cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical characteristics of Ti–6Al–4V alloy in 0.2 N NaCl solution: II. Kinetic behaviors and electric field in passive film

Abstract Electric fields in the anodic oxides of Ti–6Al–4V ELI alloy in 0.2 N NaCl solution have been evaluated by considering the potential drops at interfaces and their variation during the polarization. Constant electric field in the order of 106 V cm−1 was obtained for all the potentiostatic polarizations in this study, independent of potential, thickness of oxide, and polarization time. The kinetic behaviors associated with a constant field mechanism are also presented. The logarithm of the anodic current and the charge follow the empirical relationship i=A exp (−Q/B) , where i is the anodic current, Q is the transported charge, A and B are constants. The involved parameters are determined and are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions.
Organic food consumption:Application of the Means-end theory

This study is designed to examine the phenomenon of organic food consumption. The overarching goal is to help researchers and marketing practitioners understand how the phenomenon is generated, how organic shoppers experience organic food consumption, and to find significant elements in organic food consumption. Thus, this study examined the phenomenon in two manners. First, a qualitative study was explored to enrich our understanding about the meaning of organic foods and how organic foods are used to achieve organic shoppers’ goals and values. In-depth interviews with fifteen organic shoppers were analyzed by laddering/HVM. The result shows that a means-end hierarchy structure was applicable to organic food consumption. Second, an empirical study tested and validated the Means-End Theory by employing both objective, othersoriented and subjective, self-oriented perspectives. Utilizing an online survey method, a total of 512 completed responses were used for the data analyses. The analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM) supported all the hypotheses testing the relationships among the four constructs (i.e., attributes, consequences, values, and behavioral outcomes) except for the moderating roles of preventive health care behavior and socially responsible behavior. The research model can motivate future researchers to further investigate factors involved in organic food consumption and assist organic food producers and retailers with practical information as they strive to better target and promote their products.
Homeland Security: An Introduction to Principles and Practice, Second Edition

Since formed in 2002, DHS has been at the forefront of determining and furthering some of the most hotly debated security issues facing the U.S. and global community in the 21st century. Nearly 200 university programs with undergrad and graduate majors have cropped up in the last dozen-plus years with limited resources available to teach from. Homeland Security, Third Edition will continue to serve as the core textbook covering the fundamental history, formation, oversight, and reach of DHS currently. The book is fully updated with new laws, regulations and strategies across intelligence, transportation sectors, emergency management, border security, public utilities and public health.
Recruiting for a pragmatic trial using the electronic health record and patient portal: successes and lessons learned.

Objective Querying electronic health records (EHRs) to find patients meeting study criteria is an efficient method of identifying potential study participants. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of EHR-driven recruitment in the context of ADAPTABLE (Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-Term Effectiveness)-a pragmatic trial aiming to recruit 15 000 patients. Materials and methods We compared the participant yield of 4 recruitment methods: in-clinic recruitment by a research coordinator, letters, direct email, and patient portal messages. Taken together, the latter 2 methods comprised our EHR-driven electronic recruitment workflow. Results The electronic recruitment workflow sent electronic messages to 12 254 recipients; 13.5% of these recipients visited the study website, and 4.2% enrolled in the study. Letters were sent to 427 recipients; 5.6% visited the study website, and 3.3% enrolled in the study. Coordinators recruited 339 participants in clinic; 23.6% visited the study website, and 16.8% enrolled in the study. Five-hundred-nine of the 580 UNC enrollees (87.8%) were recruited using an electronic method. Discussion Electronic recruitment reached a wide net of patients, recruited many participants to the study, and resulted in a workflow that can be reused for future studies. In-clinic recruitment saw the highest yield, suggesting that a combination of recruitment methods may be the best approach. Future work should account for demographic skew that may result by recruiting from a pool of patient portal users. Conclusion The success of electronic recruitment for ADAPTABLE makes this workflow well worth incorporating into an overall recruitment strategy, particularly for a pragmatic trial.
Evaluation of the Impact of Horizontal Grid Spacing in Terra Incognita on Coupled Mesoscale–Microscale Simulations Using the WRF Framework

AbstractCoupled mesoscale–microscale simulations are required to provide time-varying weather-dependent inflow and forcing for large-eddy simulations under general flow conditions. Such coupling ne...
Fast scanning calorimetry for semicrystalline polymers in fused deposition modeling

Abstract The extension of fused deposition modeling (FDM) to work with semicrystalline polymers is challenging due to crystallization that occurs during cooling. Conventional characterization methods such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have been used to characterize this behavior; however, the heating and cooling rates available with DSC are much slower than rates experienced during FDM. The recently developed fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) can reach rates of 1000s of °C/s. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to evaluate FSC for replicating FDM conditions and to more fully understand the as-processed structure of semicrystalline polymers according to a three-phase model including a mobile amorphous fraction (MAF), a rigid amorphous fraction (RAF), and a crystalline fraction. A case study performed with polyphenylene sulfide showed that cooling rates experienced during FDM could hinder crystallization, while repeated reheating of material at relatively low crystallization temperatures during fabrication could increase the part crystallinity and RAF.
In-hospital outcomes of neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

To determine in-hospital outcomes of neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Single-center retrospective study from 2005 to 2016 of neonates ≥35 weeks gestation with moderate/severe HIE, requiring ECMO for persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn (PPHN). Our cohort (n = 20) received therapeutic hypothermia for moderate (n = 12), severe (n = 5), or undocumented severity (n = 3) of HIE. During ECMO, 30% (n = 6) infants developed intracranial hemorrhage at a median (IQR) duration of 24 (20) hours. Sixteen (80%) infants survived to discharge, among which 15 had MRI performed; 47% (n = 7) had normal MRI, 20% (n = 3) had intracranial hemorrhage and 13% (n = 2), 13% (n = 2) and 7% (n = 1) had NICHD stage 1, 2, and 3 pattern of brain injury respectively. In this high-risk population of neonates, use of ECMO was safe and efficacious as demonstrated by survival and outcomes.
Israel in the Making: Stickers, Stitches, and Other Critical Practices

Like the embroiderers she describes, Hagar Salamon stitches her own book as a three-strip tapestry of mostly previously published articles. Each strip consists of three essays, a preface, and a con...
Therapy Dogs Improve Student Affect but Not Memory

While students are increasingly struggling with anxiety and depression, the effects of therapy dogs on student stress has only recently been explored. This study was conducted to investigate whethe...
Do firms leverage the FDA nutrient label rounding rules to generate favorable nutrition fact panels or health claims

Abstract The increasing incidence of nutrition related health concerns has made food labeling an important policy issue. Previous work suggests the importance of communicating nutrition information to consumers through product packaging. This paper investigates the role of labeling guidelines, which allow the rounding of calorie and nutrient levels on nutrition fact panels and affects front of package claims. We examine ready-to-eat cereal products as a bundle of nutrient attributes, and estimate the likelihood and magnitude of the rounding of specific nutrients and calories. We find systematic rounding, both up and down, of several nutrients, which affects allowable health claims and may influence consumer product choice and health outcomes.
Good attachment in the Asian highlands: questioning notions of “loose women” and “autonomous communities”

As part of the national consolidation of Thailand in the early twentieth century, various hinterland populations were actively marginalized and dispossessed. Anthropology and other scholarship norm...
Visual evoked potential correlates of information processing deficits in chronic alcoholics.

Chronic alcohol abuse has been postulated to lead to brain dysfunction. Neuropsychological tests have indicated that alcohol affects some intellectual abilities more than others (Goodwin and Hill, 1975; Kleinknecht and Goldstein, 1972); specifically visuo-spatial and visual-motor skills are impaired, while verbal skills appear to remain intact. In addition, alcoholics are reported to have difficulty in tasks requiring abstract reasoning. They have difficulty extracting the relevant dimensions of a stimulus array, particularly if the relevance of these dimensions changes (Oscar-Berman, 1973; 1978) and hence they are known to perseverate dominant response tendencies. These characteristics have been reported in patients with frontal brain damage (Oscar-Berman, 1973; 1978; Parsons, 1975; Luria, 1966; 1973; Pribram, 1973; 1975).
Engineering miscellaneous particles from media-milled defatted walnut flour as novel food-grade Pickering stabilizers

Abstract Media milling, an efficient and organic solvent-free method without the use of chemical modification, has been developed to engineer novel walnut-based miscellaneous colloidal particles. The defatted walnut flour particles (DWFPs), which were prepared by a novel continuous phase transition extraction method operated under low temperature (i.e., 50–65 °C) followed by 6-h media milling, were spherical shape with an average size of 753.0 ± 27.8 nm. These particles were mainly composed of proteins (55.6 ± 0.2 wt%) and carbohydrates (24.0 ± 0.2 wt%) and demonstrated the ability to form a gel-like network structure in Pickering emulsions (PEs). The visual observation and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that the PE droplets stabilized by DWFPs had a good stability over a prolonged storage time (i.e., 3-month storage). Increasing particle concentration (c) in aqueous phase led to the increased emulsified phase volume, decreased oil droplet sizes, and increased storage moduli G’ for the viscoelastic responses. As the oil volume fraction (ϕ) increased, the emulsified phase volume fraction and droplet size increased while their rheological properties shifted from fluid-like to gel-like behaviors. The method developed in this study is significant in value-added utilization of walnut products and provides a new insight into facile fabrication of stable food-grade Pickering emulsions-based functional foods using miscellaneous particle stabilizers from walnut extracts.
Development of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education: Delivering an Innovative, Competency-Based Curriculum in the USA

This chapter presents an innovative, competency-based curriculum delivered on 16 community college and university campuses throughout the state of Oregon. In the early 2000s, a leadership group developed the structure, governance, and financing for a multicampus consortium responsible for development, delivery, and evaluation of a baccalaureate curriculum. A 35-member curriculum committee representing all full partners of the consortium began the 2-year project of developing what would become a shared baccalaureate curriculum taught on all campuses of the consortium. Beginning with faculty development opportunities, this committee adopted key principles drawn from learning science and nursing education research, developed ten competencies with a focus on deep learning, as well as end-of-year benchmarks reflecting each competency; they also adopted an organizing framework for the curriculum and designed competencies, course descriptions, and learning activities. Committee members were also responsible for leading changes on their respective campuses, encouraging all consortium faculty to engage in curriculum work and to participate in summer faculty development activities. This chapter describes the underlying principles for the curriculum emanating from faculty development, the resulting design of the 3-year nursing curriculum, the major pedagogical changes, including the integration of case-based learning, simulation-based learning experiences, and clinical education redesign.
The Effect of Triggered Palliative Medicine Consults on Nurse Moral Distress in the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Purpose:Moral distress in the intensive care unit contributes to negative emotional experiences in nurses and adversely affects patient care. This prospective cohort study evaluates an intervention...
Fr\"{o}hlich Condensate of Phonons in Optomechanical Systems.

We propose that the optomechanical systems can be potential platforms to implement the Frohlich condensate of phonons. We consider a one-dimensional array of membranes coupled to the cavity field via a quadratic interaction, and the cavity is pumped by an external laser. Analytical and numerical results predict that the high phonon occupancy of the lowest or highest mechanical mode is achievable depending on the detuning of the driving laser, the optomechnical strength, and the temperature. The decoherence of the Frohlich condensate can be largely suppressed by the large number of membranes. Our results shed light on narrow-linewidth phonon laser, energy conversion/transfer, and efficient multimode cooling.
Synthetic Modification of Indoles by Substitution at Nitrogen

Since the 3-position is the most reactive on the indole ring, this position is the easiest one at which to accomplish electrophilic substitution. The nitrogen atom can be made the most reactive nucleophilic site by deprotonation, so procedures for N1 substitution normally involve base-catalysed nucleophilic substitution or conjugate addition reactions. Base-catalyzed conditions are also used for introduction of acyl and sulfonyl substituents. Phase transfer catalysis has been found useful for both alkylation and acylation. 1-Substitution is also important for introduction of protecting groups. The indole-NH is weakly acidic with pK values of 16.7 and 20.9 having been determined in water and DMSO, respectively. While the neutral indole ring is not very nucleophilic at nitrogen, the anion is a good nucleophile. Procedures for N-alkylation therefore normally are done under conditions where the nitrogen is deprotonated. One method is to use one or more equivalent of a strong base in a polar aprotic solvent. Both sodium hydride and alkali metal hydroxides have been used as bases. Another method involves phase transfer catalysis. The alkylating reagents must be able to undergo S N 2 substitution. Primary alkyl, benzyl and allyl halides and sulfonates are usually excellent electrophiles.
Real‐time measurement of serotonin release and motility in guinea pig ileum

Enterochromaffin (EC) cells are sensors that detect chemical or mechanical stimuli and respond with release of serotonin (5-HT). 5-HT activates local motor reflexes, but whether local motor reflexes also evoke 5-HT release is unknown. The aim of the present study was to establish the relationship between the release of 5-HT and the enteric neural circuits controlling the movements of the intestine. Recordings were made from full-thickness preparations of guinea pig ileum using electrochemical techniques with carbon fibre electrodes to measure local concentrations of 5-HT. The tension in the circular muscle (CM) and longitudinal muscle (LM) was recorded with force transducers. The release of 5-HT from the EC cells was detected selectively and the timing of the events quantified. Pressure-evoked peristalsis caused detectable 5-HT release only when the recording site was invaded by a ring of CM contraction. Spontaneous and stretch-evoked reflex contraction of the CM and LM occurred simultaneously with 5-HT release. Paralysis of the smooth muscle significantly reduced the stretch-evoked release. Muscarinic agonists evoked reflexes that were associated with increases in tension in CM and LM simultaneous with 5-HT release. Tetrodotoxin abolished the coordination between the CM contraction and 5-HT release but not the direct activation of the CM and EC cells by the agonists. In conclusion, the correlation between local motor reflexes and 5-HT release observed in the present study is caused primarily by the contraction of the smooth muscle and subsequent deformation of the mucosa. The EC cell is, thus, a site of convergence for mechanical forces that contribute to the release of 5-HT during motor reflexes.
Upper extremity burns from woodstoves.

Twenty-one woodstove-related burns of the hand and forearm in preschool-aged children were reviewed concerning nature and mechanism of injury, treatment, and clinical course. Two distinct patterns of injury were seen: with infants less than 14 months of age, burns occurred almost exclusively when the child touched the stove intentionally, unable to distinguish it from another piece of furniture; in older children burns were always "accidental." Most burns epithelialized spontaneously with surgical intervention and without functional disability. Protective devices are available and could prevent childhood burns from woodstoves. Language: en
Staying Afloat: State Agencies, Local Communities, and International Involvement in Marine Protected Area Management in Zanzibar, Tanzania

As funding for international conservation initiatives has shifted away from directly supporting developing states towards privatisation and decentralisation in natural resource management, developing countries are working increasingly through international NGOs and private sector organi­sations to support protected areas. The government of Zanzibar has come up with an innovative system to guarantee access to international funds through its Environmental Management for Sustainable Development Act. This Act strategically enables external organisations to be designated as protected area managers while maintaining a role for the state as an intermediary in reaching local communities. The positive outcome is that it allows protected areas to be established when government resources are limited, but it also es­tablishes a dynamic where the state's struggle to maintain power and rele­vance has negative implications for programme outcomes and sustainability. In the case of Zanzibar's marine protected areas, this system results in many challenges, including confusion over the links between conservation and de­velopment objectives, the limitations of ecotourism as a development strategy, the uneven concentration of programme resources, a lack of institutional in­vestment in protected area programmes, and the negative implications for lo­cal capacity building if in future the state could be threatened by a strong civil society. More attention must be given to acknowledging the role played by the Zanzibari state, as well as strengthening local initiatives for natural resource protection.
Fludarabine-induced immunosuppression is associated with inhibition of STAT1 signaling

Fludarabine is a nucleoside analog used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies that can induce severe and prolonged immunosuppression. Although it can be incorporated into the DNA of dividing cells, fludarabine is also a potent inhibitor of cells with a low growth fraction, thus it must have other mechanisms of action. STAT1, which is activated in response to many lymphocyte-activating cytokines including the interferons, is essential for cell-mediated immunity, as the absence of this protein is associated with prominent defects in the ability to control viral infections. Here we show that fludarabine, but not the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A, inhibits the cytokine-induced activation of STAT1 and STAT1-dependent gene transcription in normal resting or activated lymphocytes. Fludarabine caused a specific depletion of STAT1 protein (and mRNA) but not of other STATs. This loss of STAT1 was also seen in cells from patients treated with fludarabine in vivo. Brief exposure to fludarabine led to a sustained loss of STAT1, analogous to the prolonged period of immunosuppression induced by exposure to the drug in vivo. Thus, STAT1 may be a useful target in the development of new immunosuppressive and antineoplastic agents.
The Microeconomic Impacts of E-Business on the Economy

The adoption of e-business at the microeconomic level of retail, wholesale, and labor market transactions has an enormous impact on the performance of firms and the economic welfare of consumers and workers. This article reviews, in broad outlines, the economics of e-business, focusing on empirical research. The fundamental notion that e-business and adoption of ICT lowers the cost of transferring, storing, and processing information is used to organize the examination. E-business spheres of impact covered include B2C and B2B e-commerce, the labor market, and the productivity of firms. This article covers both the predicted impacts of e-business on the economy suggested by economic theory and evidence on their empirical magnitude, building a framework to under-stand why e-business has proliferated and what the economic benefits are. The article concludes with some of the new policy challenges accompanying the rewards from e-business in the economy, touching on issues of price discrimination, competition, and some disadvantages of new markets.
The Effect of Cross-Country Differences in Product Quality on the Direction of International Trade 2002

Despite considerable theoretical work predicting that product quality plays an important role in determining the direction of international trade, there is no empirical evidence on the existence and magnitude of such a quality e.ect on trade. In this paper, I provide a framework to estimate the impact of cross-country di.erences in product quality on bilateral trade flows. The model allows countries to di.er both in the quality of goods they produce and in their aggregate demand for quality. It also takes into account other determinants of international trade, such as di.erences in factor proportions. I estimate the model using cross-sectional data on bilateral trade flows at the sectoral level. The empirical results confirm the theoretical prediction: rich countries import relatively more from countries that produce high-quality goods. Even though traditional determinants of comparative advantage are still the main driving force of trade, quality di.erences between countries have a significant e.ect on the pattern of international trade flows.
Conceptual Frameworks of Geospatial Semantic Web

Although local, regional, and global SDIs have undoubtedly improved sharing and synchronization of geospatial information across diverse resources, there are limitations in currently implemented SDIs and it may still be difficult to find needed data sources from the currently implemented SDIs. The differences among the semantics used in diverse data sources represent a major problem in spatial data sharing and interoperability. Geospatial Semantic Web was recently proposed in the geospatial community to overcome the semantic heterogeneity problem of geospatial data. Geospatial Semantic Web provides computers meaningful geospatial contents, thus allowing geospatial data to be discovered, queried, and consumed automatically by computers. In this chapter we introduced the main technologies used in the Geospatial Semantic Web architecture: 1) ontology, 2) semantic descriptions of geographic information by ontology, 3) ontology-based catalogue service, 4) web service discovery, and 5) web service composition.
Intermediate Structure Resonances in Ni 56

Detailed excitation functions of angle-integrated cross sections for $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$+$^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ elastic scattering and reactions show narrow, highly correlated structures. These resonances have enhanced partial widths for decay into two $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ fragments and are interpreted as having quasimolecular or fission-isomeric nature.
Biosynthetic studies on aromatic carotenoids. Biosynthesis of chlorobactene

1. The incorporation of [2-(14)C]mevalonic acid by Chloropseudomonas ethylica strain 2K into chlorobactene was studied. 2. Oxidative degradation of chlorobactene of constant specific radioactivity produced labelled benzenecarboxylic acids and indicated that the benzene ring originates from mevalonic acid. 3. Decarboxylation studies demonstrated a stereospecific methyl migration in the formation of the 1,2,5-trimethylphenyl group of chlorobactene. The migrating methyl group was derived from the C-3' position of mevalonic acid.
Models for predicting non-sentinel lymph node positivity in sentinel node positive breast cancer: the importance of scoring system.

Summary Background: Although delayed axillary lymph node dissection is the gold standard for evaluating axillary status after identification of a positive sentinel lymph node (SLN), between 40% and 70% of sentinel lymph node positive patients will have negative non-sentinel nodes and undergo a non-therapeutic axillary dissection. Accurate estimates of the likelihood of additional disease in the axilla can assist decision-making about further treatment. To predict non-SLN metastases in patients with a positive SLN biopsy, four different nomograms have been created. Method: This paper reviews the scoring systems and nomograms reported in the literature and compares their predictive probability of non-SLN involvement in patients with SLN positive breast cancer. Result: There are several published scoring systems that contain different parameters to estimate the rate of non-SLN metastases in SLN positive patients. We reviewed Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Tenon, Stanford and Cambridge nomograms published and used scoring systems including three to eight variables. We found that the MSKCC nomogram is the most validated model in the literature to predict non-SLN status accurately. The other three models have not yet been verified in outside institutions. Conclusion: Despite having some limitations, the MSKCC nomogram is the most validated model in the literature. These models should be tested and verified in different programs and different patient groups before they are widely accepted.
Helpful laymen in informational cascades

Abstract This paper extends Bikhchandani, Hirshleifer and Welch's informational cascade model by introducing two types of players, experts with high signal accuracy and laymen with low signal accuracy. Assuming players randomize when indifferent, if a small enough group of laymen are present in the population, the probability of having a correct cascade is strictly higher than if no laymen are present. The same result is robust to almost every tie-breaking rule.
Mössbauer Evidence for an Exchange-Coupled {[Fe4S4]1+ Nip1+} A-Cluster in Isolated α Subunits of Acetyl-Coenzyme A Synthase/Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase

The active site A-cluster in the α subunit of the title enzyme consists of an Fe4S4 cluster coordinated to a [Nip Nid] subcomponent. The cluster must be activated for catalysis using low-potential reductants such as Ti(III) citrate. Relative to the inactive {[Fe4S4]2+ Nip2+ Nid2+} state, the activated state appears to be 2-electrons more reduced, but the location of these electrons within the A-cluster is uncertain, with {[Fe4S4]2+ Nip0 Nid2+} and {[Fe4S4]1+ Nip1+ Nid2+} configurations proposed. Recombinant apo-α subunits oligomerize after activation with NiCl2. The dimer fraction, upon reduction with excess Ti(III)citrate, exhibited Mossbauer spectra consisting of two quadrupole doublets representing 51% and 21% of the Fe, with parameters indicating [Fe4S4]1+ states. Spectra recorded in strong magnetic fields were typical of diamagnetic systems, indicating an exchange-coupled S = 0 {[Fe4S4]1+ Nip1+} state. Additional treatment with CO altered the doublet Mossbauer parameters, suggesting an interaction wi...
A diffusion‐solubility model for reverse osmosis

The sorption of a dye by hollow fiber nylon reverse osmosis membranes was measured. Equations for the unsteady state reverse osmosis separation of the dye from water are solved by numerical analysis, and are shown to fit data on this process. This gives credence to the assumed model, which is that of solution of dye in the membrane followed by diffusion through it.
Luria's regulatory concept and its misplacement in verbal-nonverbal correspondence training.

St~rnma7y.-Empirical studies in verbal-nonverbal correspondence training have cited Luria's regulatory concepr to explain why children who promise ushat they will do later (say-do or promise-do sequence) often show more correspondence berween their verbal and nonverbal behavior than children who report about their prior behavior (in a do-say or do-report sequence). This paper suggescs that it is not Luria's regulatory concept that explains the different effectiveness of these methods, but rather the manner in which reinforcement is programmed at various points in their verbd-nonverbal chains. Luria (1961) reported several studies by him and his colleagues showing the role of verbal behavior as a regulator of other behavior. Since Luria's findings and other findings reported in verbal-nonverbal correspondence studies are similar, some researchers have adopted Luria's regulatory concept as an explanation (Israel, 1978). We will argue that Luria's reglatory concepr does not explain the results of verbal-nonverbal correspondence training and that the assumptions underlying Luria's regulatory concept are incompatible with the experimental format employed in that training.
Regulation of Transcriptional Activity of Estrogen Receptor Alpha by Novel Splice Variants

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) mediates estrogen diverse actions on tissues. ERα gene has eight constitutively expressing exons and is known to have multiple isoforms generated by alternative initiation of transcription and splicing events like exon skipping. The functions of the variants thus generated are relatively unexplored. We have discovered two novel splice exons inserted between exon 5 and 6 of rat ERα that can add 18 and 14 amino acids consecutively within the estrogen binding domain of the receptor. The percentage of variant transcript expression with respect to constitutive ERα is higher in heart compared to ovary, uterus, brain, and intestine. The proportion of isoform/constitutive ERα expression increased with animal growth from prenatal to adulthood but did not further increase with aging (28 mo old). Inclusion of these exons yields a receptor with a much less binding capacity for estrogen and decreased nuclear to cytosolic localization. These variants are also less efficient in binding to the estrogen responsive element (ERE) and failed to transcriptionally activate promoters (mSlo and KCNE2) containing EREs. Moreover, the variant receptors exhibit a dominant negative effect on the transcriptional stimulatory activity of the wild type receptor. Studies on the mechanism of the dominant negative effect revealed that variant receptors do not significantly inhibit ligand binding, nuclear localization, or ERE-binding of the wild type receptor. However, the negative effect on the KCNE2 promoter could be nullified by coexpression of steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs), indicating that the variants inhibit wild type receptor activity probably by displacing SRCs from the pre-initiation complex. Thus, a naturally synthesized isoform of ERα regulates the wild type receptor function and may also contribute to the diverse action of estrogen observed in tissues. Supported by AHA and NIH.
Screening for fetal growth disorders by clinical exam in the era of obesity.

To evaluate the performance of clinical estimation of fetal weight as a screening test for fetal growth disorders and then to estimate the effect of maternal body mass index (BMI) on its screening efficiency. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients referred for third trimester ultrasound for the indication of ‘size unequal to dates’. Patients with medical co-morbidities that may alter their a priori risk for fetal growth disorders were excluded. The incidence of fetal growth disorders as well as amniotic fluid disturbances was determined for each group and then compared across maternal BMI categories of dates and 1543 for the indication of size 90th percentile and 13.5 and 96.7% for predicting BW 90th percentile ranged from 6 to 13 across BMI categories. Overall, clinical estimation of fetal weight yields a low detection rate of fetal growth abnormalities; however, its screening efficiency is not adversely impacted by maternal BMI.
RELIGION AS AN INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: REVISITING THE WEBERIAN HYPOTHESIS'

Studies in the sociology of religion generally assume "religion" to be causal with little or no attention paid to the theoretical justification or basis for such a claim. We argue in this paper that most such studies fail to satisfy the conditions for causal inference. Further, Weber, whom sociologists of religion often cite when theoretical claims are made, at worse never proposes religion as an independent variable and, at best is very ambiguous on the issue. We suggest that recent directions in cognitive psychology might form the basis for further research concerning the social significance of religion.
Electric field-induced direct delivery of proteins by a nanofountain probe.

We report nanofabrication of protein dot and line patterns using a nanofountain atomic force microscopy probe (NFP). Biomolecules are continuously fed in solution through an integrated microfluidic system, and deposited directly onto a substrate. Deposition is controlled by application of an electric potential of appropriate sign and magnitude between the probe reservoir and substrate. Submicron dot and line molecular patterns were generated with resolution that depended on the magnitude of the applied voltage, dwell time, and writing speed. By using an energetic argument and a Kelvin condensation model, the quasi-equilibrium liquid–air interface at the probe tip was determined. The analysis revealed the origin of the need for electric fields in achieving protein transport to the substrate and confirmed experimental observations suggesting that pattern resolution is controlled by tip sharpness and not overall probe aperture. As such, the NFP combines the high-resolution of dip-pen nanolithography with the efficient continuous liquid feeding of micropipettes while allowing scalability to 1- and 2D probe arrays for high throughput.
Nature or Nurture? Gender Roles Scavenger Hunt

ABSTRACT The examination of gender roles and stereotypes and their subsequent impact on sexual behavior is a concept for discussion in many sex education courses in college and sex education units in high school. This analysis often leads to a discussion of the impact of nature vs. nurture on gender roles. The gender roles scavenger hunt is an interactive learning experience that requires students to examine societal influences on gender roles. As part of this examination, students identify characteristics and behaviors society deems normal and appropriate for males and females and discuss what occurs when people act outside their gender roles.
Analysis of polymer membrane formation through spinodal decomposition. Part 4: Computer simulation of early‐stage coarsening

In a previous work, an early-stage coarsening mechanism was proposed, whereby continued growth of structure (via spinodal decomposition) in a polymer-solvent system will occur because some of the polymer-rich domains are being depleted. Such a mechanism was explained based on the situation wherein portions of the solvent-rich domains have already reached their binodal composition while the polymer-rich domains are still on their way to their corresponding binodal composition. In this work, we have simulated the nonlinear version of the Cahn-Hilliard theory to verify this phenomenon. Moreover, we have observed that the depleted polymer-rich domains seem to be uniformly distributed in space. Finally, as a validation of the proposed mechanism, we did not observe this uniform depletion of the domains when portions of the solvent-rich and polymer-rich domains reach their respective binodal compositions almost simultaneously.
Production of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in pure and mixed cultures of Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus

Production of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in pure and mixed cultures of Aspergillus parasiticus and aspergillus flavus were compared. Differing percentages of A. parasiticus (NRRL 2999) and A. flavus (NRRL 5520) conidia were used as inoculum and allowed to grow in static liquid culture for 10 days. The pure and mixed cultures of A. parasiticus/A. flavus were extracted and the aflatoxins partially purified. High-performance liquid chromatography was then used to determine aflatoxin concentrations. The maximal decreases of G1 and G2 production occurred when the inocula went from 0 to 12.5% or 25% A. flavus. Aflatoxins G1 and G2 comprised less than 10% of the total aflatoxins when the A. parasiticus/A. flavus inocula contained greater than 25% A. flavus. Production of aflatoxins B1 and B2 increased slightly as the percentage of A. flavus in the A. parasiticus/A. flavus mixed inoculum increased. A. flavus is apparently capable of suppressing accumulation of aflatoxins G1 and G2 by A. parasiticus when these fungi are grown in mixed culture.
Efficient RF energy harvesting by using a fractal structured rectenna system

A rectenna system delivers, collects, and converts RF energy into direct current to power the electronic devices or recharge batteries. It consists of an antenna for receiving RF power, an input filter for processing energy and impedance matching, a rectifier, an output filter, and a load resistor. However, the conventional rectenna systems have drawback in terms of power generation, as the single resonant frequency of an antenna can generate only low power compared to multiple resonant frequencies. A multi band rectenna system is an optimal solution to generate more power. This paper proposes the design of a novel rectenna system, which involves developing a multi band rectenna with a fractal structured antenna to facilitate an increase in energy harvesting from various sources like Wi-Fi, TV signals, mobile networks and other ambient sources, eliminating the limitation of a single band technique. The usage of fractal antennas effects certain prominent advantages in terms of size and multiple resonances. Even though, a fractal antenna incorporates multiple resonances, controlling the resonant frequencies is an important aspect to generate power from the various desired RF sources. Hence, this paper also describes the design parameters of the fractal antenna and the methods to control the multi band frequency.
Inconsistency of local realistic descriptions of two-photon interferometer experiments

The results of two-photon interferometer experiments are nonclassical and have been interpreted as providing evidence against local realistic theories. But half of the events must be discarded, and it has been suggested that there may be local realistic theories that are consistent with the experimental results as a consequence. It is shown here that the predicted results of two-photon interferometer experiments, including the discarded events, are inconsistent with any local realistic theory in the limit of high detector efficiency if suitable shutters and randomly chosen phase shifts are included. The shutters and randomly chosen phase shifts are unnecessary for any theory in which it is assumed that the photons and their associated hidden variables must propagate away from the source at the speed of light.
A climatology of wet deposition scavenging ratios for the United States

Abstract A decade of weekly measurements of precipitation chemistry obtained in the US National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) are combined with air concentration measurements from the Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network (AIRMoN) to estimate scavenging ratios (of concentrations in rain to like concentrations in surface air) for the ions that dominate precipitation chemistry—sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium. The intention is to provide a climatology of these ratios, for use in evaluating models that are now simulating precipitation chemistry as well as air quality. The scavenging ratios that are computed are found to be distributed approximately log-normally, with a standard deviation corresponding to about a factor of two. That is, if scavenging ratios are used to predict precipitation chemistry and wet deposition, then geometric means should be considered and the error for any given weekly prediction should be expected to be described by a standard deviation of a factor of two. (It follows that for daily predictions, the factor increases to about five.) Scavenging ratios appear to be similar for nitrate and ammonium, with those for sulfate being somewhat larger and displaying a behavior indicative of the contribution of in-cloud conversion from gaseous sulfur dioxide. Seasonal cycles are similar for most locations. The limited data available for western US stations indicate, however, that these locations yield scavenging ratios that can be significantly different from those characterizing the east. The data are in accord with the conventional understanding regarding the cloud scavenging of sulfur dioxide. For summer, each sulfur dioxide molecule appears to pass through an average of 1.3 clouds before being scavenged as sulfate. For winter, the average is 4.8 clouds.
Effects of TGFβ on Normal and Malignant Mammary Epithelium

The goal of our research was to determine the effects of TGF beta on differentiation and growth of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. The influence of TGF beta on differentiation was studied in a series of normal, immortalized, and oncogene-transformed human mammary epithelial cells. The expression of human milk fat globule antigen as differentiation marker was increased ten- to fifteenfold in normal cells and two to threefold in transformed cells after treatment with 200 pM TGF beta for 30 h. All cell lines except one were growth inhibited by TGF beta. Using the estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cell lines MCF7, ZR-75-1, T-47D, and the estrogen receptor-negative lines MDA-MB-231, SK-BR-3, Hs578T, MDA-MB-468, we found that all tested cell lines except late passage (greater than 500) MCF7 cells were growth inhibited by TGF beta 1 as well as TGF beta 2. The maximal inhibition was 50% in estrogen receptor-positive and 80% in estrogen receptor-negative cell lines at concentrations of 800 and 40 pM, respectively in an anchorage-independent growth assay. All tested breast cancer cell lines secreted a TGF beta-like activity, the production of which was stimulated in MCF7 cells treated with antiestrogens and which inhibited the anchorage-independent growth of MDA-MB-231 cells. These observations suggest that the malignant phenotype in breast cancer need not be coupled with resistance to effects of TGF beta on growth and differentiation. Breast cancer cells being resistant to treatment with antiestrogens are still growth inhibited by TGF beta in vitro. This may partially explain the growth inhibitory effects of antiestrogens in mixtures of estrogen receptor-positive and -negative tumor cell populations in vivo.
Subthermocline Countercurrents in the Western Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Abstract In each hemisphere of the Atlantic, a permanent countercurrent (eastward flow) having a core about 4.5° from the Equator is present in the subthermocline layer from 80 to 200 cl t−1 (centiliters per metric ton). Although currents along the Brazilian coast supply water to the countercurrents, much of the flow in each seems to be internal to the anticyclonic region on its equatorward side. West of 25°W, the region considered here, the south countercurrent is covered largely by westward flow, has a mean width of 209 km, and a mean geostrophic transport of 15 × 106 m3 s−1. The north countercurrent often lies below eastward flow, but its core is marked by a subthermocline velocity maximum and a path differing from that of the navifacial core. Between about 50 and 40°W, available data indicate a mean transport of 9 × 106 m3 s−1 in February–April and 26 × 106 m3 s−1 in July–September, a significant annual variation. From 40 to 28°W, roughly, evidence for a permanent subthermocline countercurrent is stro...
Left TPJ activity in verbal working memory: Implications for storage- and sensory-specific models of short term memory

Patients with damage to the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) have a low verbal span without concomitant deficits in speech perception. This pattern of cognitive impairment is taken as evidence for a dedicated phonological buffer that plays little role in perception (storage-specific account). In contrast, other research suggests that items are maintained and perceived in the same regions (sensory-specific account). In an fMRI study, we demonstrate that the left TPJ does not respond in a way predicted of a phonological buffer; that is, activity in this region is not sustained during encoding or maintenance. Instead, a region in the superior temporal gyrus that has been associated with both speech perception and production demonstrated the expected profile of a store: it was more active in the verbal condition than the object condition and was active during both encoding and maintenance. These results support the sensory-specific account of short term memory rather than the storage-specific account. Based on the pattern of activity in the left TPJ, we suggest that the impairment of verbal working memory observed in patients with TPJ damage may be due to diminished attentional processes rather than reduced storage capacity.
Beating the Thermal Conductivity of Air Using Packed Nanoparticle Bed

Thermal conductivity of packed bed of nanoparticles is calculated in this paper. Results show that effective thermal conductivity of nanoparticle bed can be very low. Thermal conductivity of the nanoparticle bed can be smaller than the thermal conductivity of air. Thermal conductivity depends on pressure, surface energy of the nanoparticle, and phonon mean free path.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Numerical modelling for large deformation of aggregates of particles with meta-stable structures

In large deformation of aggregates, local particle clusters may exhibit meta-stable conditions. Under such conditions, these clusters may buckle under small disturbance. This mechanism may significantly affect the stress-strain behavior of such material. A method is described for the deformation analysis of particle aggregates with the consideration of local buckling. An example is shown to demonstrate that the local buckling affects the way in which forces transmitted through the media. This method may be useful for loosely packed aggregates which are likely to have meta-stable conditions.