposed spermatogonia by using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). Approximately 100 protein spots in 2DE patterns from 167 control offspring and 530 offspring from irradiated sires were monitored for quantitative decreases of 50%, indicative of mutation events causing the loss of one normal copy of a structural gene. Reproducible abnormalities were found only in 3 patterns, all from the offspring of neutron-irradiated sires. Two of the three patterns were from littermates (brother and sister) and both showed an approximately 70% decrease in the amount of liver protein MSN188. The third pattern was from a male mouse sired by a different male and showed an approximately 50% decrease in the abundance of protein MSN94. The decreased abundance of MSN188 and MSN94 was assumed to be due to mutation events referred to as NEUT1 and NEUT2, respectively. Sibling crosses between the 2 mice showing the NEUT1 trait produced offspring with control, decreased and undetectable levels of MSN188 in a ratio of 0.25:0.5:0.25. Test crosses between the F1 offspring expressing the NEUT2 trait back to C57BL/6JANL mice produced offspring expressing normal or decreased amounts of MSN94 in a ratio of 0.5:0.5. Inbreeding of individuals expressing decreased amounts of MSN94 produced mice expressing control, decreased amounts, or no detectable amount of that protein in a ratio of 0.25:0.5:0.25. These results indicate that the decreased abundance of MSN188 or MSN94 originally detected in the F1 offspring is due to a genetically transmissible event. Unlike the heritable protein changes observed previously in the F1 offspring of sires exposed to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea in which a protein variant was produced, both the NEUT1 and NEUT2 mutation events appear to prevent the production of any protein product. These 2 mutations may thus represent mutation lesions other than point mutations (e.g., deletions or translocations) detectable as quantitative changes in protein expression in the F1 generation.
Prevalence and correlates of the type A behavior pattern in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Type A behavior pattern was noted less frequently in a group of 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis than was expected based on standardized norms for the Jenkins Activity Survey. Patients manifesting Type A behavior with respect to factors of Speed and Impatience and Job Involvement tended to have better physical status than those exhibiting Type B behavior. These aspects of the Type A behavior pattern may be associated with good physical health in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Cool Pose, Black Manhood, and Juvenile Delinquency

The historical construct of American manhood is that of White male dominance. Black boys who realize that their access to traditional manhood is limited then shape their sub-cultural response, called Cool Pose. Cool Pose facilitates the stereotype of Black boys as both delinquent and intellectually inferior; Black boys gain acceptance and respect among peers by acting out and performing below intellectual capacity. Cool Pose is critical to the study of juvenile delinquency. Ultimately, Black boys must learn to value traditional concepts of manhood apart from those rooted in sub-cultural experiences.
A localized double-quantum filter for the in vivo detection of brain glucose

A double-quantum filter (DQF) sequence with PRESS localization was developed for in vivo detection of the glucose resonances in the 3.85-ppm region of the brain proton spectrum. The efficiency and spectral editing characteristics were studied in phantom and animal experiments. Approximately 45% detection efficiency was achieved at 4.7 T with TE = 68 ms. Since the efficiency of the DQF method is dependent on the relative phases of the RF pulses, a phase calibration procedure was used to correct for phase shifts induced by the spatial localization. In addition to detecting the 3.85-ppm glucose resonances with approximately 45% efficiency, the DQF sequence simultaneously detects 1.3-ppm lactate resonance with approximately 20% efficiency. The use of the DQF technique for simultaneously monitoring both the input and output of anaerobic glycolysis in the brain was demonstrated by detecting brain glucose and lactate in the same acquisition after iv injection of glucose followed by the induction of global ischemia.
Early drinking and its association with adolescents' participation in risky behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent alcohol use is a significant public health problem. Drinking before 13 years of age is correlated to the use of illicit drugs and other risky behaviors, such as cigarette smoking. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between adolescents' early alcohol use and participation in risky behaviors such as smoking marijuana and cigarettes, as well as risky sexual behaviors. STUDY DESIGN: Respondents for this cross-sectional secondary analysis came from a sample of 809 racially diverse adolescents in a community-based study examining familial influences on offspring outcomes. RESULTS: Early-onset drinking, compared with nondrinking, was significantly related to participating in many of the risky behaviors. Many of the relationships persisted in the multivariable models that adjusted for demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Early drinking was associated with participation in various risky behaviors (e.g., multiple sexual partners, unprotected intercourse), which may negatively alter an adolescent's future. Screening should focus on the co-occurrence of such behaviors. Language: en