cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Examination of Crisis Response in Professional Athlete Scandals: A Sport Fan’s Perspective

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of athlete celebrity scandal on a sport fan’s attitude and behavioral intention, and a sport fan’s reaction to athlete celebrity’s media response after the scandal. 308 samples were collected from professional sports spectators in the United States and data was analyzed through Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis. Results of the study showed 1) responding to the athlete scandal via press conference was more reliable and effective response strategy than responding to the athlete scandal via social media, 2) the influence of the athlete celebrity scandal on a sport fan’s attitude toward the athlete affected a sport fan’s negative behavioral intention regardless of types of scandal, off-field scandal or on-field scandal, and 3) athlete celebrity’s high performance and effect of apology via press conference were significant factors that affected the influence of scandal on fan loyalty. This study provides practical information regarding how marketers and public relations managers in sport organizations should cope with athlete celebrity scandals to maintain positive relationship with their fans.
Aluminum recovery from water clarifier sludges by ion exchange: Comparison of strong and weak electrolyte cation resins performances

Abstract Technical feasibility of an ion exchange based process for removal and recovery of the coagulating principle (Al, Fe chemicals) from water clarifier sludges is illustrated. The innovation is a typical example of `conservative technology' applied to the solution of environmental problems, thus allowing for the minimization of the environmental impact related to the disposal of the solid wastes, through conditioning and detoxification of the sludges for land application, and simultaneous recovery of valuable products from non-conventional sources. The paper illustrates laboratory scale comparative experiments between weak (carboxylate) and strong (sulphonic) cation resins performances in reference to a typical acidic leachate from water clarifier sludges (pH 3.5). Together with mechanistic interpretation of the multicomponent-polyvalent Al/Fe/Na ionic system involved, in this paper indications for process optimization are also given.
Isostatic Compaction II

Particulate matter can be consolidated into shaped bodies by the application of pressure in a fluid by a flexible, nonporous membrane. This process, referred to as “hydrostatic” or “isostatic” pressing, can be modified in a number of important ways which affect the final product produced. For example, pressure can be applied slowly or rapidly, the charge can be de-aired or not, and the powder may be made to load into the flexible membrane densely or loosely. These factors, along with the effect of pressure, particle hardness, size distribution, and granulations, were investigated to establish their effects on the quality of the pressed bodies and subsequent processing. This report presents the results of this investigation from which it has been determined that hydrostatic pressing produced compacts with improved mechanical properties versus die pressing, and that these properties are dependent on the above mentioned factors.
Image enhancement using calibrated lens simulations

All lenses have optical aberrations which reduce image sharpness. These aberrations can be reduced by deconvolving an image using the lens point spread function (PSF). However, fully measuring a PSF is laborious and prohibitive. Alternatively, one can simulate the PSF if the lens model is known. However, due to manufacturing tolerances lenses differ subtly from their models, so often a simulated PSF is a poor match to measured data. We present an algorithm that uses a PSF measurement at a single depth to calibrate the nominal lens model to the measured PSF. The calibrated model can then be used to compute the PSF for any desired setting of lens parameters for any scene depth, without additional measurements or calibration. The calibrated model gives deconvolution results comparable to measurement but is much more compact and require hundreds of times fewer calibration images.
Racial Group Responses to Work and Parent Care

Utilizing stress theories, the author compared the experiences of 113 black and white employees who worked full time and cared for frail parents. Findings revealed that both racial groups had similar caregiving demands and similar levels of personal, social, work, mental, and physical strain. Their sources of environmental support varied. Black employed caregivers felt closer to their parents, whereas white employed caregivers received more assistance in the workplace. The parents of the black caregivers received more formal services. Black caregivers had less disposable income and were less likely to be married. Within-group comparisons indicated that work interferences (late arrivals, early departures, unscheduled days off, and excessive personal telephoning) significantly predicted more fragile mental health for whites and more fragile physical health for blacks. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Co-Activation, Estimated Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligament Forces, and Motor Unit Activation Strategies during the Time Course of Fatigue

This study aimed to combine co-activation as well as anterior and posterior cruciate ligament force estimations with the motor unit activation strategies employed by the primary muscles that are involved in the movement at the knee joint. Fourteen male subject performed 25 maximal concentric isokinetic leg extension muscle actions at 120 s-1. Electromyographic and mechanomyographic signals from the vastus lateralis and bicep femoris, as well as force, were used to measure co-activation, and estimated anterior and posterior ligament forces during the time course of fatigue. There were decreases in quadriceps force and increases in hamstring force during the 25 leg extensions. The posterior cruciate ligament force was greater than the anterior cruciate ligament force during each leg extension. Both the posterior and anterior cruciate ligament forces decreased during the 25 leg extensions. Each muscle indicated unique neuromuscular responses, which may explain the decreases in quadriceps force and increases in the hamstring force. The combination of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament force estimation and motor unit activation strategies helped to provide a better understanding of the fatigue-related mechanism that was utilized to avoid injury and increase or maintain joint stability during the time course of fatigue.
Tumour-derived leukaemia inhibitory factor is a major driver of cancer cachexia and morbidity in C26 tumour-bearing mice.

BACKGROUND Cancer cachexia is a metabolic wasting syndrome that is strongly associated with a poor prognosis. The initiating factors causing fat and muscle loss are largely unknown. Previously, we found that leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) secreted by C26 colon carcinoma cells was responsible for atrophy in treated myotubes. In the present study, we tested whether C26 tumour-derived LIF is required for cancer cachexia in mice by knockout of Lif in C26 cells. METHODS A C26 Lif null tumour cell line was made using CRISPR-Cas9. Measurements of cachexia were compared in mice inoculated with C26 vs. C26Lif-/- tumour cells, and atrophy was compared in myotubes treated with medium from C26 vs. C26Lif-/- tumour cells. Levels of 25 cytokines/chemokines were compared in serum of mice bearing C26 vs. C26Lif-/- tumours and in the medium from these tumour cell lines. RESULTS At study endpoint, C26 mice showed outward signs of sickness while mice with C26Lif-/- tumours appeared healthy. Mice with C26Lif-/- tumours showed a 55-75% amelioration of body weight loss, muscle loss, fat loss, and splenomegaly compared with mice with C26 tumours (P < 0.05). The heart was not affected by LIF levels because the loss of cardiac mass was the same in C26 and C26Lif-/- tumour-bearing mice. LIF levels in mouse serum was entirely dependent on secretion from the tumour cells. Serum levels of interleukin-6 and G-CSF were increased by 79-fold and 68-fold, respectively, in C26 mice but only by five-fold and two-fold, respectively, in C26Lif-/- mice, suggesting that interleukin-6 and G-CSF increases are dependent on tumour-derived LIF. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the first use of CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of a candidate cachexia factor in tumour cells. The results provide direct evidence for LIF as a major cachexia initiating factor for the C26 tumour in vivo. Tumour-derived LIF was also a regulator of multiple cytokines in C26 tumour cells and in C26 tumour-bearing mice. The identification of tumour-derived factors such as LIF that initiate the cachectic process is immediately applicable to the development of therapeutics to treat cachexia. This is a proof of principle for studies that when carried out in human cells, will make possible an understanding of the factors causing cachexia in a patient-specific manner.
Novel Cancer Therapeutics in Geriatrics: What is Unique to the Aging Patient?

With the worldwide trend of aging populations, the number of older adults who develop and survive cancer is likely to increase. In the last decade, oncology drug development has shifted away from conventional chemotherapeutics towards agents that can ‘target’ a driver mutation of a specific cancer or ‘unleash’ the patient’s native immune system to attack the cancer—so-called molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapeutics. The basic algorithms of cancer treatment in elderly patients are essentially the same as in younger patients; however, one needs to pay exceptional attention to the effects of co-morbidities, interaction with other drugs, and the organ function reserve of an older individual before determining his/her ‘eligibility’ for a specific cancer treatment modality. Despite the growing evidence of safety and effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in fit elderly patients, the data are still lacking concerning the use of currently approved targeted agents and immunotherapies. The current evidence, though limited, suggests reasonable tolerability with comparable efficacy in patients > 65 years old treated with immune-based therapies to that in younger controls; however, it is unclear if this leads to significant patient-relevant gains such as improved survival with an acceptable quality of life. Nonetheless, these newer agents remain better tolerated than cytotoxic chemotherapy in clinical practice, particularly in older patients. Alternatively, a personalized approach for elderly patients with consideration of the incidence and management of adverse effects, as well as strategies for optimizing efficacy in the context of an aging immune system, would be of utmost value in our aging cancer population. Future trials should also explore immune markers to predict response to these therapeutics in elderly patients, taking into consideration the effects of immunosenescence and immune modulation in aging hosts.
Giant Plagioclase Basalts, eruption rate versus time Response to Sheth's comments and some additional thoughts

I welcome Sheth’s comments on a more intrigu-ing aspect of my paper, namely, the calculation ofage of the Deccan lava pile in the Western Ghats(type section) using sizes of the “giant” plagioclasecrystals in “Giant Plagioclase Basalt (GPB)” lavaﬂows. I found the GPB lavas to be very interest-ing because in some cases they clearly mark theboundary between Formations (Hooper et al 1988;Subbarao et al 1988; Khadri et al 1988). They alsoseem to have erupted over bole beds, each of whichpossiblyrepresentsahiatusbetweeneruptiveactiv-ities (Sen 2001). In my view, the latter aspect stillneeds to be proven with solid ﬁeld work.Sheth correctly points out that typically erup-tion rate is expressed in terms of some sort ofunit volume as a function of time. I did not dothis because I am not sure that we know thevolumes of individual lava ﬂows all that well. Itis clearly something that we need to know bymapping out individual ﬂows in the ﬁeld. Thatis why I chose to estimate a “one dimensionaleruption rate,” a practice that is not uncommonin experimental and modeling studies. I was ini-tially encouraged by Sheth’s new (and correct)eruption rate calculations based on my approach,suggesting that the Western Ghats section spana time of 4.4m.y. He notes that this range coin-cides very well with the
Use of a iPhone Task Analysis Application to Increase Employment-Related Chores for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities:

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often experience a combination of both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits that impact conceptual, social, and practical domains. These de...
Review of transportation hydrogen infrastructure performance and reliability

Abstract Hydrogen infrastructure for fueling vehicles has progressed in the last decade from stations with restricted access and limited operating hours to customer-friendly retail stations open to the public. There are now 121 retail hydrogen stations around the world. In California, the number of public retail hydrogen stations has increased from zero to more than 30 in less than two years, and the annual amount of hydrogen dispensed by retail stations has grown from 27,400 kg in 2015 to nearly 105,000 kg in 2016 and more than 440,000 kg in 2017—an increase of about four times year over year. For more than a decade, government, industry, and academia have studied many aspects of hydrogen infrastructure, from renewable hydrogen production to retail hydrogen station performance. This paper reviews the engineering and deployment of modern hydrogen infrastructure, including the costs, benefits, and operational considerations (including safety, reliability, availability), as well as challenges to the scale-up of hydrogen infrastructure. The results identify hydrogen station reliability as a key factor in the expense of operating hydrogen systems, placing it in the context of the larger reliability engineering field.
Developmental origins for semilunar valve stenosis identified in mice harboring congenital heart disease-associated GATA4 mutation.

ABSTRACT Congenital heart defects affect ∼2% of live births and often involve malformations of the semilunar (aortic and pulmonic) valves. We previously reported a highly penetrant GATA4 p.Gly296Ser mutation in familial, congenital atrial septal defects and pulmonic valve stenosis and showed that mice harboring the orthologous G295S disease-causing mutation display not only atrial septal defects, but also semilunar valve stenosis. Here, we aimed to characterize the role of Gata4 in semilunar valve development and stenosis using the Gata4G295Ski/wt mouse model. GATA4 is highly expressed in developing valve endothelial and interstitial cells. Echocardiographic examination of Gata4G295Ski/wt mice at 2 months and 1 year of age identified functional semilunar valve stenosis predominantly affecting the aortic valve with distal leaflet thickening and severe extracellular matrix (ECM) disorganization. Examination of the aortic valve at earlier postnatal timepoints demonstrated similar ECM abnormalities consistent with congenital disease. Analysis at embryonic timepoints showed a reduction in aortic valve cushion volume at embryonic day (E)13.5, predominantly affecting the non-coronary cusp (NCC). Although total cusp volume recovered by E15.5, the NCC cusp remained statistically smaller. As endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-derived cells contribute significantly to the NCC, we performed proximal outflow tract cushion explant assays and found EMT deficits in Gata4G295Ski/wt embryos along with deficits in cell proliferation. RNA-seq analysis of E15.5 outflow tracts of mutant embryos suggested a disease state and identified changes in genes involved in ECM and cell migration as well as dysregulation of Wnt signaling. By utilizing a mouse model harboring a human disease-causing mutation, we demonstrate a novel role for GATA4 in congenital semilunar valve stenosis. This article has an associated First Person interview with the joint first authors of the paper.
Human-animal relations in the capitalocene: environmental impacts and alternatives

In the current era, humans have reshaped relationships with other animals in ways that have significant environmental impacts. While the populations of animals raised for human food continue to inc...
Pulmonary Artery Stent Graft Repair of Bronchovascular Fistula.

Endobronchial stenting is a well-established palliative approach in lung cancer patients with airway obstruction secondary to tumor burden. However endobronchial stenting can be complicated by stent erosion into adjacent vessels. Although most cases of endobronchial stent–related hemoptysis can be treated by stent revision and/or surgical resection, here we present a case managed by endovascular pulmonary arterial stent placement as a last resort option in the management of an iatrogenic bronchovascular fistula in a nonsurgical candidate.
Global Solidarity, Global Worker Empowerment, and Global Strategy in the Anti-sweatshop Movement

I explore the ideology of worker empowerment among U.S. anti-sweatshop activists, particularly United Students Against Sweatshops, and its strategic consequences for transnational campaigns. This i...
Liver Regeneration in Acute and Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure

Liver regeneration is a unique process in which the organ returns to its original size, histologic structure and normal metabolic function. The past several decades have identified many of the mechanisms associated with regeneration after hepatic injury. Liver regeneration in acute liver failure, as well as acute on chronic liver injury, has provided crucial information regarding pathways of regeneration beyond what the classical models of partial hepatectomy have shown. There is a growing body of data regarding cellular differentiation and stem cell involvement in the regenerative process of the liver that has been uncovered in these clinically relevant models. In this chapter, we describe the common and unique details of these myriad molecular mechanisms, including immunomodulation, microRNAs, and the gut-liver axis. Key to these pathways are the role of cellular signaling and stem cells as they relate to liver regeneration in both acute and acute on chronic injury.
Basic Code Understanding Challenges for Elementary School Children

We describe a research study aimed at understanding the basic code reasoning challenges of elementary school children. The research targets third to fifth grade African American students as a step towards making computer science accessible to all children. The study was conducted in a summer camp with 40 students and replicated with 20 new students the following summer. Also participating in the second summer camp were 19 returning students. For data collection, the study uses code-tracing activities involving concepts such as variables, assignments, operators, and sequencing. Performance data is automatically collected in the background as children engage in the activities incorporated in a video game and also through think-aloud sessions. Results include common code understanding challenges for all children.
Technical Note: Standalone application to generate custom reflectance Look-Up Table for advanced optical Monte Carlo simulation in GATE/Geant4.

PURPOSE The need for high-fidelity modeling of radiation detectors to perform reliable detector performance optimization using Monte Carlo simulations requires to accurately simulate the light transport in the scintillator and the light collection by the photodetector. In this work, we implement our well-validated crystal reflectance model computed from three-dimensional (3D) crystal surface measurement in a standalone open-source application to allow researchers to generate fully customized crystal reflectance look-up-tables (LUTs) to be used in optical Monte Carlo simulation. METHODS The LUTDavisModel application can be installed in a few minutes on Windows, macOS, and Linux, using 26 MB of space. MATLAB Runtime is required and is automatically installed with the application. The core algorithm has been previously validated experimentally and implemented in GATE v8.0. The standalone is divided into five panels, each of which performing a specific task: generate LUTs from a combination of surface type, scintillator, and coupling medium available in the database (such as LSO or BGO) or custom; compute LUTs with the reflectors available and custom coupling thickness; create a mixture of coupling media to account for possible defects in the optical coupling; plot precomputed LUTs for visual comparison. Tooltips and errors/warnings facilitate the navigation. The reported computational times were obtained with an Intel Core i7 MacBook Pro. RESULTS LUTs can be generated with computational time ranging from a few minutes to several hours depending on the selected surface, sampling, and computational power. A longer time is needed when using rough surfaces and thick coupling media (hundreds of μm ) due to increased photon tracking. CONCLUSIONS We developed a user-friendly standalone application to generate LUTs that can be used inside GATE Monte Carlo simulations. It can be easily downloaded, installed, and used. Future optimizations will expand the database, decrease the computational time through greater parallelization, and include the generation of LUTs to study Cerenkov photons transport.
Embodiment and mindful learning: Engaging the mind and body to dispel vulnerability

Abstract Some students enter a classroom with the expectation that learning is a passive exercise. My purpose as a professor, however, is not to lecture my students, but to equip them with creative tools to discover their own ideas and express them through movement/body. My teaching method, as a trained dancer/choreographer, while accepted in a dance-focused class may be quite different from what students expect in a general education course. Do I need to check my teaching methods at the classroom door to accommodate student preconceptions? One semester in particular caused me to pause, reflect, and work to develop a deeper understanding of how preconceptions from students may affect the learning in a course. This essay explores my adaptation of the models of ‘small teaching’ (Lang 2016) and my version of flipping the classroom to narrow disconnect between my general education students and me.
Solution methods for constrained Markov decision process with continuous probability modulation

We propose solution methods for previously-unsolved constrained MDPs in which actions can continuously modify the transition probabilities within some acceptable sets. While many methods have been proposed to solve regular MDPs with large state sets, there are few practical approaches for solving constrained MDPs with large action sets. In particular, we show that the continuous action sets can be replaced by their extreme points when the rewards are linear in the modulation. We also develop a tractable optimization formulation for concave reward functions and, surprisingly, also extend it to non-concave reward functions by using their concave envelopes. We evaluate the effectiveness of the approach on the problem of managing delinquencies in a portfolio of loans.
Watershed fragmentation in Coastal Plain Rivers

This study explores the origin of 15 small coastal watersheds (SCWs) confined entirely to the lower Coastal Plain, which lie between the watersheds of the major rivers flowing across the Texas Coastal Plain. The relationship between SCWs and larger rivers was examined to determine whether the SCWs developed independently of the larger rivers, or became separated from them due to drowning of confluences by sea level rise or watershed fragmentation avulsions. None of the SCWs show evidence of developing independently of larger drainages. In 11 cases, the SCW main streams were connected to each other and/or the larger rivers at lower sea level stands. Ten of these former confluences occur under current estuarine systems, indicating that these rivers were connected within the Holocene. In one case, the former junction is on the current continental shelf, where mapping of the shelf shows that at sea level lowstands associated with the last glacial maximum, the current eight large river basins and 15 SCWs were ...
The Euclidean algorithm for Gaussian integers

A theorem by Lame (1845) answers the following questions: given N, what is the maximum number of divisions, if the Euclidean algorithm is applied to integers u, v with N≥u≥n≥0? In this paper we give an analogous result for the Euclidean algorithm applied to Gaussian integers, that is, complex numbers a+bi, where a and b are integers.
An operational software tool for the analysis of coronagraph images: Determining CME parameters for input into the WSA‐Enlil heliospheric model

[1] Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—massive explosions of dense plasma that originate in the lower solar atmosphere and propagate outward into the solar wind—are the leading cause of significant space weather effects within Earth's environment. Computational models of the heliosphere such as WSA-Enlil offer the possibility of predicting whether a given CME will become geo-effective and, if so, the likely time of arrival at Earth. To be meaningful, such a forecast model is dependent upon accurately characterizing key parameters for the CME, notably its speed and direction of propagation, and its angular width. Studies by Zhao et al. (2002) and Xie et al. (2004) suggest that these key CME parameters can be deduced from geometric analysis of the elliptical “halo” forms observed in coronagraph images on spacecraft such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and which result from a CME whose propagation is roughly toward or away from the observer. Both studies assume that the CME presents a circular cross-section and maintains a constant angular width during its radial expansion, the so called “cone model.” Development work at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has been concerned with building and testing software tools to allow forecasters to determine these CME parameters routinely within an operational context, a key aspect of transitioning the WSA-Enlil heliospheric model into operations at the National Weather Service. We find “single viewpoint” cone analysis, while a useful start, to be highly problematic in many real-world situations. In particular, it is extremely difficult to establish objectively the correct ellipse that should be applied to a given halo form and that small changes in the exact ellipse chosen can lead to large differences in the deduced CME parameters. The inaccuracies in the technique are particularly evident for analysis of the “nearly circular” elliptical forms which result from CMEs that are propagating directly toward the observer and are therefore the most likely to be geo-effective. In working to resolve this issue we have developed a new three-dimensional (3-D) graphics-based analysis system which seeks to reduce inaccuracies by analyzing a CME using coronagraph images taken concurrently by SOHO and also by the two Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft, which provide additional viewing locations well away from the Sun-Earth line. The resulting “three view” technique has led to the development of the CME Analysis Tool (CAT), an operational software system in routine use at the SWPC as the primary means to determine CME parameters for input into the WSA-Enlil model. Results from the operational WSA-Enlil system are presented: utilizing CAT to provide CME input parameters, we show that, during the first year of operations at SWPC, the WSA-Enlil model has forecasted the arrival of CMEs at Earth with an average error 7.5 h.
Acute Myocardial Infarction in Pregnancy: A United States Population-Based Study

Background— The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, mortality, and risk factors for pregnancy-related acute myocardial infarction in the United States. Methods and Results— The Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2000 to 2002 was queried for all pregnancy-related discharges. A total of 859 discharges included a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, for a rate of 6.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0 to 9.4) per 100 000 deliveries. Among these, there were 44 deaths, for a case fatality rate of 5.1%. The odds of acute myocardial infarction were 30-fold higher for women aged 40 years and older than for women <20 years of age. Single independent variables that were statistically and clinically significant, including age, race, and certain medical conditions and obstetric complications, were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model. Hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 21.7, 95% CI 6.8 to 69.1), thrombophilia (OR 25.6, 95% CI 9.2 to 71.2), diabetes mellitus (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1....
Light quarks and the Pomeron in QCD

Abstract It is argued that light quarks are essential for the occurrence in QCD of a low transverse momentum Pomeron compatible with confinement and other well-established physical properties. It is shown that massless quark-loop interactions for reggeized gluons can be extracted from quark reggeon diagrams. These interactions are then shown to play a vital role in producing confinement from the exponentiation of infrared divergences of the gluon reggeon diagrams of SU(2) gauge theory. This form of confinement is dominant when there is a large number of massless quarks and is argued to be associated directly with the regularization of the massless quark sea in the presence of the anomaly. Fundamental features of the argument are the conflict of the necessary transverse momentum cut-off with Pauli-Villars regularization and the origin of a reggeon condensate in triangle anomaly transverse momentum divergences. The outcome is that SU(2) gauge theory has a high-energy limit closely analogous to the two-dimensional Schwinger model, that is the physical states are pseudoscalar mesons and the S- Matrix is “trivial” in the extreme sense that there is no Pomeron. Extension of the analysis to higher gauge groups shows that there is an even-signature Pomeron in QCD, an additional Odderon trajectory in SU(4) gauge theory and N-2 trajectories in SU(N) gauge theory. Implications of the analysis for QCD with a small number of flavors and for the existence of a higher color quark sector associated with electroweak symmetry breaking are also discussed.
Law of the junction for degenerate material with position-dependent band gap and electron affinity

The general density-voltage relations at the boundaries of the space-charge region of a degenerate n+-p junction with position-dependent band structure are derived. The results are valid for a variety of materials including graded composition semiconductors, heterojunctions, and devices with high doping. The following special cases of interest are considered: nondegenerate limit, rigid band model, uniform band structure and the classical case. The effect of carrier degeneracy in materials with parabolic uniform band structure is discussed in detail. In this case, for most junction voltages, a linear relationship is shown to exist between the actual minority carrier density and the values predicted by the classical theory. There is a significant departure from classical results. A plot for a correction factor as a function of doping is also given.
Prior stress and behaviorally conditioned histamine release.

Abstract Male guinea pigs were either handled (‘stressed’) or not disturbed (‘non-stressed’) for four weeks prior to conditioning with a classical discrimination conditioning design. Animals were sensitized to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and four weeks later presented with either an odor (the CS+) paired with BSA or a second odor (the CS-) paired with saline. These pairs were presented in a random order for ten trials. Weekly blood samples were assayed for histamine and cortisol levels. Following the conditioning trials, animals were subjected to extinction trials during which the CS+ odor was presented but not paired with the BSA. The animals handled prior to the conditioning procedures learned the association between the odor and the BSA as indicated by increased histamine levels when exposed to the conditioned odor alone. The non-handled group did not learn. Additionally, the cortisol levels were significantly higher for the handled group vs. the non-handled group when the CS+ was presented during extinction. The role of stress in both learning and immunomodulation is discussed.
Corrigendum to “Ligand-Induced Conformational Rearrangements Promote Interaction between the Escherichia coli Enterobactin Biosynthetic Proteins EntE and EntB” [J. Mol. Biol. (2009) 393, 658–671]

0022-2836/$ see front matter © 2009 E An error appeared in Fig. 7d in which the colors for the plots corresponding to H6-EntB and {H6-EntE+ H6-EntB}-EntE were transposed. The corrected version of Fig. 7 is printed below in its entirety, in which Fig. 7d plots corresponding to the H6-EntB data are colored red and the {H6-EntE+H6-EntB}-EntE data are colored magenta. The complete legend is also reprinted for the readers' convenience.
Morphological and chemical examination of Courvoisiella ctenomorpha gen. and sp. nov., a siphonous alga from the upper devonian, West Virginia, U.S.A.

Abstract Courvoisiella ctenomorpha, a new siphonous alga, is described from compression fossils associated with Archaeopteris from West Virginia of Late Devonian (Middle Famennian) age. Thalli consist of essentially non-septate uni- and biseriate projecting, and procumbent tubules. Terminal and lateral spheroids borne on projecting elements of the thallus are interpreted as gametangial in function. Acid hydrolysis of specimens yields oligosaccharides composed of D-(+)-glucose units, while hydrolysis of methylated derivatives gives a 73% yield of 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-D-(+)-glucose. Acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid treatment gives octa-O-acetylcellobiose, confirming a β-glycoside linkage between polymeric units. Viscometric techniques indicate a degree of polymerization ⩾ 1,000 units. The data are interpreted as indicative of cellulose in a paracrystalline condition. On the basis of morphological and chemical data, C. ctenomorpha is considered an epiphytic alga assignable to the Eusiphonales, Chlorophyta.
Review: New and developing therapies for celiac disease:

The treatment for celiac disease, a removal of gluten in the diet, is safe and effective for the vast majority of patients. There is a large body of evidence that the diagnosis and treatment of those with celiac disease ensures considerable health benefits. Although a gluten-free diet is the principal treatment for celiac disease, it is relatively expensive, inconvenient and difficult to adhere to. For these reasons, there is interest in developing alternative therapies. Emerging research for the treatment of celiac disease has focused on three areas: to decrease gluten exposure, to modify intestinal permeability and to modulate immune activation. Therapies developed thus far consist of enzymes designed to digest gluten and the use of inhibitors of paracellular permeability to decrease the migration of gluten peptides into the lamina propria. Other potential therapeutic maneuvers include the binding of gluten by polymers, the use of tissue transglutaminase (TTG) inhibitors and DQ2 or DQ8 blockers, or modulation of cytokine production. While all represent new and exciting therapies, an ideal therapy should have virtually no side effects similar to a gluten-free diet. A pharmaceutical agent may be used on an intermittent basis, such as following occasional gluten exposure or on a chronic basis to mitigate the effects of potential inadvertent ingestion of gluten.
The computation of the dynamics of the martensitic transformation

We present numerical computations for the dynamics of the development of twinned martensitic microstructure and for the propagation of the austeniticfinely twinned martensitic interface. Our computations approximated a threedimensional model for the dynamics of the In-20.7 at% T1 alloy which used the stress tensor derived from the Ericksen-James energy density.
The effect of a single large dose of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on various aspects of thyroid function in the rat.

The pattern of response of serum thyrotropin (TSH), thyroxin (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and the thyroidal uptake of carrier free 131I was evaluated in adult male rats receiving a single, large SC injection of TRH (100 µg). Serum TSH was strikingly increased 1 hr after TRH and remained elevated at 2 hr. This increase in endogenous TSH stimulated the release of T3 and T4 from the thyroid. The peak rise in serum T3 concentration above base line values was proportionally greater than that observed for serum T4. Finally, the increase in serum TSH resulted in an initial decrease followedby an increase in the thyroid 131I uptake.(Endocrinology 95: 1767, 1974)
Maintenance of the shore-level size gradient in the marine snail Tegula funebralis (A. Adams): Importance of behavioral responses to light and sea star predators

Abstract The intertidal gastropod, Tegula funebralis (A. Adams) exhibits a shore-level size gradient with mean shell size increasing in a down-shore direction. Snails transferred to zones where they do not usually occur migrated back towards their original zone, thus re-establishing a size gradient and implying differential movement among size classes. Both large (≥2.1 cm shell width) and small (≤ 1.77 cm) snails were photonegative on a horizontal surface and geonegative in the laboratory; there were no statistical differences between size classes. Light, however, inhibited upward, or caused downward, movement of large snails on vertical surfaces. Small snails were unaffected, ranging higher on illuminated vertical surfaces than large snails. Both sizes exhibited similar distributions in the dark. In an experimental chamber providing both emersed and immersed surfaces, T . funebralis established vertical size gradients when the chamber was illuminated from above. It is suggested that light is an important factor in the formation and maintenance of Tegula 's shore-level size gradient. In response to water-borne chemicals derived from the sea star Pisaster ochraceus (Brandt), large snails moved up vertical surfaces in greater proportion than small. In response to contact with the predator, large snails moved away faster than small and individuals collected from crevices in the field moved away slower than those collected from open rock faces. Although predation may select for a size gradient in Tegula funebralis , it is unlikely that responses to predatory sea stars directly and proximally cause or maintain them over the short term.
Community outreach as an iterative dialogue among scientists and communities in the Texas gulf coast region

In response to significant environmental health challenges in Southeast Texas, a National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was created to promote and conduct inter-disciplinary research in the areas of: (1) the molecular biology of DNA repair, replication and mutagenesis, (2) asthma pathogenesis in response to oxidative stress and viral exposures, and (3) environmental toxicant biotransformation. In addition, the NIEHS Center maintains close ties with neighboring communities through an active Community Outreach & Education Program (COEP) that develops and disseminates translational materials for use in environmental health awareness outreach, toxicology consultation, K-12 curriculum enrichment and in developing site-specific Community Partnership projects. The COEP core service divisions include: Environmental Arts & Sciences, Asthma Outreach & Education, Theater Outreach & Education, and Public Forum & Toxics Assistance. Public Forums focus on the use of Augusto Boal's Forum Theater dramaturgy to include the voices and local knowledge of communities within the process of Participatory Research. Forums create the preconditions for significant partnerships that link the hazardous risk perceptions and environmental health needs of communities with the expertise of NIEHS Center investigators and translational services provided through COEP outreach programs. The Forum process also creates leadership cores within environmentally challenged communities that facilitate the ongoing translational process and maintain the vital linkage between the health needs of communities and the analytic tools and the field and clinical technologies of the environmental sciences.
Differences in intestinal protein synthesis and cellular proliferation in well-nourished rats consuming conventional laboratory diets.

1. Male Wistar rats (100 g) were given a commercial pellet feed or a semi-synthetic diet ad lib. Although the pellet-fed group grew slightly faster than the other group during the early part of the feeding period, there was no significant difference between the final weights of the groups. 2. The fractional rates of protein synthesis in jejunum, proximal ileum and liver were measured by a technique based on the determination of ~-[4 - 3H]phenylalanine incorporation over a short time period. Protein synthesis was higher in both jejunum and ileum of the pellet-fed rats compared with those eating the semi-synthetic diet, but there was no difference between the rates of protein synthesis measured in the livers of the groups. 3. The rate of mucosal cell division was significantly faster in the ileal mucosa of the pellet-fed group compared with the other group, and there were significant differences in some aspects of mucosal morphology. 4. The maintenance of higher rates of cell turnover and protein synthesis in animals given a commercial pellet feed is unexplained, but it may be related to the presence of non-absorbable polysaccharides or other complex plant materials in the pellet feed.
Effects of the left ventricular assist device on the compliance and distensibility of the carotid artery.

We investigated the impact of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) on the carotid elastic properties. Carotid artery parameters (diameter distensibility (DD), cross-sectional distensibility (CSD), diameter compliance (DC), cross-sectional compliance (CSC), and incremental elastic modulus (IEM)) were measured in a cross-sectional study using a standard ultrasound with a 10-MHz linear array probe. Measurements (mean ± SEM) were made in separate groups at various clinical time points: prior to LVAD surgery (baseline; 13 male/3 female; age 48 ± 3 years), 1 week following LVAD placement (acute; 12 male/2 female; age 47 ± 3 years), approximately 24 weeks following LVAD surgery (chronic; 13 male/2 female; age 52 ± 3 years), and in a group of healthy subjects (controls; 9 male/1 female; age 51 ± 4 years). Distensibility properties were lower (P < 0.05) in the acute (DD 2.3 % ± 0.4 %; CSD 4.7 % ± 0.8 %) and chronic (DD 2.2 % ± 0.4 %; CSD 4.5 ± 0.9 %) compared with the baseline (DD 5.9 % ± 0.7 %; CSD 12.2 % ± 1.5 %) and control (DD 5.8 % ± 0.6 %; CSD 11.9 % ± 1.3 %) groups. Compliance properties were lower (P < 0.05) in the chronic (DC 4.4 ± 0.7 mm/mmHg × 10−3; CSC 1.2 ± 0.2 mmHg−1 × 10−3) compared with acute (DC 9.0 ± 1.6 mm/mmHg × 10−3; CSC 2.6 ± 0.4 mmHg−1 × 10−3) and baseline (DC 11.1 ± 1.1 mm/mmHg × 10−3; CSC 3.3 ± 0.4 mmHg−1 × 10−3) groups. The compliance properties in the control (DC 8.3 ± 0.8 mm/mmHg × 10−3; CSC 2.4 ± 0.2 mmHg−1 × 10−3) group were not different from any of the patient groups. The IEM was higher (P < 0.05) in the chronic (6908 ± 1269 mmHg) compared with acute (2739 ± 412 mmHg), baseline (1849 ± 177 mmHg), and control (2349 ± 241 mmHg) groups. Chronic continuous-flow LVAD support is associated with lower carotid artery compliance and distensibility, which may place further strain on the left ventricle.
Household Production and Health

This paper highlights the influence of the new home economics in general and Jacob Mincer’s work in particular on the field of health economics. I begin by considering the value of time as a determinant of adult health and medical care utilization. I then turn to a similar treatment in the case of children’s health and medical care utilization. I conclude with alternative explanations of the positive relationship between years of formal schooling completed and health, a topic that deals with complementary relationships between the two most important components of the stock of human capital.
Modeling of radon and its daughter concentrations in ventilated spaces

In order to predict indoor radiation levels due to radon daughters at low building ventilation and air leakage rates, differential equations governing the decay and venting of radon (Rn-222) and its daughters were used. A computer program based on the equations was written to predict radon and daughter concentrations, total potential alpha energy concentration and equilibrium factor. The program can account for time dependence of ventilation and emanation rates and is readily used by building designers. Sample calculations using the program showed that potential alpha energy levels in tightened buildings can commonly reach about 0.01 working level (WL), a level more than twice as high as concentrations currently found in most houses.
Potential long term vaccine benefits poorly translate in cost effectiveness modelling.

Christensen and colleagues’ study highlights the difficulties and inappropriateness of basing decisions solely on cost effectiveness models when uncertainty cannot be quantified.1 Vaccines are particularly prone to uncertainty regarding impact because serotype coverage and herd immunity can be difficult or impossible to assess in pre-licensure trials. The fact that this publication marks the third adaptation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) meningitis B model attests to these difficulties. The cost effectiveness estimate for PCV7 was unfavourable ($80 000 (£50 480; €64 464)/quality adjusted life year (QALY)), although the vaccine was highly cost effective ($7500/QALY) when introduced.2 In the UK, the herd immunity benefits of the meningitis …
DNA Biochip Using a Phototransistor Integrated Circuit

This work describes the development of an integrated biosensor based on phototransistor integrated circuits (IC) for use in medical detection, DNA diagnostics, and gene mapping. The evaluation of various system components developed for an integrated biosensor microchip is discussed. Methods to develop a microarray of DNA probes on nitrocellulose substrate are discussed. The biochip device has sensors, amplifiers, discriminators, and logic circuitry on board. Integration of light-emitting diodes into the device is also possible. To achieve improved sensitivity, we have designed an IC system having each phototransistor sensing element composed of 220 phototransistor cells connected in parallel. Measurements of fluorescent-labeled DNA probe microarrays and hybridization experiments with a sequence-specific DNA probe for the human immunodeficiency virus 1 system on nitrocellulose substrates illustrate the usefulness and potential of the DNA biochip.
Chemical shifts in methylcyclohexane

In order to determine the effect of a single methyl group on the chemical shifts of protons in a cyclohexane ring, methylcyclohexane-1,2,3,3,5,5,-d6 has been synthesized. The protons in the 4-position and the 2,6-equatorial protons are not significantly different from those in ring-frozen cyclohexane. The 2,6-axial protons, however, experience an up-field shift of about 15 Hz from the position of the other axial protons. These observations are discussed in terms of the structure of methylcyclohexane.