cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 2 collection methods for cerebrospinal fluid analysis from standing, sedate adult horses

BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is an important component of the evaluation of horses with neurologic disease. Lumbosacral (LS) centesis is routine, but CSF is also collected from the space between the first and second cervical vertebrae (C1‐C2). OBJECTIVES: To compare collection times, CSF cytology results, and equine protozoal myelitis (EPM) titers of CSF collected from the C1‐C2 and LS sites. ANIMALS: Fifteen university‐owned adult horses with no evidence of neurologic disease, and 9 horses with signs of neurologic disease: 3 university‐owned and 6 client‐owned. METHODS: Prospective study. Cerebrospinal fluid collection from the LS space and C1‐C2 space of each horse was performed in randomized order. Continuous data were analyzed using mixed‐effects linear models and count data using mixed‐effects negative binomial regression. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid collected from the C1‐C2 site had a significantly lower mean protein concentration (49 [95% CI: 43‐55.8] mg/dL C1‐C2 versus 52.1 [95% CI: 45.7‐59.3] mg/dL LS; P = .03) and red blood cell count (6 [95% CI: 2‐16] cells/μL versus 33 [95% CI: 13‐81] cells/μL; P = .02). Collection time, total nucleated cell count, EPM titers, and serum:CSF EPM titer ratios were not significantly different between collection sites. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cerebrospinal fluid from the C1‐C2 space provides an acceptable alternative to LS CSF collection with decreased likelihood of clinically important blood contamination of samples.
Bladder preservation in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a comprehensive review.

ABSTRACT Background Standard management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer involves radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. However, patients may be ineligible for surgery or may wish to avoid the morbidity of cystectomy due to quality of life concerns. Bladder preservation therapies have emerged as alternatives treatment options that can provide comparable oncologic outcomes while maintaining patients’ quality of life. Objective To review bladder preservation therapies, patient selection criteria, and functional and oncologic outcomes for BPT in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Materials and Methods We conducted a comprehensive literature review of bladder preservation therapies in Pubmed and Embase. Discussion The ideal patient for BPT has low-volume T2 disease, absence of CIS, absence of hydronephrosis, and a maximal TURBT with regular surveillance. Technological advancements involving cancer staging, TURBT technique, and chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimens have improved BPT outcomes, with oncologic outcomes now comparable to those of radical cystectomy. Advancements in BPT also includes a heightened focus on improving quality of life for patients undergoing bladder preservation. Preservation strategies with most evidence for use include trimodality therapy and partial cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. Conclusions This review highlights the breadth of strategies that aim to preserve a patient’s bladder while still optimizing local tumor control and overall survival. Future areas for innovation include the use of predictive biomarkers and implementation of immunotherapy, moving the field towards patient-tailored care.
Fe VIII, IX, and X line emission from the soft X-ray background - Previous limits and a future measurement

We discuss pulse height analysis of Be band data in relation to the important 72 eV Fe line cluster emission from the soft X-ray background (SXRB). Pulse height fits to the Be band data suggest that the Fe lines must be suppressed by a factor of ~10 with respect to the rest of the X-ray spectrum. The broad band rates and the mean energy of the pulse height data for the Be band can be brought into agreement by using depleted elemental abundance emission models. A planned measurement of the SXRB Fe lines using the Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors (ALEXIS) experiment could resolve this issue.
Chip Seal Construction Variability and Its Impact on Performance

AbstractThis paper presents findings obtained from field and laboratory tests that were designed to assess chip seal construction variability in comparison to the targeted design, and to investigat...
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Coping as Young Adults: The Roles of Attachment and Mattering:

This study examined whether a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), attachment to mother, father, and friends, and mattering were related to the coping behaviors of 171 male and 85 female, ethni...
Parents’ Likelihood to Vaccinate Their Children and Themselves against COVID-19

Abstract Background Vaccination against COVID-19 will likely involve children in order to mitigate transmission risks in community settings. Successful implementation of COVID-19 immunization in the United States may hinge on factors associated with parents’ likelihood of immunizing their children and themselves. Methods We fielded a national household survey in English and Spanish from June 5-10, 2020 (n=1,008). Parents were asked about their likelihood of immunizing their children and themselves against COVID-19. We fit separate regression models of parents’ likelihood to vaccinate themselves and their children against COVID-19, using bivariate and multivariable approaches in analyses weighted to be nationally representative. Results Overall, 63% of parents (95% CI: 59%, 66%) were likely to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, and 60% (57%, 64%) were likely to get a vaccine themselves. These responses were highly correlated (Pearson’s r=0.89). Parent age, sex, marital status, education level, and income were all associated with parents’ likelihood to vaccinate their children and themselves in bivariate analyses; race/ethnicity was significantly associated with parents’ likelihood to vaccinate their children. In multivariable analyses, younger parents were significantly less likely than older parents to vaccinate their children and themselves against COVID-19, as were parents with high school or less education compared with parents with bachelor’s degrees and non-Hispanic White parents compared with Hispanic parents (all p Conclusion In this national survey, only approximately 60% of U.S. parents stated that they are likely to vaccinate their children or themselves against COVID-19. Addressing parents’ hesitancy to vaccinate themselves and their children against COVID-19 will be instrumental to achieving herd immunity in the US.
Utility of unmanned aircraft systems in inner city emergent response during peak rush hour traffic.

Background: Current advances in the US Federal Aviation Administration have resulted in greater utility to both civilian and medical personnel. At present, medical intervention by unmanned aircrafts in times of critical need is limited and largely not studied within the United States. This study aims to determine the demand for, feasibility of, and risks associated with the use of UAVs to intervene, assist, and observe acute medical situations both outside and within hospitals, mass casualty scenes, and simulated medical situations in …
Early-stage automated accelerator identification tool for embedded systems with limited area

Designers are turning toward hardware specialization through the use of application-specific accelerators to provide energy-efficiency and performance. We propose an early detection methodology to identify computationally similar and synthesize-able kernels that are used to build Shared Accelerators (SAs). SAs are specialized hardware accelerators that execute very different software kernels but share the common hardware functions between them. SAs can provide increased coverage if both data flow and control flow similarities between - seemingly very different- workloads are detected. This work leverages abstract syntax trees (ASTs) generated from clang (part of LLVM) to discover similar kernels among workloads. ASTs provide a level of abstraction well suited to detect commonalities between kernels. Our methodology, ReconfAST, transforms the AST into a new clustered AST (CAST) representation that further removes unneeded nodes and uses a regular expression to match common node configurations. The approach is validated using MachSuite, a HLS-ified benchmark suite designed for accelerators in C. A good Shared Accelerator accelerates workloads---with similar speedup compared to dedicated accelerators---and reduces the resources required for FPGA implementations. SAs constructed with our ReconfAST methodology provide an average speedup of 1.6x. ReconfAST also reduces FPGA resources, we saw a maximum reduction of above 200% in DSP, 75% reduction for LUTs, and 40% reduction for FFs compared to smallest DAs.
The Commissions Paid to Brokers for Fully Insured Health Insurance Plans.

Insurance agents and brokers play an important role in facilitating the contracting of fully insured health insurance and pharmacy benefit plans for U.S. employers. They are primarily compensated with a commission charged back to the plan. Using a national sample that covered 11.7 million employees enrolled in 33,689 health plans in 2017, we found that a plan's commission (median: $178) was positively associated with a plan's premium (coefficient: 0.01 for the full sample and 0.03 for small plans, p < .001) after controlling for the number of enrollees. The commission-to-premium ratio was greater for smaller plans and plans offered by nonmajor insurance companies, and varied by geographic region. Policy makers should consider improving transparency of the commission to facilitate employers making efficient broker contracting and plan purchasing decisions. The fee-based brokerage model has the potential to help employers and workers contain health care spending.
Decidual cell differentiation is evolutionarily derived from fibroblast activation

What the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolutionary origin of novel cell types are is a major unresolved question in biology. The uterine decidual cell is a novel cell type of placental mammals which serves as the interface between maternal and fetal tissues during pregnancy. In this paper, we investigate two models for the nature of the differentiation of decidual cells: first, that it represents a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), and second, that it evolved from wound-induced fibroblast activation (WIFA). Immunocytochemistry and RNA-seq analysis of decidualizing human endometrial fibroblasts cast doubt on the MET hypothesis and instead demonstrate a similarity between decidualization and fibroblast activation, including a central role for TGFB1. Through single-cell RNA-seq, we found a transient myofibroblast-like cell population in the in vitro differentiation trajectory of human decidual cells and found that these cells represent a pre-decidual state approaching the inferred transcriptomic transition to decidual cells. We propose an evolutionary developmental model wherein the decidual cell is a novel cell type not equivalent to the myofibroblast, but the process of decidual differentiation itself evolved as an endometrial-specific modification to fibroblast activation in response to the wound caused by embryo implantation.
Toxicity and Human Health

Many building materials and products contain chemical ingredients. Some chemical ingredients are toxic. Toxic chemicals enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure. Chemicals during extraction, manufacturing, installation, use, and disposal can harm human health and ecosystems. Effects include cancer, mutation, reproductive toxins, and endocrine disruption. Testing and evaluation establish benchmarks for safe exposure to toxic chemicals. With over 82,000 chemicals in production, a framework has developed to group toxic chemicals by strategies: focus on individual chemicals, lists based on chemical composition, chemical behavior, and chemicals that are used in similar ways. These “red lists” are controlled through regulations, standards, and initiatives. Measurements and calculations set benchmarks for the concentration of toxic chemicals in ingredient lists. Regulations and standards ban or limit the use of chemicals, while initiatives seek to replace toxic chemicals with safer choices or to reduce the overall use of toxic chemicals.
Virtual reality-based simulation improves gynecologic brachytherapy proficiency, engagement, and trainee self-confidence.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE Intracavitary brachytherapy is critical in treatment of cervical cancer with the highest rates of local control and survival. Only about 50% of graduating residents express confidence to develop a brachytherapy practice with caseload as the greatest barrier. We hypothesize that virtual reality (VR)-based intracavitary brachytherapy simulation will improve resident confidence, engagement, and proficiency. METHODS We created a VR training video of an intracavitary brachytherapy case performed by a board-certified gynecologic radiation oncologist and medical physicist. Residents performed a timed intracavitary procedure on a pelvic simulator before and after viewing the VR simulation module on a commercially available VR headset while five objective measures of implant quality were recorded. The residents completed a pre- and postsimulation questionnaire assessing self-confidence, procedural knowledge, and perceived usefulness of the session. RESULTS There were 14 residents, including five postgraduate year (PGY)-2, three PGY-3, four PGY-4, and two PGY-5, who participated in the VR curriculum. There were improvements in resident confidence (1.43–3.36), and subjective technical skill in assembly (1.57–3.50) and insertion (1.64–3.21) after the simulation. Average time of implant decreased from 5:51 to 3:34 (p = 0.0016). Median technical proficiencies increased from 4/5 to 5/5. Overall, the residents found VR to be a useful learning tool and indicated increased willingness to perform the procedure again. CONCLUSIONS VR intracavitary brachytherapy simulation improves residents’ self-confidence, subjective and objective technical skills, and willingness to perform brachytherapy. Furthermore, VR is an immersive, engaging, time-efficient, inexpensive, and enjoyable tool that promotes residents interest in brachytherapy.
G. N. Watson: First to Investigate the Mock Theta Functions

G. N. Watson (1886–1965) was an English mathematician who had done fundamental work as an analyst and, in particular, was an authority in the field of special functions. A substantial portion of his research was influenced by Ramanujan. Along with B. M. Wilson, he undertook the task of editing Ramanujan’s notebooks, and he was also the first to systematically analyse some of Ramanujan’s mock theta functions.
Local breeding experience and the reproductive performance of Tree Swallows

The potential advantages of repeated breeding at a particular location should improve reproductive performance in lone-lived species of birds. However, for short-lived species, natural selection should favor individuals that most quickly develop competency in reproduction. Therefore, we hypothesized that local breeding experience beyond the first breeding attempt at a particular location would have little effect on subsequent reproductive performance of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), a species where about 50% of adults breed only once in their lives. We tested this hypothesis using data collected from Tree Swallows in Michigan from 1993 to 2002. Because we were specifically interested in examining the effects of local breeding experience on reproductive performance, we restricted our analyses to after-second-year (ASY) females and their mates that we first encountered as breeders. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found no relationship between repeated local breeding experience and the reproductive performance of ASY female Tree Swallows and their mates as measured by clutch size and number of fledged young. However, pairs with more combined total local experience tended to lay eggs earlier in the season. These results suggest that Tree Swallows may benefit from breeding site fidelity, not because repeated local experience improves reproductive performance as measured by the production of fledglings, but because returning individuals acquire nest cavities earlier and are able to begin breeding earlier, providing time to renest in case of early nest failure.
One-loop matching of the heavy-light A 0 and V 0 currents with nonrelativistic QCD heavy and improved naive light quarks

One-loop matching of heavy-light currents is carried out for a highly improved lattice action, including the effects of mixings with dimension $4O(1/M)$ and $O(a)$ operators. We use the NRQCD action for heavy quarks, the Asqtad improved naive action for light quarks, and the Symanzik improved glue action. As part of the matching procedure we also present results for the NRQCD self-energy and for massless Asqtad quark wave function renormalization with improved glue.
Patterns of reflex action, their autonomic components, and their behavioral significance

This is a discussion of the evidence that autonomic system reflexes are invariably triggered by stimuli that evoke both simple and complex somatic reflexes. Stimuli not only initiate reverberatory activity but sequences of reinforcements from higher centers. Reflexes come in chains, one reaction triggering another. Reflex actions are patterned, and these patterns are appropriate to the behavioral requirement indicated by stimuli. Reciprocal action produces a powerful braking or stimulatory action. Coactivation or synergic action of autonomie “antagonists” also occurs and can effect a greater cardiac output in certain vascular reflexes than can sympathetic action alone. Coactivation of vagus and sympathetic fibers occuring in reflex action or resulting from stimulation of specific areas in the hypothalamus has a physiologic importance to attainment of maximal cardiac function. Finally, two additional suggestions are made: (1) that the rhythmic reflex feedback discharge of the vagus from the baroreceptors aids in maintaining the regularity of cardiac rhythm as by interaaction of oscillators and (2) that the autonomic system, due to its early and often conditioned response, can be determinative as well as modulatory and supportive of behavior.
Fitting and interpreting Cragg's tobit alternative using Stata

In this article, I introduce the user-written command craggit, which simultaneously fits both tiers of Cragg's (1971, Econometrica 39: 829–844) “two-tier” (sometimes called “two-stage” or “double-h...
Management of Status Epilepticus and Critical Care Seizures

There are multiple approaches to the treatment of seizures and status epilepticus (SE) in the intensive care unit (ICU). With only one seizure, the focus should be more on defining the etiology than on treating the patient with antiepileptics; but with more prolonged or recurrent seizures, both approaches should be pursued in parallel. If delayed or untreated, SE carries a grave prognosis, and every ICU should have a protocol for rapid response to this neurological emergency. Continuous electroencephalographic monitoring should become mandatory in the treatment of SE because of the late dissociation between clinical convulsions and electrographic seizures and the inability to use the clinical examination as guide to the treatment. Focal and nonconvulsive SE have etiology and prognosis different from those of generalized convulsive SE and the treatment also differs. Several medications are available for treating seizures, but only few are available for parenteral, fast administration in the treatment of SE. Therefore, the experience from using the newer antiepileptics in the case of resistant SE is limited. Interactions between antiepileptics and common ICU medications may be significant, and concurrent multiorgan failure may alter their metabolism.
Cocaine and Antidepressant-Sensitive Biogenic Amine Transporters Exist in Regulated Complexes with Protein Phosphatase 2A

Presynaptic transporter proteins regulate the clearance of extracellular biogenic amines after release and are important targets for multiple psychoactive agents, including amphetamines, cocaine, and antidepressant drugs. Recent studies reveal that dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) transporters (DAT, NET, and SERT, respectively) are rapidly regulated by direct or receptor-mediated activation of cellular kinases, particularly protein kinase C (PKC). With SERTs, PKC activation results in activity-dependent transporter phosphorylation and sequestration. Protein phosphatase 1/2A (PP1/PP2A) inhibitors, such as okadaic acid (OA) and calyculin A, also promote SERT phosphorylation and functional downregulation. How kinase, phosphatase, and transporter activities are linked mechanistically is unclear. In the present study, we found that okadaic acid-sensitive phosphatase activity is enriched in SERT immunoprecipitates from human SERT stably transfected cells. Moreover, blots of these immunoprecipitates reveal the presence of PP2A catalytic subunit (PP2Ac), findings replicated using brain preparations. Whole-cell treatments with okadaic acid or calyculin A diminished SERT/PP2Ac associations. Phorbol esters, which trigger SERT phosphorylation, also diminish SERT/PP2Ac associations, effects that can be blocked by PKC antagonists as well as the SERT substrate 5-HT. Similar transporter/PP2Ac complexes were also observed in coimmunoprecipitation studies with NETs and DATs. Our findings provide evidence for the existence of regulated heteromeric assemblies involving biogenic amine transporters and PP2A and suggest that the dynamic stability of these complexes may govern transporter phosphorylation and sequestration.
Multi physics multi scale modeling of microwave circuits and systems hybridizing circuit, electromagnetic and thermal modeling

Modeling of complex systems requires that a systematic approach be adopted for multi scale and multi physics modeling. The current state of physical modeling tools in the arena of microwave and electromagnetic model is considerably mature enabling discrete problems to be considered. The real need is for hybridization of discrete modeling systems to obtain a seamless simulation environment from atoms to systems. The paper explores a strategy for multi physics multi scale modeling of microwave circuits and systems. It presents a framework guiding research in the development of electromagnetic and microwave modeling tools.
Unlocking the Mystery: What Academic Library Search Committees Look for in Filling Faculty Positions

Employee recruitment and retention are keys to the overall success of academic libraries, library administrators, and search committees face challenges when filling new and vacant faculty positions. This article presents and discusses the findings of a survey on hiring in an academic setting, including subjects such as staffing, criteria for hiring, how search committees evaluate candidates, and length of the hiring process. This research study reveals answers from 242 survey respondents who shared their experiences and opinions regarding the hiring process in academic libraries. The aim of this study to unlock the mystery involving faculty searches by examining key factors affecting the odds of obtaining an interview and the outcome of an application. The findings help people on both sides of the job search equation form a better understanding of the hiring process. This information should be taken into consideration by those applying for a position to learn how to best present themselves and by search c...
Aspect-based opinion mining and recommendationsystem for restaurant reviews

The success of a product/service in e-commerce largely depends on the user reviews. A product/service that has a higher average review or rating usually gets picked against a similar product/service with less favorable reviews. Reviews usually have an overall rating, but most of the times there are sub-texts in the review body that describe certain features/aspects of the product. This demonstration presents a system that extracts aspect-specific ratings from reviews and also recommends reviews to users based on their and other users' rating patterns.
Laser Raman spectroscopic analysis of angiotensin peptides' conformation

Abstract In this study we examined the conformation and side chain environments of angiotensins I, II, III, and [Sar 1 -Ile 5 -Ala 8 ]angiotensin II using laser Raman spectroscopy. The positions of the amide I bands for all four peptides were found between 1664 and 1673 cm −1 . D 2 O exchange studies confirmed the positions of the amide I and amide III bands. The positions of the amide I bands for all the angiotensins were found at approximately 1665 cm −1 and the amide III bands were all located between 1265 and 1278 cm −1 . From the positions and intensities of the amide I and III bands we concluded that all peptides share the same overall conformation consisting of β-turn structure. Spectral analysis indicated that although the spectra for all the peptides were qualitatively identical there was evidence that the angiotensin conformations were more flexible in the aqueous phase than the solid phase. Examination of the 850 830 cm −1 tyrosine doublet suggested that the tyrosine residue in the peptides is exposed to the solvent environment and becomes more exposed as the peptide length is decreased. Therefore, there are some localized conformational differences among the angiotensins. The conformational data yielded by this study leads us to conclude that the various biological properties ascribed to the angiotensins are not due to different conformations of the peptides. The biological differences could perhaps be attributed to localized interactions of the individual amino acid residues with themselves and with the hormone receptors.
Interruption of the cydB Locus in Brucella abortus Attenuates Intracellular Survival and Virulence in the Mouse Model of Infection

Brucellosis is characterized by abortion in ruminants and a protracted undulant fever in humans, which often results in severe pathological manifestations. Scant information exists about the molecular mechanisms employed by Brucella abortus to combat host defenses or to persist and replicate within host cells. Transposon (Tn5) mutagenesis of B. abortus and the subsequent screening of mutants for sensitivity to killing in murine macrophages and in the mouse model led to the identification of mutants which were severely attenuated for intracellular survival. One group of mutants was interrupted in cydB, a gene that is part of the cydAB operon encoding cytochrome bd oxidase, which catalyzes an alternate terminal electron transport step in bacterial respiration. The elevated affinity for molecular oxygen of this enzyme in Escherichia coli has suggested that it is involved in the protection of sensitive enzymatic activities such as those of hydrogenases and nitrogenases from damage. B. abortus cydB::Tn5 strains exhibited heightened sensitivity to the respiratory inhibitors zinc and azide, highly reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide, low pH, and attenuated virulence in the mouse model of infection. Virulence was restored by an intact copy of cydAB or by B. abortus genes encoding the oxidative radical-scavenging enzyme Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase or catalase. These results suggest a bifunctional role for the products of the cydAB operon, both in preventing the buildup of oxidative free radicals and in detoxifying the intracellular compartment, thus indicating the importance of these products in preventing intracellular destruction. Intracellular conditions that favor expression of the cydAB operon are under investigation and may be linked to the acid sensitivity also observed in this strain.
Clinical Pharmacology Basis of Deriving Dosing Recommendations for Dabigatran in Patients With Severe Renal Impairment

The objective of this work was to derive a dosing regimen for dabigatran in patients with severe renal impairment by modeling and simulation. Data from a dedicated renal impairment study were used to model the pharmacokinetics of dabigatran in normal and renal-impaired subjects. Model parameters were used to simulate the average concentration time-course of dabigatran following various dosing regimens. Pharmacokinetics of dabigatran in normal and renal-impaired subjects were best described by a 2-compartment open model with first-order absorption and elimination. Simulations were performed to select an appropriate regimen that reasonably matched the exposures on an average with those observed in subjects with moderate renal impairment who did not require a dose adjustment because of a favorable benefit-risk. Dabigatran 150 mg given once daily resulted in 35% higher average C(max, ss), whereas a 75 mg once daily regimen resulted in 42% lower average Cτ, relative to that observed with 150 mg administered twice daily in subjects with moderate renal impairment. A twice daily regimen of dabigatran 75 mg resulted in a reasonable matching of exposures and was selected as an appropriate dosing regimen in patients with severe renal impairment. This recommendation was incorporated in the dosing and recommendation section of dabigatran product insert.
Microwave spectra of carbonyl sulfide: Measurements of ground state and vibrationally excited 16 O 13 C 32 S, 18 O 12 C 32 S, and other isotopic species

Abstract Microwave measurements have been made on isotopically enriched samples of 13 C-carbonyl sulfide and 18 O-carbonyl sulfide. Centrifugal distortion constants and l -type doubling constants have been determined for these isotopically substituted molecules. Rotational constants have been measured for all vibrational states below 2150 cm −1 and B e values have been determined. The equilibrium bond distances calculated from different pairs of isotopes are compared and a substitution equilibrium structure is given. Some new measurements are also reported for the isotopic species 18 O 13 C 32 S, 18 O 13 C 34 S, 18 O 12 C 34 S, and 16 O 13 C 34 S.
Theoretical studies on the thermoelectric figure of merit of nanograined bulk silicon

In this paper, we investigate the phonon transport in silicon nanocomposites using Monte Carlo simulations considering frequency-dependent phonon mean free paths, and combine the phonon modeling with electron modeling to predict the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of silicon nanocomposites. The model shows that while grain interface scattering of phonons is negligible for large grain sizes around 200 nm, ZT can reach 1.0 at 1173 K if the grain size can be reduced to 10 nm. Our results show the potential of obtaining a high ZT in bulk silicon by the nanocomposite approach.
The ranking of chemicals for carcinogenic potency.

Abstract A relatively new approach to assessing the carcinogenic hazard that chemicals pose to man involves the development of criteria by which carcinogens can be ranked regarding potency. Several such systems have been proposed which can be grouped into dose-dependent, mechanistic, and response-dependent classification systems. In this communication, examples of each type of classification system are described and the utility of these systems in assessing the carcinogenic hazard of chemicals is explored. Each of the classification systems which have been proposed has certain problems associated with it. However, in view of the potential utility of this approach, further efforts to develop a classification system for ranking carcinogens appear warranted. Such a system for ranking carcinogens could possibly be used in conjunction with low-dose extrapolation in the regulatory process. Once a carcinogen has been ranked for potency this ranking could influence the low-dose extrapolation model used in estimating the human risk associated with exposure to that carcinogen. The more potent the carcinogen, the more conservative the lowdose extrapolation model used.
Quality of Parent/Adolescent Attachment and Aggression in Young Adolescents

A model of the association between adolescents’ perception of the quality of parent/adolescent attachment and adolescent aggression was examined, with social cognition and self-esteem as mediators. A total of 68 sixth graders, their parents, and their language arts teachers participated. Adolescents completed measures of attachment with mother and with father, self-esteem, social cognition, and aggressive tendencies. Mothers, fathers, and teachers each completed measures of adolescent aggressive and prosocial behavior. Evidence was obtained for social cognition and self-esteem both as mediators between adolescents’ perceived quality of mother/adolescent attachment and adolescent selfreport of aggression. Controlling for mother/adolescent and father/adolescent attachment and adolescent self-esteem, adolescent higher social cognition was associated with adolescent lower self-report of aggression. Controlling mother/adolescent and father/adolescent attachment and adolescent social cognition, adolescent highe...
Acoustic-phonon propagation in superlattices.

Bragg reflection of acoustic phonons propagating through a periodic superlattice is explored in detail. We examine Bragg reflection for a single vibrational mode and relate it to gaps, or stop bands, in the phonon dispersion relation at the center and boundary of the folded Brillouin zone. Bragg reflection due to the coupling of different polarization modes is similarly linked to intrazone stop bands. We also calculate phonon transmission rates, and explore in depth the spatial distribution of the transmitted phonon intensity. These results are compared with experimental phonon images that provide a two-dimensional map of the acoustic-phonon transmission as a function of propagation direction.
Registration of dental atlas to radiographs for human identification

The human dental atlas contains a detailed description of each tooth in the mouth and their relative positions. Registering a dental radiograph to the dental atlas reveals the position and index of each tooth in the radiograph. This helps in establishing the correspondence of teeth when matching two radiographs for human identification. We propose a hidden Markov model (HMM) as an underlying representation of the dental atlas. In our model, the states representing the available teeth have discrete observations, namely the class of each tooth, and the states representing the missing teeth have continuous observations-the distance between neighboring teeth. To classify the teeth, three support vector machines (SVMs) using different feature sets are combined using the average fusion method. Experimental results show that this registration algorithm is promising.
Problems and promises of NODC

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), the nation's warehouse for ocean data, often hears complaints from its users that requests for data from recent oceanographic cruises cannot be filled. The complaint highlights both sides of the data traffic problem that besets NODC: Researchers delay sending their data to the center, and NODC has had difficulties in processing some data, especially when changes in the computer systems are made or when data is submitted in incomplete form. Plans within NODC promise to minimize the data processing problems with eventual direct communication from desktop to data base.
Securing multi-antenna two-way relay channels with analog network coding against eavesdroppers

This work investigates the vulnerability of analog network coding (ANC) to physical layer attacks from adversarial users, when all nodes are equipped with multiple antennas. Specifically, we examine the MIMO two way relay channel (TWRC) with two users trying to communicate with each other via a relay node in the presence of a passive eavesdropper. We propose a new performance metric, namely the secrecy sum rate of the MIMO TWRC, to quantify performance. We then consider secure transmission strategies for the scenarios of no eavesdropper channel state information at the transmitters (ECSIT) and complete ECSIT, respectively. Finally, numerical results are presented to illustrate the improvement in secrecy obtained with the proposed transmission schemes.
Surface Active Properties of Food Proteins: Effects of Reduction of Disulfide Bonds on Film Properties and Foam Stability of Glycinin

Reduction of soy glycinin with 5 mM and 10 mM dithiothreitol resulted in molecular conformational changes which enhanced molecular hydrophobicity and increased viscosity. These changes were associated with significant improvement increases in surface active properties of the reduced proteins. The surface yield stress and elasticity of surface films were increased. The stability of foams as reflected in drainage time was improved especially at pH 6 and 7.0.
Simultaneous two-phase PIV by two-parameter phase discrimination

A flexible and robust phase discrimination algorithm for two-phase PIV employs second-order intensity gradients to identify objects. Then, the objects are sorted into solids and tracers according to parametric combinations of size and brightness. Solids velocities are computed by tracking, gas velocities by cross-correlation. Tests in a fully-developed turbulent channel flow of air showed that the two phases do not contaminate or bias each other's velocity statistics. Error magnitude and valid data yield were quantified with artificial images for three particle sizes (25, 33, and 63 μm), two interrogation area sizes (32 and 64 pixels), and volumetric solids loads from 0.0022% to 0.014%. At the channel centerline, the gas valid data yield was above 98% and the RMS error in gas velocity was less than 0.1 pixels for all variations of these parameters. The solid-to-tracer signal ratio was found to be the major parameter affecting the magnitude of the RMS error.
Bridgmanite—named at last

The most abundant solid phase in Earth's interior, making up 38% of Earth's volume, is magnesium iron silicate (Mg,Fe)SiO3. This material is known to form a perovskite structure. However, no samples of the mineral can be obtained from Earth's lower mantle; without a well-characterized natural sample, it has not been possible to formally name the mineral. On page 1100 of this issue, Tschauner et al. ( 1 ) use synchrotron micro-x-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis to determine the crystal structure and composition of natural (Mg,Fe)SiO3-perovskite in a shocked L chondrite (a stony, low-iron meteorite). They name it bridgmanite, after the father of high-pressure experiments, Percy W. Bridgman (1882 to 1961).
A Historian's Approach to Theology

Basil Willey in the introductory chapter of his Seventeenth Century Background calls attention to the fact that the rise of scientific humanism introduced a basic dichotomy into the intellectual and religious life of that century. A new pattern of explanation came to dominate Western thought in the seventeenth century, and it was destined to continue without being effectively challenged until the twentieth. For three centuries it was assumed that reality was a closed system of law, and no explanation was satisfactory which did not make clear the efficient causation operating within this closed system. Epistemological studies, to be sure, developed within this period a radical skepticism regarding the validity of man's knowledge of ultimate reality; but not even Hume or Kant succeeded in conceiving of reality as essentially dynamic. The early nineteenth century witnessed a reaction against the static rationalism of the previous age. Emphasis came to be put on movement, development, evolution. Things were explained, not by direct relation to a nexus of fixed laws, but by descriptions of how they came to be.
The relative effect of an anticholinergic drug, glycopyrrolate, on basal gastric secretion and sweat- and salivary-gland activity

A finger-tip sweat-gland counting method and a salivary flow test have been used as indices of undesirable effects in a study of an injectable form of glycopyrrolate. Both tests were reliable indicators of drug effect, but the sweat-gland test was more repeatable and more sensitive than the salivary flow technic. Using these tests, glycopyrrolate in the injectable form had a significantly greater suppressive effect on basal gastric secretion than on sweating or salivary flow. The subjective symptom of dry mouth correlated well with sweat-gland activity and salivary flow. Finger-tip sweat-gland counts and salivary flow are useful objective measures of side effects in the evaluation of anticholinergic drug effect on gastric secretion.
The effects of preoperative rinsing with cetylpyridinium chloride on bacteremia associated with the surgical removal of impacted third molars

Abstract Preoperative rinsing with cetylpyridinium chloride was found to have no effect on the incidence of bacteremia associated with the surgical removal of impacted third molars. A bacteremia was detected in 76 per cent of the patients, with the predominant organisms isolated being anaerobic.
Prenatal ethanol exposure alters steroidogenic enzyme activity in newborn rat testes.

We have examined the in utero effects of ethanol exposure on testicular steroidogenesis in newborn male pups. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a liquid ethanol diet (35% ethanol-derived calories), a pair-fed isocaloric liquid diet, or a standard laboratory rat chow and water diet beginning on Day 12 of gestation and continuing through parturition. Although there were no significant differences in the enzymatic activity of 5-ene-3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/isomerase or C17,20-lyase, the enzymatic activity of 17 alpha-hydroxylase was significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced (i.e., approximately 36%) in the ethanol-exposed pups compared to those from the pair-fed and chow treatment groups. This lesion in testicular steroidogenic enzyme activity in newborn male pups exposed to alcohol in utero was transient as 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity from the ethanol-exposed animals returned to control levels by postnatal Day 20 and remained at control levels through adulthood (postnatal Day 60). These data suggest that the suppression of the perinatal testosterone surge in male rats exposed to alcohol in utero and the associated long term demasculinizing effects of prenatal ethanol exposure might be the result of reduced testicular steroidogenic enzyme activity in the perinatal animal.
Mr. Crookes and Eva Fay

A FEW words from myself seem to be called for by the recent letter of Mr. Crookes in reply to Prof. Carpenter, published in your journal. As far as I am concerned, the breach of etiquette complained of can only apply to my obtaining the publication of the letter Mr. Crookes addressed to me in the Banner of Light. The subsequent facsimile that appeared I am not in any way responsible for.
Diurnal fluctuation in weight and blood composition in Myotis nigricans and Myotislucifugus

Abstract 1. 1. Body weight and percentage body water of naturally roosting Myotis nigricans did not change significantly during roosting hours, although hematocrit increased significantly from 53·7 to 56·3 per cent erythrocytes. 2. 2. Hematocrit and percentage body water of naturally roosting M. lucifugus did not change significantly under similar conditions, although body weight loss exceeded 16 per cent of initial body weight. 3. 3. Relative spleen weight increased significantly during the middle of the roosting period in M. nigricans, but returned to nearly its original value. 4. 4. In M. lucifugus relative spleen weight increased significantly during the latter half of the roosting period. 5. Relative kidney weight did not change significantly in either species. 5. 6. Serum sodium levels inM. nigricans and M. lucifugus increased significantly from 126 to 172 m-equiv./l., and 140 to 165 m-equiv./l., respectively. 6. 7. Serum chloride levels in M. lucifugus fluctuated from 140 to 153 m-equiv./ 1., while potassium levels increased from 3·96 to 5·30 m-equiv./l., during the roosting period.
Influence of pH on the equilibrium association constants for oligodeoxyribonucleotide-directed triple helix formation at single DNA sites.

The energetics of oligodeoxyribonucleotide-directed triple helix formation for the pyrimidine.purine.pyrimidine structural motif were determined over the pH range 5.8-7.6 at 22 degrees C (100 mM Na^+ and 1 mM spermine) using quantitative affinity cleavage titration. The equilibrium binding constants for 5'-TTTTTCTCTCTCTCT-3' (1) and 5'-TTTTTm^5CTm^5CTm^5CTm^5CTm^5CT-3' (2, m^5C is 2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine) increased by 10- and 20-fold, respectively, from pH 7.6 to 5.8, indicating that the corresponding triple-helical complexes are stabilized by 1.4 and 1.7 kcal.mol-1, respectively, at the lower pH. Replacement of the five cytosine residues in 1 with 5-methylcytosine residues to yield 2 affords a stabilization of the triple helix by 0.1-0.4 kcal.mol^(-1) over the pH range 5.8-7.6. An analysis of these data in terms of a quantitative model for a general pH-dependent equilibrium transition revealed that pyrimidine oligonucleotides with cytidine and 5-methylcytidine form local triple-helical structures with apparent pKa's of 5.5 (C+GC triplets) and 5.7 (m^5C+GC triplets), respectively, and that the oligonucleotides should bind to single sites on large DNA with apparent affinity constants of ~10^6 M^(-1) even above neutral pH.
Oxidation of carbon fibers and films in ceramic matrix composites: A weak link process

Non-planar morphologies observed in the reaction front of carbon fibers or interphases receding into a ceramic matrix have been analyzed. A numerical simulation was used to evaluate the parameters which control the morphology of the receding carbon reaction front. The study has indicated that in addition to influencing the recession kinetics, the morphology of the reaction front contains information regarding the interplay between oxidation behavior and microstructural features of the carbon. The implications of non-planar morphology development in receding carbon constituents with respect to ceramic matrix composites are evaluated.
What's news in biotechnology?

The rise of biotechnology has brought with it a welter of publications all competing to provide rapid information. Julian Davies here surveys the field and comments upon this form of publishing. Further details of the publications are given on pp. 495–496.
Progress in medical genetics : Map-based gene discovery and the molecular pathology of skeletal dysplasias

This article reviews the progress in mapping skeletal dysplasias and the elucidation of the molecular pathology of these disorders that has come out of the mapping. 4 refs., 1 tab.
On hematite as a target for dating aqueous conditions on Mars

Abstract Hematite spherules, identified by the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover (MER), have been interpreted as in situ evidence for past aqueous conditions on the Martian surface. Hematite has also been demonstrated as a reliable (U–Th)/He chronometer, although it is not widely used. In the absence of post-formational diffusive He loss, (U–Th)/He ages measured from Martian hematite spherules should yield the time since water was present on Mars. Using published morphologic constraints and He diffusion kinetics for hematite we model He diffusive loss to assess whether Martian hematite spherules will retain original (U–Th)/He ages during long residence times (4.0 Ga) at surface conditions (22 °C). Fractional loss calculations predict