cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Medium Term: The Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries in Yucatán

The Spanish brought to the Americas a long cultural tradition of conquest, settlement, and subjugation that had been perfected during the centuries long Reconquista. Within the cultures of the New World, they recognized tribute and service systems similar to their own tradition. There was no need to replace or create a new system; instead the Spanish merely co-opted the existing native structures of kin-ordered production and tributary organization to meet their needs. Out of this appropriation grew the coercive institution of the repartimiento, which the Spanish used to draw both goods and native production into capitalist exchange networks. This emerging system of capitalist circulation represented the first stage in the historical articulation of capitalist and noncapitalist modes of production leading to the formation of the hacienda in Yucatan.
(ULTRA)2-HIGH THROUGHPUT GENETIC ANALYSIS USING MICROFABRICATED CAPILLARY ARRAY ELECTROPHORESIS DEVICES

We have developed technologies enabling the next generation in high-throughput electrophoretic genotyping using our rotary confocal scanner. The capabilities of this system are illustrated by (i) a short tandem repeat (STR) DNA genotyping separation performed on a 150-mm diameter, radial 96-lane µCAE microplate in less than 8 minutes, and (ii) the parallel assay of the common H63D mutation in the human HFE gene on a 384-lane, 200-mm diameter microplate in only 7 minutes.
Management of Postprostatectomy Erectile Dysfunction

The concept of early penile rehabilitation following radical prostatectomy started in the 1990s with the evolution of several dynamic themes regarding prostate cancer diagnosis and management. First, with the maturation of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, the detection of lower volume cancers changed the surgical margin rate and the rate of biochemical cures rose substantially, to the 80% to 90% range. The majority of our newly diagnosed tumors were histologic Gleason score 6/7 cancers and were pathologically organ confined. Recent cancer statistics for the year 2006 report that 91% of new prostate cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed at local or regional stages with five-year cancer-specific survivals approaching 100%.1 A second major theme of the 1990s was the substantial drop in patient age at diagnosis due to earlier screening with serum PSA testing and improved office-based ultrasound-guided biopsy techniques. In fact, the largest increase in prostate cancer incidence during the PSA era occurred in men under the age of 65. The Seattle-Puget Sound Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry from 1995 to 1999 reported that 33% of all incident prostate cancer cases are now diagnosed in men under age 652–4 and this figure will invariably be higher in the subsequent five-year report.
Mechanisms of carotid body inhibition.

Some 25 years ago, Neil & O’Regan (1969, 1971) and Fidone & Sato (1970) demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the peripheral cut end of the carotid sinus nerve (CSN) inhibited spontaneous chemoreceptor activity recorded from nerve filaments split off from the main CSN trunk. These findings complemented the contemporary studies of Biscoe & Sampson (1968), who recorded spontaneous centrifugal neural activity from the central stump of the nerve, indicating the likely presence of an efferent or motor pathway in the CSN. Except for the finding that “efferent inhibition” of chemoreceptor discharge was mediated by unmyelinated, or C-fibers (Fidone & Sato, 1970), very little information has been forthcoming regarding the identity of the neurons or their mechanism of action in mediating this physiological phenomenon (O’Regan & Majcherczyk, 1983). McDonald & Mitchell (1981) postulated that efferent inhibition of the chemoreceptors was mediated by antidromic activity in afferent petrosal ganglion neurons, because the inhibitory effects persisted following chronic decentralization and sympathectomy. However, it was later pointed out that these careful surgical procedures would not have eliminated a group of presumptive autonomic neurons, first described by de Castro in 1926, which are present within the carotid body and along the CSN (see O’Regan & Majcherczyk, 1983, for review).
Relationship Between Perceptions of Obesity Causes and Weight Loss Expectations Among Adults.

Abstract Objective To examine relationships between the demographic characteristics of subjects with obesity seeking pharmaceutical-assisted weight loss and their weight loss expectations and perceptions of the causes of their obesity. Methods A total of 225 adults with obesity completed an obesity perceptions questionnaire (OPQ), which included 4 attribution subscales: biological, psychological, environmental, and lifestyle. Relations were analyzed among OPQ subscales, subject characteristics, and self-perceived ideal 12-month weight loss. Results Subjects desired to lose 26.4% (SD, 7.7%) of their body weight (ideal weight loss). Ideal weight loss correlated positively with the OPQ biological subscale (P = .008), body mass index (P .70) only for the psychological subscale. White race (P = .02), married status (P = .01), and high school or higher education (P = .02) were negatively correlated with ideal weight loss. Conclusions and Implications When designing interventions for preventing and treating obesity, patient perceptions should be considered.
Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for gas and brine migration at the waste isolation pilot plant : fully consolidated shaft

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques based on Latin hypercube sampling, partial correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis, and examination of scatterplots are used in conjunction with the BRAGFLO model to examine two-phase flow (i.e., gas and brine) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which is being developed by the US Department of Energy as a disposal facility for transuranic waste, to provide insights on factors that are potentially important in showing compliance with applicable regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Specific regulations include Petitions to Allow Land Disposal of a Waste Prohibited Under Subpart C of Part 268 (40 CFR 268.6), which implements the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and establishes maximum environmental concentrations for regulated chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals, and Environmental Standards for the Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B), which places a probabilistic limit on allowable radioactive releases from a disposal facility over a 10,000-yr time period. The primary topics investigated are (a) gas production due to corrosion of steel, (b) gas production due to microbial degradation of cellulosics, and (c) gas migration into anhydrite marker beds in the Salado Formation,more » which is the host unit into which the waste will be emplaced. Gas production and movement is of particular importance in establishing compliance with 40 CFR 268.6 because of its influence on the movement of VOCs. Important variables identified in the analysis include (a) initial brine saturation of the waste, (b) stoichiometric terms for corrosion of steel and microbial degradation of cellulosics, and (c) gas barrier pressure in the anhydrite marker beds.« less
Adherence to AUA Guidelines for Periprocedural Antibiotics for In-Office Cystoscopy after Implementation of a Simple Quality Improvement Protocol

AbstractIntroduction:AUA guidelines recommend periprocedural antibacterial prophylaxis for high risk patients undergoing in-office cystoscopy. We sought to determine if implementation of a simple q...
Racial and Gender Differences in the Presentation of Pruritus

Background: Pruritus is a common disease symptom with a variety of etiologies known to reduce patient quality of life. We aimed to characterize the racial and gender differences in the presentation of pruritus for itch-related patient visits both within a single institution and nationally. Methods: Cross sectional study of patients ≥ 18 years old seen at Johns Hopkins Health System between 1/1/12 and 1/1/18. Results were compared to data from 2005-2011 from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and the National Health Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Results: Our findings indicate that itch patients at JHHS (n = 18,753) were more likely to be black compared to white patients (37% vs. 19%, p < 0.01) when compared to patients without itch-a trend also noted nationally based on data from NAMCS/NHAMCS (26% vs. 21%, p = 0.05). Black itch patients are also more likely to be diagnosed with prurigo nodularis (OR 2.37, p < 0.0001), lichen planus (OR 1.22, p < 0.0001), and atopic dermatitis OR 1.51, p < 0.0001). Female itch patients are more likely to be diagnosed with autoimmune (OR 1.66, p < 0.0001) and psychiatric comorbidities (OR 1.2-1.8, p < 0.0001) than male itch patients. When compared to black itch patients nationally, white itch patients were more likely to visit a dermatologist (29% vs. 18%, p = 0.028). Our data can identify associated conditions and demographic differences but are unable to support a causal relationship. Conclusions: Black and female patients are more likely to present with pruritus, a symptom associated with comorbidities such as prurigo nodularis, lichen planus, atopic dermatitis, and psychiatric conditions.
Changes in the Fungal Marker β-D-Glucan After Antiretroviral Therapy and Association With Adiposity.

Background Bacterial translocation in HIV is associated with inflammation and metabolic complications; few data exist on the role of fungal translocation. Methods A5260s was a substudy of A5257, a prospective open label randomized trial in which treatment-naive people with HIV (PWH) were randomized to tenofovir-emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) plus atazanavir-ritonavir (ATV/r), darunavir-ritonavir (DRV/r), or raltegravir (RAL) over 96 weeks. Baseline was assessed, and changes in β-D-glucan (BDG) were assessed at weeks 4, 24, and 96. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare distribution shifts in the changes from baseline between treatment arms and linear regression models to assess associations between BDG and measures of inflammation, body composition, and insulin resistance. Results Two hundred thirty-one participants were randomized; 90% were male, the median age was 36 years, HIV-1 RNA was 4.56 log10c/mL, and CD4 cell count was 338 cells/mm3. There was an overall increase in BDG over 96 weeks (1.57 mean fold-change; 95% confidence interval, 1.39 to 1.77) with no differences between arms. Twofold higher BDG levels at week 96 were associated with increases in trunk fat (8%) and total fat (7%) over 96 weeks (P ≤ .035). At week 4, BDG correlated with I-FABP, a marker of enterocyte damage, and zonulin, a marker of intestinal permeability (r = .19-.20; P Conclusions In treatment-naive participants initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) with TDF/FTC and either RAL or ATV/r, DRV/r, BDG, a marker of fungal translocation, increased similarly in all arms over 96 weeks. This may represent continued intestinal damage during ART and resulting fungal translocation. Higher BDG was associated with larger fat gains on ART.
Del higienismo a la acupuntura urbana. Metáforas médicas y urbanismo excluyente en Bogotá

Gran parte de la literatura sobre las politicas urbanas en la Bogota del cambio de siglo —tanto critica como celebratoria— se concentra en caracterizar los cambios en la forma de pensar la ciudad que se dieron en esa epoca. Este articulo busca, en cambio, subrayar las continuidades en la forma de planear la ciudad que han reproducido un urbanismo excluyente. El articulo se centra en las metaforas medicas para entender la intervencion urbana. Mostrando las continuidades del urbanismo excluyente en el urbanismo higienista de comienzos del siglo xx, el modernismo de mediados del siglo y la revitalizacion urbana contemporanea, el articulo muestra como la exclusion reciente en procesos de revitalizacion urbana, de poblaciones consideradas como fuentes de degradacion o enfermedad, tienen antecedentes claros en intervenciones urbanisticas del pasado. Dichas intervenciones tambien usaron metaforas medicas para justificar urbanismos excluyentes. El articulo sugiere que, a pesar de los repetidos fallos para producir la ciudad plani­ficada, los diferentes paradigmas urbanisticos han logrado perpetuar un discurso que aisla areas y poblaciones especificas como focos infecciosos y justifica su exclusion activa en el nombre de proteger la salud y bienestar comun de las areas y poblaciones “sanas”.
NFκB dynamics determine the stimulus-specificity of epigenomic reprogramming in macrophages

Summary The epigenome defines the cell type, but also shows plasticity that enables cells to tune their gene expression potential to the context of extracellular cues. This is evident in immune sentinel cells such as macrophages, which can respond to pathogens and cytokines with phenotypic shifts that are driven by epigenomic reprogramming1. Recent studies indicate that this reprogramming arises from the activity of transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB), which binds not only to available enhancers but may produce de novo enhancers in previously silent areas of the genome2. Here, we show that NFκB reprograms the macrophage epigenome in a stimulus-specific manner, in response only to a subset of pathogen-derived stimuli. The basis for these surprising differences lies in the stimulus-specific temporal dynamics of NFκB activity. Testing predictions of a mathematical model of nucleosome interactions, we demonstrate through live cell imaging and genetic perturbations that NFκB promotes open chromatin and formation of de novo enhancers most strongly when its activity is non-oscillatory. These de novo enhancers result in the activation of additional response genes. Our study demonstrates that the temporal dynamics of NFκB activity, which encode ligand identity3, can be decoded by the epigenome through de novo enhancer formation. We propose a mechanistic paradigm in which the temporal dynamics of transcription factors are a key determinant of their capacity to control epigenomic reprogramming, thus enabling the formation of stimulus-specific memory in innate immune sentinel cells.
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Gail Heriot

On February 19, 2020, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report entitled Free to Learn: Speech and Sexual Harassment on Campus. This individual Commissioner Statement was a part of that report. The Commission originally undertook this project in 2013 in order to examine the Department of Education’s enforcement efforts under Title IX, which at least according to many experts, required colleges and universities to regulate speech on campus in a way that violated the First Amendment. The report faced many delays. One of those delays occurred when President Obama in December of 2016 appointed the then-outgoing Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights to chair the Commission. Since the report was originally intended to examine Title IX enforcement during her tenure as the Department of Education’s chief Title IX enforcement officer, that did not bode well for the report. Not surprisingly, the final version of the report is more laudatory than critical. This short Statement dissents from the report and takes the position that the First Amendment and academic freedom issues raised by the witnesses at the Commission briefing are very real and need to be addressed in a serious manner.
Influence of Powder Type on Aerosol Emissions in Powder-Binder Jetting with Emphasis on Lunar Regolith for In Situ Space Applications

Powder-binder jetting is an additive process with applications for manufacturing complex geometric structures, such as lightweighting, mold making, and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) for space...
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of liver fibrosis and its regression.

Chronic liver injury leads to liver inflammation and fibrosis, through which activated myofibroblasts in the liver secrete extracellular matrix proteins that generate the fibrous scar. The primary source of these myofibroblasts are the resident hepatic stellate cells. Clinical and experimental liver fibrosis regresses when the causative agent is removed, which is associated with the elimination of these activated myofibroblasts and resorption of the fibrous scar. Understanding the mechanisms of liver fibrosis regression could identify new therapeutic targets to treat liver fibrosis. This Review summarizes studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying the reversibility of liver fibrosis, including apoptosis and the inactivation of hepatic stellate cells, the crosstalk between the liver and the systems that orchestrate the recruitment of bone marrow-derived macrophages (and other inflammatory cells) driving fibrosis resolution, and the interactions between various cell types that lead to the intracellular signalling that induces fibrosis or its regression. We also discuss strategies to target hepatic myofibroblasts (for example, via apoptosis or inactivation) and the myeloid cells that degrade the matrix (for example, via their recruitment to fibrotic liver) to facilitate fibrosis resolution and liver regeneration. Chronic liver injury leads to liver inflammation and fibrosis, through which activated myofibroblasts in the liver secrete extracellular matrix proteins that generate the fibrous scar. This Review summarizes studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying liver fibrosis and its reversibility.
Mapping barrier island soil moisture using a radiative transfer model of hyperspectral imagery from an unmanned aerial system

The advent of remote sensing from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has opened the door to more affordable and effective methods of imaging and mapping of surface geophysical properties with many important applications in areas such as coastal zone management, ecology, agriculture, and defense. We describe a study to validate and improve soil moisture content retrieval and mapping from hyperspectral imagery collected by a UAS system. Our approach uses a recently developed model known as the multilayer radiative transfer model of soil reflectance (MARMIT). MARMIT partitions contributions due to water and the sediment surface into equivalent but separate layers and describes these layers using an equivalent slab model formalism. The model water layer thickness along with the fraction of wet surface become parameters that must be optimized in a calibration step, with extinction due to water absorption being applied in the model based on equivalent water layer thickness, while transmission and reflection coefficients follow the Fresnel formalism. In this work, we evaluate the model in both field settings, using UAS hyperspectral imagery, and laboratory settings, using hyperspectral spectra obtained with a goniometer. Sediment samples obtained from four different field sites representing disparate environmental settings comprised the laboratory analysis while field validation used hyperspectral UAS imagery and coordinated ground truth obtained on a barrier island shore during field campaigns in 2018 and 2019. Analysis of the most significant wavelengths for retrieval indicate a number of different wavelengths in the short-wave infra-red (SWIR) that provide accurate fits to measured soil moisture content in the laboratory with normalized root mean square error (NRMSE)< 0.145, while independent evaluation from sequestered test data from the hyperspectral UAS imagery obtained during the field campaign obtained an average NRMSE = 0.169 and median NRMSE = 0.152 in a bootstrap analysis.
A Bit Better? Quantifying Information for Bandit Learning.

The information ratio offers an approach to assessing the efficacy with which an agent balances between exploration and exploitation. Originally, this was defined to be the ratio between squared expected regret and the mutual information between the environment and action-observation pair, which represents a measure of information gain. Recent work has inspired consideration of alternative information measures, particularly for use in analysis of bandit learning algorithms to arrive at tighter regret bounds. We investigate whether quantification of information via such alternatives can improve the realized performance of information-directed sampling, which aims to minimize the information ratio.
Pain as Sign and Symptom: A Semiotic Analysis of Nursing Clinical Practice and Research

Physical pain, far from being a monolithic sensation, is a complex and varied somatic response to trauma or pathophysiology. The body registers pain in response to a threat to bodily wholeness; the patient or clinician interprets pain, seeking to associate the pain with its cause (diagnosis or etiology) in order to undertake a remedy and to predict its future course (prognosis). In nursing clinical practice, where symptom assessment and management are central to the scope of practice, reading pain as sign (the clinician’s empirical observation) or as symptom (an experience reported by the patient) entails complex interpretation and translation of the body’s manifestations. This article will make explicit the semiotic dimensions of nursing pain research (and its concomitant implications for clinical practice) in two cases : Xiaomei Cong’s research into procedural pain in infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and Deborah Dillon McDonald’s research into pain communication between older adults with osteoarthritis or post-surgical pain and their healthcare providers.
Efficiency of Mixed-Element USM3D for Benchmark Three-Dimensional Flows

The unstructured mixed-element cell-centered finite volume flow solver USM3D is enhanced with new capabilities such as line generation for general unstructured grids and optimization of the iterati...
Distributed Data Persistency

Distributed applications such as key-value stores and databases avoid frequent writes to secondary storage devices to minimize performance degradation. They provide fault tolerance by replicating variables in the memories of different nodes, and using data consistency protocols to ensure consistency across replicas. Unfortunately, the reduced data durability guarantees provided can cause data loss or slow data recovery. In this environment, non-volatile memory (NVM) offers the ability to attain both high performance and data durability in distributed applications. However, it is unclear how to tie NVM memory persistency models to the existing data consistency frameworks, and what are the durability guarantees that the combination will offer to distributed applications. In this paper, we propose the concept of Distributed Data Persistency (DDP) model, which is the binding of the memory persistency model with the data consistency model in a distributed system. We reason about the interaction between consistency and persistency by using the concepts of Visibility Point and Durability Point. We design low-latency distributed protocols for DDP models that combine five consistency models with five persistency models. For the resulting DDP models, we investigate the trade-offs between performance, durability, and intuition provided to the programmer.
Trends and determinants of gastric bacterial colonization of preterm neonates in a NICU setting

Background Newborn gastrointestinal (GI) tract is considered sterile but rapidly acquires a diverse microbiota from its intimate environment. Early acquisition of a bacterial species in the upper GI tract may play a role in establishing the colonic microbiota. There is paucity of molecular data on the upper GI tract microbiota in preterm neonates. Methods Gastric aspirates from 22 neonates with an average gestational age 27.7 weeks (±2.8), weighing 973.2 grams (±297.9) admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit were collected prospectively from weeks 1-4 of life. All samples were evaluated for microbiota using 16S rRNA-based Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis. Bacterial species colonization and its association with maternal and neonatal demographics, and neonatal clinical characteristics were analyzed. Results Bacteroides spp. was the predominant species in all four weeks. Bifidobacterium spp. colonization was significantly higher in exclusively breast milk fed compared to partially breast milk (PBM) fed neonates in first (p = 0.03) and third (p = 0.03) week of life. Anaerobic bacteria colonization decreased from first through fourth week of life (p = 0.03). Aerobic bacteria colonization was highly dynamic throughout the four week period. Premature rupture of membrane (p = 0.05) and birth outside of study hospital (p = 0.006) influenced the acquisition of bacteria in the first week of life. Birth weight was positively correlated with total number of bacterial species (p = 0.002) and anaerobes (p = 0.004) in PBM-fed neonates during the fourth week of life. H. pylori and Ureaplasma were not detected in any of our samples. Conclusion Gastric bacterial colonization in preterm neonates is unstable during early weeks of life. Delayed oral feeding and use of antibiotics may be responsible for paucity of bacterial species. Monitoring of the gastric microbiota and concurrent examination of stool microbiota may yield important information on the utility of gastric signature patterns for predicting colon microbiota that may drive GI and immune dysfunctions.
Addressing Behavioral Cancer Risks from a LGBT Health Equity Perspective

Accounting for individual, community, and societal factors, as well as historical context and life-course events, we utilize a Health Equity model to consider behavioral risks and identify social determinants that may influence cancer risks in LGBT populations. Based on data from available research, we provide estimates of the prevalence of behavioral risks in LGBT communities, including excessive drinking and substance abuse, obesity, poor nutrition and diet, and physical inactivity. Both upstream and downstream factors that may elevate such behavioral risks for cancer among LGBT populations, including those unique to particular subgroups, are discussed. Examples of innovative programs and interventions designed for LGBT communities to target cancer-related behavioral risks are briefly described. We conclude with research, practice, and policy recommendations that are needed to promote health equity and reduce the disparate cancer burden in LGBT communities.
The network matching principle: A model of efficient resource allocation by informal social networks in non-profit and other non-market social structures

Abstract A new mathematical model related to the theory of order statistics is introduced to show how informal social networks promote efficient (second-best) resource use in non-market settings. Such networks may play extremely important — if frequently little recognized — roles in ‘matching’ resource packages to their best users in complex social structures subject to many legal and administrative constraints.
Evaluation of Emerging Technologies in Tourism: The Case of Travel Search Engines

Travel search engines are a new breed of technology that has the potential to significantly change the online travel distribution landscape. Using innovation diffusion and technology acceptance models as the theoretical foundation, the paper presents a research framework to evaluate such newly emerging technologies without relying on individuals’ previous exposure to or familiarity with the technology to be evaluated. Perceived usefulness, complexity, trust (reliability and intentions) and subjective norm emerged as reliable constructs; however, only the first three factors were found to have a significant influence on individuals’ willingness to adopt and/or recommend travel search engines. Limitations of the research framework are discussed and implications for future research are presented.
A Variation on Ellsberg

Ellsberg’s experiment involved a gamble with no ambiguity (N) and a gamble where the prize that could be won is objectively known, but the winning probability depends on the (ambiguous) urn’s composition (P). We extend this by including a gamble where the winning probability is objectively known, but the prize depends on the urn’s composition (C), and also gambles where both the probability and the prize depend on the urn’s composition, and can either be correlated positively (D) or negatively (M). Among transitive subjects who prefer N to P, 40% prefer D to N, 74% prefer D to P, 97% prefer D to M, and the modal ranking (about 39%) satises D <N<P,C. We show that this behavior is compatible with the Max-Min Expected Utility model if every prior in the set of priors has a high enough variance, a property that we call ‘skeptical pessimism.’
“Near-miss” Reporting System Development and Implications for Human Subjects Protection

Background: Reviews of recent research-related fatalities have demonstrated that clinical research system failures likely contributed to the event. Current research safety-reporting mechanisms focus on individual protocols and are therefore less likely to detect system-level failures. Methods: We have implemented the “near-miss” reporting system for a general clinical research center to detect latent failure within the research environment. Results: An identified research-related near miss includes a research volunteer being mistakenly directed into an incorrect protocol. Before beginning the incorrect study, the participant recognized that the protocol did not coincide with the consent document and the error was detected without harm. Lack of both reliable research-participant tracking and verification programs was believed to be an important latent failure associated with the research unit. Discussion: Collecting research unit-specific information on potential safety concerns could identify system failures that might not be identifiable through traditional human subjects protection programs.
Facile Procedure for Generating Side Chain Functionalized Poly(α-hydroxy acid) Copolymers from Aldehydes via a Versatile Passerini-Type Condensation

A general method for synthesizing α-hydroxy N-acylindoles in one-pot via an acid-catalyzed condensation of a convertible isonitrile with water and various aldehydes is presented. These intermediates were incorporated into poly(α-hydroxy acid) copolymers bearing residues with functionalizable side chains, which could be further modified through Cu(I)-catalyzed azide−alkyne cylcoaddition reactions. This versatile synthetic strategy provides access to side chain functionalized poly(α-hydroxy acid) copolymers from readily available aldehydes, making it potentially useful as an approach to synthesize biodegradable polymers with new, tunable properties.
Matrix Metalloproteinases: Pro- and Anti-Angiogenic Activities

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a family of structurally related proteinases most widely recognized for their ability to degrade extracellular matrix, although recent investigations have demonstrated other biologic functions for these enzymes. MMP are typically not constitutively expressed, but are regulated by: (1) cytokines, growth factors, and cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions that control gene expression; (2) activation of their proenzyme form; and (3) the presence of MMP inhibitors [tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, (TIMP)]. MMP have important roles in normal processes including development, wound healing, mammary gland, and uterine involution, but are also involved in angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis. Angiogenesis, characteristically defined as the establishment of new vessels from pre-existing vasculature, is required for biologic processes such as wound healing and pathologic processes such as arthritis, tumor growth, and metastasis. Blocking of MMP activity has been studied for potential therapeutic efficacy in controlling such pathologic processes. Synthetic MMP inhibitors, most notably the hydroxymates, have been engineered for this purpose and are presently in clinical trial. These inhibitors may have broad versus specific MMP inhibitory activity. As increased nonmatrix degrading capabilities of MMP are recognized, however, i.e., cytokine activation, processing of proteins to molecules of distinct biologic function, it becomes less clear whether the nonselective inhibition of MMP activity for all pathologic processes involving MMP is appropriate. This review focuses upon the contribution of MMP to the process of tumor invasion and angiogenesis, and discusses the design and use of MMP inhibitors as therapeutic agents in these processes.
The significance of adult storybook reading styles on the development of young children's emergent reading

Abstract Past research has failed to adequately consider the relationships between both the parent interaction styles and teacher interaction styles on young children's emergent reading development. The present study examined to what extent teacher and parent interaction styles during storybook reading predict emergent reading level. Volunteer subjects were 30 kindergarten children (18 girls and 12 boys), their parents, and teachers. Transcribed audio‐taped sessions were used to measure adult interaction style during storybook reading to the child. Children were audio‐taped while attempting to read the storybook to the investigator. Transcriptions of these sessions were used to rate emergent reading level using the emergent reading continuum developed by Sulzby (1985). Independent variables were: (a) percentage of high cognitive demands, (b) total number of cognitive demands, (c) number of storybook sessions per week, and (d) age the parent began reading to their child. No confounding effects on the depen...
Proposal for a nonlinear top-down toy model of the brain

Abstract Solutions to Newton's equations for particles in one-body potentials of form V 1 (x i )=∑ p A (i) 2p x i 2p , where p>0 and an integer, can be regarded as generators of infinite sequences of correlated frequencies {Ω m } . Simple nonlinear potentials can hence provide efficient ways of generating correlated information. Two-body potentials V2(xi−xj) can provide ways to communicate aspects of that information between the correlated frequency sequences. Temperature and noise can play a role in introducing a time scale across which the frequencies retain their identity. Introduction of explicit time dependence in the energy terms might be appropriate for constructing top down versions of toy models for the brain, something that is lacking at the present time. The richness of the nonlinear system along with the effects of heat baths, external noise and time dependence allows for the possibility of describing aging effects, processing of information “templates” in the brain and of the development of correlations between such “templates”. In short, nonlinearity, interactions, noise effects and introduction of time-dependent energies might allow for the construction of “top-down” models of the brain with the eventual goal of possibly unifying the neurological, molecular biological, biochemical and psychiatric approaches toward studying the brain.
The 1996 'Muslim Holidays' Affair: Religious Competition and State Mediation in Contemporary Mozambique

Political commentators often cast religious conflict as the result of the numerical growth and political rise of a single faith. When Islam is involved, arguments about religious fundamentalism are quick to surface and often stand as an explanation in their own right. Yet, as useful as this type of explanation may be, it usually fails to address properly, if at all, two sets of important issues. It avoids, first, the question of the rise of other religions and their contribution to tensions and conflicts. Second, it reduces the role of the State to a reactive one. The State becomes an object of contest or conquest, or it is simply ignored. Adopting a different approach, this article investigates a controversy that took place in Mozambique in 1996 around the 'officialisation' of two Islamic holidays. It looks at the role played by religious competition and state mediation. The article shows that the State's abandonment of religious regulation ‐ the establishment of a free 'religious market' ‐ fostered reli...
(p, t) Reactions on odd-a nuclei and the weak-coupling core-excitation model

Abstract Excited 7 2 − states to which enhanced L = 0 (p, t) transitions are observed have been identified in 41Ca at 2958 keV and in 57Co at 2611 keV. A comparison of these (p, t) transitions with those to the 0+ states in 40Ca at 3353 keV and in 58Ni at 2940 keV leads to the conclusion that these states are obtained by weak-coupling of a f 7 2 particle and hole, respectively, to the excited 0+ states of the doubly even cores. It is suggested that these cases are examples of a rather general weak-coupling phenomenon.
The use of mouse models to better understand mechanisms of autoimmunity and tolerance

A major emphasis of our studies has been on developing a better understanding of how and why the skin serves as a target for immune reactions as well as how the skin evades becoming a target for destruction. For these studies we developed transgenic mice that express a membrane-tethered form of a model self antigen, chicken ovalbumin (mOVA), under the control of a keratin 14 (K14) promoter. K14-mOVA transgenic mice that express OVA mRNA and protein in the epithelia have been assessed for their immune responsiveness to OVA and are being used as targets for T cells obtained from OT-1 transgenic mice whose CD8+ T cells carry a Vα2/Vβ5-transgenic T cell receptor with specificity for the OVA(257-264)-peptides (OVAp) in association with class I MHC antigens. Some of the K14-mOVA transgenic mice develop a graft-versus-host-like disease (GvHD) when the OT-1 cells are injected while others appear to be tolerant to the OT-1 cells. We found that γc cytokines, especially IL-15, determine whether autoimmunity or tolerance ensues in K14-mOVA Tg mice. We also developed transgenic mice that express soluble OVA under the control of a K14 promoter (K14-sOVA) that die within 5-8 days after adoptive transfer of OT-1 cells and identified these mice as a model for more acute GvHD-like reactions. Spontaneous autoimmunity occurs when these K14-sOVA mice are crossed with the OT-I mice. In contrast, we found that preventive or therapeutic OVAp injections induced a dose-dependent increase in survival. In this review the characterization of 5 strains of K14-OVATg mice and underlying mechanisms involved in autoimmune reactions in these Tg mice are discussed. We also describe a strategy to break tolerance and describe how the autoimmunity can be obviated using OVAp. Finally, a historical overview of using transgenic mice to assess the mechanisms of tolerance is also provided.
40 Ar/ 39 Ar Ages and stratigraphy of the Latera caldera, Italy

The Latera caldera is a well-exposed volcano where more than 8 km3 of mafic silica-undersaturated potassic lavas, scoria and felsic ignimbrites were emplaced between 380 and 150 ka. Isotopic ages obtained by 40Ar/39Ar analysis of single sanidine crystals indicate at least four periods of explosive eruptions from the caldera. The initial period of caldera eruptions began at 232 ka with emplacement of trachytic pumice fallout and ignimbrite. They were closely followed by eruption of evolved phonolitic magma. After roughly 25 ky, several phonolitic ignimbrites were deposited, and they were followed by phreatomagmatic eruptions that produced trachytic ignimbrites and several smaller ash-flow units at 191 ka. Compositionally zoned magma then erupted from the northern caldera rim to produce widespread phonolitic tuffs, tephriphonolitic spatter, and scoria-bearing ignimbrites. After 40 ky of mafic surge deposit and scoria cone development around the caldera rim, a compositionally zoned pumice sequence was emplaced around a vent immediately northwest of the Latera caldera. This activity marks the end of large-scale explosive eruptions from the Latera volcano at 156 ka.
TECHNICAL NOTE Impedance-based Non-destructive and Non-parametric Infrastructural Performance Evaluation

Among various non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques, the non-parametric impedance-based method using smart piezoceramic wafers to identify structural damage possesses the advantage of being independent of the detailed structural knowledge such as the geometry and material prop- erties. This paper presents the experimental results show- ing the feasibility of using impedance-based NDT to identify damage in concrete--the important material used in many infrastructures.
A Preliminary Study Comparing Sleep Restriction and Relaxation Treatments for Insomnia in Older Adults

This study compared Sleep Restriction Therapy (SRT) and Relaxation Therapy (RLT) as treatments for insomnia in a sample of community-residing elderly (mean age, 69.7 years). SRT subjects (n = 10) and RLT subjects (n = 12) reported information about their sleep twice daily to a telephone recording machine for 2 weeks of baseline, 4 weeks of treatment, and 2 weeks at 3-month follow-up. Results showed sleep latency and waking after sleep onset were significantly reduced for both treatment groups under active treatment. Predictable reductions in time in bed and improved sleep efficiency reported during active treatment by SRT subjects were still apparent at 3-month follow-up; no corresponding changes were found for RLT. In both groups, increased total sleep time was reported at follow-up; the improvement for SRT subjects was approximately twice that seen in RLT. These findings, at this early stage in the development of behavioral treatments for insomnia in older adults, encourage further study.
Strategic optimization cycle as a competitive tool for economic justification of advanced manufacturing systems

Abstract For U.S. industries to achieve excellence in world-wide manufacturing, it is important to consider strategic factors (qualitative nature) in conjunction with the traditional analytical methods of economic justification, such as, rate of return, pay back period, etc. However, it is difficult to assess and incorporate the impact of strategic factors in economic decision making, due to their inherent complexity. As part of the economic justification research, an attempt has been made to investigate the difficulties of incorporating the strategic factors in the overall economic justification process. In this paper a general framework for carrying out economic justification of advanced manufacturing systems is presented. The strategic optimization cycle forms the core of the economic justification framework proposed, and it involves four levels: (1) tentative selection of automation levels; (2) qualitative optimization; (3) quantitative optimization, and (4) final verification of the result. Since flexibility is an important evaluation factor in the overall economic justification process for advanced manufacturing systems, it is important to refine the existing method of quantifying flexibility before making any attempt to build the general framework for economic justification. A method of quantifying flexibility is also presented. Hypothetical case studies have been included to illustrate the application of the strategic optimization cycle, and the method of quantifying flexibility. It is believed that the framework for economic justification presented in this paper will lead to an in-depth assessment of the future competitive position of a company, thereby enabling it to increase their market share and volume coupled with significant industrial growth.
Radiochromium-labelled haemoglobin survival in normal and pyridoxine-deficient rats.

FAVOURABLE results from treatment of hypochromic anaemias with pyridoxine demonstrated clinically1–4 and in experimental animals5–8 suggest that pyridoxine deficiency might influence haemoglobin survival times in rats. Comparison of the amounts of intravenously injected chromium-51 associated with haemoglobin over several weeks indicates that the apparent survival times of the rat haemoglobin may vary inversely with the extent of labelling with chromium-51.
Knudsen diffusivities and properties of structures of unidirectional fibers

Effective Knudsen diffusion coefficients are presented for fibrous structures consisting of parallel, nonoverlapping or partially overlapping fibers. They are computed by means of a Monte Carlo simulation scheme which is employed to determine the mean square displacement of molecules travelling in the interior of the porous medium for large travel times. The results show that structures of paralle, non-overlapping fibers have smaller effective diffusion coefficients parallel to the fibers than structures of parallel, randomly overlapping fibers of the same porosity and fiber radius, but larger in directions perpendicular to the fibers. Partially overlapping fiber structures are found to exhibit behavior intermediate to those of the two extreme cases. Molecular trajectory computations are also used to obtain results for the structural properties of partially overlapping fiber structures (e.g., porosity and internal surface area, accessible porosity and internal surface area, and percolation threshold), which are compared with some results of the literature for the equivalent problem of partially overlapping disks on a plane.
THE SAD FATE OF THE ASYMPTOTIC SLUTSKY SYMMETRY TEST FOR LARGE SYSTEMS

The standard test statistic for Slutsky symmetry is biased toward rejection of the null hypothesis, particularly for large demand equation systems.
Oversights in overseeing modernism: A symptomatic reading of Alfred H. Barr Jr's ‘Cubism and Abstract Art’ chart

For, after all, are we not always in exceptional situations? Louis Althusser, ‘Contradiction and Overdetermination’ The linking of the practice of the avant-garde to developments in technology, the...
Protecting the Weakest Link: A Proposal for Universal, Unblinded Pediatric HIV Testing, Counseling and Treatment

This paper argues that a system of unblinded, universal testing, counseling and treatment for pediatric HIV should be implemented immediately in New York State. First, it argues that New York's health and social services bureaucracies, in conjunction with special interests that do not represent the interests of children, have resisted efforts to have infants tested and treated for HIV. Second, the paper suggests that the campaign against universal infant screening and treatment reflects our society's continuing, calculated decision to ignore the complexity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Third, the paper outlines a plan for a prompt and comprehensive system of HIV testing, counseling and treatment for infants and children, as well as for their parents and families, who are HIV-positive.
High frequency electrical characterization of bst capacitors

Abstract We have characterized the dielectric properties of barium strontium titanate (Ba1-xSrxTiO3, x=0.5; BST) capacitors up to 5 GHz employing a simple, single port scattering parameter measurement technique. Metal-insulator-metal type capacitors with areas ranging from 400 to 10,000 μm2 were defined by standard photolithographic and etching techniques. BST films were rf-magnetron sputter-deposited on metallized (111) silicon. The bottom electrode was made by evaporating 100A of Ti for adhesion followed by 1500A of Pt. The top electrode consisted of 3000A of gold with a 100A titanium adhesion layer. The test capacitors were surrounded by a reference capacitor approximately 140 times in area to facilitate high frequency measurements with air coplanar (ACP) probes. The test and the reference capacitors were in series during characterization ensuring that the resulting capacitance was dominated by the smaller test structure. Single port scattering parameters (S11) were obtained using a HP8510B network ana...