cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of testing can increase or decrease misinformation susceptibility depending on the retention interval

Research has consistently demonstrated that testing prior to the presentation of misleading post-event information, within the context of a standard eyewitness misinformation paradigm, results in an increase in the misinformation effect. The present study investigated whether changes in misinformation susceptibility in the context of interim testing are affected by retention interval differences between misinformation presentation and final testing. Further, this study tested possible divergences in original and post-event learning between conditions where elaboration in processing of critical details was encouraged either indirectly, via interim testing, or directly, by visually emphasizing critical details. In two experiments, we compared three groups of participants. All participants were exposed to an event, presented with misleading post-event misinformation, and then given a final test on the original event. One group was given an interim test between the original event and the post-event synopsis. A second was presented with a post-event synopsis in which critical details were visually emphasized. A third group served as a baseline comparison group for which synopsis processing was not manipulated. All experimental phases occurred in a single session in Experiment 1. A 48-hour retention interval was inserted between the post-event synopsis and final test in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, we found that interim testing and emphasizing critical details increased misinformation susceptibility as compared to that found in the standard misinformation group. In Experiment 2, misinformation susceptibility was reduced in the interim testing group. These results suggest that interim testing and emphasizing critical details influence the rate of original detail forgetting. At a longer retention interval, the benefits of testing in learning emerged.
Program Evaluation of Group-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: a Focus on Treatment Adherence and Outcomes in Older Adults with Co-morbidities.

Objective: To describe a program evaluation of the interrelationship of adherence and treatment outcomes in a sample of veteran older adults with co-morbidities who participated in group-based cogn...
Unlikely pioneers: creative climate change policymaking in smaller U.S. cities

With the U.S. federal government stepping away from climate change, a number of cities have indicated that they will continue their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Broad statistical analysis and case studies of larger and often progressive cities have provided some insight into what drives local governments to act on climate change mitigation. However, the vast majority of U.S. municipalities, most of them small, do nothing. Understanding what might drive smaller, poorer, and less progressive places is important if local governments are expected to take the lead on this issue of the global commons. In this exploratory study, I examine a group of “unlikely pioneers”—communities that statistical modeling indicates are the least likely to undertake climate change action, but then do act. Using interviews and document reviews in 12 of these communities, I seek to answer the question: what drives these unlikely pioneers to act? I find that local leaders reframe climate change action as a way to save money and attract economic development. Personal environmental ethics drive small town leaders to reduce greenhouse gase emissions. Citizen committees can provide technical resources and political support. Otherwise, and more subtly, citizens can create a political environment that reduces resistance to climate change policymaking. Despite research that indicates fiscal health is correlated to increased sustainability, no communities in this study initiated climate change mitigation from general revenues. All required grants or other revenue to act. In four of the communities, the income from municipally owned utilities provided the fiscal resources for climate change programs.
Multipotential Aspects of Adipose- Derived Stem Cells and Their Spheroids

Adipose-derived stem cells are an excellent multipotent stem cell candidate because they are abundant, plastic easily harvested, highly proliferative, sand are robust enough to withstand lengthy culture periods. When grown as scaffold-free three-dimensional spheroids, these benefits are amplified. The three-dimensional architecture increases the clinical usefulness of these cells by making them more adaptable to harsh environments and by amplifying the paracrine effects of their secretome.
Fescue toxicosis and its influence on the rumen microbiome: mitigation of production losses through clover isoflavones.

This review highlights concerns with endophyte-infected tall fescue as a primary forage base in the southeastern United States and discusses specific physiological and ruminal effects caused by con...
Volitional Preemptive Abdominal Contraction and Upper Extremity Muscle Latencies During D1 Flexion and Scaption Shoulder Exercises.

Context The abdominal-bracing maneuver, a volitional preemptive abdominal contraction (VPAC) strategy, is commonly used during resisted shoulder exercises. How VPAC affects shoulder-muscle function...
Development of a low-frequency-vibration calibration system: The development and calibration of an electrodynamic vibration exciter was developed specifically to calibrate accelerometers at frequencies from 55 to 2 Hz

The development of the low-frequency-vibration apparatus described in this report was done in response to a need to establish and verify vibration-pickup performance at infrasonic frequencies. The exciter design is an extension of the Dimoff type exciters1 and, in fact, many of its components are identical.
Status of free-energy representations for the homogeneous electron gas

Renewed interest in the homogeneous electron gas (HEG) has been stimulated by recent accurate simulations of it over a wide range of densities and temperatures. Those data, combined with known theoretical limits, have led to analytical representations of the free energy. Such a representation is, at least in principle, the complete HEG equation of state. The initial objective here is to establish that the two best representations [``corrKSDT,'' Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 076403 (2014), Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 076401 (2018), and ``GDB'' Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 135001 (2017)] of the simulation data and constraints are effectively the same in both functional form and accuracy of representation. The second objective is to disclose and delineate a significant difficulty. Despite their expected accuracy for the free energy, the underlying functional form is not adequate for derived thermodynamic properties. As an example, the specific heats obtained from the representations exhibit anomalies suggesting the need first for additional simulation data in critical regimes, then for refined fitting functions. The existing representations are, however, almost certainly adequate for applications based on the free energy alone (e.g., density-functional theory for warm dense matter). The third objective is to show that, despite their inability to provide a complete thermodynamic description of the HEG, the best analytical representations do provide a fully adequate exchange-correlation local density approximation for free-energy density-functional calculations.
Effects of mentoring relationship heterogeneity on student outcomes in summer undergraduate research

Faculty-mentored summer undergraduate research experiences (SUREs) have been shown to increase the diversity of students pursuing research careers. No existing studies have approached the issue of ...
Changes in Myocardial Native T1 and T2 After Exercise Stress: A Noncontrast CMR Pilot Study

Abstract Objectives This study assessed changes in myocardial native T1 and T2 values after supine exercise stress in healthy subjects and in patients with suspected ischemia as potential imaging markers of ischemia. Background With emerging data on the long-term retention of gadolinium in the body and brain, there is a need for an alternative noncontrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)−based myocardial ischemia assessment. Methods Twenty-eight healthy adult subjects and 14 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) referred for exercise stress and/or rest single-photon emission computed tomography/myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT/MPI) for evaluation of chest pain were prospectively enrolled. Free-breathing myocardial native T1 and T2 mapping were performed before and after supine bicycle exercise stress using a CMR-compatible supine ergometer positioned on the MR table. Differences in T1 rest, T2 rest and T1 post-exercise, T2 post-exercise values were calculated as T1 and T2 reactivity, respectively. Results The mean exercise intensity was 104 W, with exercise duration of 6 to 12 min. After exercise, native T1 was increased in healthy subjects (p 50% diameter stenosis on coronary angiography). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.80 versus 0.72 (p = 0.40). The optimum cutoff value of T1 reactivity for predicting flow-limiting stenosis was 2.5%, with a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 92%, a negative predictive value of 96%, a positive predictive value of 71%, and an area under the curve of 0.86. Conclusions Free-breathing stress/rest native T1 mapping, but not T2 mapping, can detect physiological changes in the myocardium during exercise. Our feasibility study in patients shows the potential of this technique as a method for detecting myocardial ischemia in patients with CAD without using a pharmacological stress agent.
Integrating a Microturbine into a Discrete Manufacturing Process with Combined Heat and Power Using Smart Scheduling and Automation

Abstract Combined heat and power (CHP) is typically applied in manufacturing to large-scale, continuous processes. This work presents a design and operation case study where small-scale CHP using a microturbine is applied to a discrete manufacturing (composite parts curing) process. The introduction of CHP into this system allows the facility to replace an electrically-heated curing oven with a design that recovers waste heat from the microturbine to boost the overall energy efficiency of the system and allow the facility to save money on energy and peak demand charges. Because the oven itself is used in batches, scheduling its operation with the CHP and several other electrically-powered batch processes becomes an interesting automation problem. In this work, the process design is presented, as well as a novel control and scheduling scheme. The microturbine has the ability to switch between cogeneration mode and recuperation mode. In cogeneration mode, the exhaust stream bypasses the recuperator, resulting in less electrical power generation while preserving this energy for heating the oven instead. In recuperation mode, the recuperator is engaged to produce electricity more efficiently. In addition to this control scheme, a smart scheduling scheme is proposed and several different operation cases are presented. Simulation results show that cogeneration saves approximately $1,130 per day on utility bills. The most cost-effective method of operation is staggering the startup of large facility equipment to minimize electricity demand while running the cogeneration system all day to maximize the microturbine generated electricity.
Instability results for the logarithmic Sobolev inequality and its application to related inequalities

We construct a sequence of centered probability measures such that the deficit of the logarithmic Sobolev inequality converges to zero but the relative entropy and the moments do not, which implies that there are no general stability results for the logarithmic Sobolev inequality in terms of the Wasserstein distances and $L^{p}(d\gamma)$ distance for $p>1$. As an application, we prove instability results for Talagrand's transportation inequality and the Beckner--Hirschman inequality.
Impact of prior hysterectomy on surgical outcomes for laparoscopic adnexal surgery.

Adnexal surgery is believed to be more complex in patients with prior hysterectomy; however, there is little data regarding surgical outcomes. Understanding of individualized risks improves counseling, informed consent, and preoperative planning. We performed a retrospective cohort study with a control group; we evaluated 744 patients undergoing laparoscopic adnexal surgery at an academic tertiary care center from 2011 to 2015. Comparisons were made using Chi square, Fisher’s exact, or Wilcoxon-rank sum tests. We used log-binomial regression to calculate risk ratio and 95% confidence interval. Patients with prior hysterectomy were more likely to have intraoperative or postoperative complications at the time of laparoscopic adnexal surgery when compared to patients without prior hysterectomy [17.7% vs. 10.2%, p = 0.02, risk ratio (RR) 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–2.7]. Patients with prior hysterectomy were four times more likely to have intraoperative complications (3.2% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.047, RR 4.0, 95% CI 1.1–14.7), and five times more likely to have conversion to laparotomy (5.6% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.004, RR 5.0, 95% CI 1.8–14.0). Patients with prior hysterectomy were more likely to need additional procedures, including lysis of adhesions (69.4% vs. 26.0%, p < 0.001), ureterolysis (15.3% vs. 4.8%, p < 0.001), and cystoscopy (28.2% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001). They had longer operative time [101.5 min (IQR 59.5–135.0) vs. 78.0 min (IQR 53.0–109.0, p < 0.001)], and were less likely to have outpatient surgery (56.5% vs. 84.8%, p < 0.01). Postoperative complications were also more common (15.3% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.046). Patients with prior hysterectomy were 70% more likely to have a complication at the time of laparoscopic adnexal surgery than patients without hysterectomy. Increased risk of complications in subsequent adnexal surgery may influence the informed consent process or decisions regarding ovarian conservation. Awareness of potential need for additional surgical procedures may guide availability of equipment, choice of operating site, or referral to an advanced pelvic surgeon.
Steps for Applying the Complex Dynamical Systems Approach in Educational Research: A Guide for the Perplexed Scholar.

In this commentary, we propose a framework for applying the Complex Dynamical Systems (CDS) approach in educational research. Drawing on the conceptual articles in the special issue for ontological...
Preemption and Entrenchment of the State/Local Divide

Recent state legislative enactments that preempt local legislation also include novel provisions that impose significant penalties on municipalities or individuals who challenge the state’s action. These penalties include loss of funding or loss of office for localities or officials who assert a local right to pursue policies in conflict with the state legislation. Notwithstanding widespread criticism of the practice, commentators have concluded that the traditional conception of the state’s plenary power over its municipalities, a restrictive view of home rule, and the absence of a federal constitutional violation leave affected municipalities and individuals with little legal recourse against “penalty preemption.” This article proposes an interpretation of state constitutions under which penalty preemption would largely be declared invalid. That interpretation asserts that state constitutions do not, in fact, provide legislative authority over political subdivisions that is as plenary as states have asserted. Instead, state constitutions have historically been interpreted as containing both explicit and, importantly, implicit principles that constrain legislative action. Courts have invoked those implicit principles to invalidate legislation enacted at the behest of a politically dominant group that is seeking to entrench its current majority position over an area that is reasonably viewed as subject to the vicissitudes of normal politics. This article contends that the proper allocation of authority between states and their political subdivisions constitutes such an area of contestation. By entrenching the dividing line between state and local authority, penalty preemption legislation represents an exercise of raw political power rather than an effort to allocate government authority in accordance with any principle that is appropriate for state preemption. Courts have the capacity to invalidate legislative entrenchment of the state/local divide that constitutes such an assertion of political power just as they done with respect to other efforts to entrench temporary majorities.
From novices to co-pilots: Fixing the limits on scientific knowledge production by accessing or building expertise

The current approach of relying primarily on institutional experts to create knowledge to solve humanity's problems is insufficient to meet the scale, diversity, and novelty of people's needs. Building expertise in people to create knowledge they need provides a promising approach. Despite having contextual insights, people fail to rapidly generate sound plans---like experiments---and correctly implement specific actions---like data acquisition and analysis. The limits to progress in multiple domains---like science and healthcare---can potentially be expanded by building procedural expertise among motivated nonexperts so that they can build on their contextual insights to create valid and generalizable knowledge. In this paper, we report on the design and evaluation of tools that highlight two ways to realize this vision. First, Hevelius is a motor impairment assessment tool for patients to conduct neurological assessments online. A rare disease community has provided fine-granular data and insights from their homes that current in-clinic assessments fail to capture. Second, Gut Instinct is a social computing system that supports procedural knowledge acquisition for experimentation. A fermentation community used Gut Instinct to successfully design and run between-subjects experiments to test their intuitions. These results suggest exploring ways of producing knowledge that are distinct from the dominant model of institutionally-situated experts testing their ideas on subjects in a lab or a clinic. More constructively, these systems demonstrate how knowledgeable and committed people can be aided and amplified by technology in creating scientific knowledge.
The Afterlife of Reproductive Slavery: Biocapitalism and Black Feminism’s Philosophy of History: by Alys Weinbaum. Pp. 268. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. 2019. $26.95. ISBN: 978-1-4780-0176-8

Since their inception, reproductive technologies have been the subject of ethical examination, while also being analyzed in terms of their economic, sociopolitical, cultural, feminist, and religiou...
A longitudinal assessment of nicotine dependence, mental health, and attempts to quit Smoking: Evidence from waves 1-4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study.

Abstract Background Adult smokers with symptoms of any mental illness (AMI) are highly dependent on nicotine and may face additional difficulty quitting smoking. While there is evidence that adult smokers with AMI have high dependence, there is insufficient evidence regarding the unique role that AMI may play in moderating the relationship between dependence and cessation outcomes over time. Methods 7290 current established adult smokers at Wave 1 (2013–2014) of the PATH Study also participated in data collection in Waves 2–4 (2014–2018). Linear probability models with individual-level random effects were fit to the data, modeling associations between AMI, nicotine dependence, and the 1) likelihood of achieving cessation during the study period, 2) making a cessation attempt within the previous 12 months, and 3) log of past 30-day total consumption of cigarettes. Results Adults who experienced both AMI symptoms and high dependence were 4.7 percentage points (PP) less likely to achieve cessation at any point during the study period (p Conclusions Adults with AMI are particularly affected by the burden of tobacco use, in part because of the likely interaction between nicotine dependence and AMI. Tobacco control efforts that focus on this interplay may provide an opportunity to better target interventions for this vulnerable population.
Learning from Shader Program Traces.

Deep networks for image processing typically learn from RGB pixels. This paper proposes instead to learn from program traces, the intermediate values computed during program execution. We study this idea in the context of pixel~shaders -- programs that generate images, typically running in parallel (for each pixel) on GPU hardware. The intermediate values computed at each pixel during program execution form the input to the learned model. In a variety of applications, models learned from program traces outperform baseline models learned from RGB, even when augmented with hand-picked shader-specific features. We also investigate strategies for selecting a subset of trace features for learning; using just a small subset of the trace still outperforms the baselines.
Time restricted eating for the prevention of type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes can potentially be prevented by targeted lifestyle and weight loss interventions. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a form of intermittent fasting that has emerged as a novel diet strategy to reduce body weight and improve glycemic control. TRE involves eating within a certain window of time (usually 4 to 10 h), and water-fasting for the remaining hours of the day. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effects of TRE on body weight and markers of glycemic control in human subjects. We also aim to provide mechanistic insights into the effect of TRE on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Results to date reveal that TRE produces mild weight loss (1-4% from baseline) and energy restriction, when food consumption is restricted to 4-10 h per day. TRE also reduces fasting insulin and improves insulin sensitivity in individuals with prediabetes and those with obesity. Moreover, TRE improves glucose tolerance and decreases serum glucose excursions. The possible mechanisms underlying these benefits include increased autophagic flux, mild elevations in ketone bodies, a reduction in oxidative stress, and the stimulation of β-cell responsiveness. While these preliminary results offer promise for the use of TRE in the prevention of type 2 diabetes, larger and longer-term human trials will be needed to confirm these findings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Future is Non-cemented Total Knee Arthroplasty: Volume Trends at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

The optimal fixation method for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is still a debate. Cemented fixation has excellent long-term results and is the gold standard. However, longevity in the younger, heavier, and more active population is suboptimal. Cementless TKA offers the opportunity to gain biological fixation and overcome these shortcomings. This is a retrospective review of all consecutive cementless TKA procedures performed at a single academic institution from 2016 until 2020. Demographics, aseptic revisions, and septic revisions were pulled from the electronic medical record. The number of yearly implanted cementless TKA prosthesis was determined to analyze utilization trends. Eight-hundred and two patients were identified with a mean age of 61.57 ± 7.78 years, and a mean of BMI 32.12 ± 5.98 kg/m2. The mean time to revision was 12.31 ± 13.91 months. There were four septic failures and nine aseptic failures during the study period. Of these nine aseptic failures only five were due to mechanical loosening. There was a yearly linear increase in the use of cementless fixation. Cementless fixation is here to stay, and its use will continue to increase. Early and mid-term outcomes have been excellent thus far. Changing clinical practice takes time but we have already seen this transition take place in total hip arthroplasty. As technology and design continue to evolve, we believe it is a possibility.
Short-Term Bioassay of Complex Organic Mixtures: Part II, Mutagenicity Testing

The feasibility of using short-term mutagenicity assays to predict the potential biohazard of various crude and complex test materials has been examined in a coupled chemical and biological approach. The principal focus-of the research has involved the preliminary chemical characterization and preparation for bioassay, followed by testing in the Salmonella histidine reversion assay described by Ames (1). The mutagenicity tests are intended to (a) act as predictors of profound long-range health effects such as mutagenesis and/ or carcinogenesis, (b) act as a mechanism to rapidly isolate and identify a hazardous biological agent in a complex mixture, and (c) function as a measure of biological activity correlating baseline data with changes in process conditions. Since complex mixtures can be fractionated and approached in these short-term assays, information reflecting on the actual compounds responsible for the biological effect may be accumulated. Thus, mutagenicity tests will (d) aid in identifying the specific hazardous compounds involved and in establishing priorities for further valid testing, testing in whole animals, and more definitive chemical analysis and monitoring.
Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase extrudes Ca2+ from hair cell stereocilia

Mechanically sensitive hair cells of the auditory and vestibular systems use Ca2+ to control adaptation of mechanical transduction, to effect frequency tuning, to trigger neurotransmitter release, and to mediate efferent synaptic signaling. To determine the role that pumps play in regulation of Ca2+ in the hair bundle, the organelle responsible for mechanoelectrical transduction, we localized and quantified the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) of the bundle. We found that each hair bundle contains approximately 10(6) PMCA molecules or approximately 2000 per square micrometer of bundle membrane and that PMCA is the principal calmodulin binding protein of the bundle. Consistent with biochemical estimates of PMCA density, we measured with extracellular Ca2+-selective electrodes a substantial Ca2+ efflux from bundles. The number of bundle Ca2+ pumps and magnitude of resting Ca2+ efflux suggested that PMCA should generate a substantial membrane current as bundles expel Ca2+. Measurement of whole-cell currents revealed a transduction-dependent outward current that was consistent with the activity of PMCA. Finally, dialysis of hair cells with PMCA inhibitors led to a large increase in the concentration of Ca2+ in bundles, which suggests that PMCA plays a major role in regulating bundle Ca2+ concentration. Our data further indicate that PMCA could elevate the extracellular Ca2+ concentration close to hair bundles above the low level found in bulk endolymph.
Nutrition and Growth Characteristics of Trichomitopsis termopsidis, a Cellulolytic Protozoan from Termites.

Putatively axenic cultures of Trichomitopsis termopsidis 6057, isolated by M. A. Yamin (J. Protozool. 25:535-538, 1978) from the hindgut of Zootermopsis termites, apparently contained methanogenic bacteria, inasmuch as small amounts of CH(4) were produced during growth. However, T. termopsidis could be "cured" of methanogenic activity by incubation in the presence of bromoethanesulfonate. Both the cured derivative (6057C) and the parent strain (6057) required NaHCO(3) and fetal bovine serum for good growth; the presence of yeast extract in media was stimulatory. Growth of both strains was markedly improved by substituting heat-killed cells of Bacteroides sp. strain JW20 (a termite gut isolate) for heat-killed rumen bacteria in media as a source of bacterial cell material. Heat-killed Bacteroides sp. strain JW20 was the best of a number of bacteria tested, and under these conditions H(2) was a major protozoan fermentation product. Growth of T. termopsidis strains was further improved by co-cultivation in the presence of Methanospirillum hungatii. M. hungatii was the best of a number of H(2)-consuming bacteria tested, and under these conditions CH(4), but not H(2), was produced, indicating interspecies transfer of H(2) between the protozoa and M. hungatii. Both strains of T. termopsidis used powdered, particulate forms of cellulose (e.g., pure cellulose, corncob, cereal leaves) as fermentable energy sources, although powdered wood, chitin, or xylan supported little or no growth. Cells of the cellulose-forming coccus Sarcina ventriculi also served as a fermentable energy source, but these were used poorly as a source of bacterial cell material. The only substantial difference between T. termopsidis 6057 and 6057C was that the latter grew poorly or not at all with rumen bacteria as a source of bacterial cell material. The improved growth of T. termopsidis in vitro should facilitate further studies on the cell biology and biochemistry of these symbiotic, anaerobic protozoa.
Spinodal decomposition in Al/Zn alloys

The effect of spinodal decomposition on the mechanical behaviour of Al/Zn alloys was studied over the range of 30 to 60 wt % zinc. Two solution treatment temperatures, 365 and 435° C, were used; extensive ageing studies were carried out at 22 and 100° C, and limited tests were made on samples aged at other temperatures, 0, 55, and 200° C. The yield and tensile strengths were significantly increased by spinodal transformation, but ductility was seriously impaired. The tensile fracture was intergranular, with one exception, and was related to grain-boundary precipitation and a narrow denuded zone.
Regulation of β-catenin and connexin-43 expression: Targets for sphingolipids in colon cancer prevention

Sphingolipid metabolites are generated throughout the intestinal tract after hydrolysis of orally administered complex sphingolipids and significantly suppress colon cancer in carcinogen-treated CF1 mice. In the present study, the mechanisms of tumor suppression by dietary sphingolipids were investigated. Changes in select genes that are critical in early stages of colon cancer were analyzed in the colonic mucosa of dimethylhydrazine-treated CF1 mice fed AIN76A diet with or without 0.05% sphingomyelin. Supplementation with sphingomyelin did not significantly alter mRNA levels of most of the selected genes. However, a downregulation of s-catenin (p=0.007) and increased protein levels of connexin-43 (p=0.017) and Bcl-2 (p=0.033) were observed in sphingomyelin-fed animals. This suggests that sphingolipids may be regulating specific post-transcriptional events to reverse aberrant expression of individual proteins. Since the dysregulation of s-catenin metabolism and its transcriptional activity in addition to a decreased inter-cellular communication has been causally linked to the development of colon cancer while a low Bcl-2 expression is associated with a worse prognosis in colon cancer, the reversal of these early changes may be important events in the prevention of colon cancer by orally administered sphingolipids, and may provide specific molecular biomarkers for sphingolipid efficacy in vivo.
Synthesis and scintillation properties of CsGd2Cl7:Ce3+ for gamma ray and neutron detection

Abstract In this work, we report on optical and scintillation properties of a new scintillation material CsGd 2 Cl 7 :Ce. Crystals were grown in vacuum sealed ampoules, and the response to gamma rays and thermal neutrons was characterized. The scintillation light yield was ∼38,000 ph/MeV, and the primary decay time was 60 ns under γ-ray excitation. A thermal neutron response resulting from capture by 157 Gd and 155 Gd and subsequent emission of conversion electrons and X-rays was observed. The crystals exhibited a layered structure with cleavage planes and relatively low hygroscopicity.
Ectoparasites reduce long-term survival of their avian host

Few field studies have evaluated whether ectoparasites affect the long-term survival of their adult host, although many studies have examined the impact of parasites on the host's offspring. In the colonially nesting cliff swallow (Hirundo pyrrhonota), we manipulated ectoparasite load (of cimicid bugs, fleas, and chewing lice) by fumigating adults and comparing annual survivorship of fumigated birds and non-fumigated control birds captured at the same time. Mark-recapture experiments over an 8-year period revealed that non-fumigated birds had an annual survivorship about 12% less than that of fumigated birds, on average, but the effects did not vary with colony size. Based on the difference in survivorship between fumigated and non-fumigated birds, we estimated that parasitized individuals had an annual survivorship of 0.38, compared with 0.57 for non-parasitized birds. The parasite-caused reduction in survivorship was the equivalent of the host losing up to one year of lifetime reproductive success. Ectoparasites did not preferentially infest hosts of lower quality, suggesting that all birds in the population were at potential risk of suffering parasitism and the resulting reductions in survivorship. Our results show that obligate ectoparasites such as fleas and lice impose a substantial long-term cost to their hosts and suggest that future studies of ectoparasitism should consider the parasites' effect on annual survival of adult hosts.
Promoting Diversity in Academic Leadership

Five key features of community undergird commitment to diversity in a university or college based on the principles of servant leadership.
Effect of denervation on pigeon slow skeletal muscle

The slow anterior latissimus dorsi muscle (ALD) of the pigeon was denervated surgically and examined after varying post-operative intervals. Muscles were studied with respect to changes in weight, histological and ultrastructural alterations, and changes in size and number of fibers. The weights of the denervated muscles increased over the contralateral control, reaching a maximum hypertrophy in the first 18 days, but the hypertrophy persisted for several months. The fibers of the denervated muscle did not hypertrophy. They showed a gradation in size from the posterior to the anterior border, with the fibers in the anterior third of the muscle being the smallest. After measuring cross-sectional sizes from the anterior, middle, and posterior thirds of the muscle, the overall fiber change was one of atrophy.
Deletion of a single amino acid changes the folding of an apamin hybrid sequence peptide to that of endothelin.

The solution conformations of a hybrid sequence peptide related to the bee venom peptide apamin have been determined using two-dimensional 1H-nmr. Apamin is an 18 amino acid peptide containing a C-terminal helix that is stabilized by two disulfide bonds. The deletion of one residue (K4) of the N-terminal “scaffold” region of the apamin sequence results in a helical peptide, but with a change in the pairing of cysteines to form the disulfide cross links. The new disulfide arrangement is analogous to that of the vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin. Two sets of nmr resonances were observed for the apamin-deletion (AD) peptide, due to cis-trans isomerism at the A4-P5 peptide bond. The cis isomer of the AD peptide contains a tight turn in residues 3–6, which is required for formation of the α-helix in residues 7–15. Nuclear Overhauser effects observed for the trans AD peptide are not consistent with any single unique fold, indicating the presence of conformational averaging when the peptide adopts the trans form. Distance geometry calculations on the cis AD peptide reveal an α-helical structure that appears to be more like that of apamin than the crystal structure of human endothelin, despite the reversal of the disulfide pattern in the AD peptide from that of apamin to that of endothelin.© 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 41: 451–460, 1997
A Novel Approach to Dynamic Representation of Drill Strings in Test Rigs

Drill strings are used in oil and gas production as well as geothermal wells. They experience destructive vibrations, many of which are highly dependent on drill string modes. In this paper, we show that the lowest frequency modes are not necessarily the most critical and we delineate a methodology for reducing the number of modes representing the drill string. The frequency response function and stability diagram are used as measures of dynamic similarity between the proposed model and the drill string. We also introduce a novel approach to represent a drill string in laboratory test rigs. This approach not only represents the drill string dynamics but also offers flexibility to modify, remove, or augment the modes representing the system. The underlying principle is that in a multi-degree-of-freedom in-series spring-mass system with Rayleigh damping, dynamic modes can be decoupled. Applying the force to the end node (bit), the modes can then be configured separately in a parallel arrangement where their contributions to bit displacement are added algebraically. A practical arrangement for this purpose is proposed in this paper. Construction of a test rig that accurately represents the drill string dynamics is critical to validation of any test data on bits, bottom hole assemblies, instrument subs, and so on.
Analyzing irreversibilities in Stokes flows containing suspended particles using the traction boundary integral equation method

Irreversibilities in suspension flows at low Reynolds numbers have been observed experimentally. These irreversibilities can lead to particle migration, normal stress differences, and complex microstructure including particle chains and agglomerations. The morphology of the microstructure formation and the relationship of the microstructure to the continuum properties of the suspension are current topics of research interest. Detailed information concerning the microstructure is hard to obtain experimentally, and hence, accurate numerical simulation capabilities are becoming relied on more heavily to fill the gap between the mesoscale and continuum properties. In this research, a traction boundary integral equation (TBIE) method is used to analyze irreversibilities in Stokes flow containing suspended particles. The TBIE is particularly well-suited for this type of analysis since the associated discretized sets of linear equations are better conditioned than the more prevalent velocity boundary integral equation (VBIE) method especially as particles tend to aggregate.
BN0.5O0.4C0.1: Carbon- and oxygen-substituted hexagonal BN

Hexagonal boron nitride (hex BN) containing significant amounts of C and O substituting for N (hex BCNO) was synthesized at 75 kbar and 1700°C from mixtures of C, B2O3, and amorphous B contained in a hex BN crucible. Hex BCNO is a minor constituent of the product and occurs as small, <30 nm diameter, rounded pseudohexagonal particles adhering to materials with the α-rhombohedral B structure. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy with a transmission electron microscope was used to quantify their elemental ratios. Up to 50% of the N in hex BN is replaced by C and O, e.g., BN0.49O0.38C0.11. The electron energy-loss near-edge fine structure of the core-loss edges was used to elucidate the possible structures of hex BCNO. The core-loss edges of B, C, N, and O exhibit orientation-dependent intensity changes, which indicates that they occupy similar anisotropic bonding sites in graphite-like BCNO layers. For a composition of BN0.5O0.4C0.1, regions with B–N3, B–N2O, and B–NO2 units predominate. In addition, some grains have significant quantities of B–O3 and B–C3 units. Boron–boron bonding is either absent or infrequent.
Ground state of a weakly interacting Bose gas of atoms in a tight trap.

We study properties of the ground state of a bosonic gas of atoms in a tight trap. The atoms interact via model molecular potentials that may have either positive or negative scattering lengths. We discuss the possibility of Bose-Einstein condensation in such a system. We show that when the size of the trap becomes comparable to the correlation length of the condensate, stable Bose-Einstein condensation might occur independent of the sign of the scattering length. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Self-organization, flow fields, and information

Abstract A construct for self-organizing information systems is outlined that requires (i) an ensemble of loosely constrained subsystems, (ii) an openness to external flows, and (iii) low energy field couplings among subsystems. The pattern of interaction between the subsystems can vary as a function of the amount of external openness. If the opennes is small, the subsystems relate according to local linear laws. As the openness is increased, the linear relations break down and are replaced by global nonlinear relations, resulting in the emergence of large-scale patterns among subsystems. A single control parameter (regulating external openness) can be used to assemble and disassemble organizational states among subsystems, forming an efficient, self-organizing, control system. The principles of self-organization are illustrated in the context of nest building behavior by social insects. The organization of insects is sustained by a low energy pheromone diffusion field. Under open conditions a cascade of bifurcating diffusion patterns emerges that organizes the insects. The causal potency of these macroscopic patterns are discussed in terms of a realist's theory of information.
The determination of biperiden in plasma using gas chromatography mass spectrometry: pharmacokinetics after intramuscular administration to guinea pigs.

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method has been developed for the analysis of the biperiden from plasma. The method utilizes 290 microl of plasma and a simple hexane extraction/clean-up procedure. Standard curves were linear over the range of 1.9-250 ng/mL. The range of correlation coefficients for the individual standard curves was 0.9984-0.9999; the largest coefficient of variation expressed as a percentage (% CV) was 11.5%. Precision and accuracy were examined by assessing between-day and within-day variability. For between-day precision, the % CVs ranged from 2.86 to 5.17%. Accuracy as expressed by percentage error ranging from -2.16 to 5.83%. The study for within-day precision demonstrated % CVs from 0.95 to 5.55% with accuracy from -3.37 to 2.45%. Applicability of the method was demonstrated by examining the pharmacokinetics of intramuscular (i.m.) biperiden as an anticonvulsant treatment in a guinea pig model for organophosphate (OP)-induced seizure activity. Mean pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were similar to literature values; selected mean pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were: apparent volume of distribution, 13.9 L/kg; half-life of elimination, 93 min; time to maximal plasma concentration, 27.4 min; and maximal plasma concentration, 32.22 eta g/mL. The time to maximal plasma concentration was found to be similar to the onset time for terminating OP-induced seizure activity in guinea pigs receiving biperiden as an anticonvulsant treatment. The studies indicate that the method affords the required precision, accuracy and sensitivity to assay biperiden at the doses utilized for these pharmacokinetic studies after i.m. administration to guinea pigs.
Building for the Future? Investment, Land Reform and the Contingencies of Ownership in Contemporary Ghana

Summary Case studies of individual investments in tree crops and houses illustrate recent changes in social and economic differentiation among families and communities in Asante Region, Ghana, and their implications for recent debates over state-led land reform versus community-led land reform. Seeking efficiency, neoliberal land reforms transfer land from state to private ownership, as well as tenure reforms designed to strengthen owners’ rights. By treating communities as owners, reforms benefit the poor as well as the well-to-do. In Ghana and other West African countries, privatization may also work in the opposite direction—reinforcing inequalities within communities, and encouraging claims to land based on origin and indigeneity.
The pivotal role of interleukin 6 in formation and function of hematopoietically active murine long-term bone marrow cultures

The multifunctional cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) is involved in the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses, and influences many bone and bone marrow functions. In this report we show high concentrations of IL-6 in the supernatant of murine long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC). The concentration increases following medium change peaking 12 h later. IL-6 plays a critical role in the generation and maintenance of myelopoiesis in LTBMC. The addition of monoclonal anti-IL-6 antibody to culture significantly suppresses myeloid cell production. IL-6 is also necessary for stromal layer development and the initiation of myelopoiesis in LTBMC. Horse sera (HS) containing low concentrations of IL-6 did not support LTBMC stromal layer development or myeloid cell production, whereas those with high concentrations did. LTBMC initially set up with horse serum containing high IL-6 concentration produced higher concentrations of colony-stimulating activity and IL-6 at the fifth week after culture initiation than those with low concentrations. The ability of a deficient serum to support myelopoiesis could be improved by the addition of recombinant IL-6 to culture. Similarly, the addition of an anti-IL-6 antibody to culture impaired the ability of a HS to initiate and support myelopoiesis in LTBMC. These results suggest that IL-6 is one of the factors that play an essential role in the formation and function of hematopoietically active LTBMC.
Influence of ocean CO2 sequestration on bacterial production

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major greenhouse gas. Increasing atmospheric concentrations are believed to be responsible for a gradual warming of the Earth. Strategies to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere by sequestration underground or in the deep ocean are being investigated. An international collaboration to conduct a field experiment on CO2 ocean sequestration was initiated in December 1997. The primary objective of this project is to obtain data that can be applied to assess environmental impacts of direct injection of CO2 into the deep ocean. The collaboration is being implemented by a research team comprising engineers and scientists from five nations: Japan, the US, Norway, Canada, and Australia. This paper focuses on studies being conducted as part of the field experiment to investigate the influence of decreased seawater pH from CO2 dissolution on bacterial production in the ocean. A preliminary analysis of the variation in bacterial production under different values of pH and temperature, conducted in July 1999, indicated that there was no measurable effect on the microbial population in the first 24 h of the experiment. However, there was a rapid decline in bacterial production with decreases in pH over a 96 h incubation period. In addition, the impact of reduced pH was more pronounced when the bacteria were grown at warmer temperatures, i.e. with a more rapid potential production rate. Subsequent laboratory experiments were conducted in June 2000 using pressure chambers to determine the effect of depressurization on bacterial production. For this effort, seawater samples were collected from a 600 m deep pipeline off the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii. Water was placed in a pressure chamber and allowed to stabilize for 48 h at the ambient pressure and temperature of 600 m depth at the sampling location. After 48 h, the water was depressurized and acidified with CO2 to pH values of 6.95 and 5.6. The acidified water and an un-amended sample were incubated at 5, 10 and 15 °C for 96 h and sampled every 24 h. Similar impacts to those observed previously on the bacterial production were noted. The overall result was that longer incubation times and warmer temperatures reduced bacterial production in samples exposed to the lower pH. This observation is beneficial to develop an understanding of the long term effects of CO2 releases on basic elemental cycles that support aquatic food chains. Future work needs to investigate long term variation in the bacterial community, the impact on nutrient recycling, and the population growth efficiency.