cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using deep learning and natural language processing models to detect child physical abuse.

Abstract Background The recognition of child physical abuse can be challenging and often requires a multidisciplinary assessment. Deep learning models, based on clinical characteristics, laboratory studies, and imaging findings, were developed to facilitate unbiased identification of children who may have been abused. Methods Level 1 pediatric trauma center registry data from 1/1/2010–1/31/2020 were queried for abused children and matched participants with non-abusive trauma. Observations were de-identified and divided into training and validation sets. Model 1 used patient demographics (age, gender, and insurance type) and clinical characteristics (vital signs, shock index pediatric age-adjusted, Glasgow Coma Score, lactate, base deficit, and international normalized ratio). Model 2 used the same features as Model 1, but with the text of the radiology reports of head computed tomography, brain MRIs, and skeletal surveys. Google's latest BERT Natural Language Processing (NLP) model, which was pre-trained on a large corpus, was used for fine-tuning Model 2. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 scores, and positive predictive values were used to assess performance. Results Of 1,312 patients, 737 (56.2%) were abused. Model 1 had an accuracy of 86.3%, sensitivity of 87.2%, specificity of 85.1%, F1 score of 0.86, and positive predictive value (PPV) of 88.7% for the validation set with an area under the receiver Operating Curve (ROC AUC) of 0.86. NLP based Model 2 had an accuracy of 93.4%, sensitivity 92.5%, specificity of 94.6%, F1 score of 0.93, and PPV of 95.9% for the validation set, with a ROC AUC of 0.94. Most features had weak individual correlations with abuse (r Conclusions Deep learning models accurately distinguished child physical abuse from non-abuse, and NLP further improved the accuracy of the models. Such models could be developed to run in real-time in the electronic medical record and alert clinicians when certain criteria are met, which would prompt them to pursue the diagnosis of abuse. Level of Evidence III Study Type Diagnostic
Functional independence of endogenous mu- and delta-opioid receptors co-expressed in cholinergic interneurons

Class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) normally function as monomers, although evidence from heterologous expression systems suggests they may form homodimers and/or heterodimers. Detection of GPCR dimers in native tissues has however been challenging due to the lack of suitable tools. - and {delta}-Opioid receptors (MORs and DORs) co-expressed in transfected cells has been reported to form heterodimers. The co-localization of MORs and DORs in neurons has been studied in knock-in mice expressing genetically engineered receptors fused to fluorescent proteins. Here we report that single cholinergic neurons in the mouse striatum endogenously express both MORs and DORs. The receptors were fluorescently labeled in live brain slices with a ligand-directed labeling reagent, NAI-A594. The selective activation of MORs and DORs, with DAMGO (-agonist) and deltorphin ({delta}-agonist) inhibited spontaneous firing in all cells examined. In the continued presence of agonist, the firing rate returned to baseline with the application of deltorphin but was persistently inhibited with the application of DAMGO. In addition, agonist-induced internalization of DORs but not MORs was detected. When MORs and DORs were activated simultaneously with [Met5]enkephalin, desensitization of MORs was facilitated but internalization was not increased. Together, these results indicate that while MORs and DORs are expressed in single striatal cholinergic interneurons, the two receptors function independently.
Lactose utilization by Brettanomyces claussenii expands potential for valorization of dairy by-products to functional beverages through fermentation

Consumer interest in functional beverages has been increasing recently and has led to expansion in the market. Fermented beverages containing acetic acid such as kombucha are often produced using alternative microorganisms such as lactic and acetic acid bacteria as well as non-Saccharomyces yeasts. These organisms are used to produce health-promoting compounds which make these products popular with consumers. One such alternative yeast, Brettanomyces claussenii, has been gaining recognition for its biotechnological potential. Its capabilities include fermentation of non-traditional substrates and production of valuable by-products. Specifically, this species has the ability to utilize lactose and aerobically produce acetic acid. Harnessing the potential of this yeast leads to opportunities to upcycle lactose-containing dairy by-products to acetic acid fermented beverages.
Dark Clouds With Silver Linings: Resident Anxieties About COVID-19 Coupled With Program Innovations and Increased Resident Well-Being.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic forced numerous unprecedented systemic changes within residency programs and hospital systems. Objective We explored how the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated changes in clinical and educational experiences, were related to internal medicine residents' well-being in the early months of the pandemic. Methods Across 4 internal medicine residency programs in the Northeast United States that have previously participated in the iCOMPARE study, all 394 residents were invited to participate in a study with open-ended survey prompts about well-being approximately every 2 weeks in academic year 2019-2020. In March and April 2020, survey prompts were refocused to COVID-19. Content analysis revealed themes in residents' open-ended responses to 4 prompts. Results One hundred and eighty-six residents expressed interest, and 88 were randomly selected (47%). There were 4 main themes: (1) in early days of the pandemic, internal medicine residents reported fear and anxiety about uncertainty and lack of personal protective equipment; (2) residents adapted and soon were able to reflect, rest, and pursue personal wellness; (3) communication from programs and health systems was inconsistent early in the pandemic but improved in clarity and frequency; (4) residents appreciated the changes programs had made, including shorter shifts, removal of pre-rounding, and telemedicine. Conclusions COVID-19 introduced many challenges to internal medicine residency programs and to resident well-being. Programs made structural changes to clinical schedules, educational/conference options, and communication that boosted resident well-being. Many residents hoped these changes would continue regardless of the pandemic's course.
Avoiding the blood supply to the femoral head during cannulated screw fixation: A comparison of two techniques.

Objectives To compare the strength of the inverted triangle (IT) versus the L-shaped cannulated screw fixation technique for stabilizing a Pauwels 2 femoral neck fracture. To demonstrate the risk to the blood supply to the femoral head from a posterior-superior screw. Methods The IT construct was compared with the L-shaped design in 10 composite femurs. A Pauwels 2 fracture was made with a 5 mm gap. Each specimen was loaded over 5000 cycles, measuring angular/shear displacement then loaded to failure. The data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. Three separate fresh frozen cadavers were injected with low-viscosity epoxy. The intraosseous bloody supply was inspected in each femoral head (no fixation, IT, L-shaped). Results There was no difference in angular (P = .3) or shear displacement (P = .99) between either screw design after cyclical loading. Also, there was not statistical difference in load to failure testing between either construct (P = .99). The average load to failure in the IT group was 3204.4 N. The average was 3180.2 N in the L-shaped design. We demonstrated the presence of the intraosseous portion of the lateral epiphyseal vessel in the specimen without screw fixation. This was preserved in the specimen with the L-shaped design but absent in the specimen following IT fixation. Conclusions The strength of the L-shaped construct was not statistically different than the strength of the IT design. The posterior-superior screw may put the main blood supply to the femoral head at risk and should be avoided.
History of Scientific Agriculture: Crop Plants

The first farming communities appeared in the Fertile Crescent above the Tigris River in what is now Iran approximately 13 000 years ago. Agriculture was also invented independently at several other locations in the world including Africa, Asia, China, India, Japan, Mesoamerica, South America and the Eastern US. Most of the early crops were annual types that were self-pollinating and polyploid. The crops emerging in each region spread gradually across the world. Once humans began to plant and harvest, several profound changes occurred in the crop species due to conscious and unconscious selection. Some of the major changes were nonshattering of seed pods, more determinate growth, more uniform ripening, larger seed size and increased seed production. Levels of genetic diversity were also greatly reduced during the process of crop domestication when humans selected only those types that were most beneficial to them. Key Concepts: Homo sapiens did not begin agriculture until approximately 13 000 years ago, even though the modern form of humans appeared approximately 50 000 years ago. The domestication of crops by humans began in what is called the ‘Fertile Crescent’ on the western edge of modern Iran, but at least 13 other locations across the world spawned agriculture. The act of planting and harvesting plants dramatically altered the genetic and physiological makeup of crop species, effecting traits such as seed retention, growth patterns, uniformity of ripening and levels of seed production. The earliest crops represented a broad array of plant families, but most were herbaceous annuals and self-pollinated. During the domestication process, levels of genetic variation were dramatically reduced as humans selected a narrow range of plant types. Keywords: crop diversity; domestication syndromes; origins of agriculture; plant domestication; polyploidy
CRISPR: Science can't solve it

Democratically weighing up the benefits and risks of gene editing and artificial intelligence is a political endeavour, not an academic one, says Daniel Sarewitz.
The American Catholic Church's Reaction to the Bombing of Rome

This paper examines the response by members of the Catholic Church in the United States of the American-led bombing of Rome on July 19, 1943. Catholics' reactions to the bombing - as examined through statements made by members of the hierarchy and articles in the Catholic press (and by Catholics in the secular press) - were less positive and less uniform than the overwhelmingly positive reaction of the secular press. In their own way, the reactions by American Catholics - both positive and negative - illustrate the Church's anguish over all war, the tensions present within the American Church at the time of World War II, and the tensions present within American society vis-a-vis the Catholic Church during the mid-20th century.
Chemical Effects of Shear Alfvén Waves in Molecular Clouds

We consider the propagation of low-amplitude MHD waves in partially-ionised plasmas. Ion-neutral drift (ambipolar diffusion) can lead to significant variations in the deuterium fractionation ratios of several molecules (e.g. HCO+ and N2H+) on spatial scales of between a few hundredths and a few tenths of a parsec, depending upon the fractional ionisation of the plasma. It is possible that interstellar Alfven waves could be detected by molecular spectroscopy and that these waves may produce other small-scale abundance gradients in molecular clouds.
A high-drive low-power BiCMOS buffer using compound PMOS/NPN transistors

In this paper we present a high-drive low-power BiCMOS buffer amplifier implemented in a 2 /spl mu/m technology. The class-AB output stage incorporates stacked NPN and compound PMOS/NPN transistors in which the PMOS transistors operate below threshold. Quiescent current is 300/spl mu/A using a /spl plusmn/2.5V supply. Total area is 0.165 mm/sup 2/. >
The apparent ionization constants of the phenolic hydroxyl groups of thyroxine and related compounds.

Abstract By using long cells in the Beckman spectrophotometer, absorption spectra in the ultraviolet of l -tyrosine, 3,5-diiodo- l -tyrosine, dl -thyronine, 3,5-diiodo- dl -thyronine, 3,3′,5-triiodo- l -thyronine, and thyroxine were obtained in basic, and in acidic solutions, and in solutions at intermediate pH. From these determinations, the apparent ionization constants (pK′) were calculated for the hydroxyl group in these compounds. The pK′ of this group in thyroxine (6.73) was comparable to the pK′ of this group in diiodotyrosine (6.36). The pK′ of triiodothyronine (8.45) was found to be intermediate between that of thyronine (9.55) and thyroxine. The presence of the two iodines in the 3- and 5-positions in diiodothyronine has little effect on the pK′ of this compound (9.29) as compared to thyronine.
Effects of single session music therapy on hospitalized patients recovering from a bone marrow transplant: Two studies

Abstract The purpose of these studies was to determine the effects of single session music therapy on inpatients in an adult bone marrow transplant unit. In Study 1, the researchers examined the effects of patient-preferred live music on anxiety, nausea, fatigue, pain, and relaxation for hospitalized patients ( N = 50) recovering from a bone marrow transplant utilizing a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design with Likert-Type Scales. In Study 2, the researchers utilized a randomized controlled trial with pre and posttests to determine how music therapy might effect fatigue ( N = 18). In Study 1, results were significant for relaxation, anxiety, and fatigue from pre to posttest. Although ratings tended to worsen slightly from posttest to follow-up, follow-up measurements maintained an improvement when compared with pretest scores. Results of Study 2 indicated no significant differences between- or within-group differences concerning fatigue. However, analyses of mean fatigue data indicated a slight decrease from pre to posttest for experimental participants and a slight increase from pre to posttest for control participants. Results of both studies indicate that a single music therapy session can have a positive effect on inpatients recovering from bone marrow transplants. Implications for clinical practice, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.
Pharmacokinetics and safety of levofloxacin in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Levofloxacin, the bacteriologically active isomer of ofloxacin, has microbiologic activity against many pathogens common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, including Mycoplasma species which may be cofactors in the progression of HIV disease. The purpose of this phase I, double-blind, randomized (1:1), placebo-controlled trial was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and safety of levofloxacin hemihydrate in 10 asymptomatic HIV-infected males. Plasma concentrations by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were evaluated for 48 h after a single 350-mg oral dose, at morning predose during the multiple-dosing phase, and for 72 h at steady state after a week of 350 mg every 8 h orally. Mean +/- standard deviation levofloxacin pharmacokinetic parameters (by noncompartmental moment method) after multiple dosing were as follows: area under the concentration-time curve, 31.24 +/- 5.60 mg.h/liter; apparent total body clearance, 11.18 +/- 1.76 liters/h; renal clearance, 8.63 +/- 2.82 liters/h; steady-state volume of distribution, 104.10 +/- 12.48 liters; and effective half-life, 6.50 +/- 0.51 h. Single-dose parameters were not significantly different from the multiple-dose parameters, with the exception of peak concentrations in plasma, which were 4.79 +/- 1.00 and 6.92 +/- 1.56 mg/liter for single- and multiple-dose data, respectively. Essentially identical parameter values were obtained from curve-fitting analysis when the entire 13-day plasma concentration profiles of the subjects were analyzed simultaneously by a two-compartmental distribution model. Levofloxacin pharmacokinetics in HIV-infected patients remained linear upon multiple dosing. The dosing regimen studied provides levels in plasma and urine well above those found to be effective in vitro against pathogens common in HIV-infected patients. Levofloxacin was well- tolerated in this group of asymptomatic HIV-infected males: there were no statistically significant differences in adverse effects in the two groups (P = 0.22). Use of placebo control helped to differentiate disease-related adverse effects from those related to the study drug.
Blood and fluid balance of the common tarantula, Dugesiella hentzi

1. Blood of Dugesiella hentzi, the common tarantula of the United States, was analyzed. Protein concentration of serum averaged 74 mg/ml with hemocyanin the major constituent since the Cu/protein ratio of 0.00175 is close to that of purified hemocyanin from other arthropods. Concentrations of non-protein nitrogen, glucose, and total anthrone reactive material were 0.32, 0.04, and 0.13 mg/ml respectively. Freezing point depression of the serum was 0.75° C and pH ranged from 7.25 to 7.35. 2. Blood volumes of males and females expressed as percent of body weight averaged 19.65 and 18.10% respectively. Water content of females was about 73.2% of body weight. Fat content averaged 10.3% of body weight. Exoskeleton represented 5.8% of body weight with a water content of 40%. A value of 74.7% was calculated for intracellular water. 3. Evaporation rates were determined. During the first hour of exposure to moving dry air, 0.168 mg/cm2/hr was lost at 20° C increasing to 0.915 mg/cm2/hr at 40° C. By the fifth hour of exposure these losses had decreased to 0.088 mg/cm2/hr at 20° C and 0.674 mg/cm2/hr at 40° C (Fig. 1). 4. Drinking habits in the laboratory were observed. Fed regularly, 2 crickets per week, the spiders usually drank once weekly, soon after eating. Volumes taken varied from a few mg to more than 1 g. Fasted spiders drank somewhat more, tending to maintain constant weight; the contribution of metabolic water was only 5% of the total. 5. Desiccation for periods to 1 week resulted in approximately 20% decreases in both blood volume and body weight. This represents a loss of 27% of the total body water and a decrease of only 9.4% in intracellular water. 6. After removal of 15–50% of the total blood volume, entry of fluid diluted the remaining blood and the normal volume was restored by about 3 weeks after bleeding. Synthesis of blood protein was slow. Not until after two months was the protein level back to the initial level. Protein synthesis averaged 0.0064 mg/g/day when 20–36% of the initial blood volume had been removed. 7. Results suggest that when a loss of body contents occurs from bleeding, egg laying or withholding of food, these animals replace the lost volume with water.
A rapid ultrastructural embedding procedure for renal biopsy tissue

The increasing reliance of pathologists on ultrastructural morphology for the diagnosis of human biopsy material has created a need for rapid ultrastructural embedding procedures (RUEP) to accelerate the preparation of material. The reduction of technical time required for complete (wet tissue to stained grid) processing of a biopsy specimen, from the several days [3–5] of conventional tissue processing to less than 1 day, greatly aids the physician in patient management, particularly in renal pathology. Differentiation between lipoid nephrosis, dense deposit disease, membranous glomerulonephritis, and amyloidosis is accomplished easily at the ultrastructural level, and in some cases, can best be diagnosed by electron microscopy. The extent and pattern of distribution of immune complexes in systemic lupus erythematosus determine both the aggressiveness of treatment and the prognosis.
Objective response detection in the frequency domain

Several different and related measures have been proposed for objective response detection in the frequency domain. We compared magnitude-squared coherence (MSC) to phase coherence (PC) using simulations with specified signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and varying numbers of subaverages; the performance measure was area under a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. MSC was superior to PC; test time required for equivalent performance is about 3 times greater for PC than for MSC. MSC performance for a given final SNR increased with the number of subaverages, but reached a plateau at 16 subaverages. Simulations of noise non-stationarity (high-amplitude noise in some subaverages compared to the others) led to decreased performance advantage for MSC over PC. However, weighted averaging restored this advantage. MSC is shown to be a simple algebraic transform of Victor and Mast's (1991) "circular T2" statistic and of two earlier statistics; all have identical statistical power.
Relative Importance of Wetland type Versus Anthropogenic Activities in Determining Site Invasibility

We assessed wetland invasibility by conducting surveys of three wetlands in each of five categories (riverine, depression, lacustrine fringe, mineral flat, and seepage slope). Invasibility was measured as the number of invasive species present, percent of plant species classified as invasive, percent cover of invasive plants, and percent of total cover represented by invasive species. The working hypothesis for this study was that certain types of wetlands (e.g., lacustrine fringe and riverine) would be more prone to invasion than others (spring-seep/slope wetlands or mineral flat wetlands). No significant differences were found among wetland types in any of the invasion metrics evaluated, despite high average invasibility in the riverine and lacustrine fringe categories. However, invasion was correlated very strongly with a qualitative index of anthropogenic modification to the surrounding landscape. A probable result of the substantial influence of human activities on wetland invasion in this study was that effects potentially attributable to greater opportunity for dispersal in certain types of wetlands were obscured. Another factor that likely contributed to the lack of differences among wetland types was the high variability in human activities observed among wetlands within types. These results further highlight the overwhelming contributions of anthropogenic habitat modification and human-assisted dispersal of invasive species to the currently observed homogenization of natural ecosystems.
Met receptor tyrosine kinase: enhanced signaling through adapter proteins

The Met receptor tyrosine kinase is the prototypic member of a small subfamily of growth factor receptors that when activated induce mitogenic, motogenic, and morphogenic cellular responses. The ligand for Met is hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and while normal HGF/SF-Met signaling is required for embryonic development, abnormal Met signaling has been strongly implicated in tumorigenesis, particularly in the development of invasive and metastatic phenotypes. Following ligand binding and autophosphorylation, Met transmits intercellular signals using a unique multisubstrate docking site present within the C-terminal end of the receptor. The multisubstrate docking site mediates the binding of several adapter proteins such as Grb2, SHC, Crk/CRKL, and the large adapter protein Gab1. These adapter proteins in turn recruit several signal transducing proteins to form an intricate signaling complex. Analysis of how these adapter proteins bind to the Met receptor and what signal transducers they recruit have led to more substantial models of HGF/SF-Met signal transduction and have uncovered new potential pathways that may be involved into Met mediated tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
The interactions of gallium with various buffers and chelating agents in aqueous solution: gallium-71 and hydrogen-1 NMR studies.

The interactions of gallium (Ga) with the ligands, EDTA, NTA, phosphate, lactate, MOPS, TRIS, and HEPES are investigated using both /sup 71/Ga and 1H nmr measurements. Both EDTA and NTA form strong complexes with gallium, which have a 1:1 stoichiometry. In alkaline solution the tetrahedral Ga(OD)/sub 4/- competes strongly with EDTA in complex formation. In the lactate complex, there are probably three lactates per gallium present. The phosphate complexes of gallium are difficult to characterize on the basis of this investigation. The buffers, MOPS, TRIS, and HEPES, do not interact with gallium significantly. The ability of the ligands to bind gallium correlates well with their ability to inhibit gallium incorporation by L1210 leukemic cells.
Let’s be critically honest: Towards a messier counterstory in critical race theory.

This paper utilizes tools of critical race theory to interrogate the racial politics of the everyday. The authors contend that this type of critical policy analysis can yield understandings of/about the world that are too often silenced or ignored altogether. This paper argues that critical race theory does not aim to tell a “truer” account of reality, but a more honest one. Therefore, critical race scholars need not ask permission – nor seek forgiveness – for their counterstories, but hold themselves accountable to communicate stories and narratives that are not only honestly critical, but critically honest.
Wind tunnel measurements of blade/vane ratio and spacing effects on fan noise

Introduction R turbofan engine designs aimed at increasing the structural rigidity and reducing the weight of the engine frame lead to a reduced number of stator vanes and an abandonment of vane-blade ratios greater than required for fundamental tone cutoff.' These designs, which consider stator solidity aerodynamic constraints, consist of a relatively few longer chord, larger thickness stator vanes which are load-carrying members of an integrated vane-frame. Basic acoustic data on the effects of vane-blade ratio and spacing under conditions which simulate flight are needed to determine the acoustic consequences of adopting alternate designs such as the integrated vane-frame. Expected noise consequences of varying fan stage design parameters, such as vane-blade ratio and rotor-stator spacing have often been masked in static testing. This is largely due to the fact that the fundamental blade passing tone level and, to a lesser extent, the tone harmonics levels are controlled by rotor-inflow interaction mechanisms,' which mask the rotor-stator interaction noise. The blade passing tone level of a fan designed for fundamental tone cutoff is greatly reduced with forward velocity. Noise studies performed in an anechoic wind tunnel' have shown results similar to those obtained in flight tests. In the present study the noise of a 50.8-cm-diam research turbofan simulator was measured in the anechoic wind tunnel described in Refs. 6 and 7. Both vane-blade ratio and rotorstator spacing were varied. Specifically, two stator vane numbers were chosen to achieve a cuton and cutoff condition with respect to propagation of the fundamental rotor-stator interaction tone as predicted by the theory of Ref. 8. The noise associated with each of these stator configurations was measured at three rotor-stator spacings ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 rotor chords.
Locking under Pfair scheduling

We present several locking synchronization protocols for Pfair-scheduled multiprocessor systems. We focus on two classes of protocols. The first class is only applicable in systems in which all critical sections are short relative to the length of the scheduling quantum. In this case, efficient synchronization can be achieved by ensuring that all locks have been released before tasks are preempted. This is accomplished by exploiting the quantum-based nature of Pfair scheduling, which provides a priori knowledge of all possible preemption points. The second and more general protocol class is applicable to any system. For this class, we consider the use of a client-server model. We also discuss the viability of inheritance-based protocols in Pfair-scheduled systems.
The tropical waste dilemma: waste management in Panama

Purpose – The Panamanian Government wants to spur economic development along the shores of the Panama Canal, but inadequate waste disposal capabilities discourage substantial investment. Squatters and scavengers now also live on the largest landfill in the area and their living conditions pose serious public health risks to the entire region. Unchecked trash disposal actually threatens the physical operation of the Panama Canal, essential to the country's and world economy, because clogged rivers and streams prevent the flow of water required to move ships through this passageway connecting Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A governmental task force is charged with addressing these problems and they have summoned a team of American consultants to recommend an action plan for modernizing and improving the waste management system of the entire inter‐oceanic region. This paper aims to examine this.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through field research.Findings – In their research, the IDG consul...
What motivates consumers to participate in boycotts: Lessons from the ongoing Canadian seafood boycott

Abstract Despite the tremendous growth in consumer boycotts, marketing has paid relatively little attention to consumer boycott motivations. Addressing this deficiency, this study uses netnography to investigate boycott motivations and perceived boycott participation costs by analyzing consumer comments submitted to an online boycott petition. The results show that boycott pledgees explicitly express their desire for the target to abolish its egregious behavior, their anger about the behavior in question, and their desire for punitive actions. Signatories also pledge participation for moral reasons and identify with the cause reflected by the boycott. Boycott motivations also include the belief that consumers have the power to impact the boycott target's bottom line and/or behavior as well as the belief that the boycott will succeed in forcing the target to cease its egregious behavior. Signatories, however, rarely refer to the costs of boycott participation.
Orientation of materials onto thin highly-ordered PTFE films (Invited Paper)

It is well known that oriented systems may possess physical properties that exceed those of the isotropic species by orders of magnitude. Examples of improved performance through orientation include enhanced mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity, piezo- electric properties, and optical transparency. In this paper we present a simple and versatile method using thin highly ordered films of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) PTFE to orient a wide variety of crystalline and liquid crystalline species and its application to some systems. The morphology of the polymeric substrate layer is also briefly discussed.
Field Evaluation of Transgenic Switchgrass Plants Overexpressing PvMYB4 for Reduced Biomass Recalcitrance

High biomass yields and minimal agronomic input requirements have made switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., a leading candidate lignocellulosic bioenergy crop. Large-scale lignocellulosic biofuel production from such crops is limited by the difficulty to deconstruct cell walls into fermentable sugars: the recalcitrance problem. Our goal in this study was to assess the field performance of switchgrass plants overexpressing the switchgrass MYB4 (PvMYB4) transcription factor gene. PvMYB4 transgenic switchgrass can have great lignin reduction, which commensurately increases sugar release and biofuel production. Our results over two growing seasons showed that one transgenic event (out of eight) had important gains in both biofuel (32 % more) and biomass (63 % more) at the end of the second growing season relative to non-transgenic controls. These gains represent a doubling of biofuel production per hectare, which is the highest gain reported from any field-grown modified feedstock. In contrast to this transgenic event, which had relatively low ectopic overexpression of the transgene, five of the eight transgenic events planted did not survive the first field winter. The dead plants were all high-overexpressing events that performed well in the earlier greenhouse studies. Disease susceptibility was not compromised in any transgenic events over the field experiments. These results demonstrate the power of modifying the expression of an endogenous transcription factor to improve biofuel and biomass simultaneously, and also highlight the importance of field studies for “sorting” transgenic events. Further research is needed to develop strategies for fine-tuning temporal-spatial transgene expression in feedstocks to optimize desired phenotypes.
One person/one vote is not efficient given information on factions

This paper argues that if we have any information about special interest groups in a society, then one person/one vote is not the most efficient voting system. Instead weighted voting is appropriate where the weights assigned to the various individuals depend on the correlation between different individual utilities. The reason why one person/one vote is inefficient is that the correlation between individual utilities allows us to get some estimates of preference intensities from the individual votes.
The Effects of Material Composition on the Thermal Conductivity of Zeolite MFI

The thermal conductivity of zeolite MFI is modeled for different silicon/aluminum ratios using lattice dynamics and relaxation time theory. The model uses the actual phonon dispersions, Slack’s model for phonon-phonon scattering, a slightly modified form of Klemens’s model for point defect scattering, and a boundary scattering term. Our results strongly suggest that the upper limit of thermal conductivity is defined by boundary-like scattering associated with the pore structure of the material. Below this limit, silicon substitution with aluminum allows effective suppression of the thermal conductivity by point defect scattering and phonon slowing mechanisms.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Professional Women, Good Families: Respectable Femininity and the Cultural Politics of a “New” India

This study of professional software women in urban India examines practices of respectable femininity and discourses of the Indian family to understand the changing and abiding aspects of a seemingly new national culture. Colonial and nationalist constructs of the Indian home, and the middle-class women who protected that home, continue to powerfully shape everyday articulations of national belonging, even as they are transformed through individual negotiations and a global economy. Drawing from extensive interviews and ethnographic work, this paper analyzes the interplay of gender, class, and nation in contemporary urban India as individualized, gendered efforts to accumulate symbolic capital.
The Community College Alternative.

Frequently overlooked in the discussion of whether there is or is not a higher education bubble are community colleges—despite the fact that this sector within public higher education represents 43 percent of first-time freshman and 44 percent of all undergraduates. For the most part, the “bubble” discussion has focused on whether the cost of higher education provided by four-year universities and colleges, both public and private, has grown to such a level that the benefit or life-long economic return to the student is not worth the price tag. Those suggesting the existence of a “cost bubble” maintain that students are being asked to spend a large amount of money through tuition and fees for a product—a bachelor’s degree—that does not have the promised result for a growing percentage of students. They further maintain that the public’s strongly held commitment to the overstated promises of higher education have actually led to an “enrollment bubble” among those seeking the baccalaureate. Since much of higher education is publicly subsidized, the enrollment bubble can lead to wasteful public expenditures, either through direct appropriations or through federal financial aid grants and loans. Community colleges may well represent an alternative that avoids the potential trap of a higher education bubble. Since the early twentieth century, Acad. Quest. (2011) 24:419–428 DOI 10.1007/s12129-011-9255-6
Ray path deviation in a nonhemispherical dome

A calculation is presented for meridional rays of the ray path deviation in a conformal dome in which both the shape of the inner and outer surfaces are specified in detail so as to examine under what conditions the ray path deviation might be minimized by independently adjusting the shape of the inner surface. Specific results are given for the case that both surfaces are ellipsoidal in shape.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Attitude, desire, and frequency of extramarital involvement as correlated with subject characteristics

A study of desire for, frequency of, and attitudes towards extramarital involvement (EMI) was conducted, using 100 male and female college students ranging in age from 19 to 55. Demographic data gathered on subjects included age, sex, occupation, college major, current and past marital status and number of children, frequency of extramarital sexual involvement, and level of desire for extramarital sexual involvement. The subjects were administered a social desirability scale, a measure of conventional morality, and extramarital attitudinal scale. There were significant correlations between desire, frequency, and attitude. The response to "number of times married" had a significant effect on EMI desire. Predictive factors other than desire, frequency, and attitude were number of marriages, sex of the respondent, and the social desirability scale.
Compartmental pressure monitoring after arterial reconstruction lacks clinical relevance

Abstract Anterior compartmental intramuscular pressure was studied by the continuous-infusion technique during and after arterial reconstruction of the abdominal or lower extremity vessels in 23 patients. Although there were significant differences between the mean pressures in those patients who had proximal or distal arterial reconstruction, the mean pressure did not increase in the sequential preocclusion, occlusion, and postoperative periods during a mean follow-up of 26 hours in proximal reconstructions and 19 hours in distal reconstructions. One patient had pressures consistent with a borderline compartmental syndrome but died of a ruptured left ventricle before complete correlation of the clinical course and pressures could be made. We conclude from this study that although routine measurement of compartmental pressures during arterial reconstruction of the lower extremities yields interesting findings, it makes no important contribution to the clinical management of the patient. (J VASC SURG 1986;3:871-6.)
Why My Opinion Shouldn’t Count: Revenge, Retribution, and the Death Penalty Debate

Dans le cadre du debat sur la peine de mort, l'A. developpe la strategie des chaussures qui consiste a se mettre a la place de la victime. A la question et si c'etait votre fille qui avait ete tuee, ne demanderiez-vous pas la peine de mort pour le meurtrier ? , l'A. repond par l'affirmative, mais en precisant que son opinion ne devrait pas etre prise en compte dans de telles circonstances, car elle repose sur une revendication retributiviste qui tend a confondre châtiment et vengeance.
Fluctuations of alpha cell calcium, potassium and sodium during amino acid perifusion of rat pancreatic islets.

Perifusion of rat pancreatic islets with a physiologic, 6-mM amino acid mixture resulted in typical acute and second phase glucagon secretion over 30 min. At various intervals, islets were acutely fixed and processed for scanning electron microscopy, identification of a cells, and measurements of single a cell content of calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and sodium (Na) with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Biphasic glucagon secretion was attended by corresponding biphasic Ca accumulation and a reciprocal, biphasic suppression of K content and acute phase suppression of Na in a cells. All secretory and cellular events were preceded by an evanescent upward spike in a cell K at 1 min. These results indicate that a cell glucagon secretion in response to amino acid mixtures may be initiated by a K signal and is coupled subsequently to phasic changes in a cell Ca content. Fluctuations of a cell K and Na appear to relate inversely to Ca, suggesting that transmembrane fluxes of the three cations are interrelated.
Children in the midst of calamity.

I f ever there was a subject that did not lend itself to generalisation and platitudes, disaster is it. There is no such thing as a "typical" disaster, or indeed a "typical" response. As with medicine, however, the art lies in the process of diagnosis, whereby a clear analysis of root causes and effects is vital in determining an appropriate course of remedial action. Aid workers and the agencies they represent are concerned with the health and wellbeing of populations and subgroups. In addition, and increasingly over the past 5 years or so, aid work is concerned not only with saving lives and livelihoods, but also with protecting and supporting the dignity of people, as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. So what does this mean in practice? Well, to set the scene, the following example from one recent, continuing, disaster might help to highlight some of the terrible difficulties families face in trying to survive a disaster. It is the story as told and felt by an 11year-old child. Zuriash Hassan lives in Ethiopia's highland plateau, where she and millions of others were going hungry after a succession of harvest failures. Save the Children met Zuriash and her father Hassan Andage in August, 1999, when they were learning to walk again after eating a toxic plant that causes paralysis (figure). They were aware that the pulse, called vetch, could be poisonous, but it was one of the few edible plants that survived the drought, and they were desperately hungry. "We didn't have any alternative", said Zuriash's mother, Zawde. "Hunger is more painful than paralysis". After 3 days of eating the pulse, Zuriash felt Children in the midst of calamity
Sulfonation and Molecular Action

The sulfonation of endogenous molecules is a pervasive biological phenomenon that is not always easily understood, and although it is increasingly recognized as a function of fundamental importance, there remain areas in which significant cognizance is still lacking or at most minimal. This is particularly true in the field of endocrinology, in which the sulfoconjugation of hormones is a widespread occurrence that is only partially, if at all, appreciated. In the realm of steroid/sterol sulfoconjugation, the discovery of a novel gene that utilizes an alternative exon 1 to encode for two sulfotransferase isoforms, one of which sulfonates cholesterol and the other pregnenolone, has been an important advance. This is significant because cholesterol sulfate plays a crucial role in physiological systems such as keratinocyte differentiation and development of the skin barrier, and pregnenolone sulfate is now acknowledged as an important neurosteroid. The sulfonation of thyroglobulin and thyroid hormones has been extensively investigated and, although this transformation is better understood, there remain areas of incomplete comprehension. The sulfonation of catecholamines is a prevalent modification that has been extensively studied but, unfortunately, remains poorly understood. The sulfonation of pituitary glycoprotein hormones, especially LH and TSH, does not affect binding to their cognate receptors; however, sulfonation does play an important role in their plasma clearance, which indirectly has a significant effect on biological activity. On the other hand, the sulfonation of distinct neuroendocrine peptides does have a profound influence on receptor binding and, thus, a direct effect on biological activity. The sulfonation of specific extracellular structures plays an essential role in the binding and signaling of a large family of extracellular growth factors. In summary, sulfonation is a ubiquitous posttranslational modification of hormones and extracellular components that can lead to dramatic structural changes in affected molecules, the biological significance of which is now beginning to be appreciated.
Eukaryotic nucleotide excision repair: from understanding mechanisms to influencing biology

Repair of bulky DNA adducts by the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway is one of the more versatile DNA repair pathways for the removal of DNA lesions. There are two subsets of the NER pathway, global genomic-NER (GG-NER) and transcription-coupled NER (TC-NER), which differ only in the step involving recognition of the DNA lesion. Following recognition of the damage, the sub-pathways then converge for the incision/excision steps and subsequent gap filling and ligation steps. This review will focus on the GGR sub-pathway of NER, while the TCR sub-pathway will be covered in another article in this issue. The ability of the NER pathway to repair a wide array of adducts stems, in part, from the mechanisms involved in the initial recognition step of the damaged DNA and results in NER impacting an equally wide array of human physiological responses and events. In this review, the impact of NER on carcinogenesis, neurological function, sensitivity to environmental factors and sensitivity to cancer therapeutics will be discussed. The knowledge generated in our understanding of the NER pathway over the past 40 years has resulted from advances in the fields of animal model systems, mammalian genetics and in vitro biochemistry, as well as from reconstitution studies and structural analyses of the proteins and enzymes that participate in this pathway. Each of these avenues of research has contributed significantly to our understanding of how the NER pathway works and how alterations in NER activity, both positive and negative, influence human biology.
On a screening theory of atomic spectra

Abstract A theoretical scheme for describing atomic spectra is developed. It differs from the current one in three main ways. (i) The nuclear charge Z enters explicitly into all predictions made with the new scheme. (ii) Certain effects of configuration interaction are allowed for in the first approximation. Spectroscopic terms are no longer assigned to definite configurations in the first approximation, but rather to more comprehensive aggregates called complexes, specified by a set of radial quantum numbers and a definite value of the parity. (iii) The notion of screening takes on a precise quantitative meaning, and the predictions of the theory are expressed largely in terms of screening parameters. The new scheme is simpler than the one based on the central-field approximation and Hartree-Fock wave functions, and in some ways at least it is also more accurate. For example, its predictions concerning relative term energies are free of the large systematic discrepancies that show up when the current theory is used to describe term spectra.
Segregation distortion within the equine MHC; analogy to a mouse T/t-complex trait.

Segregation distortion was found for a haplotype of the equine lymphocyte antigen (ELA) system in an extended family of American Standardbred horses. In one sire family, consisting of a stallion and his 17 sons and grandsons, the gene for ELA A10 (A10) was transmitted to 57.7% of 638 offspring scored (P=0.0001). Significant segregation distortion was not seen for mares or for unrelated stallions, regardless of the ELA markers they possessed. Since the effect was seen for this one sire family and not seen for other stallions with A10, it is unlikely that the gene for A10 is the cause of this phenomenon, but rather A10 is linked to another major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene causing this trait. This trait appeared analogous to the segregation distortion observed for the T/t complex of the mouse. Since segregation distortion involving MHC genes has been seen in other species, genes for this trait may be a general feature of the MHC.