cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The GSSP Method of Chronostratigraphy: A Critical Review

The use of boundary stratotypes to define chronostratigraphic units began in the 1960s, and, in the 1980s, these were called Global Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs). Approximately two-thirds of the GSSPs of the bases of the Phanerozoic stage (71 of 102 in September 2018) have been ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. However, this apparent progress toward precise definition of a Phanerozoic chronostratigraphic timescale is underlain by multiple problems of philosophy and methodology that include: (1) inconsistency in how chronostratigraphic units are being named and defined; (2) arbitrary decisions as to GSSP level, many based on arbitrarily chosen points in hypothetical chronomorphoclines of microfossils; (3) hierarchical reductionism, which makes the stage base the same as the base of the series, system, erathem and eonothem, thereby trivializing the significance of the boundaries of these larger chronostratigraphic units; (4) stability achieved by the non-scientific process of designating a GSSP once ratified as immutable; (5) the unworkable concept of a standard set of global stages; (6) the fallacy that a GSSP location can somehow define a recognizable (correlateable) global time line; (7) imprecision in GSSP correlation because the primary signals are largely single taxon biotic events that are inherently diachronous due to the limitations of fossil distributions by sampling, facies and provincialism; and (8) the politics of the International Commission on Stratigraphy and the small groups of specialists who select and vote on GSSPs. Chronostratigraphy needs to return to the concepts of natural chronostratigraphy, with improvements based on modern techniques like quantitative biostratigraphy. We need to standardize the chronostratigraphic scale, and the International Commisssion on Stratigraphy needs to rethink the philosophy and practices by which this is being done, so that we can move forward to produce the most informative chronostratigraphy possible based on a consistent methodology and sound science. .
Mechanisms Underlying Microbial-Mediated Changes in Social Behavior in Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Summary Currently, there are no medications that effectively treat the core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We recently found that the bacterial species Lactobacillus (L.) reuteri reverses social deficits in maternal high-fat-diet offspring. However, whether the effect of L. reuteri on social behavior is generalizable to other ASD models and its mechanism(s) of action remains unknown. Here, we found that treatment with L. reuteri selectively rescues social deficits in genetic, environmental, and idiopathic ASD models. Interestingly, the effects of L. reuteri on social behavior are not mediated by restoring the composition of the host's gut microbiome, which is altered in all of these ASD models. Instead, L. reuteri acts in a vagus nerve-dependent manner and rescues social interaction-induced synaptic plasticity in the ventral tegmental area of ASD mice, but not in oxytocin receptor-deficient mice. Collectively, treatment with L. reuteri emerges as promising non-invasive microbial-based avenue to combat ASD-related social dysfunction.
Role of Geochemistry in Sustainable Geotechnics

The world in the twenty-first century is posed with unprecedented challenges such as rapid increase in world population, global resource depletion, increased waste generation, and increased greenhouse gas emissions, the consequences of which are unnerving. This, in fact, has triggered the geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers to develop sustainable geosystems for civil infrastructure and for the protection of the environment. However, the solutions to these challenges are interdisciplinary. For geotechnical considerations, engineering properties of the soil and rock are influenced by several geochemical parameters and geochemical processes, which are usually not addressed in-depth by geotechnical engineers. However, it is crucial to understand these geochemical aspects of the soil and its environment so that they can be engineered to create favorable conditions for developing resilient and sustainable geosystems. This paper first presents the most significant geochemical properties and processes of soils, rock, and groundwater, followed by a discussion of recent advances that demonstrate the significance of geochemical processes toward an understanding and development of effective and potentially sustainable geosystems. The paper emphasizes on the need for studying the geochemistry and the geochemical factors affecting the performance and behavior of a geosystem.
Diversity in unity in post-truth times: Max Weber’s challenge and Karl Jaspers’s response:

Max Weber famously diagnosed both an excess and a subordination of meaning in modernity when he coined the term disenchantment next to the fragmentation and irreconcilability of value spheres. Unli...
Effects of Thermal Stress and Ocean Acidification on the Expression of the Retrotransposon Steamer in the Softshell Mya arenaria

The softshell Mya arenaria is an ecologically and commercially important bivalve mollusc that develops a fatal cancer known as disseminated neoplasia or hemocyte leukemia. This cancer, like many human cancers, involves the master control gene of apoptosis, p53. This gene is also known to interact with retrotransposons, and a growing body of evidence suggests that p53 actually controls retrotransposon expression and subsequently oncogenesis. The recent description of a retrotransposon (i.e., Steamer) in adult M. arenaria and its potential involvement in the oncogenesis of hemocyte leukemia has been suggested. Juvenile clams, previously shown not to develop hemocyte leukemia, were exposed to climate-related changes in seawater temperature and pH predicted for the year 2100. All juvenile softshells do express the retrotransposon Steamer. When juvenile clams are exposed to predicted climate-related changes in temperature and pH in the Gulf of Maine, it significantly induces Steamer expression, specifically in treatments where clams were exposed to low pH. For juvenile individuals of M. arenaria and potentially other bivalves, Steamer may be a candidate biomarker for exposure to ocean acidification conditions.
Frequency Invariant Beampatterns for Wideband Synthetic Aperture Channel Sounders

This paper derives two novel frequency invariant beamformers (FIBs) for use with wideband synthetic aperture channel sounders. Results using measured data show that the choice of beampattern can affect the amount of diffuse multipath energy received through the array sidelobes and influence the estimated channel impulse and frequency responses.
Predictive Models for Very Preterm Birth: Developing a Point-of-Care Tool.

Objective The objective of this study was to create three point-of-care predictive models for very preterm birth using variables available at three different time points: prior to pregnancy, at the end of the first trimester, and mid-pregnancy. Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of 359,396 Ohio Medicaid mothers from 2008 to 2015. The last baby for each mother was included in the final dataset. Births prior to 22 weeks were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to create three models. These models were validated on a cohort that was set aside and not part of the model development. The main outcome measure was birth prior to 32 weeks. Results The final dataset contained 359,396 live births with 6,516 (1.81%) very preterm births. All models had excellent calibration. Goodness-of-fit tests suggested strong agreement between the probabilities estimated by the model and the actual outcome experience in the data. The mid-pregnancy model had acceptable discrimination with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of approximately 0.75 in both the developmental and validation datasets. Conclusion Using data from a large Ohio Medicaid cohort we developed point-of-care predictive models that could be used before pregnancy, after the first trimester, and in mid-pregnancy to estimate the probability of very preterm birth. Future work is needed to determine how the calculator could be used to target interventions to prevent very preterm birth. Key Points
Scalable Multi-Task Imitation Learning with Autonomous Improvement

While robot learning has demonstrated promising results for enabling robots to automatically acquire new skills, a critical challenge in deploying learning-based systems is scale: acquiring enough data for the robot to effectively generalize broadly. Imitation learning, in particular, has remained a stable and powerful approach for robot learning, but critically relies on expert operators for data collection. In this work, we target this challenge, aiming to build an imitation learning system that can continuously improve through autonomous data collection, while simultaneously avoiding the explicit use of reinforcement learning, to maintain the stability, simplicity, and scalability of supervised imitation. To accomplish this, we cast the problem of imitation with autonomous improvement into a multi-task setting. We utilize the insight that, in a multi-task setting, a failed attempt at one task might represent a successful attempt at another task. This allows us to leverage the robot’s own trials as demonstrations for tasks other than the one that the robot actually attempted. Using an initial dataset of multitask demonstration data, the robot autonomously collects trials which are only sparsely labeled with a binary indication of whether the trial accomplished any useful task or not. We then embed the trials into a learned latent space of tasks, trained using only the initial demonstration dataset, to draw similarities between various trials, enabling the robot to achieve one-shot generalization to new tasks. In contrast to prior imitation learning approaches, our method can autonomously collect data with sparse supervision for continuous improvement, and in contrast to reinforcement learning algorithms, our method can effectively improve from sparse, task-agnostic reward signals.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the explore/exploit trade-off.

The ability to maximize rewards and minimize the costs of obtaining them is vital to making advantageous explore/exploit decisions. Exploratory decisions are theorized to be greater among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), potentially due to deficient catecholamine transmission. Here, we examined the effects of ADHD status and methylphenidate, a common ADHD medication, on explore/exploit decisions using a 6-armed bandit task. We hypothesized that ADHD participants would make more exploratory decisions than controls, and that MPH would reduce group differences. On separate study days, adults with (n = 26) and without (n = 23) ADHD completed the bandit task at baseline, and after methylphenidate or placebo in counter-balanced order. Explore/exploit decisions were modeled using reinforcement learning algorithms. ADHD participants made more exploratory decisions (i.e., chose options without the highest expected reward value) and earned fewer points than controls in all three study days, and methylphenidate did not affect these outcomes. Baseline exploratory choices were positively associated with hyperactive ADHD symptoms across all participants. These results support several theoretical models of increased exploratory choices in ADHD and suggest the unexplained variance in ADHD decisions may be due to less value tracking. The inability to suppress actions with little to no reward value may be a key feature of hyperactive ADHD symptoms.
Learning hierarchical relationships for object-goal navigation

Direct search for objects as part of navigation poses a challenge for small items. Utilizing context in the form of object-object relationships enable hierarchical search for targets efficiently. Most of the current approaches tend to directly incorporate sensory input into a reward-based learning approach, without learning about object relationships in the natural environment, and thus generalize poorly across domains. We present Memory-utilized Joint hierarchical Object Learning for Navigation in Indoor Rooms (MJOLNIR), a target-driven navigation algorithm, which considers the inherent relationship between target objects, and the more salient contextual objects occurring in its surrounding. Extensive experiments conducted across multiple environment settings show an $82.9\%$ and $93.5\%$ gain over existing state-of-the-art navigation methods in terms of the success rate (SR), and success weighted by path length (SPL), respectively. We also show that our model learns to converge much faster than other algorithms, without suffering from the well-known overfitting problem. Additional details regarding the supplementary material and code are available at this https URL.
An Exploration of Mothers’ Beliefs, Expectations, and Behaviors Regarding Young African American Children’s Early School Experiences and Success:

We explored mothers’ beliefs, expectations, and behaviors as these relate to early academic success, their roles as parents to young children, and the influence of other ecological factors. Eleven ...
The National Ignition Facility laser performance status

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory contains a 192-beam 4.2 MJ neodymium glass laser (around 1053 nm or 1w) that is frequency converted to 351nm light or 3w. It has been designed to support the study of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). The NIF Precision Diagnostic System (PDS) was reactivated and new diagnostic packages were designed and fielded that offer a more comprehensive suite of high-resolution measurements. The current NIF laser performance will be presented as well as the preliminary results obtained with the various laser experimental campaigns using the new diagnostic tool suites.
Domain-selective BET inhibition attenuates transcriptional and behavioral responses to cocaine

Epigenetic pharmacotherapies have emerged as a promising treatment option for substance use disorder (SUD) due to their ability to reverse maladaptive transcriptional and behavioral responses to drugs of abuse. In particular, inhibitors of bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) reader proteins have been shown to reduce cocaine- and opioid-seeking behaviors in rodents. However, only pan-BET inhibitors, small molecules that bind to both bromodomains (BD1 and BD2) with all BET proteins, have been investigated in animal models of SUD. Given the potential side effects associated with pan-BET inhibitors, safer and more selective strategies are needed to advance BET therapeutics as a potential treatment for SUD. Here, we show that RVX-208, a clinically tested, BD2-selective BET inhibitor, dose-dependently reduced cocaine conditioned place preference in male mice, similar to the pan-BET inhibitor JQ1. In other behavioral experiments, RVX-208 treatment did not alter distance traveled, anxiety-like behavior, or novel object recognition memory. At the transcriptional level, RVX-208 attenuated the expression of multiple cocaine-induced genes in the nucleus accumbens. RVX-208 produced a distinct transcriptional response in stimulated primary neurons compared to JQ1 but had little effect on gene expression in non-stimulated neurons. Together, these data indicate that targeting domain-specific BET mechanisms may be an effective and safer strategy to reduce cocaine-induced neurobehavioral adaptations.
Resting autonomic activity in adults who stutter and its association with self-reports of social anxiety.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate resting autonomic activity in adults who stutter (AWS) compared to adults who do not stutter (ANS) and the relationship this has on self-reports of social anxiety. Methods Thirteen AWS and 15 ANS completed the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS; Mattick & Clark, 1998) and Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE; Leary, 1983). Following this, measures of skin conductance levels (i.e. index of sympathetic activity) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (i.e. index of parasympathetic activity) were taken during a 5-minute resting, baseline period. Independent sample t tests were used to assess differences between groups on self-reports of anxiety (SIAS, BFNE) and resting autonomic levels (SCL, RSA). Separate multiple regression analyses were performed in order to assess the relationship between self-reports of anxiety and autonomic measures. Results Results showed significantly higher mean SCL and lower mean RSA levels in the AWS compared to the ANS at resting, baseline. Regression analysis showed that self-reports from the SIAS had a significant effect on RSA levels for the AWS but not the ANS. No significant effects were found for BFNE on RSA. Nor was there a significant effect from SIAS or BFNE on SCL levels for either group. Conclusion Findings suggest that resting RSA levels may be a physiological marker for social anxiety levels in adults who stutter.
DNA Oligonucleotide Fragment Ion Rearrangements Upon Collision-Induced Dissociation

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of m/z-isolated w type fragment ions and an intact 5′ phosphorylated DNA oligonucleotide generated rearranged product ions. Of the 21 studied w ions of various nucleotide sequences, fragment ion sizes, and charge states, 18 (~86%) generated rearranged product ions upon CID in a Synapt G2-S HDMS (Waters Corporation, Manchester, England, UK) ion mobility-mass spectrometer. Mass spectrometry (MS), ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), and theoretical modeling data suggest that purine bases can attack the free 5′ phosphate group in w type ions and 5′ phosphorylated DNA to generate sequence permuted [phosphopurine]– fragment ions. We propose and discuss a potential mechanism for generation of rearranged [phosphopurine]– and complementary y-B type product ions.
Knowledge Acquisition Asymmetries and Innovation Radicalness

This study extends a knowledge‐based theory of opportunity discovery to innovation creation using degree of radicalness. Findings from a sample of 166 founders of new technology ventures in univers...
Conservation of urban biodiversity under climate change: Climate-smart management for Chicago green spaces

Chicago Wilderness, a multistate alliance of more than 300 organizations dedicated to restoring biodiversity, is leading the effort to bridge the gap between climate science and biodiversity adaptation practices in urban natural areas and green spaces. In 2010, Chicago Wilderness completed the Climate Action Plan for Nature (CAPN), which describes potential climate change impacts within the 221,000 ha of protected areas in the region, and actions managers can take to help species and ecosystems adapt to climate change. The CAPN represents the first Climate Action Plan to address issues of biodiversity conservation in the Great Lakes region and is the only known example of place-based adaptation strategies for urban biodiversity. This chapter depicts the creation of the Chicago Wilderness Climate Action Initiative and the ensuing work to implement the CAPN, highlighting the challenges and importance of creating landscape level conservation approaches that integrate climate science information into best management practices. This collaborative effort can serve as a model for use in other urban centers.
Cyclic Division Algebras

The first examples of division algebras that were found after the quaternions belong to the class of cyclic division algebras. This class still plays a major role in the theory of central simple algebras. If is a local field, an algebraic number field, or more generally a global field, then every central division algebra over F is cyclic. This fact will be proved later; it is one of the most profound results in this book.
COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER AUDIENCES

One of the most serious responsibilities for a scientist is to communicate with those who know little about an area of expertise. The medical doctor and the science teacher face this responsibility every day. As any good scientist can attest, the unknown elicits curiosity; it can also evoke emotions of anxiety and fear. Theoretically, scientists should be the most objective, open-minded of teachers, but they have biases just as others do. This chapter presents certain techniques to communicate with people who are not from a certain field. For a basic understanding of audience, it is required to consider such things as their ages and educational level. They may have never had an opportunity to attend college, and if they have doctoral degrees in the humanities, they may never have taken science beyond a general biology course. It is the responsibility of the scientist to find avenues and increase awareness among people who are ignorant about certain topics and subjects.
New Diagnostics for Childhood Tuberculosis

The challenge of diagnosing childhood tuberculosis (TB) results from its paucibacillary nature and the difficulties of sputum collection in children. Mycobacterial culture, the diagnostic gold standard, provides microbiological confirmation in only 30% to 40% of childhood pulmonary TB cases and takes up to 6 weeks to result. Conventional drug susceptibility testing requires an additional 2 to 4 weeks after culture confirmation. In response to the low sensitivity and long wait time of the traditional diagnostic approach, many new assays have been developed. These new tools have shortened time to result; however, none of them offer greater sensitivity than culture.
Assessment of drought tolerance of 49 switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) genotypes using physiological and morphological parameters

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season C4 grass that is a target lignocellulosic biofuel species. In many regions, drought stress is one of the major limiting factors for switchgrass growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the drought tolerance of 49 switchgrass genotypes. The relative drought stress tolerance was determined based on a set of parameters including plant height, leaf length, leaf width, leaf sheath length, leaf relative water content (RWC), electrolyte leakage (EL), photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (g s), transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and water use efficiency (WUE). SRAP marker analysis determined that the selected 49 switchgrass genotypes represent a diverse genetic pool of switchgrass germplasm. Principal component analysis (PCA) and drought stress indexes (DSI) of each physiological parameter showed significant differences in the drought stress tolerance among the 49 genotypes. Heatmap and PCA data revealed that physiological parameters are more sensitive than morphological parameters in distinguishing the control and drought treatments. Metabolite profiling data found that under drought stress, the five best drought-tolerant genotypes tended to have higher levels of abscisic acid (ABA), spermine, trehalose, and fructose in comparison to the five most drought-sensitive genotypes. Based on PCA ranking value, the genotypes TEM-SEC, TEM-LoDorm, BN-13645-64, Alamo, BN-10860-61, BN-12323-69, TEM-SLC, T-2086, T-2100, T-2101, Caddo, and Blackwell-1 had relatively higher ranking values, indicating that they are more tolerant to drought. In contrast, the genotypes Grif Nebraska 28, Grenville-2, Central Iowa Germplasm, Cave-in-Rock, Dacotah, and Nebraska 28 were found to be relatively sensitive to drought stress. By analyzing physiological response parameters and different metabolic profiles, the methods utilized in this study identified drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive switchgrass genotypes. These results provide a foundation for future research directed at understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying switchgrass tolerance to drought.
EFFECTS OF GROUPING ON LEVELS OF CIRCULATING ANTIBODIES IN MICE.

SummaryThe effects of grouping and social rank on circulating-antibody titer were studied using C3H mice. Previously isolated mice were placed together in groups of 6 each for 4 hours per day and injected with beef serum on the fifth day of grouping. Antibody titers were determined from blood samples by the ring precipitin test. Grouped mice were found to have significantly lower titers of circulating antibody than did isolated mice. Dominant mice had significantly higher titers than the other mice in their groups. The adrenal glands of grouped mice, taken after 28 and 38 days of grouping, were significantly heavier than those of isolated mice.
Browsing with a metadata infrastructure for events, periods, and time

Browsing using a prototype Time Period Directory relating named periods (e.g. Civil War) to chronological time and geographical location will be demonstrated and explained.
Thermal Coupling Measurement Method

Heat flow from an embedded heated wire responds to a change in the ambient environment. The wire is part of a self-balancing bridge system, and heat flow is measured directly in watts. Steady-state and transient thermal coupling can be measured directly and is an indication of the thermal resistance and diffusivity for the system under study. The method is applied to an aerospace electroexplosive component.
Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into hematopoietic cells by coculture with human fetal liver cells recapitulates the globin switch that occurs early in development.

Objective To find a human cell line that could support differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into hematopoietic cells. To determine in detail the expression profiles of the β-like globin genes in hESC-derived erythroid cells. Materials and Methods FH-B-hTERT, a human fetal liver-derived cell line, and S17, a mouse bone marrow stromal cell line, were used as stromas to induce the differentiation of hESC into hematopoietic cells. The number of hematopoietic progenitors and surface antigen expression were monitored during time-course experiments using colony assays and flow cytometry. Globin expression patterns in individual erythroid colonies were determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results Comparison of coculture of hESCs with FH-B-hTERT or S17 cells revealed that the fraction of CD34 + cells and the number of clonogenic progenitors per 250,000 cells plated were higher with FH-B-hTERT than with S17. Analysis of β-like globin expression in individual burst-forming unit erythroid and colony-forming unit erythroid colonies revealed that erythroid cells derived from hESC cocultured for 8 to 21 days on either FH-B-hTERT or S17 produced ɛ- and γ-globin mRNAs in similar amounts. With increasing time in coculture, the mean ratio of γ/ɛ increased by more than 10-fold on both S17 and FH-B-hTERT stroma. Importantly, β-globin expression was barely detectable at all time point examined. Conclusions FH-B-hTERT can induce hESCs differentiation into hematopoietic cells more efficiently than S17. In vitro differentiation of hESCs recapitulates the ɛ-globin to γ-globin switch but not the γ-globin to β-globin switch that occurs around birth. This experimental system will be useful for studying the regulation of globin gene expression during early human hematopoiesis.
Peptide Modulation of Myosin Coiled Coil Stability Monitored with Optical and Force Spectroscopy

The structural impact of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutations on the myosin subfragment-2 are investigated including the coiled coil's susceptibility to force and alpha-helical content. The gravitational force spectrometer can measure the reversible unfolding of the myosin coiled coil under piconewton and subpiconewton forces. This exquisite sensitivity has enabled the measurement of the force-induced uncoiling of chemically synthesized peptides of human cardiac myosin subfragment-2 and the effects of a highly lethal form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation (del930). Because each one of the two synthetic peptides of the coiled coil are covalently attached to opposing surfaces before forming the coiled coil, it is possible to investigate heterodimers as well as homodimers containing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutations. Initial results indicate that an order of magnitude more force is required to uncoil the wild type sequence compared to the homodimer, while the heterodimer needs only about twice as much force as the homodimer to uncoil. The shapes of the reversible force distance curves are similar in all three conditions. Furthermore, the addition of a short positively charged poly-D-lysine peptide that can bind to the negatively charged glutamate side chains on the peptides strongly increased the amount of required force for uncoiling myosin. Similar results were obtained by optical spectroscopy of the alpha-helical content of myosin synthetic peptides. Based on changes in peptide bond absorbance between the random coil and alpha helix, it is estimated that the del930 mutation decreased alpha helical content relative to wild type. The addition of poly-D-lysine peptide increased the alpha helical content of both wild type and mutant peptides. These results suggest that it might be possible to use targeted synthetic peptides to reverse some structural effects of certain hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutations.
A sustainable genetic algorithm for satellite resource allocation

A hybrid genetic algorithm is used to schedule tasks for 8 satellites, which can be modelled as a robot whose task is to retrieve objects from a two dimensional field. The objective is to find a schedule that maximizes the value of objects retrieved. Typical of the real-world tasks to which this corresponds is the scheduling of ground contacts for a communications satellite. An important feature of our application is that the amount of time available for running the scheduler is not necessarily known in advance. This requires that the scheduler produce reasonably good results after a short period but that it also continue to improve its results if allowed to run for a longer period. We satisfy this requirement by developing what we call a sustainable genetic algorithm.
Wet-spinning of osmotically stressed silk fibroin.

Based on the phase diagram constructed for water-silk fibroin-LiBr using the osmotic stress method, wet-spinning of osmotically stressed, regenerated Bombyx mori silk fibroin was performed, without the necessity of using expensive or toxic organic solvents. The osmotic stress was applied to prestructure the regenerated silk fibroin molecule from its original random coil state to a more oriented state, manipulating the phase of the silk solution in the phase diagram before the start of spinning. Various starting points for spinning were selected from the phase diagram to evaluate the spinning performance and also physical properties of fibers produced. Monofilament fiber with a diameter of 20 μm was produced. It was found that the fibers whose starting point in the phase diagram were around the phase boundary between silk I and silk II, at very low LiBr concentrations, showed the best spinning process stability and physical properties. This underpins the prediction that the enhanced control over structure ...
Speaking “like a man” in Teamsterville: Culture patterns of role enactment in an urban neighborhood

(1975). Speaking “like a man” in Teamsterville: Culture patterns of role enactment in an urban neighborhood. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 13-22.
Fluorescence decay time measurements in tetracene crystals excited with synchrotron radiation

Abstract Fluorescence decay times from tetracene single crystals excited at room temperature with synchrotron radiation have been recorded as a function of the excitation wavelength (in the 400–500 nm range). A non-exponential decay with two decay rates is observed. The analysis of our data shows that the first singlet exciton level of tetracene (single crystal) decays radiatively mainly through, as we call it, channel 1, with a lifetime of 0.200 ± 0.020 ns. About 10% of the emitted fluorescence transits through channel 2 with a lifetime of 1.7 ± 0.2 ns. These results do not agree with previously published decay data obtained when tetracene is excited by means of powerful lasers. Thus there is experimental evidence to believe that the decay properties of condensed materials can be very dependent on the excitation density. Because synchrotron radiation compared to lasers is a very weak source, and therefore secondary effects are minimized in our experimental conditions, the decay values reported in the present work are the true lifetimes of the tetracene single crystal.
Why are some problems hard? Evidence from Tower of Hanoi ☆

Abstract This paper analyzes the causes for large differences in difficulty of various isomorphic versions of the Tower of Hanoi problem. Some forms of the problem take 16 times as long to solve, on average, as other versions. Since isomorphism rules out size of task domain as a determinant of relative difficulty, these experiments seek and find causes for the differences in features of the problem representation. Analysis of verbal protocols and the temporal patterning of moves allows the problem-solving behavior to be divided into exploratory and final-path phases. Entry into the final-path phase depends on acquisition of the ability to plan pairs of moves, an achievement made difficult by the working memory load it entails. This memory load can be reduced by automating the rules governing moves, either through problem exploration or training. Once automation has occurred, the solution is obtained very rapidly. Memory load is also proposed as the locus of other differences in difficulty found between various problem representations.
Disaster and end-stage renal disease: targeting vulnerable patients for improved outcomes

Natural catastrophes disproportionately affect ill and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Patients with end-stage renal disease are particularly vulnerable. Recent events have led to the creation of national and international institutions that provide assistance before and during such tragedies. Disaster planning by dialysis centers, providers, and patients can also help improve outcomes during a catastrophe. Greater governmental resource allocation is needed to adequately prepare for disasters and to help the disadvantaged during the relief and recovery phases.
The Relation of Cell Type to Metastasis in Bronchogenic Carcinoma

In the diagnosis of primary carcinoma of the lung, the history, physical examination and roentgenography are being supplemented more and more frequently by bronchoscopic examination and biopsy. This present report considers the extent to which the results of tissue examination in such cases can be of greater value to the clinician than merely to confirm the diagnosis of carcinoma. From the study of our own material and of numerous case reports it appeared that there were differences in the mode of growth and of metastasis of individual neoplasms; and that these differences had relationship to cell type. In order to investigate this, a series of 100 cases was built up, including the 34 reported from this laboratory (1). Only cases with a complete post-mortem examination and adequate microscopic control were chosen. It has been shown previously (1) that practically all bronchogenic carcinomas can be classified in three groups, depending upon the predominating cell type; the cylindric-celled or adenocarcinoma, the squamous-celled carcinoma, and the undifferentiated or small-celled carcinoma, and that these can be arranged in a scale according to their entdifferentiation without regard to histogenesis. Table I gives the sources of the 100 cases and their distribution according to cell type. The total tabulation of metastases according to cell type is shown in Table II. In presenting the tendency to metastasis, of the different cell types, the coefficient of association has been used. For a complete explanation of the derivation of the formula, the reader is referred to the original source (2). The reason for this choice rather than the use of percentages is that the numerical value Q is the result of a four-fold expression involving attribute occurrence and attribute non-occurrence.
WHAT CORPORATE BOARDS HAVE TO DO WITH STRATEGY: A COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE*

Traditional research on corporate governance has viewed the contribution of corporate directors to strategy making as limited by their lack of independence or firm-specific knowledge. To the degree that directors contribute to strategy, most previous research has viewed their role primarily as dealing with the conflict resulting from divergent preferences of agents and principles. The cognitive perspective this paper proposes suggests that directors contribute to dealing with the complexity and uncertainty associated with strategic decisions. It argues that directors possess valuable problem-solving expertise, which they can apply to a variety of contexts. Directors make their cognitive contributions to strategic decision making by performing along with a firm's managers a set of cognitive tasks: scanning, interpretation and choice.
Parameter estimation in astronomy through application of the likelihood ratio

Many problems in the experimental estimation of parameters for models can be solved through use of the likelihood ratio test. Applications of the likelihood ratio, with particular attention to photon counting experiments, are discussed. The procedures presented solve a greater range of problems than those currently in use, yet are no more difficult to apply. The procedures are proved analytically, and examples from current problems in astronomy are discussed.
A family consultation intervention for health-compromised smokers

Although spousal support predicts the success of a smoker's cessation efforts, “social-support” interventions based on teaching partners better support skills have had consistently disappointing results. We examined the potential utility of a family consultation (FAMCON) intervention based on family-systems principles in a treatment–development project involving 20 couples in which one partner (the primary smoker) continued to smoke despite having or being at significant risk for heart or lung disease. The 50% rate of stable abstinence achieved by primary smokers over at least 6 months exceeds benchmark success rates reported in the literature for other comparably intensive interventions, suggesting that a couple-focused intervention different in concept and format from social-support interventions tested in the past may hold promise for health-compromised smokers. The FAMCON approach appeared particularly well suited to female smokers and smokers whose partner also smoked—two subgroups at high risk for relapse.
Inhibition of liver microsome-mediated mutagenesis, metabolism and DNA-binding of benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol in the rat following glucose administration

Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver microsomes prepared from control and glucose-treated rats (30% glucose in drinking water 48 h prior to sacrifice) were used in studies of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and BaP 7,8-dihydrodiol (BaP 7,8-DHD)-induced mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TA100. Microsome-dependent metabolism and metabolite binding of BaP and BaP 7,8-DHD to calf thymus DNA was also investigated. BaP-induced mutagenesis in TA100 was inhibited 27% and BaP 7,8-DHD-induced mutagenesis was inhibited 55% by microsomes from glucose-treated rats. [3H]BaP and [3H]BaP 7,8-DHD metabolite binding to DNA was inhibited 17% and 20%, respectively. High performance liquid chromatographic (hplc) analysis of enzyme-hydrolyzed DNA yielded 7R and 7S-diol epoxide-1 deoxyguanosine (BPDE-1:dG) adducts and BPDE-2:dG adducts of [3H]BaP and [3H]BaP 7,8-DHD. These adducts were inhibited 38% and 50%, respectively, by microsomes from glucose-treated rats. Hplc analysis of organosoluble metabolites of [3H]BaP and [3H]BaP 7,8-DHD showed an inhibition of metabolism of 28% and 50%, respectively, by microsomes from glucose-treated rats. The inhibition of metabolism correlated with the effect of glucose treatment on inhibition of BaP and BaP 7,8-DHD-induced mutagenesis and adduct formation. These results suggest that the mechanism by which glucose produces its effects on mutagenesis, DNA-binding and adduct formation is by an inhibition of microsome-mediated metabolism of BaP and BaP 7,8-DHD.
Field‐Assisted Bonding of Beta‐Alumina to Metals

The ionic transport properties of β-alumina enable it to be bonded to many metals by a low-temperature, field-assisted process. Adherence mechanisms appear to be similar to those operating in field-assisted glass-to-metal seals, with some differences arising from the crystalline nature of the solid electrolyte. Surface finish of the β-alumina plays a prominent role in determining adherence. Although good bonding was achieved with all samples, the relatively poor surface conditions resulted in aluminum being the only metal to produce hermetic seals.
Disconnected pancreatic tail syndrome: potential for endoscopic therapy and results of long-term follow-up

Background Limited published data exist that address the incidence and outcomes of patients with complete pancreatic-duct disruption. Objective Report on a single-center experience with this entity that emphasizes the feasibility of endoscopic therapy and long-term outcomes. Design Retrospective analysis. Setting Tertiary-care medical center (Portland, Maine). Patients A total of 189 patients with pancreatic-fluid collections and/or pancreatic fistulas were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of a disconnected pancreatic tail. Patients meeting the definition of disconnected pancreatic tail syndrome (DPTS) with a minimum of 6 months' follow-up were analyzed. Results Thirty of 189 patients (16%) met criteria for DPTS. Thirty-six drainage procedures were performed on 29 patients (mean 1.2 procedures per patient). In 22 of 29 patients (76%), the initial drainage procedure was successful. However, recurrent fluid collection(s) developed in 11 of 22 patients (50%) and was seen in those treated surgically and endoscopically. Disruption in the tail (n = 3) was uncommon but invariably required no surgical intervention. The median follow-up was 38 months (range 3-94 months). Diabetes mellitus developed in 16 of 30 patients (53%); 15 of 30 patients (50%) had left-sided portal hypertension; 16 of 30 patients (53%) continue in active medical or surgical follow-up for recurrent symptoms attributable to the disconnected pancreatic tail. Conclusions Of patients with a pancreatic-fluid collection and/or fistula, 16% will also have a disconnected pancreatic tail. Endoscopic and surgical drainage techniques are typically initially successful, but both suffer from a high rate of recurrence in the setting of DPTS. The majority of patients will require long-term follow-up because of complications and/or ongoing symptoms.
Antibodies against Crandell Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cell line antigens, α-enolase, and annexin A2 in vaccinated and CRFK hyperinoculated cats.

Background: Cats inoculated with feline herpesvirus 1, calicivirus, and panleukopenia (FVRCP) vaccines grown on the Crandell Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cell line have been shown to develop anti-CRFK antibodies. The identities of common CRFK antigens are unknown. Hypothesis: Cats inoculated with CRFK lysates and FVRCP vaccines will develop autoantibodies measurable by Western blot immunoassay. Antigens associated with these antibodies can be isolated for further study. Animals: One CRFK hyperinoculated rabbit, 44 age-matched unvaccinated kittens purchased from a commercial vendor. Methods: Commonly recognized CRFK antigens were identified by comparison of Western blot immunoassays using sera from a hyperinoculated rabbit and kittens inoculated with CRFK lysate or 1 of 4 commercially available FVRCP vaccines. Antigens were purified from CRFK lysates and sequenced. Antigen recognition was confirmed by Western blot immunoassay and indirect ELISA for 2 proteins using sera from CRFK and FVRCP inoculated kittens. Results: CRFK antigens 47, 40, and 38 kD in size were identified. Protein isolation and sequencing identified 3 CRFK proteins as α-enolase, annexin A2, and macrophage capping protein (MCP). Sera from FVRCP and CRFK inoculated cats were confirmed to recognize annexin A2 and α-enolase by Western blot immunoassay and indirect ELISA. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: This study validated the use of Western blot immunoassay for detection of antibodies against CRFK proteins and identified 3 CRFK antigens. In humans, α-enolase antibodies are nephritogenic; α-enolase and annexin A2 antibodies have been associated with autoimmune diseases. Further research will be necessary to determine the clinical relevance of these findings.
Computer-made movies as a technique for studying ion-polar molecule capture collisions

Abstract Hindered rotation of polar molecules in capture collisions with ions has been studied by numerical trajectory calculations. Computer-made movies furnish a convenient visual means for observing the relative motion of the ion-molecule pair, as well as hindering of the dipole by the incident ion. The degree of hindering is best described by a parameter which depends on the dipole moment, rotational energy and impact parameter.
The metabolic syndrome: linking oxidative stress and inflammation to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and the syndrome

Metabolic syndrome defined by a cluster of clinical features increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The original hypothesis linking this syndrome to these diseases was based on insulin resistance and the effect of hyperinsulinemia on atherogenesis. However, inflammatory processes have now been linked to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. Novel data have shown the effect of macronutrients on inflammatory mediators and the antiinflammatory effects of insulin that is secreted in response to food intake. This review attempts to provide an alternative explanation for the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome and the increase in risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes on the basis of these findings.
Temperature fluctuation facilitates coexistence of competing species in experimental microbial communities

1. Temperature fluctuation is a general phenomenon affecting many, if not all, species in nature. While a few studies have shown that temperature fluctuation can promote species coexistence, little is known about the effects of different regimes of temperature fluctuation on coexistence. 2. We experimentally investigated how temperature fluctuation and different regimes of temperature fluctuation ('red' environments in which temperature series exhibited positive temporal autocorrelation vs. 'white' environments in which temperature series showed little autocorrelation) affected the coexistence of two ciliated protists, Colpidium striatum Stein and Paramecium tetraurelia Sonneborn, which competed for bacterial resources. 3. We have previously shown that the two species differed in their growth responses to changes in temperature and in their resource utilization patterns. The two species were not always able to coexist at constant temperatures (22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 degrees C), with Paramecium being competitively excluded at 26 and 28 degrees C. This indicated that resource partitioning was insufficient to maintain coexistence at these temperatures. 4. Here we show that in both red and white environments in which temperature varied between 22 and 32 degrees C, Paramecium coexisted with Colpidium. Consistent with the differential effects of temperature on their intrinsic growth rates, Paramecium population dynamics were largely unaffected by temperature regimes, and Colpidium showed more variable population dynamics in the red environments. 5. Temperature-dependent competitive effects of Colpidium on Paramecium, together with resource partitioning, appeared to be responsible for the coexistence in the white environments; resource partitioning and the storage effect appeared to account for the coexistence in the red environments. 6. These results suggest that temperature fluctuation may play important roles in regulating species coexistence and diversity in ecological communities.