cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A nutrient-permeable channel on the intraerythrocytic malaria parasite

During its 48-hour cycle inside the red blood cell, the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, increases its volume 25-fold and divides asexually. This rapid growth demands large amounts of nutrients, a problem exacerbated by the lower metabolic rate and relative ionic impermeability of the host red blood cell. Direct passage of small nutrients across the two membranes that separate the parasite from the erythrocyte cytosol may be important for parasite development and has been demonstrated for radiolabelled glucose, amino acids, and purine nucleosides. Flux studies on plasmodia are limited, however, to suspensions of erythrocyte-free parasites and so cannot be used to examine the individual transport properties of the two membranes involved. Here we use the cell-attached patch clamp method to overcome this limitation. After removing the intervening red blood cell membrane and forming gigaohm seals on the small (3-5 microns) parasite, we studied transport across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), the outer of the two membranes that separate the parasite from the erythrocyte cytosol. A 140-pS channel which is permeable to both cations and anions was identified on the PVM. This channel is present at high density, is open more than 98 per cent of the time at the resting potential of the PVM, and is permeable to lysine and glucuronate. The channel can readily transport amino acids and monosaccharides across the PVM and may be essential for fulfilling the parasite's metabolic demands.
The Robustness of Learning about the Trustworthiness of Other People

A single behavioral statement about a person is sufficient to form trustworthiness associations with the person's face. In three experiments, we tested the limits of these associative processes. Participants were presented with 100 to 500 face-behavior pairs (intermixed with place images so that all participants saw 500 images and descriptions) and then judged a subset of the faces. Participants rated faces paired with positive behaviors as more trustworthy than faces paired with negative behaviors. This effect was as strong after 100 as after 400 face-behavior pairs (Experiment 1). In subsequent experiments, we tested whether similar associative effects could be obtained for places (Experiment 2) and competence-related behaviors (Experiment 3). Although we expected that the associative effects would be stronger for faces than places and for morality- than competence-related behaviors, we obtained similar effects. The findings suggest that trustworthiness associations are based on global affect-based infe...
The Constitutionality of the Inevitable Regulations of All Tax Return Preparers

Complying with the labyrinthine federal tax code is a complicated business. Each year millions of Americans must present to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a sincere and accurate statement of their income, applicable deductions and exemptions, and the total tax owed or refund claimed. Failure to do so potentially results in stringent and expensive penalties. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that the professionals or other individuals who assist these millions of Americans in preparing their tax returns be knowledgeable, careful and honest. However, studies show that many tax return preparers are operating outside an acceptable standard of professional responsibility. Although the IRS maintains strict regulation of certain kinds of tax preparers via the famous “Circular 230,” until recently a large industry of unregistered tax preparers has operated largely unrestricted. This paper examines the contextual evolution of the IRS’s regulation of unregistered tax preparers, including its historical exercise of judicial and statutory remedies, the extension in 2011 of Circular 230’s application to all tax return preparers and the objections to regulation raised by some unregistered tax preparers and their supporters. In light of the strong arguments in favor of regulation, this paper concludes that the IRS’s ultimate regulation of all tax return preparers is basically inevitable.
STEM-07EXPOSING GLIOBLASTOMA STEM CELLS TO LEVETIRACETAM RESULTS IN AN ALTERED MOLECULAR PROGRAM

Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are widely accepted as key players in glioblastoma (GBM) pathogenesis. Levetiracetam is extensively used for both prevention and therapy of seizures in GBM and also reported to inhibit glioma cell proliferation. However, its global impact on expression profiles specifically in GSC is unknown. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of Levetiracetam on the expression profiles and cellular properties of GSCs. Total RNA from two independent GSC lines after Levetiracetam exposure was used for mRNA and miRNA expression profiling by microarrays. Gene ontology (GO) and ingenuity pathway analyses (IPA) of differentially expressed genes including miRNAs were used to uncover altered pathways. Additionally, the impact of Levetiracetam on cellular properties such as self-renewal (limiting dilution assay), differentiation (neural lineage marker analysis), proliferation (BrdU labeling), and invasion (Boyden chamber assays) was studied. Exposure to Levetiracetam altered expression profiles of GSCs. Gene ontology (GO) and ingenuity pathway analyses (IPA) of significantly altered genes in Levetiracetam treated cells show multiple cellular functions being potentially affected. Further, in vitro experiments such as self-renewal, differentiation, proliferation and migration/invasion assays indeed showed a significant impact on cellular behavior upon treatment of GSCs with Levetiracetam. In this pre-clinical study we uncovered the impact of Levetiracetam on the expression profiles of GSC, which alters the behavior of GSCs. These molecular findings bare potential to significantly impact GBM patient care by optimizing the established therapy with Levetiracetam.
Computer Simulation of Strain Energy and Surface- and Interface-Energy on Grain Growth in Thin Films

We have simulated strain energy effects and surface- and interface-energy effects on grain growth in thin films, using properties of polycrystalline Ag (p-Ag) on single crystal (001) Ni on (001) MgO for comparison with experiments. Surface- and interface-energy and strain energy reduction drive the growth of grains of specific crystallographic orientations. The texture that will result when grain growth has occurred minimizes the sum of these driving forces. In the elastic regime, strain energy density differences result from the orientation dependence of the elastic constants of the biaxially strained films. In the plastic regime, strain energy also depends on grain diameter and film thickness. In p-Ag/(001) Ni, surface- and interface-energy minimization favors Ag grains with (11) texture. In the absence of a grain growth stagnation, the texture at later times is always (111). However, for high enough strains and large enough thicknesses, the strain energy driving force can favor a (001) texture at early times, which reverts to a (111) texture at later times, once the grains have yielded.
Variation in interferon production by polyoma virus strains of differing oncogenicity.

SummaryInterferon production in mouse embryo fibroblast cultures infected with the highly oncogenic S variant and the poorly oncogenic M variant of polyoma virus has been studied. Infection of cultures by the M variant was associated with a 4-fold or greater production of interferon by the infected cells. Cultures infected with the S variant, however, produced higher titers of virus. These results may explain several findings such as the differing plaque size of polyoma virus variants of high and low oncogenicity, and suggest a possible relationship between the differing oncogenicity in mice of these virus strains and the variation in interferon production caused by infection of mouse embryo fibroblast cultures by them.
Use of porous web tape for new type coil construction

The demand for higher reliability electric and electronic components has increased the usage of impregnated coils. This paper describes a new mold-free encapsulation process based on a porous web pressure-sensitive adhesive tape being used both as interlayer insulation and coil cover, that can be applied efficiently with semi-automatic taping machines. The economies gained by utilizing this system should expand the use of impregnated coils to those areas where the quality advantages of an encapsulated system are desirable; yet, the cost has been prohibitive.
Mycoplasma: nutritional studies of laboratory strains.

Growth of 12 laboratory strains of Mycoplasma isolated from cattle, chicken, goat, man and sewage were studied on 20 different solid mediums and 9 liquid mediums. Growth on solid mediums was evaluated on the basis of appearance of visible colonies, while growth in liquid mediums was determined by light transmission technique. A solid medium of Bacto PPLO agar + Bacto PPLO serum fraction (1 %) + horse blood (5 %), and 0.005 % of 8 nucleosides (adenosine, cytidine, guanosine, deoxyadenosine, deoxycytidine, deoxyguanosine, thymidine, and uridine) was unsurpassed by any other medium. Studies of atmospheric requirements demonstrated that all strains grew in jars containing either air or nitrogen (100 %). One strain preferred an atmosphere with 10 % CO2, while 3 strains were inhibited by this concentration of carbon dioxide.
Phase Equilibria in the Plutonium-Cerium-Copper System

The equilibrium phase diagram of the plutonium-cerium-copper system is presented, based on data obtained by differential thermal analysis, metallography and electron-microprobe x-ray analysis. Liqu...
High-Resolution MR Imaging and US Anatomy of the Thumb

Despite having many unique anatomic features relative to the other digits, the thumb has received little attention in the radiology literature. The thumb, with its opposable and prehensile abilities, enables fine manual dexterity. However, most radiologists have little familiarity with the structures that allow these dynamic movements, other than their recognition of the role of the ulnar collateral ligament in the setting of gamekeeper injury. High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging allows optimal assessment of the intricate soft-tissue anatomy of the thumb, which enables thumb flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. Ultrasonography is a readily available, inexpensive tool that can supplement MR imaging in the evaluation of juxta-articular soft-tissue anatomy. Both imaging modalities are extremely useful for identifying the key ligaments responsible for stabilizing the first carpometacarpal and metacarpophalangeal joints. MR imaging is particularly important in assessment of these ligaments in both normal and trauma settings, which is essential for not only recognizing acute injuries but also becoming familiar with the morphologic variations that are potential pitfalls. To accurately and confidently diagnose abnormalities of these small soft-tissue structures, radiologists must have a clear understanding of the complexities associated with imaging the normal thumb anatomy. ©RSNA, 2016.
Urbanism and the Rise of Complex Society and the Early State in Egypt

By ca. 3050 B.C. the Early Dynastic state had emerged in Egypt, controlling much of the Nile Valley from the Delta to the First Cataract at Aswan—over 1000 km upriver. This was a centrally controlled polity ruled by a (god-) king from the newly founded capital of Memphis in the north, near Saqqara. Archaeological evidence for state control consists of the names (serekhs) of First Dynasty kings on pots, seals, tags (originally attached to containers), and other artifacts found at major Early Dynastic sites in Egypt. Such evidence also suggests a state taxation system in place in the early dynasties, and large quantities of goods and materials marshalled and controlled by the state. The early state in Egypt was highly stratified, with the king at the top of the social pyramid; evidence for such social stratification comes from the highly differentiated burials of this period found throughout Egypt.
Development and Validation of the Pretending Orgasm Reasons Measure

Pretending orgasm is a widespread phenomenon, reported by both men and women. We report here on the development of a new measure to assess reasons for pretending. In three studies, using large diverse samples, we obtained a comprehensive list of reasons for pretending orgasms (Study 1; N = 46) and conducted both exploratory (Study 2; N = 416) and confirmatory (Study 3; N = 1010) factor analyses identifying six reasons for pretending an orgasm: feels good, for partner, not into sex, manipulation/power, insecurity, and emotional communication. Sexual dysfunction was correlated with frequency of pretending orgasms for reasons such as insecure, not into sex, for partner, and emotional communication. Usefulness for future research and clinical implications are discussed.
Ghost Patches: Fake Patches for Fake Vulnerabilities

Offensive and defensive players in the cyber security sphere constantly react to either party’s actions. This reactive approach works well for attackers but can be devastating for defenders. This approach also models the software security patching lifecycle. Patches fix security flaws, but when deployed, can be used to develop malicious exploits.
A degradation function consistent with Cocks–Ashby porosity kinetics

The load carrying capacity of ductile materials degrades as a function of porosity, stress state and strain-rate. The effect of these variables on porosity kinetics is captured by the Cocks–Ashby model; however, the Cocks–Ashby model does not account for material degradation directly. This work uses a yield criteria to form a degradation function that is consistent with Cocks–Ashby porosity kinetics and is a function of porosity, stress state and strain-rate dependence. Approximations of this degradation function for pure hydrostatic stress states are also explored.
Spatial Structure of Ion Beams in an Expanding Plasma

We report spatially resolved perpendicular and parallel, to the magnetic field, ion velocity distribution function (IVDF) measurements in an expanding argon helicon plasma. The parallel IVDFs, obtained through laser induced fluorescence (LIF), show an ion beam with v ≈ 8000 m/s flowing downstream and confined to the center of the discharge. The ion beam is measurable for tens of centimeters along the expansion axis before the LIF signal fades, likely a result of metastable quenching of the beam ions. The parallel ion beam velocity slows in agreement with expectations for the measured parallel electric field. The perpendicular IVDFs show an ion population with a radially outward flow that increases with distance from the plasma axis. Structures aligned to the expanding magnetic field appear in the DC electric field, the electron temperature, and the plasma density in the plasma plume. These measurements demonstrate that at least two-dimensional and perhaps fully three-dimensional models are needed to accur...
Learning Antecedent Structures for Event Coreference Resolution

The vast majority of existing work on learning-based event coreference resolution has employed the so-called mentionpair model, which is a binary classifier that determines whether two event mentions are coreferent. Though conceptually simple, this model is known to suffer from several major weaknesses. Rather than making pairwise local decisions, we view event coreference as a structured prediction task, where we propose a probabilistic model that selects an antecedent for each event mention in a given document in a collective manner. Our model achieves the best results reported to date on the new KBP 2016 English and Chinese event coreference resolution datasets.
Double Jeopardy and Compound Offenses: A Functional Test

Supreme Court double jeopardy jurisprudence is, to put it mildly, contradictory and confusing. The Court has frequently and dramatically altered its definition of the "same offense" test, in part due to a disagreement regarding whether the clause should limit the legislative as well as executive branch. An issue the Court has yet to resolve is how to define "same offense" in the context of compound criminal statutes, such as RICO and CCE, that require completed predicate crimes. None of the "same offense" tests developed by the Court or commentators are helpful. Given the two all-or-nothing categories -- offenses are either the same or not the same, the Court will either ban all successive prosecutions of compound offenses and their predicates, even where such offenses could not possibly have been joined, or allow all successive prosecutions of compound offenses and their predicates, even where such offenses are intentionally separated to harass the defendant. Framer's intent is unhelpful in deciding between these two options, as the drafters of the clause could not have anticipated the numerous overlapping offenses now common in modern criminal law. Our solution, focusing on the values underlying the clause, suggests a third category of compound criminal offenses that are sometimes the same as their predicates and sometimes not. This new category, and its accompanying new functional "same offense" test, has become necessary to preserve double jeopardy interests in finality and protection against governmental overreaching, given the radically changed criminal law landscape. Our functional test considers the prosecutor's reasons for bringing successive prosecutions, drawing from the presumptions that arise in prosecutorial vindictiveness jurisprudence and the procedures used in Kastigar immunity hearings. The defendant receives the benefit of a presumption of a double jeopardy bar by establishing successive prosecutions for a compound offense and any other offenses which were or could have been charged as predicates. The prosecutor must then rebut the presumption by showing an acceptable reasons for the separation. A preliminary list of acceptable reasons include (1) that the additional elements giving rise to the second charge had not yet occurred; (2) the discovery of inculpatory evidence that no governmental actor had previously uncovered despite the exercise of due diligence; (3) the filing of the second charge at the time of the first prosecution would have endanger the physical safety of an informant or compromised an ongoing investigation; and (4) the inability to meet constitutional venue requirements. Unacceptable reasons, admitted to by many prosecutors in our informal survey, include (1) a desire to find a jury that will convict rather than acquit; (2) a desire for a second conviction and/or harsher sentence; (3) the inexperience of the prosecutor making the initial charging decision; and (4) the public's demand for additional charges.
Linear invariant tensor interpolation applied to cardiac diffusion tensor MRI

Purpose: Various methods exist for interpolating diffusion tensor fields, but none of them linearly interpolate tensor shape attributes. Linear interpolation is expected not to introduce spurious changes in tensor shape. Methods: Herein we define a new linear invariant (LI) tensor interpolation method that linearly interpolates components of tensor shape (tensor invariants) and recapitulates the interpolated tensor from the linearly interpolated tensor invariants and the eigenvectors of a linearly interpolated tensor. The LI tensor interpolation method is compared to the Euclidean (EU), affine-invariant Riemannian (AI), log-Euclidean (LE) and geodesic-loxodrome (GL) interpolation methods using both a synthetic tensor field and three experimentally measured cardiac DT-MRI datasets. Results: EU, AI, and LE introduce significant microstructural bias, which can be avoided through the use of GL or LI. Conclusion: GL introduces the least microstructural bias, but LI tensor interpolation performs very similarly and at substantially reduced computational cost.
Endocytosis at the apical plasma membrane of pancreatic acinar cells is regulated by tyrosine kinases

We have shown that endocytosis at the apical plasma membrane of pancreatic acinar cells is regulated by the pH of the acinar lumen and is associated with cleavage of GP2, a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored protein. The aim of this study was to determine the transduction pathway by which endocytosis is activated. Apical endocytosis was studied in rat pancreatic acini by prestimulation with cholecystokinin followed by measurement of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) uptake. Lanthanum, staurosporine, and forskolin had no effect on HRP uptake. Cytochalasin D significantly inhibited endocytosis, indicating a dependence on actin filament integrity. Genistein and the specific tyrphostin inhibitor B42 also inhibited HRP uptake, implicating tyrosine kinases in the regulation of HRP uptake. With the use of an Src kinase-specific substrate, Src kinase activity was temporally related to activation of endocytosis. The tyrosine-dependent phosphorylation of an 85-kDa substrate in both rat and mouse pancreatic acini correlated with Src kinase activation and pH-dependent regulation of HRP uptake. These results indicate that apical endocytosis in acinar cells is associated with tyrosine kinase activation and is dependent on the actin cytoskeleton.
The Cost of 'Empty Words': A Comment on the Justice Department’s Libya Opinion

The April 1, 2011 opinion of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) presents three main arguments in seeking to justify the constitutionality of the U.S. use of force against Libya. (1) The President has a “broad constitutional power” to order the use of force without congressional approval, OLC claims, particularly when the given use of force isn’t really a war. (2) The existence of a United Nations Security Council resolution expands that power because the President has a responsibility to preserve the Council’s credibility and to ensure that its edicts do not turn out to be “empty words.” (3) In any event, Congress has allowed the President to undertake this action through the War Powers Resolution, which permits him to use force for us to 60 days without specific, advance approval. I suggest in this paper that none of these claims is convincing, and I conclude with some thoughts about OLC’s concern about empty words.
LEUKAPHERESIS OF CANCER PATIENTS FOR ADOPTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses results of experiments undertaken to study leukapheresis of cancer patients for adoptive immunotherapy. The chapter states that adoptive immunotherapy utilizing lymphoid cells obtained from putatively “cured” cancer patients requires the use of large numbers of lymphocytes. During the tests, there were four groups of donors including: (1) a control group of 10 normal volunteers who did not undergo leukapheresis; (2) a sham leukapheresis group of four normal volunteers who underwent leukapheresis during which all blood elements were continuously re-infused; 3) a normal donor group of 13 normal volunteers who underwent leukapheresis; and (4) a group of cancer patients who underwent leukapheresis. It was observed that the fall in lymphocyte counts of normal donors was transient and returned to pre-leukapheresis values within 24 h. Lymphocyte counts fell below the range of control donors in only two of nine cancer patients, suggesting either: (1) a rapid exchange of lymphocytes between the recirculating lymphocyte pool (RLP) and the blood lymphocyte pool (BLP); (2) increase in RLP due to immunotherapy, or (3) increased mobilization of cells from lymphoid organs following administration of anticoagulants.
A Halo Occupation Interpretation of Quasars at z ∼ 1.5 Using Very Small-Scale Clustering Information

We combine the most precise small scale ($ 1\, \rm h^{-1}Mpc$) from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) to better constrain the satellite fraction of quasars at $z\sim 1.5$ in the halo occupation formalism. We build our Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) framework based on commonly used analytic forms for the one and two-halo terms with two free parameters: the minimum halo mass that hosts a central quasar and the fraction of satellite quasars that are within one halo. Inspired by recent studies that propose a steeper density profile for the dark matter haloes that host quasars, we explore HOD models at kiloparsec scales and best-fit parameters for models with $10\times$ higher concentration parameter. We find that an HOD model with a satellite fraction of $f_{\rm sat} = 0.071_{-0.004}^{+0.009}$ and minimum mass of $\rm M_{m} = 2.31_{-0.38}^{+0.41} \times 10^{12}\, \, \rm h^{-1} M_{\odot}$ for the host dark matter haloes best describes quasar clustering (on all scales) at $z \sim 1.5$. Our results are marginally inconsistent with earlier work that studied brighter quasars, hinting at a luminosity-dependence to the one-halo term.
CHAPTER 38 – Agonist Binding Domains of Glutamate Receptors: Structure and Function

The architecture of both families of glutamate-activated signaling proteins differs from that for other ligand-gated ion channels, on the one hand, and the majority of G-protein-coupled receptors, on the other. In both cases, a distinguishing feature of glutamate receptors is the structure that generates the agonist binding site. This domain shares homology with a large family of bacterial periplasmic binding proteins, a number of which have been crystallized. In these bacterial proteins, ligands bind in a cleft between two globular domains connected by beta strands. The binding of ligand stabilizes a closed cleft conformation in which the faces of each domain make contact with each other, while in the absence of ligand the domains assume an open clamshell-like conformation. In the case of glutamate receptors, which are thought to assemble as tetramers for the ion channel family and as dimers for the G-protein-coupled family, each subunit contains a complete copy of an agonist binding domain. Thus, there are four agonist binding sites per glutamate receptor ion channel and two agonist binding sites per G-protein receptor dimer. This understanding of the organization of the architecture of glutamate receptor channels emerged only recently and was brought into focus by the solution of crystal structures for the ligand binding domains of two ion channels and a G-protein-coupled glutamate receptor.
Visual Programming and Interactive Learning Based Dynamic Instructional Approaches to Teach an Introductory Programming Course

This Research to Practice Full Paper presents our experience in teaching an introductory programming course in Python by using a visual programming development environment based on flow-charts and active learning with an interactive eBook. The field of computer science education is always being challenged with the high attrition rates despite the ever growing industry demand for computing expertise. The lower rate of student retention is often associated with considerable dropout and failure rates in introductory programming courses during the freshmen year. The main challenge is getting students to write meaningful programs in a short time by focusing more on computational thinking principles and less on language details at that point in time. Nowadays, most students prefer to be engaged and discover course content through exploration, interaction, and collaboration that is relevant, useful, and fun compared to traditional blackboard-based lecturing styles. For evaluation of learning outcomes based on the quantifiable criteria with robust statistical analysis, eleven sections of the course over three semesters were considered. The initial evaluation of summative assessment and analysis of a survey result enable us to conclude that the proposed instructional approach increases student engagement, facilitate learning and contribute to the progress of students in this course.
Average Operative Times for 1,313 Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty and 1,300 Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty Over 39 Months Are Roughly Equal to Medicare Attributed Operative Times.

Abstract Background Primary arthroplasty current procedural terminology codes have been proposed for reexamination due to concern that the intraservice skin-to-skin time is overestimated at 100 minutes. We sought to determine actual intraservice times for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods We queried hospital administrative databases to determine average intraservice times for 4 fellowship-trained arthroplasty surgeons at an urban, academic institution. Results There were 1313 primary THA performed over the study period. The mean intraservice time was 102 minutes (standard deviation 26 minutes). There were no consistent trends over time. There were 1300 primary TKA performed over the study period. The mean intraservice time was 116 minutes (standard deviation 25 minutes). There were no consistent trends over time. Conclusions We found an average operative time that was very close to the current benchmarked times for THA and 16% longer than the benchmarked times for TKA. The incentives of for-profit insurance companies and third-party organizations must be considered when considering requests for a rereview of the physician work and carefully weighed against real data, such as presented here, and the impact on access to care for patients.
Inside Project Brainwave's Cloud-Scale, Real-Time AI Processor

Growing computational demands from deep neural networks (DNNs), coupled with diminishing returns from general-purpose architectures, have led to a proliferation of Neural Processing Units (NPUs). This paper describes the Project Brainwave NPU (BW-NPU), a parameterized microarchitecture specialized at synthesis time for convolutional and recurrent DNN workloads. The BW-NPU deployed on an Intel Stratix 10 280 FPGA achieves sustained performance of 35 teraflops at a batch size of 1 on a large recurrent neural network (RNN).
Ecological Research for Studies of Violence: A Methodological Guide

Ecological research is important to the study of violence in communities. The phrases "ecological research" and "ecologic study" describe those research studies that use grouped or geographic units of analysis, such as zip codes, cities, or states. This type of research allows for the investigation of group-level effects and can be inexpensive and relatively quick to conduct if the researcher uses existing data. And, importantly, ecological studies are an efficient means for hypothesis generation prior to, and can be used to justify, costlier individual-level studies. Ecological research designs may be employed to study violence outcomes when the research question is at the population level, either for theoretical reasons, or when an exposure or intervention is at the population level, or when individual-level studies are not feasible; however, ecological research results must not be used to make individual-level inferences. This article will discuss reasons to conduct ecological-level research, guidelines for choosing the ecological unit of analysis, frequently used research designs, common limitations of ecological research, including the ecological fallacy, and issues to consider when using existing data.
Organizational Motivations for Green Practices in Casual Restaurants

Even though the restaurant industry uses vast amounts of resources, a paucity of research exists that discusses restaurant sustainability issues from the supply point of view. This study surveys ca...
Study on the degradation of wire bonding wedges and a proposed method for the prolongation of wedge service life

Bonding wedges are one of the most important tools in wire bonding process. The performance of bonding wedge determines the flexibility, reliability, cost of bonding process. The degradation of bonding wedges occurs frequently during bonding process which results in bonding failure and reliability problems. In this paper, common bonding tools were introduced. The degradation phenomenon of bonding wedges were studied using repeated experiments. The resultant on wedge tip induced degradation was analyzed. A cleaning tool tray and an ultrasonic cleaning method using sodium hydroxide were proposed to remove the resultant. The results showed that the degradation without obvious wear on wedge tip was caused by the resultant containing additional silicon which came from gold wire. By using cleaning process when degradation occurred due to resultant, the wedge could work properly until wear by nature.
An Overview of Digital Health in the Transition of Pediatric to Adult Epilepsy Care

Children with epilepsy often have impairments in cognitive and behavioral functioning which may hinder socio-occupational well-being as they reach adulthood. Adolescents with epilepsy have the added worry of health problems while starting the transition from family-centered pediatric care into largely autonomous adult care. If this transition is not appropriately planned and resourced, it may result in medical mistrust, nonadherence, and worsening biopsychosocial health as an adult. In recent years, there has been increased availability of digital health solutions that may be used during this stark change in care and treating teams. The digital health landscape includes a wide variety of technologies meant to address challenges faced by patients, caregivers, medical professionals, and health care systems. These technologies include mobile health products and wearable devices (e.g., seizure monitors and trackers, smartphone passive data collection), digital therapeutics (e.g., cognitive/behavioral health management; digital speech–language therapy), telehealth services (e.g., teleneurology visits), and health information technology (e.g., electronic medical records with patient portals). Such digital health solutions may empower patients in their journey toward optimal brain health during the vulnerable period of pediatric to adult care transition. Further research is needed to validate and measure their impact on clinical outcomes, health economics, and quality of life.
Clinical pain, pain catastrophizing, and sleep quality in Ethnic/Race Groups with or at risk for Knee Osteoarthritis: A moderated mediation model

Cognitive and behavioral factors are known to contribute to painful knee osteoarthritis (OA), including poor sleep quality and pain catastrophizing. The overall aim of this study was to further elucidate the relationships among knee pain, pain catastrophizing, and sleep quality in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) adults with/at risk for knee OA. Our overall hypothesis is that pain catastrophizing disrupts sleep, which subsequently exacerbates knee pain severity. We also hypothesized that these associations would differ by ethnic/race group. We conducted a cross-sectional study of adults with/at risk for knee OA using community and clinic-based recruitment from two study sites both in the Southeastern United States. All participants (N = 171) provided sociodemographic data before completing the following validated measures: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Coping Strategies Questionnaire (for pain catastrophizing), and PROMIS Depression items. Mean age was 58 years; 52% were NHB and 48% NWH. Controlling for age, BMI, education, gender, and depression, results revealed that ethnic/race group significantly moderated the association between pain catastrophizing and sleep quality (p = .025). Greater pain catastrophizing was associated with poorer sleep quality for NHW (p = .003), but not NHB (p = .684) participants. Accordingly, sleep quality was found to significantly mediate the association between pain catastrophizing and knee pain severity for NHW (confidence interval .0705 to .5988), but not NHB (confidence interval -.1526 to .2113). Findings suggest that pain catastrophizing promotes poor sleep, and poor sleep, in turn, promotes knee pain severity in NHW with/at risk for knee OA. Interestingly, pain catastrophizing may have a greater impact on the sleep quality of NHW compared to NHB peers. Future studies should evaluate protective factors in NHB populations that may explain the reduced impact of pain catastrophizing on sleep quality. R37AG033906-11.
The Consumer Surplus and the Unit of Measurement

In this note, we review estimating the consumer surplus for a good or service using linear or Tobit regression. Assuming the consumer surplus is found using one of these models, we prove a theorem that if the price quoted and quantity purchased change inversely, then the consumer surplus does not. Finally, we demonstrate the theorem using an abstract example with sample data.
The Fifty Percent Divorce Rate: Deconstructing a Myth

An overview of competing perceptions about divorce in the United States establishes the basis for a discussion of the incidence of divorce, divorce rates, and the public myth of a 50 percent divorce rate. A partial explanation for the acceptance of this myth is offered through a discussion of the salience of attitude as well as other public issues
Diagnosis of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

The accurate diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) helps identify those in need of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. Conversely, ruling out EPI identifies those in which additional evaluation should be pursued to explain their symptoms. There are many available tests that can be used to diagnose EPI; however, the tests must be tailored to each clinical scenario. Tests that are convenient but less accurate (e.g., fecal elastase-1, qualitative fecal fat determination) are best suited for patients with a high pretest probability of EPI. In contrast, tests that are highly accurate but more cumbersome (e.g., endoscopic pancreatic function testing, 72-h fecal fat collection) are favored in patients suspected to have mild EPI or an early stage of chronic pancreatitis. Additional research is needed to identify a more convenient means of accurately diagnosing at all stages of EPI.
Corn and Soybean Yield Response to Micronutrients in Central Iowa

Introduction Plant nutrients referred to as micronutrients are essential for crops, but are needed in very small amounts. Prior research in Iowa and neighboring states showed inconsistent corn and soybean grain yield responses to micronutrient applications, except for Zn in corn. This report summarizes results of two studies with corn and soybean, one with application to the soil and the other with application to foliage, which were conducted from 2012 through 2014. The micronutrients evaluated were boron (B), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn).
Characterization of 125I-Glucagon Binding in a Solubilized Preparation of Cat Myocardial Adenylate Cyclase FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR A DISSOCIABLE RECEPTOR SITE

Abstract A solubilized preparation of cat myocardium, which contains adenylate cyclase, has been shown to specifically bind biologically active 125I-glucagon. 125I-glucagon binding was observed over the concentration range 1 x 10-7 to 1 x 10-5 m. Unlabeled glucagon displaced 125I-glucagon over a similar concentration range. The binding specificity of this preparation was also shown by the fact that parathyroid hormone did not bind to cardiac receptor sites in this preparation nor did it displace 125I-glucagon from its binding site. The binding of 125I-glucagon at 37 or 25° is linear for approximately 30 min until maximum binding is reached. In contrast, the activation of adenylate cyclase is maximal within 5 min, indicating the presence of additional glucagon binding sites over and above those required for activation of the enzyme. The binding material was stable at 4° for 4 days and indefinitely when stored in liquid nitrogen. Boiling the binding material for 15 min or incubating it with 1 n HCl for 15 min destroyed most of its glucagon-binding ability. Optimal binding was observed over a broad pH range from 3.6 to 8.5, with a decline above pH 9.0. Preincubation of the binding material with trypsin decreased binding about twothirds. Phospholipases A and C, DNase, RNase, neuraminidase, urea (1 m), GTP, and ATP were without effect on the binding. Solubilized myocardial adenylate cyclase has been shown to have a molecular weight of about 100,000 to 200,000. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the crude solubilized preparation incubated with 125I-glucagon suggested a molecular weight for the binding fraction of approximately 26,000. Chromatography of the 125I-glucagon-receptor complex on either Sephadex G-100 or Bio-Gel P-30 produced a dissociation of the receptor from catalytic adenylate cyclase activity, which apparently represents a larger molecular weight component (g 100,000). The 125I-glucagon-receptor complex eluted from the gels at an elution volume consistent with the salt peak. However, this eluate was shown by hydrodynamic flow electrophoresis to be neither free glucagon or iodine. Moreover, when it was subjected to electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, the complex had a molecular weight of about 26,000, identical with what was obtained with the crude material. It appeared, therefore, that the complex of glucagon to its receptor had a strong positive charge which resulted in adsorption of the complex to the gel. Following neutralization of the charge-gel interaction by Sephadex and Bio-Gel chromatography of the 125I-glucagon-receptor complex in 0.01 or 0.025 n NaOH, the binding fraction eluted in a more appropriate location for its apparent size. The property of adsorption to Sephadex G-100 and Bio-Gel P-30 may prove useful in purification of the glucagon receptor site.
A Review of “Sacred Gifts, Profane Pleasures: A History of Tobacco and Chocolate in the Atlantic World”

Given the marked growth of both food studies and Atlantic studies over the past decade, it seems only natural that these two fields should begin to overlap, as they do in historian Marcy Norton's c...
Effects of exercise training on chronic inflammation in obesity : current evidence and potential mechanisms.

Chronic, systemic inflammation is an independent risk factor for several major clinical diseases. In obesity, circulating levels of inflammatory markers are elevated, possibly due to increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from several tissues/cells, including macrophages within adipose tissue, vascular endothelial cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Recent evidence supports that adipose tissue hypoxia may be an important mechanism through which enlarged adipose tissue elicits local tissue inflammation and further contributes to systemic inflammation. Current evidence supports that exercise training, such as aerobic and resistance exercise, reduces chronic inflammation, especially in obese individuals with high levels of inflammatory biomarkers undergoing a longer-term intervention. Several studies have reported that this effect is independent of the exercise-induced weight loss. There are several mechanisms through which exercise training reduces chronic inflammation, including its effect on muscle tissue to generate muscle-derived, anti-inflammatory ‘myokine’, its effect on adipose tissue to improve hypoxia and reduce local adipose tissue inflammation, its effect on endothelial cells to reduce leukocyte adhesion and cytokine production systemically, and its effect on the immune system to lower the number of pro-inflammatory cells and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine production per cell. Of these potential mechanisms, the effect of exercise training on adipose tissue oxygenation is worth further investigation, as it is very likely that exercise training stimulates adipose tissue angiogenesis and increases blood flow, thereby reducing hypoxia and the associated chronic inflammation in adipose tissue of obese individuals.
A monitoring program of interstellar OH and H2O masers

We obtained spectra of a set of interstellar-OH and H2O masers at intervals of a few days to about a week throughout a period of about 5 months. The purpose was to determine whether interstellar scintillation and scattering processes contribute to maser variability. Some OH spectral features clearly varied, but their variation time scales (≈10 days) are inconsistent with interstellar scintillation. In addition to some flares, nearly all spectral features of the H2O masers showed ≈10-50% variations in flux density, with typical time scales of ≈1 month to > 5 months. These H2O feature variations are consistent with refractive interstellar scintillations.
The Prehistory of Missouri.

The Prehistory of Missouri. Michael J. O'Brien and W. Raymond Wood. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1998. 418 pp.
Isolation of the first ferromagnetically coupled Mn(III/IV) complex.

Binuclear manganese complexes Mn2(III/IV)(dtsalpn)2DCBI, 1, Mn2(III/III)(dtsalpn)2HDCBI, 2, containing the ligand dicarboxyimidazole (DCBI) have been prepared in order to address the issue of imidazole bridged and ferromagnetically coupled Mn sites in high oxidation states of the OEC in Photosystem II (PS II). Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility studies of 1 indicates that the interaction between the two Mn(III)/Mn(IV) ions is ferromagnetic (J = + 1.4 cm−1). Variable temperature EPR spectra of 1 shows that a g = 2 multiline is as an excited state signal corresponding to S =1/2.
Intelligent scheduling with tabu search: An application to jobs with linear delay penalties and sequence-dependent setup costs and times

In this article we study thetabu search (TS) method in an application for solving an important class of scheduling problems. Tabu search is characterized by integrating artificial intelligence and optimization principles, with particular emphasis on exploiting flexible memory structures, to yield a highly effective solution procedure. We first discuss the problem of minimizing the sum of the setup costs and linear delay penalties when N jobs, arriving at time zero, are to be scheduled for sequential processing on a continuously available machine. A prototype TS method is developed for this problem using the common approach of exchanging the position of two jobs to transform one schedule into another. A more powerful method is then developed that employs insert moves in combination with swap moves to search the solution space. This method and the best parameters found for it during the preliminary experimentation with the prototype procedure are used to obtain solutions to a more complex problem that considers setup times in addition to setup costs. In this case, our procedure succeeded in finding optimal solutions to all problems for which these solutions are known and a better solution to a larger problem for which optimizing procedures exceeded a specified time limit (branch and bound) or reached a memory overflow (branch and bound/dynamic programming) before normal termination. These experiments confirm not only the effectiveness but also the robustness of the TS method, in terms of the solution quality obtained with a common set of parameter choices for two related but different problems.
Effect of chronic administration of different Bence Jones proteins on rat kidney

Effect of chronic administration of different Bence Jones proteins on rat kidney. The role of Bence Jones proteins (BJPs) in the genesis of the renal dysfunction that develops in patients with multiple myeloma is not clearly defined. We previously evaluated renal function and morphology in a unique strain of rats (LOU/m) bearing tumors which synthesized BJPs with isoelectric points of 5.2, 4.3 and 6.7. Myeloma cast nephropathy developed in one tumor bearing group (pI 5.2), tubular necrosis was observed in another (pI 4.3), and renal function and histology remained normal in a third group (pI 6.7). To see if these renal outcomes were a function of the BJP being excreted or other factors which could be present in the tumor bearing animals, we have examined the effect of chronic intravenous administration of these three BJPs on renal function and histology in non-tumor-bearing LOU/m rats. Urine containing the BJP was collected from tumor bearing rats, sterilized by passage through a 0.2 μ millipore filter, concentrated to 50 mg/ml, and dialyzed extensively so as to remove material with a molecular weight