cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Adolescent Pregnancy on Child Mortality in 46 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the health risks to adolescent mothers and their children. Statements and reports typically group all mothers aged under 20 together. Some studies have examined the risk variations within this age group, and several child health outcomes have yet to be examined. Methods We analyzed data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collected between 2004 and 2018 in Sub–Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia, on children born to mothers 25 years old or younger. We examined the association between maternal age at first birth and deaths of neonates, infants, under –5 years old, and stillbirths, using mixed effects logistic regression and adjusting for common demographic and health–seeking variables. Findings The mortality rates at all early–life stages of children born to mothers aged <16 years, 16–17 years, and 18–19 years at first birth were about 2–4 times, 1.5–2 times, and 1.2–1.3 times higher, respectively, than among children born to mothers aged 23–25 in both regions. Absolute mortality rates decreased over time, but the risk gradient versus age remained similar across time periods, regions, and most child mortality endpoints. After adjustment for rural/urban residence and maternal education, in SSA in 2014–2018 having a mother under 16 (10–15) years old was associated with stillbirth odds ratio (OR) 3.71 [95% CI 2.50–5.51], neonatal mortality OR 1.92 [1.60–2.30], infant mortality OR 2.13 [1.85–2.46], and under–5 mortality OR 2.39 [2.13–2.68]), compared with first children of mothers aged 23–25 years. For the same time period in South Asia ORs were stillbirths 5.12 [2.85–9.20], neonatal mortality 2.46 [2.03–2.97)], infant mortality 2.62 [2.22–3.08], and under–5 mortality 2.59 [2.22–3.03]. Adjustment for additional risk factors did not affect the estimates substantially. Interpretation Adolescent motherhood is associated with dramatically worse child survival, likely reflecting a combination of biological and social factors. Revising maternal age reporting conventions will help to highlight this burden. Targeted intervention strategies to eliminate underage pregnancy are warranted.
Irritability Is Associated with Illness Severity and Anhedonia Is Associated with Functional Impairment Among Depressed Children and Adolescents.

Objectives: Irritability and anhedonia are cardinal symptoms of depression for children and adolescents. However, anhedonia may be more strongly associated with illness severity compared with irritability. The present study evaluated the impact of irritability and anhedonia on symptom severity and functional impairment among depressed children and adolescents. Methods: Participants were 383 children and adolescents presenting for outpatient treatment at a community mental health center or academic medical center. Children and adolescents were diagnosed with unipolar depression or bipolar disorder. Regression models predicted depression severity and functional impairment from irritability and anhedonia after covarying age, gender, depressive and hypomanic symptoms, and diagnosis. Results: Greater irritability and anhedonia were associated with more severe depression symptoms. Greater irritability, but not anhedonia, was associated with lower global functioning and family quality of life (QoL), and more externalizing problems. Greater anhedonia was associated with lower overall, emotional, self-esteem, and social QoL. Neither irritability nor anhedonia was associated with school or physical QoL, nonsuicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation, number of comorbid diagnoses, or internalizing problems. Conclusions: Irritability was associated with more markers of depression severity, whereas anhedonia was associated with indicators of functional impairment. This study used a cross-sectional observational design and therefore cannot provide information about cause and effect relationships between variables. Irritability and anhedonia were derived from their respective subscales of the General Behavior Inventory and included only caregiver-reported symptoms but not child- or adolescent-reported symptoms. Identifying the impact of specific symptoms of depression may assist clinicians in delivering more individualized interventions to target symptoms that result in greater impairment.
A Deep Learning Approach to Diagnose Skin Cancer Using Image Processing

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States with over a million cases being detected each year. Fortunately, early detection provides high odds of recovery. The traditional method of detection involves clinical screening, which is prone to false positives, followed by an invasive biopsy. While this provides for a high rate of detection, it is intrusive and costly. Artificial Intelligence for medical image analysis has proved effective in assisting in the diagnosis of many medical maladies, yet fine variations in the appearance of skin lesions has made applications to skin cancer detection difficult. We report that a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) trained over clinically labeled images (pixels) can accurately assist in the diagnosis of early-stage skin cancers. Specifically, we analyze skin lesions using CNN and evaluate its performance on seven dermatologist-certified clinical image types: Actinic keratoses and intraepithelial carcinoma (Bowen’s disease), basal cell carcinoma, benign keratosis-like lesions (solar lentigines, seborrheic keratoses, and lichen-planus-like keratoses), dermatofibroma, melanoma, melanocytic nevi, and vascular lesions (angiomas, angiokeratomas, pyogenic granulomas, and hemorrhage). The model provides significantly high levels of average accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity across these types.
Comparing Enhanced Natural Thermal Stratification Against Retarded Combustion Phasing for Smoothing of HCCI Heat-Release Rates

Two methods for mitigating unacceptably high HCCI heat-release rates are investigated and compared in this combined experimental/CFD work. Retarding the combustion phasing by decreasing the intake temperature is found to have good potential for smoothing heat-release rates and reducing engine knock. There are at least three reasons for this: 1) lower combustion temperatures, 2) less pressure rise when the combustion is occurring during the expansion stroke, and 3) the natural thermal stratification increases around TDC. However, overly retarded combustion leads to unstable operation with partial-burn cycles resulting in high IMEPg variations and increased emissions. Enhanced natural thermal stratification by increased heat-transfer rates was explored by lowering the coolant temperature from 100 to 50°C. This strategy substantially decreased the heat-release rates and lowered the knocking intensity under certain conditions. To further exploit the effect, the heat-transfer rates were further enhanced by increasing the in-cylinder air swirl. This led to even longer combustion durations. Unfortunately, the higher heat losses associated with high air swirl decreased the IMEP g . When the fueling rate was increased to compensate, most of the improvements on the heat-release rates were lost. Overall, combustion phasing retard was found to have better potential for smoothing heat-release rates than enhancing the thermal stratification by the means considered in this work. However, operation with highly retarded combustion requires precise control of the ignition timing. Furthermore, it is found that the acceptable intake temperature range narrows rapidly with increasing equivalence ratio. Above a certain fueling rate a steady state operating point cannot be established by setting the intake temperature to a fixed value. This problem is caused by wall heating and the coupling between wall temperature and combustion phasing.
Molecular orbital calculations of the catalytic effect of lysozyme: 1. Glu 35 as general acid catalyst

Abstract In a sequence of molecular orbital calculations, employing the iterative extended Huckel theory, we have studied a simple molecular model for key aspects of the catalytic process at the active site of hen egg white lysozyme, in its hydrolytic cleavage of a bacterial cell wall mucopolysaccharide. The sequence of calculations was designed to simulate “snapshots” of the interacting groups of atoms, along a reaction pathway proposed by others on the basis of such data as X-ray diffraction and model-building. For comparison with the uncatalyzed reaction, we did calculations on the same sequence without the model enzyme. The calculated activation energy of the catalyzed reaction is 0.51 eV less than for the uncatalyzed reaction, predicting a rate increase due to the enzyme by a factor of 4 × 10 8 . The calculated changes in charge densities and bond densities support quite clearly the proposal that the catalytic mechanism begins with the action of the glu 35 residue as a general acid catalyst, the major factor in the rate-determining formation of a stable carbonium ion intermediate.
Pollen-based evidence of extreme drought during the last Glacial (32.6–9.0 ka) in coastal southern California

Abstract High resolution pollen analyses of sediment core LEDC10-1 from Lake Elsinore yield the first well-dated, terrestrial record of sub-centennial-scale ecologic change in coastal southern California between ∼32 and 9 ka. In the Lake Elsinore watershed, the initial, mesic montane conifer forests dominated by Pinus , and Cupressaceae with trace amounts of Abies and Picea were replaced by a sequence of multiple, extended severe mega-droughts between ∼27.5 and ∼25.5 ka, in which halophytic and xerophytic herbs and shrubs occupied an ephemeral lake. This prolonged and extended dry interval, which corresponds with warm waters offshore, imply strengthening of the North Pacific High and persistent below-average winter precipitation. The subsequent, contrasting monotonic occurrence of montane conifers reflects little variation in cold, mesic climate until ∼15 ka. Postglacial development of Quercus woodland and chaparral mark the return to more xeric, warmer conditions at this time. A brief reversal at ∼13.1–∼12.1 ka, as reflected by an expansion of Pinus , is correlative with the Younger Dryas and interrupts development of warm, postglacial climate. Subsequent gradual expansion of xeric vegetation post – Younger Dryas denotes the establishment of a winter hydroclimate regime in coastal southern California that is more similar to modern conditions. Pollen-based reconstructions of temperature and precipitation at Lake Elsinore are generally correlative with pollen-based paleoclimatic reconstructions and foraminifera-based sea surface temperatures from Santa Barbara Basin in marine core ODP 893. The conspicuous absence of the ∼27.5–∼25.5 ka glacial “mega-drought” in the Santa Barbara Basin pollen record highlights the sensitivity of Lake Elsinore to hydroclimate change, and thus, the importance of this new record that indicates that mega-drought can occur during the full glacial when climatic boundary conditions and forcings differed substantially from the present.
Regional disparities in obesity prevalence in the United States: A spatial regime analysis

Objective Significant clusters of high- and low-obesity counties have been demonstrated across the United States (US). This study examined regional disparities in obesity prevalence and differences in the related structural characteristics across regions of the US. Methods Drawing on model-based estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regional differences in county-level adult obesity prevalence (percent of the adult population [≥ 20 years] that was obese [BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2] within a county, 2009) were assessed with a LISA (Local Indicators of Spatial Association) analysis to identify geographic concentrations of high and low obesity levels. Regional regime analysis was utilized to identify factors that were differentially associated with obesity prevalence between regions of the US. Results High- and low-obesity county clusters and the effect of a number of county-level characteristics on obesity prevalence differed significantly by region. These included the positive effect of African American populations in the South, the negative effect of Hispanic populations in the Northeast, and the positive effect of unemployed workers in the Midwest and West. Conclusions Our findings suggest the need for public health policies and interventions that account for different regional characteristics underlying obesity prevalence variation across the US.
Functionally distinct subsets of natural killer cells help shape and regulate the immune response during viral infection (INC8P.429)

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that play an important role in the immune response against certain viral infections and transformed cells. Historically, NK cells have been recognized for their direct antiviral defense; however, a more complex view of NK cell function has recently emerged highlighting their ability to direct the balance between viral infection and host immunity. While the diverse effector functions of NK cells are increasingly seen as vital components of host immunity, the specific populations of NK cells that mediate these differential effects have not been identified. In this study, we provide evidence for distinct NK cell subsets that differ in their effector and immunoregulatory functions during influenza infection. We show here that during the early stages of the host immune response to viral infection, a population of effector NK cells directly contributes to viral resistance at the site of infection, while a separate helper NK subset concurrently functions to prime the adaptive immune response by expanding dendritic cells in the lymph nodes. Conversely, at the later stages of viral infection, a subset of suppressor NK cells dampens the adaptive immune response by directly regulating antigen-specific T cells. These results suggest that adoptive transfer of specific NK subsets may serve as a useful therapeutic strategy to modulate the immune response during viral infection.
Modeling and analysis of the compliance and stability of enveloping grasps

We address the stability and performance of enveloping grasps. An enveloping grasp is defined in which robot fingers or arms grasp an object by making contact at points other than just the fingertips or end-effectors. Previous work has demonstrated that enveloping grasps are more robust. However their analysis is difficult because they are usually statically indeterminate and overconstrained. In this paper we develop a method for modeling the stiffness of a grasp. It is based on a model of compliance at each contact and a model of the joint compliance at each joint. It incorporates the kinematics of three-dimensional contact in addition to the kinematics of the robot arm/finger. In particular the methodology is used to show that force closure does not necessarily imply stability.
Behavioral characteristics of DQDB subnetworks in a hierarchical communication system

This paper illustrates the effect of internet traffic and bridge positioning on the behavioral characteristics of Distributed Queue Dual Bus (DQDB) subnetworks. We show that positioning of the bridges in the subnetwork determines the performance of the DQDB subnetworks, and the performance of the hierarchical communication system as a whole. Bridges are shown to have minimum medium access delay among all the stations in the subnetwork, decreasing with an increase in the internet traffic. >
The cartilage chondrolytic mechanism of fibronectin fragments involves MAP kinases: comparison of three fragments and native fibronectin.

Summary Objective To define the role of mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases in fibronectin fragment (Fn-f) mediated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) upregulation and damage to bovine cartilage and to compare activities of three Fn-fs with native fibronectin (Fn), which is inactive in terms of cartilage damage. Methods Bovine chondrocytes were cultured with three Fn-fs, an amino-terminal 29-kDa, a gelatin-binding 50-kDa and a central 140-kDa Fn-f or native Fn at concentrations from 0.01 to 1μM, concentrations lower than those found in osteoarthritis synovial fluids. Lysates were probed for activation of MAP kinases, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 and stress activated protein kinase/c-jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK). Confocal fluorescent microscopy was used to visualize movement of activated kinases. Kinase inhibitors were tested for their abilities to block Fn-f mediated protein upregulation of MMP-3 and MMP-13 and Fn-f induced depletion of cartilage proteoglycan (PG) from cultured explants. Results The 29-kDa, the most potent Fn-f in terms of cartilage damage, enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38 and JNK1/2 within a 1-h incubation while the 50 and 140-kDa Fn-fs required up to 4h for maximal activity and native Fn was only minimally active toward p38 and JNK, but did strongly activate ERK1/2. The activated kinases displayed a distribution toward the nuclear membrane and within the nucleus. MAP kinase inhibitors markedly decreased Fn-f mediated upregulation of MMP-3 or MMP-13 and Fn-f mediated cartilage PG depletion. Conclusions These results suggest that Fn-fs upregulate MMP-3 and MMP-13 in bovine chondrocytes through MAP kinases and that kinase inhibitors afford protection against this degenerative pathway.
New species of the myrmecophile Polyplocotes Westwood (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) from South Australia

Six new species of the Australian myrmecophilous ptinid genus Polyplocotes are described from South Australia. Three are from the deserts of central Australia, one from the Franklin Islands in the Great Australian Bight, one from Eyre Peninsula and one from the Riverland region. Morphologically, the majority of these new species are conventional Polyplocotes, but two are less typical. The characters uniting the genus are explored in the discussion, and comparisons are made to related genera. Although the six new species described here have not been observed in the field, the species of this genus are known to be myrmecophilous, and ant - beetle interactions similar to those seen in other spider beetles might occur between these new species and their host ants.
Choline Acetylase Inhibitors as Potential Antihallucinogens

IT has been suggested that acetylcholine and catechol-amines are involved both in central and peripheral transmission in mammals1–3 and that they show a similar pattern of antagonism in each situation4. Further, it has been shown clinically that monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which increase the concentration of catechol-amines in the central nervous system (CNS), usually produce mental excitation whereas anti-cholinesterase drugs which raise the level of acetylcholine in the CNS generally produce depression. The latter effect has been shown by Grob5–7 and Rowntree8 in normal and psychotic patients.
Coordinating Migratory Neuron Polarization by Numb-ing Communication

An interplay between intrinsic polarity and extracellular cues guides neuronal migration during cerebellar development. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Zhou et al. (2011) demonstrate that Numb is the focal point in mediating the chemotactic response of migrating cerebellar granule cells to BDNF through its regulation of cell polarity.
Cytologic diagnosis and monitoring of Hodgkin's disease in cerebrospinal fluid: a case report.

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in Hodgkin's disease is rare, but when the tumor extends into the CNS the route of tumor spread is similar to that seen in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Reed-Sternberg cells were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a patient with Hodgkin's disease involving the CNS. Sequential cytologic examination of the CSF proved valuable in evaluating the efficacy of therapy. The ability to identify Reed-Sternberg cells in the CSF makes CSF cytology a useful adjunct in the management of patients with established or suspected CNS involvement of Hodgkin's disease. Diagn Cytopathol 1987;3:323-5.
Arachnoiditis ossificans: clinical series and review of the literature.

Abstract Objective Ossification of the leptomeninges, or arachnoiditis ossificans (AO) of the spine resulting in neurologic decline is a rarely reported disease. To date, there are 72 cases in the literature. The natural history of the disease and the best management strategy for patients with this condition is unknown. A series of five cases is presented adding to the relative paucity of knowledge of this potentially debilitating disease. Methods A retrospective review of five cases of patients with arachnoiditis ossificans from 2009 to 2013 was conducted. All cases were obtained from a single institution. The diagnosis was based upon computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Results All five patients in the series were found have a history of prior spinal procedures. Three of the five patients had no history of intradural procedures or violation of the dura. Three of the patients underwent surgery to address neurologic deficits related to AO. Surgical intervention mainly consisted of decompression via laminectomy without resection of the intradural bony lesions. All patients improved neurologically postoperatively. Conclusions Arachnoiditis ossificans is a rare disease typically affecting the thoracolumbar spine. It may result in devastating neurological deficits. There is no consensus as to the appropriate treatment strategy and the surgical procedures can be technically demanding due to the tight adherence of the abnormal bone to neural structures. For those patients who exhibit no symptoms referable to the AO, close observation may be performed. However, once progressive neurologic deficits occur due to AO, decompression via laminectomy can be a successful strategy.
Convergence properties of the EM algorithm in constrained parameter spaces

The established general results on convergence properties of the EM algorithm require the sequence of EM parameter estimates to fall in the interior of the parameter space over which the likelihood is being maximized. This paper presents convergence properties of the EM sequence of likelihood values and parameter estimates in constrained parameter spaces for which the sequence of EM parameter estimates may converge to the boundary of the constrained parameter space contained in the interior of the unconstrained parameter space. Examples of the behavior of the EM algorithm applied to such parameter spaces are presented. Les resultats de convergence existants concernant l'algorithme EM presupposent que les estimations successives du parametre appartiennent a l'interieur de l'espace parametrique sur lequel la vraisemblance est maximisee. Cet article examine la convergence de cette suite d'estimations et celle des valeurs de la vraisemblance qui leur sont associees dans le cas ou la suite des estimations du parametre peut converger vers un point qui se situe a la frontiere de l'espace parametrique contraint tout en appartenant a l'interieur de l'espace parametrique complet. Le comportement de l'algorithme EM est illustre dans de tels cas.
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES DURING MANUFACTURING AND RIPENING OF CAMEMBERT CHEESE

The spatial distribution of the survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes during manufacturing and ripening of Camembert cheese was studied. All cheeses were artificially inoculated with L. monocytogenes and ripened in three stages: room temperature (∼20C) and relative humidity (RH) of 60% for 36 h, 13C and RH of 93% for 2 weeks, and 7C and RH of 85% for 3 weeks. During ripening, different locations were analyzed for population of L. monocytogenes. The data were collected on days 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 of ripening. Results showed that the population of L. monocytogenes on day 1 was 6.06 log 10 cfu/g, which was 1.96 log 10 cfu/g increasing over the initial inoculation of 4.08 logic cfu/g. For the subsequent 20 days, the L. monocytogenes population declined to 5.33 log1o cfuig. Thereafter, the L. monocytogenes population increased to 6.07 log 10 cfu/g on day 35 of ripening. Generally, the growth of L. monocytogenes is faster in locations near the surface than in the center. There were no significant differences between batches and sections of cheese, whereas the ripening time and locations had a significant effect on the survival and growth of L. monocytogenes. The survival and growth data for L. monocytogenes during ripening of Camembert cheese can be used to develop dynamic predictive models for possible use in risk assessment and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point implementation.
Television Attitudes and TV Types of African-Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians

ABSTRACT The growing influence of ethnic minorities and convergence of television with other communication technologies raises an important issue: are ethnic viewers different in their television attitudes and degree of technology acceptance and, if so, what are the implications for broadcasters and advertisers? This nationally representative study of 871 adult African-Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians revealed significant ethnic differences in the adoption of communication technologies, television programming preferences, and an established TV-type segmentation. Further analysis identified disparities in specific television and technology attitudes. Recommendations are offered for television programmers and advertisers to consider in targeting viewer segments based on their television and technology beliefs.
Martensite → austenite phase transformation kinetics in an ultrafine-grained metastable austenitic stainless steel

A generalized phase transformation kinetics model is used to understand the martensite to austenite transformation in a cold-rolled and annealed metastable AISI 301LN ultrafine-grained austenitic stainless steel. The model shows that the presence of interstitial nitrogen and heavy cold-rolling is important to promote fast transformation kinetics, through rapid nitrogen-diffusion and austenite nucleation at austenite/martensite phase boundaries.
Regulation of naive T cell differentiation by varying the potency of TCR signal transduction.

Abstract The regulation of naive T cell development into different effector cell subsets is mediated by a complex interplay between the cytokine microenvironment, receptor ligand in- teractions on the T cell and the antigen presenting cell, and the potency of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. In this review we will focus on how alterations in the strength of TCR ligation initiate different signal transduction patterns which regulate the developmental fate of naive T cells. We propose a model in which specific signals are required to initiate Th2 differentiation, but that this pathway can be inhibited following a strong TCR stimulus.
Gene co-expression modules as clinically relevant hallmarks of breast cancer diversity.

Co-expression modules are groups of genes with highly correlated expression patterns. In cancer, differences in module activity potentially represent the heterogeneity of phenotypes important in carcinogenesis, progression, or treatment response. To find gene expression modules active in breast cancer subpopulations, we assembled 72 breast cancer-related gene expression datasets containing ∼5,700 samples altogether. Per dataset, we identified genes with bimodal expression and used mixture-model clustering to ultimately define 11 modules of genes that are consistently co-regulated across multiple datasets. Functionally, these modules reflected estrogen signaling, development/differentiation, immune signaling, histone modification, ERBB2 signaling, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and stroma, and cell proliferation. The Tcell/Bcell immune modules appeared tumor-extrinsic, with coherent expression in tumors but not cell lines; whereas most other modules, interferon and ECM included, appeared intrinsic. Only four of the eleven modules were represented in the PAM50 intrinsic subtype classifier and other well-established prognostic signatures; although the immune modules were highly correlated to previously published immune signatures. As expected, the proliferation module was highly associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (RFS). Interestingly, the immune modules appeared associated with RFS even after adjustment for receptor subtype and proliferation; and in a multivariate analysis, the combination of Tcell/Bcell immune module down-regulation and proliferation module upregulation strongly associated with decreased RFS. Immune modules are unusual in that their upregulation is associated with a good prognosis without chemotherapy and a good response to chemotherapy, suggesting the paradox of high immune patients who respond to chemotherapy but would do well without it. Other findings concern the ECM/stromal modules, which despite common themes were associated with different sites of metastasis, possibly relating to the “seed and soil” hypothesis of cancer dissemination. Overall, co-expression modules provide a high-level functional view of breast cancer that complements the “cancer hallmarks” and may form the basis for improved predictors and treatments.
Mediators and Moderators of Change in Adjustment Following Intervention for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Children aged 6 to 12 who were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) within the last year participated in an intervention program found to be successful in reducing their internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. However, little is known about factors that may contribute to this efficacy. Both fixed and modifiable risk factors that predicted change in children’s adjustment after the intervention were identified and tested. There was a significant relationship between the extent of exposure to IPV, gender, change in mothers’ mental health, and change in child adjustment. Among fixed factors, length of exposure to violence was found to moderate the relationship between the amount of the child’s and mother’s participation in the intervention and change in child adjustment, specifically internalizing behavioral problems. Among the modifiable risk factors, change in mother’s mental health, specifically symptoms of posttraumatic stress, was found to mediate the relationship between the amount of i...
Development and preliminary results of the Financial Incentive Coercion Assessment questionnaire

Abstract Financial incentives are often used in research, yet no measure exists to determine whether they lead to perceptions of coercion in subjects. We present a preliminary evaluation of a recently developed Financial Incentive Coercion Assessment (FICA) questionnaire. FICA measures perceived coercion specifically related to payment for participation in a research study. Two hundred sixty-six subjects were recruited from a large randomized controlled trial; 152 returned for a 6-month follow-up and completed the FICA. Approximately 30% of participants reported the major reason for participating was "for the money," but less than 5% felt that the financial incentives were coercive. FICA results are consistent with levels of perceived coercion using an alternative measure. Initial assessment of responses on the FICA suggests that it may provide a novel approach to measuring perceived coercion from financial incentives in research. Future work will refine the FICA and analyze its psychometric properties.
Kinetics of Aerobic Biological Oxidation of Purified Terephthalic Acid Plant Waste

The kinetics of aerobic biological oxidation of a PTA (terephthalic acid) plant waste was investigated for plant effluent (initial COD: 7000–8000 ppm) and anaerobically treated plant effluent (initial COD: 1500–2500 ppm). Experiments were performed at three different Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels viz . low (0.05–0.1 ppm), intermediate (1.00–3.00 ppm) and high (>6.00 ppm). For each DO level at least three mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) loadings were studied in the range of 2000–10 000 ppm. Care was taken to eliminate mass transfer resistance for oxygen transfer at gas–liquid and liquid–solid interfaces. An attempt has been made to propose the kinetics of reaction. In order to confirm the rate equation, experiments were also performed in continuous mode of operation over a wide range of MLSS and dissolved oxygen level. A comparison between batch and continuous mode results has been presented.
Dactinomycin inhibitionof dexamethasone action on glucose metabolism in white fat cells

Abstract 1. 1. Dexamethasone inhibited the conversion of [I-14C]glucose to CO2 by white fat cells by as much as 79% following a characteristic lag period of about 2 h. 2. 2. Both insulin and cysteine stimulated glucose conversion to CO2 4-fold; dexamethasone did not diminish the increment in glucose metabolism evoked by either of these agents. 3. 3. Cycloheximide mimicked the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on basal glucose agents were present at the start of the incubation and labeled CO2 production of the antibiotic. 4. 4. Dactinomycin almost completely abolished the effect of dexamethasone when both agents were present at the start of the incubation and labeled CO2 production was measured over the final 2 h of a 4-h incubation period. When dactinomycin was added at 1 h it inhibited the effect of dexamethasone by 32%. Addition of the antibiotic at 2 h was without effect on the action of dexamethasone in these experiments. 5. 5. Dexamethasone caused a 20% decrease in trichloroacetic acid-insoluble radioactivity of cells which were labeled with [3H]uridine during the isolation period and subsequently incubated without label for 3 h. This effect was not observed at 1.5 h. 6. 6. These data are compatible with the concept that glucocorticoids inhibit glucose metabolism in white fat cells by a process requiring cellular RNA synthesis and which involves either (a) the inhibition of the synthesis of a protein (s) necessary for an insulin-independent step in glucose utilization or (b) the synthesis of a protein(s) inhibitory to glucose metabolism.
Numerical simulation of kink dynamics for a two-component field

We have studied by numerical simulation the explicit time-dependent behavior of kink and two-kink excitations of a widely studied, coupled, two-component field theory of interest in both condensed matter and particle physics. The nontopological kink in the model is found to decay into a stable kink-antikink pair with the excess energy going completely into the kinetic energy of the pair. The kink-kink collisions are elastic, with the net result of a collision being a ''time delay'' as in the sine-Gordon case. The kink-antikink collisions are also elastic at low energies, but become inelastic at higher energies with the opening of a new channel.
EFFECT OF CYPROHEPTADINE (CPU), A SEROTONIN ANTAGONIST ON ADRENOCORTICAL FUNCTION IN HYPOPITUITARY CHILDREN

We have previously demonstrated a significantly increased rate of growth in hypopituitary children treated chronically with CPH and growth hormone (GH) compared to those treated with GH alone. To determine the effect of chronic CPH in adrenocortical function, the cortisol (F) response to insulin hypoglycemia was determined in 10 hypopituitary children (8 idiopathic, 2 organic) treated for at least 4 months with GH and CPH (12-16 mg/day). All had previously normal oral metyrapone tests. While receiving CPH, five of the ten patients had a normal peak F response (> 15 μg/dl) to insulin hypoglycemia while five of the ten had subnormal peak F concentrations (6.4 ± 2.7 μg/dl). All patients were retested two or more months after cessation of CPH therapy. The five patients with a normal peak F response during CPH therapy did not have an increased peak response after cessation of CPH. Four of the 5 patients with an abnormal response subsequently had a normal peak F response significantly greater than that while receiving CPH (16.3 ± 1.3 μg/dl; p < .01). The patient who had persistent subnormal peak F response to hypoglycemia had received radiation therapy for craniopharyngioma. None of the ten patients experienced any symptoms of glucocorticoid insufficiency. We conclude that in some cases, long-term administration of CPH to hypopituitary children may be associated with decreased F response to insulin hypoglycemia.
Iodide solvation in tetrahydrofuran clusters: I−(THF) n (1 ≤ n ≤ 30)

The solvent structure and binding motif of iodide-doped tetrahydrofuran clusters, I−(THF) n (1 ≤ n ≤ 30) are investigated with anion photoelectron imaging, molecular dynamics simulations, and ab initio calculations of vertical detachment energies. Experimentally, a dramatic decrease in the iodide differential stabilization energy and concomitant change in the mass spectrum at n = 9 suggest that the first solvation shell closes at n = 9–10 THF molecules, in rough agreement with the theoretical result of n = 7–9 determined from the computation of relaxed and unrelaxed solvent distribution densities. Analysis of the vertical detachment energy vs. inverse cluster radius suggests the iodide atom is maximally coordinated around n = 9. Decomposition of the interaction energies of I−(THF), its vertically-detached complement, and the (THF)2 dimer, employing the absolutely-localized molecular orbital energy decomposition analysis (ALMO EDA) scheme, highlights the dependence of electron binding and detachment on bot...
Decelerating the Boom: Valerio Zurlini's La Ragazza con la Valigia (1961)

AbstractOften overlooked in histories of Italian cinema, when director Valerio Zurlini's work is mentioned by critics it most often analyzed aesthetically, isolated from the social and industrial context in which it was made. The following article places Zurlini's 1961 film, La ragazza con la valigia, squarely within 1960s boom culture by tracing out the ways in which it depicts the new symbols of mass benessere that began to dominate the screen during this time — in particular the car and the portable record player — in relation to other films released over the course of the boom. While most treat these objects as indicative of the new mobility (economic, spatial and social) of the era, Zurlini's work slows these objects down, giving us the opportunity to gauge their effects on Italian conceptions of culture itself. The ragazza of the title, too, is a sign of the changing (cultural) times, and her status as "other" to culture, yet the ground on which it is founded, will be treated.
Microwave and far-IR spectra, conformational stability, molecular structure, barriers to internal rotation and ab initio calculations for the anticlinal conformer of trans-1-fluoro-2-butene

The microwave spectrum of trans-1-fluoro-2-butene, trans-(CH3)HCCH(CH2F), has been recorded in the region of 18.0–39.0 GHz. Both a-type R- and b-type Q-branch assignments have been made for the ground and first two vibrationally excited states of the asymmetric torsion for the gauche (anticlinal) conformer. The ground state rotational constants for this conformer are found to have the following values: A = 19,938.33±0.48, B = 2071.37±0.01, C = 2022.17±0.01 MHz. From an analysis of the internal rotational splittings of the Q-branches, the three-fold rotational barrier for the methyl group is determined to be 596±7 cm−1 (1.70±0.02 kcal/mol). From the Stark effect the dipole moment components for the gauche conformer were determined to be |μa| = 1.86±0.01, |μb| = 1.16±0.01, |μc| = 0.31±0.05, and |μt = 2.21±0.01 D. The fundamental asymmetric torsion for the cis (synclinal) conformer has been observed in the far-IR spectrum of the vapor at 123.95 cm−1 whereas that for the gauche conformer has been determined to occur at 82.8±5 cm−1 based on relative intensity measurements obtained from the microwave spectrum. From these data the potential function which governs the internal rotation of the asymmetric top has been determined and the following potential constants have been evaluated: V1 = −191±10, V2 = 598±10, V3 = 786±13, V4 = 59±5, and V6 = 79±5 cm−1. These data are consistent with the more stable conformer having the fluorine atom cis (synclinal) to the double bond and lying 300±33 cm−1 (858±94 cal/mol) lower in energy than the gauche rotamer. Utilizing ab initio calculations with the MP2/6-31G* basis set and the three rotational constants, r0 structural parameters are estimated. Also, the barriers to conformer interconversion have been calculated with the RHF/3-21G, RHF/6-31G*, and MP2/6-31G* basis sets. All of these results have been compared to the similar quantities of some corresponding molecules.
Buber, Heschel, and Heidegger: Two Jewish Existentialists Confront a Great German Existentialist

This article briefly explores the relationships of existential-theological philosophers Martin Buber and Abraham Heschel with the existential philosopher Martin Heidegger. In particular, the article focuses on the sensitive subject as to how Buber and Heschel related to Heidegger in the aftermath of his affiliation with National Socialism. The author, who knew both Buber and Heschel quite intimately, concludes that although Buber and Heschel had modestly differing responses to Heidegger in the aftermath of World War II, they both converged with respect to his egregious past, and the questions it raised for his philosophy.
Coherence and intersymbol interference in digital fiber optic communication systems

Because of the quadratic relation between optical power and optical field, the transmission of optical power through an optical fiber is, in principle, nonlinear. Under usual conditions, random fluctuations of the incoherent source field and mode mixing tend to linearize the system. Previous assessments of the effect of intersymbol interference (ISI) on the performance of digital fiber optical communication systems are based on the assumption of linearity. This paper examines the effect of ISI on error rates in the other limit of complete coherence where fields are additive but powers are not. It is found that in this nonlinear regime and for weak dispersion, ISI may reduce the error rates slightly, whereas strong dispersion augments it considerably.
A simulation approach to the comparative analysis of various job scheduling methods

Abstract A simulation approach to the comparative analysis of different job scheduling methods with regard to CPU efficiency, the job throughput, and the job waiting time is presented. The job-processing simulation model is implemented in PL/1. In order to consider several possible dynamic situations for the job-scheduling methods, we simulated the job starting from its entry at the RJE (remote job entry) terminal until the job leaves the system, which includes an IBM 370/158 and AMDAHL 470 V/7. In particular, a Fourier series is used to predict the required CPU time for the job and to assign dynamically the internal priority for CPU scheduling. A detailed summary of conclusions that can be drawn from the simulation is given.
The Complete Campylobacter jejuni Transcriptome during Colonization of a Natural Host Determined by RNAseq

Campylobacter jejuni is a major human pathogen and a leading cause of bacterial derived gastroenteritis worldwide. C. jejuni regulates gene expression under various environmental conditions and stresses, indicative of its ability to survive in diverse niches. Despite this ability to highly regulate gene transcription, C. jejuni encodes few transcription factors and its genome lacks many canonical transcriptional regulators. High throughput deep sequencing of mRNA transcripts (termed RNAseq) has been used to study the transcriptome of many different organisms, including C. jejuni; however, this technology has yet to be applied to defining the transcriptome of C. jejuni during in vivo colonization of its natural host, the chicken. In addition to its use in profiling the abundance of annotated genes, RNAseq is a powerful tool for identifying and quantifying, as-of-yet, unknown transcripts including non-coding regulatory RNAs, 5' untranslated regulatory elements, and anti-sense transcripts. Here we report the complete transcriptome of C. jejuni during colonization of the chicken cecum and in two different in vitro growth phases using strand-specific RNAseq. Through this study, we identified over 250 genes differentially expressed in vivo in addition to numerous putative regulatory RNAs, including trans-acting non-coding RNAs and anti-sense transcripts. These latter potential regulatory elements were not identified in two prior studies using ORF-based microarrays, highlighting the power and value of the RNAseq approach. Our results provide new insights into how C. jejuni responds and adapts to the cecal environment and reveals new functions involved in colonization of its natural host.
Wireless Cities: Local Governments' Involvement in the Shaping of Wi-Fi Networks

This study examines the role of local government in the deployment of municipal Wi-Fi networks from the perspective of path dependency and social shaping of technology. By employing a case study method, the study investigated ways in which municipal networks in three cities in the United States were constructed and operated. The study found that the technology models developed from each city's past experiences in communication technologies played an essential role in the rollout of the current Wi-Fi networks. It also uncovered that social and political factors accounted for the different characteristics of each city's network implementation.
Dose-dependent effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on synaptic plasticity and learning in mature offspring.

Background We have observed profound deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and one-trial learning in offspring whose mothers drank moderate quantities of ethanol during pregnancy. In the present study, we examined the question of whether lower maternal blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) could produce functional deficits in offspring. Methods Rat dams consumed either a 2%, 3%, or 5% ethanol liquid diet throughout gestation. Three other groups of dams were pair-fed a 0% ethanol liquid diet, and a seventh group consumed lab chow ad libitum. Adult offspring from each diet group were assigned either to studies of evoked [3H]-D-aspartate (D-ASP) release from hippocampal slices or spatial learning studies using the Morris Water Task. Results Consumption of the 2%, 3%, and 5% ethanol liquid diets produced mean peak maternal BECs of 7, 30 and 83 mg/dL, respectively. Consumption of these ethanol diets had no effect on offspring birthweight, litter size or neonatal mortality. Likewise, evoked D-ASP release from hippocampal slices and performance on a standard version of the Morris Water Task were not affected by prenatal ethanol exposure. By contrast, activity-dependent potentiation of evoked D-ASP release from slices and one-trial learning on a “moving platform” version of the Morris Water Task were markedly reduced in offspring whose mothers consumed the 5% ethanol liquid diet. Intermediate deficits in these two parameters were observed in offspring from the 3% ethanol diet group, whereas offspring from the 2% ethanol diet group were not statistically different than controls. Conclusions We conclude that the threshold for eliciting subtle, yet significant learning deficits in offspring prenatally exposed to ethanol is less than 30 mg/dL. This BEC is roughly equivalent to drinking 1 to 1.5 ounces of ethanol per day.