cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of the Aesthetic Outcome of Two Techniques for Unilateral Complete Cleft Lip Repair.

BACKGROUND Cleft lip repair aims to create symmetric nasolabial morphology with minimal scarring. Poor aesthetic outcomes may have damaging psychosocial implications. Determining the optimal method of recreating lip symmetry is a major goal of applied cleft clinical research. This study aims to determine whether subjective assessment could differentiate aesthetic outcome between two surgeons who use two different surgical techniques for unilateral cleft lip repair. METHODS Surgeon A uses a modified rotation-advancement technique incorporating a supra-white roll flap and Noordhoff-style vermilion flap. Surgeon B uses an upper and lower triangle technique. Neither surgeon used presurgical orthopedics. Five-year postoperative frontal photographs (cropped according to the Asher-McDade aesthetic index) were analyzed by a panel of 40 blinded surgical and lay reviewers using a five-point Likert scale. The assessments were repeated after a 2-week interval to assess intrarater reliability. RESULTS Thirty-nine consecutive complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients were assessed for each surgeon. The mean Likert score for surgical/lay assessors was 3.07/3.00 for surgeon A and 2.67/2.61 for surgeon B. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The interrater reliability was excellent and the intrarater reliability was fair. There was good correlation between lay and surgical assessors. CONCLUSION Subjective assessment of clinical photography provides a reliable method of differentiating aesthetic outcome after unilateral cleft lip repair and presents a rapid and straightforward clinically relevant method of comparing surgical outcomes.
“The Compleat Person”: Some Theoretical Views and Research Findings for a Theological-Psychology of Religion:

Some basic elements of Judeo-Christian theology have been extracted, fashioned into a theoretical framework for research in the psychology of religion and shown to be heuristically fruitful. The ve...
Rural Incarcerated Women: HIV/HCV Knowledge and Correlates of Risky Behavior:

Rural incarcerated women have an increased risk of acquiring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to prevalent engagement in drug use and sexual behaviors. Limited research has investigated HIV and HCV knowledge in this high-risk population. Furthermore, the interplay of sociodemographic factors (i.e., education, age, income, and sexual orientation) and risky behavior is understudied in this population. The present study evaluated a sample of adult, predominately White women from rural Kentucky ( n = 387) who were recruited from local jails. The sample had high HIV and HCV knowledge but also reported extensive risk behaviors including 44% engaging in sex work and 75.5% reporting a history of drug injection. The results of multiple regression analysis for risky sexual behavior indicated that sexual minority women and those with less HIV knowledge were more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. The regression model identifying the significant correlates of risky drug behavior indicated that HIV knowledge, age, and income were negative correlates and that sexual minority women were more likely to engage in high-risk drug use. When HCV knowledge was added to the regression models already including HIV knowledge, the interaction was significant for drug risk. Interventions for rural imprisoned women should consider the varied impact of sociodemographic background and prioritize HIV education to more effectively deter risky sexual and drug behaviors.
The role of Langerhans cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

PURPOSE. Previous experimental studies have shown that extended-wear contact lens usage results in a centripetal migration of Langerhans cells from the conjunctiva into the central cornea. To test the consequences of this, Langerhans cells were induced into the cornea before Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in BALB/c mice that are normally resistant (the cornea heals) and in C57BL/6 mice that are susceptible (the cornea perforates) to bacterial challenge. METHODS. Mean clinical scores, slit lamp examination, adenosine diphosphatase (ADPasc), and acid phosphatase staining as well as immunostaining with DEC-205, B7-1, CD4, and interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) antibodies and histopathologic, RT-PCR, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) analyses were used to examine the effects on bacterial disease after polystyrene bead induction of Langerhans cells into the cornea before bacterial challenge. RESULTS. No difference in disease response was observed in bead- versus sham-treated C57BL/6 mice after bacterial infection; however, significant differences leading to corneal perforation were seen in BALB/c mice that included an increased number of Langerhans cells in the central cornea at 1 and 6 days after infection, an increased number of B7-1 (mature) Langerhans cells at 6 days after infection. CD4 + and IL-2R + T cells at 5 days after infection, enhanced DTH, and increased mRNA levels for IFN-y in cornea and cervical lymph nodes. Alternately, levels of IL-4 were significantly higher in the cornea and cervical lymph nodes of sham- versus bead-treated animals. CONCLUSIONS. These data provide evidence that Langerhans cells are critical in the innate immune response to P. aeruginosa and provide new information regarding the mechanisms governing resistance versus susceptibility to bacterial infection with this opportunistic pathogen.
Fetal Sexual Development

To understand the pathophysiology of CAH, it is necessary to discuss normal sexual differentiation. According to the hypothesis developed by Jost (1971), normal differentiation of male genitalia is dependent on two functions of the fetal testes:
Gene Therapy Approaches for Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration

Safe, effective methods for bone and cartilage regeneration are needed to reverse bone loss caused by trauma, disease, tumor resection and osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, all current or emerging therapies have serious limitations. As will be developed in this chapter, gene therapy offers a promising approach for musculoskeletal regeneration because it can mimic the natural biological processes of bone development and fracture healing. This chapter will provide an overview of normal skeletal development and fracture repair, and describe how gene therapy in combination with tissue engineering can model critical aspects of these natural processes. Current gene therapy approaches for bone and cartilage regeneration will then be summarized, as well as recent work where combinatorial gene therapy is used to express groups of molecules that synergistically interact. Lastly, proposed new directions will be described that incorporate regulated gene expression and cells seeded in precise three-dimensional confi gurations on synthetic scaffolds to control both temporal and spatial distribution of regenerative factors. These and related approaches may eventually allow us to achieve the ultimate goal of bone tissue engineering: to reconstruct entire bones with associated joints, ligaments or sutures.
Abstract 2977: PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibition induces Aurora B mediated cell death in NOTCH1 mutant head and neck squamous (HNSCC) cells

Genomic alterations in the PI3K/mTOR pathway occur in 54% of HNSCC patients. To identify novel biomarkers of response to PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors in HNSCC, we tested the efficacy of 7 PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors in 59 HNSCC cell lines and determined the association between drug sensitivity and genomic alterations. We identified that NOTCH1mut lines were significantly more sensitive to PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors than NOTCHWT lines: GSK2126458 (12/14 NOTCH1Mut lines), BYL719 (6/14), PQR309 (12/14), BKM120 (14/16), BEZ235 (12/16), BAY806942 (13/14) and GDC0980 (5/14 lines). In contrast to PIK3CAmut cell lines that experienced cell cycle arrest, after PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibition, NOTCH1mut lines underwent significant apoptosis in addition to G1/S cell cycle arrest. NOTCH1mut lines also showed reduced clonogenic growth in vitro and tumor growth inhibition in vivo in both oral orthotopic and subcutaneous xenograft mouse models. NOTCH1 knock out (KO) by CRISPR-Cas9 system in a NOTCH1WT line (PJ34) rendered it more sensitive to PI3K/mTOR inhibition. After PI3K/mTOR inhibition, PJ34-NOTCH1 KO showed significant reduction in clonogenic growth (1.57-fold; P As no canonical pathways account for the underlying mechanism of sensitivity, we measured the level of 301 proteins by reverse phase protein array (RPPA) in 3 NOTCH1mut and 3 NOTCH1WT lines after GSK2126458 treatment. Several proteins related to cell cycle were differentially regulated in NOTCH1mutcells compared to wild type lines. Notably, both mRNA and protein levels of Aurora B were significantly decreased in NOTCH1mutcells but not in NOTCHwt cells following PI3K/mTOR inhibition. Aurora B is an important cell cycle regulator and deregulation of Aurora kinases leads to defective chromosomal segregation and mitotic catastrophe in numerous cancers. Aurora kinase inhibitors as single agent are highly effective in a panel of NOTCHwt cell lines as demonstrated by decreased colony formation ability and proliferation as well as G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Inhibition of Aurora kinases in combination with PI3K inhibitors displayed synergy (Combination Index This work is significant because inactivating NOTCH1 mutations, which occur in 18% of HNSCC patients and SCCs of the lung, esophagus, and other sites, may serve as a biomarker for response. Our present work may uncover potential combination therapies for HNSCC. Citation Format: Vaishnavi Sambandam, Li Shen, Pan Tong, Shaohua Peng, Tuhina Mazumdar, Ratnakar Singh, Curtis R. Pickering, Jeffrey N. Myers, Jing Wang, Mitchell Frederick, Faye M. Johnson. PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibition induces Aurora B mediated cell death in NOTCH1 mutant head and neck squamous (HNSCC) cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2977.
Novel T cell exhaustion marker to predict monotherapy PD-1 compared to combination CTLA-4 and PD-1 response in melanoma.

9520Background: The identification of a robust biomarker to determine potential responses to checkpoint mono- or combination therapy is critical in order to stratify patients and rationally select ...
Biomechanical effects of augmented ankle power output during human walking.

ABSTRACT The plantarflexor muscles are critical for forward propulsion and leg swing initiation during the push-off phase of walking, serving to modulate step length and walking speed. However, reduced ankle power output is common in aging and gait pathology, and is considered a root biomechanical cause of compensatory increases in hip power generation and increased metabolic energy cost. There is a critical need for mechanistic insight into the precise influence of ankle power output on patterns of mechanical power generation at the individual joint and limb levels during walking. We also posit that rehabilitative approaches to improve locomotor patterns should consider more direct means to elicit favorable changes in ankle power output. Thus, here we used real-time inverse dynamics in a visual biofeedback paradigm to test young adults9 ability to modulate ankle power output during preferred speed treadmill walking, and the effects thereof on gait kinematics and kinetics. Subjects successfully modulated peak ankle power in response to biofeedback targets designed to elicit up to ±20% of normal walking values. Increasing ankle power output alleviated mechanical power demands at the hip and increased trailing limb positive work, propulsive ground reaction forces and step lengths. Decreasing ankle power had the opposite effects. We conclude that ankle power generation systematically influences the workload placed on more proximal leg muscles, trailing leg mechanical output and step length. Our findings also provide a promising benchmark for the application of biofeedback to restore ankle power in individuals with deficits thereof due to aging and gait pathology.
Placental metal concentrations in relation to placental growth, efficiency and birth weight

Abstract The quality of the intrauterine environment, in which the placenta plays a critical role, affects birth outcomes and lifelong health. The effect of metal contaminants on the growth and functioning of the placenta have not been widely reported but may provide insights into how metal exposures lead to these outcomes. We examined relationships between placental concentrations of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) and measures of placental growth and functioning (placental weight, placental efficiency (the log ratio of placental weight and birth weight), chorionic disc area and disc eccentricity) as part of the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (N = 1159). We additionally examined whether these associations were modified by placental concentrations of essential elements zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se). Associations were evaluated using generalized linear models. Multivariable-adjusted differences in placental weight were − 7.81 g (95% CI: −15.42, −2.48) with every ng/g increase in the Cd concentration of placenta (p-Value = 0.0009). Greater decrements in placental weight and efficiency associated with placental Cd were observed for females. For placentae with below median Zn and Se concentrations, decrements in placental weight were − 8.81 g (95% CI: −16.85, −0.76) and − 13.20 g (95% CI: −20.70, −5.70) respectively. The Cd concentration of placenta was also associated with reductions in placental efficiency both overall, and in Zn- and Se-stratified models. No appreciable differences were observed with other elements (As, Hg or Pb) and with other placental measures (chorionic disc area and disc eccentricity). In structural equation models, placental weight was a mediator in the relation between placental Cd concentration and reduced birth weight. Our findings suggest a role of interacting essential and contaminant elements on birth weight that may be mediated by changes in the growth and function of the placenta.
System Level Evaluation of UE-to-Network Relays in D2D-Enabled LTE Networks

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced UE-to-Network Relays in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 13. This technology leverages Proximity Services (ProSe), i.e., the LTE Device-to-device (D2D) communication functionality, to provide user-based relays where a User Equipment (UE) accesses the LTE network by connecting directly to another UE. This functionality aims at improving cell edge capacity and extend network coverage for out-of-coverage UEs. In this paper, we present the extension of our ns-3 ProSe module to support system level simulations of the UE-to-Network Relay functionality, and we analyze the performance of different protocols involved in it. In particular, we focus on UE-to-Network Relay discovery, one-to-one direct link establishment between UEs, and end-to-end communication performance. We finally highlight some of the trade-offs to consider while configuring and deploying UE-to-Network Relay enabled UEs.
Bioremediation of PAH-contaminated shooting range soil using integrated approaches.

Abstract Serious contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occurs at outdoor shooting ranges due to the accumulation of clay target fragments containing coal tar or petroleum pitch. These contaminated sites are characterized with high-molecular-weight PAHs that are low in bioavailability and recalcitrant to bioremediation. We evaluated the effectiveness of different remediation strategies, used individually or in combinations, to decontaminate PAHs in a shooting range soil. The treatments included vegetation with bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers] or switchgrass [Panicum virgatum]), bioaugmentation of Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1, and addition of surfactants (Brij-35, rhamnolipid biosurfactant, or Brij-35/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixture). The initial total PAH concentration in the shooting range soil was 373 mg/kg and consisted of primarily high-molecular-weight PAHs (84%). Planting of bermudagrass and switchgrass resulted in 36% and 27% ∑16PAH reduction compared to the non-vegetated control, respectively. Bermudagrass enhanced soil dehydrogenase activity and both vegetation treatments also increased polyphenol oxidase activity. Bioaugmentation of M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 had a significant effect only on the dissipation of high-molecular-weight PAHs, leading to a 15% decrease (∑10PAH) compared to the control. In the non-vegetated soil, Brij-35/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixture increased PAH degradation compared to the no surfactant control. The increased PAH biodegradation in the vegetated and bioaugmented treatments improved lettuce [Lactuca sativa] seed germination, suggesting reduced toxicity in the treated soils. Phytoremediation using bermudagrass or switchgrass with bioaugmentation of M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 was an effective in situ remediation option for shooting range soils with heavy PAH contamination.
The regulation of immunoglobulin synthesis after HLA-identical bone marrow transplantation: VI. Differential rates of maturation of distinct functional groups within lymphoid subpopulations in patients after human marrow grafting

This investigation uses different polyclonal activators of in vitro immunoglobulin production to elicit immunoregulatory profiles of B cells, T cells, T4 cells, and T8 cells from 25 recipients (13 with and 12 without chronic graft-v-host disease [GVHD] ) after HLA-identical marrow transplantation for aplastic anemia or hematologic malignancy. Pokeweed mitogen, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex type 1 virus, and tetanus toxoid were used to induce immunoglobulin production as measured by a plaque assay. Multiple defects in the various lymphoid subsets were found in both groups of patients. There was defective b cell function, lack of T cell or T4 cell subset helper activity, and increased T cell, T4 cell, or T8 cell suppressor activity after stimulation with the various activators. Inconsistent B, T, T4, and T8 cell functions in the marrow graft recipients provide evidence for (a) different functional groups of cells within each subset responsive to different polyclonal activators; (b) a spectrum of immune capabilities within each phenotype lineage; (c) different patterns of immune reconstitution for each lymphocyte subset after marrow grafting; and (d) chronic GVHD altering recovery of in vitro functional responses to the different polyclonal activators.
Effects of acute distress and tobacco cues on tobacco demand.

Abstract Introduction Cigarette demand, or relative value, can be assessed via analysis of performance on a hypothetical behavioral economic cigarette purchase task (CPT). Substance purchase tasks are highly amenable to manipulation, namely, external stimuli, instructional changes, or acute stressors. In this regard, the current secondary analysis evaluates the role a novel, computerized stress induction paradigm, the Contextual-Frustration Intolerance Typing Task (C-FiTT), plays in eliciting varying levels of stress and resulting demand. Method Daily smokers (n = 484) completed the C-FiTT wherein they were randomly assigned to one of five distress conditions: combination of task difficulty (low or high difficulty) with neutral or withdrawal cues, and a neutral control group. Tobacco demand was assessed immediately following the distress task using the hypothetical CPT. Results The C-FiTT distress-induction task significantly increased key cigarette demand indices, including price at maximum expenditure (Pmax) and first price where consumption was suppressed to zero (breakpoint). Moreover, demand increased with severity of C-FiTT condition, with the high-difficulty condition resulting in significantly higher breakpoint and Pmax, compared to other conditions. C-FiTT condition was not related to a significant increase in Omax, intensity, or elasticity. Discussion The novel C-FiTT paradigm produced comparable effects on tobacco demand relative to in vivo withdrawal induction, indicating that the C-FiTT is a viable procedure by which to influence demand. Reduction of internal and external stressors may be effective in lowering motivation for tobacco. These results highlight the importance of state distress in tobacco demand, and offer a potential avenue for intervention.
Acting out: cabinet cards and the making of modern photography: by John Rohrbach (ed.), Fort Worth, Oakland, Amon Carter Museum of American Art/University of California Press, 2020, 232 pp., £37:00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0520306684

Though cabinet cards were first produced around the same time as cartes de visite, in the early 1860s, they did not catch on with the public in quite the same way for a decade or more, which is odd...
Insights into diastereotopic effects in thiolated gold nanoclusters

Abstract NMR spectroscopy is an important tool to identify structural features in thiolated gold nanoclusters. In particular, diastereotopicity in 1H NMR spectra of α-CH2 protons reveals structural anisotropies surrounding methylene hydrogens. It has remained unclear why diastereotopicity occurs in some Aux(SCH2-R)y clusters and not in others. In this work, we perform Quantum Mechanical calculations and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to understand the origin of diastereotopic effects. We find that such effects are intimately related to the stability of the interaction between the α-CH2 hydrogen atoms and sulfur atoms, effectively behaving as hydrogen bonds.
Countering Cascading Denial of Service Attacks on Wi-Fi Networks

Recent work demonstrates that IEEE 802.11 networks are vulnerable to cascading DoS attacks, wherein a single node can remotely and suddenly congest an entire network. In this paper, we propose, analyze, simulate, and experimentally verify a counter-measure against such attacks. Our main idea is to optimize the duration of packet transmissions in order to weaken coupling effects between neighboring pairs of nodes. Toward that end, we propose a new theoretical model that relates the utilization of neighboring pairs of nodes using a sequence of iterative equations. The model captures important specifications of the IEEE 802.11 MAC layer. Through a fixed point analysis of the sequence, we show how to optimally set the packet duration so that, on one hand, cascading DoS attacks are avoided and, on the other hand, throughput is maximized. We validate the analysis through extensive ns-3 simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the mitigation through experiments with real Wi-Fi cards. A key insight is that IEEE 802.11 networks with relatively large MAC overhead are less susceptible to cascading DoS attacks than networks with smaller MAC overhead.
Lynne C. Howarth: An Annotated Bibliography

Lynne Howarth is one of the pre-eminent cataloging and classification theorists of her time. Sole- or coauthor of at least 95 publications (full details of which appear in the following bibliograph...
Quantifying wintertime O3 and NOx formation with relevance vector machines.

Abstract This paper uses a machine learning model called a relevance vector machine (RVM) to quantify ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) formation under wintertime conditions. Field study measurements were based on previous work described by Olson et al. (2019), where continuous measurements were reported from a wintertime field study in Utah. RVMs were formulated using either O3 or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as the output variable. Values of the correlation coefficient (r2) between predicted and measured concentrations were 0.944 for O3 and 0.931 for NO2. RVMs are constructed from the observed measurements and result in sparse model formulations, meaning that only a subset of the data is used to approximate the entire dataset. For this study, the RVM with O3 as the output variable used only 20% of the measurement data while the RVM with NO2 used 16%. RVMs were then used as a predictive model to assess the importance of individual precursors. Using O3 as the output variable, increases in three species resulted in increased O3 concentrations: hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), and molecular chlorine (Cl2). For the two termination products measured during the study, nitric acid (HNO3) and formic acid (CH2O2), no change in O3 concentration was observed. Using NO2 as the output variable, only increases in N2O5 resulted in increased NO2 concentrations.
Striatal Cholinergic Dysregulation after Neonatal Decrease in X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism-Related TAF1 Isoforms

Background X-linked dystonia parkinsonism is a generalized, progressive dystonia followed by parkinsonism with onset in adulthood and accompanied by striatal neurodegeneration. Causative mutations are located in a noncoding region of the TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 1 (TAF1) gene and result in aberrant splicing. There are 2 major TAF1 isoforms that may be decreased in symptomatic patients, including the ubiquitously expressed canonical cTAF1 and the neuronal-specific nTAF1. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the behavioral and transcriptomic effects of decreased cTAF1 and/or nTAF1 in vivo. Methods We generated adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors encoding microRNAs targeting Taf1 in a splice-isoform selective manner. We performed intracerebroventricular viral injections in newborn mice and rats and intrastriatal infusions in 3-week-old rats. The effects of Taf1 knockdown were assayed at 4 months of age with evaluation of motor function, histology, and RNA sequencing of the striatum, followed by its validation. Results We report motor deficits in all cohorts, more pronounced in animals injected at P0, in which we also identified transcriptomic alterations in multiple neuronal pathways, including the cholinergic synapse. In both species, we show a reduced number of striatal cholinergic interneurons and their marker mRNAs after Taf1 knockdown in the newborn. Conclusion This study provides novel information regarding the requirement for TAF1 in the postnatal maintenance of striatal cholinergic neurons, the dysfunction of which is involved in other inherited forms of dystonia. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Tsai Receives 2012 Keiiti Aki Young Scientist Award: Citation

Victor Tsai is the well-deserved winner of the 2012 Keiiti Aki Young Scientist Award. He received his bachelor's degree from the California Institute of Technology, then went to Harvard for graduate school, where he received his Ph.D. in 2009. He did a Mendenhall postdoc at the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., for 2 years, then returned to Caltech as an assistant professor last year. Victor has worked on an incredible range of topics, including the 2004 and 2012 Sumatra earthquakes, glacial earthquakes and more general problems of glacier physics, microseism generation and ambient noise cross-correlation theory, river turbulence, and tsunami modeling. All of his research is elegant and theoretically rigorous. Victor has 26 papers to date, including 7 this year alone. He already has a substantial body of work, which promises an outstanding career.
BORG: block-reORGanization for self-optimizing storage systems

This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of BORG, a self-optimizing storage system that performs automatic block reorganization based on the observed I/O workload. BORG is motivated by three characteristics of I/O workloads: non-uniform access frequency distribution, temporal locality, and partial determinism in non-sequential accesses. To achieve its objective, BORG manages a small, dedicated partition on the disk drive, with the goal of servicing a majority of the I/O requests from within this partition with significantly reduced seek and rotational delays. BORG is transparent to the rest of the storage stack, including applications, file system(s), and I/O schedulers, thereby requiring no or minimal modification to storage stack implementations. We evaluated a Linux implementation of BORG using several real-world workloads, including individual user desktop environments, a web-server, a virtual machine monitor, and an SVN server. These experiments comprehensively demonstrate BORG's effectiveness in improving I/O performance and its incurred resource overhead.
Crystallization of a barium-aluminosilicate glass

The crystallization of a celsian glass composition was investigated as a possible high-temperature ceramic matrix material. Heat treatments invariably resulted in crystallization of the hexaclesian phase unless a flux, such as lithia, was added or a nucleating agent used (e.g., celsian seeds). TEM analysis revealed complex microstructures. Glasses with Mo additions contained hexacelsian, mullite, and an Mo-rich glass. Li2O additions stabilized celsian but mullite and Mo-rich glass were still present.
Multiscale Modeling of Hydrogen Embrittlement

Hydrogen is a major reactant with solids as a result of its strong chemical activity, high lattice mobility, and wide occurrence as H2 molecule and a constituent of molecular gases and liquids (moisture in air, for example) [1]. As a consequence, interactions of H with lattice defects, such as vacancies, dislocations, grain boundaries, and cracks, are crucial in determining the influence of this impurity on the properties of solids. These interactions are the ultimate culprit of H embrittlement, which is one of the most important problems in materials science and engineering as almost all metals and their alloys suffer to some extent of H-induced brittleness [2]. Since the early 1960s, H-induced cracking has been responsible for many, if not most, service failures in numerous applications where components and structures come into contact with natural or technological environment whether aqueous solution, gas, elevated temperature, or irradiation. Moreover, the problem of Hinduced cracking directly affects the safety and reliability of engineering systems such as aircraft and aerospace structures, nuclear and fossil fuel power plants, oil and gas pipelines, field equipment, chemical plants, and marine structures which, if they fail, can cause serious human, environmental and financial losses. The economic and humanitarian aspects of H-induced cracking failures have led to considerable scientific and engineering efforts directed at understanding and preventing such failures. More recently, materials problems
Analysis of Consumer Preferences for Biotech Labeling Formats

Conjoint analysis is used to measure the preferences of United States consumers for labeling of biotech foods. The study found that consumers in the sample support mandatory labeling of biotech foods. This suggests that U.S. consumers would support revisions to the present voluntary labeling policy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Results also showed that the preferred labeling format is a text disclosure that describes the benefits of biotechnology in combination with a biotech logo.
The Past, Present, and Future of Monopolization Remedies.

A well understood theory of remedies in monopolization and abuse of dominance cases does not exist at present in either the case law or the academic literature and may not even be possible. The most likely explanation is that monopolization cases and abuse of dominance cases (particularly successful ones) are relatively rare birds. While these cases are of great importance, they arise only episodically and rarely in the same industries, making comparisons between different industries and time periods not very helpful. In this essay, I first survey the principal types of remedies that have been imposed in monopolization cases over the past century. I then look at the current state of monopolization law and remedies. Finally I briefly address a likely future that focuses on information and access as a form of virtual, rather than physical, divestiture as a critical issue for the courts and enforcers to resolve through innovative compliance mechanisms.
Arctic: Sociocultural Aspects

The Arctic has long captivated the European imagination, but the scholarly study of circumpolar sociocultural systems began at the start of the twenteeth century. Culturally, the Arctic can be subdivided into North American and northern Eurasian parts. The North American Arctic is inhabited primarily by Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut societies, and stretches from Greenland to the Bering Strait. The northern part of Eurasia encompasses the northernmost stretch of Europe and its indigenous inhabitants, the Saami. In Siberia, the cultural realm of the Arctic reaches into the ecological zone of the Subarctic. Siberian peoples mentioned in the text are speakers of Samoyedic, Ob-Ugric, Tungusic, Turkic, and Paleoasiatic languages. A brief description of the colonial history of the different parts of the Arctic is followed by a discussion of ‘traditional’ culture. Referring to the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries, the material is presented along topical lines: ecology and economy, social and political organization, religion, and world view. The final section provides a discussion of the political struggles of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic since World War II, and of their recent advances toward self-determination; contemporary cultural and social trends are mentioned, as well as newly emerging collaborative research methods.
The Roles of Bronchodilators, Supplemental Oxygen, and Ventilatory Assistance in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary rehabilitation significantly improves dyspnea, exercise capacity, quality of life, and health-resource utilization. These benefits result from a combination of education (especially in the promotion of collaborative self-management strategies and physical activity), exercise training, and psychosocial support. Exercise training increases exercise capacity and reduces dyspnea. Positive outcomes from exercise training may be enhanced by 3 interventions that permit the patient to exercise train at a higher intensity: bronchodilators, supplemental oxygen (even for the nonhypoxemic patient), and noninvasive ventilatory support.
Replacement of lateral line sensory organs during tail regeneration in salamanders: identification of progenitor cells and analysis of leukocyte activity

It has been proposed that supporting cells may be the progenitors of regenerated hair cells that contribute to recovery of hearing in birds, but regeneration is difficult to visualize in the ear, because it occurs deep in the skull. Hair cells and supporting cells that are comparable to those in the ear are present in lateral line neuromasts, and in axolotl salamanders these cells are accessible to microscopic observation in vivo. After amputation of a segment of the tail that contains neuromasts, cells from the posteriormost neuromast on the tail stump divide rapidly and form a migratory regenerative placode. The cells of the regenerative placode represent a lineage that eventually produces both hair cells and supporting cells in replacement neuromasts. We sought to identify the progenitors of the regenerative placode by using differential interference contrast microscopy combined with time-lapse video recording in living axolotl salamanders. In response to amputation, the mantle-type supporting cells at the posteroventral edge of the neuromast that is nearest to the wound increased their frequency of cell division, and gave rise to the first cells of the placode. The increase in mitotic activity of mantle-type supporting cells was accompanied by an unexplained decrease in the frequency of divisions in the same neuromast's population of internal supporting cells. The time-lapse records suggested that the changes in the mitotic activity of supporting cells might have been linked to the presence of phagocytic leukocytes in the vicinity of the neuromast that was nearest to the wound. Leukocytes were evenly distributed around control neuromasts, but during regeneration leukocyte activity increased significantly in the vicinity of the posterior half of the posteriormost neuromast. The redistribution of leukocytes occurred early in the regenerative response, but a causal role for the leukocytes has not been conclusively established. It is possible that the leukocytes could contribute to the formation of the regenerative placode at that location by breaking down the glycocalyx that ensheaths the outermost cells of the neuromast, or through the secretion of mitogenic growth factors.
Root gravitropism in response to a signal originating outside of the cap

We have developed image analysis software linked to a rotating stage, allowing constraint of any user-selected region of a root at a prescribed angle during root gravitropism. This device allows the cap of a graviresponding root to reach vertical while maintaining a selected region within the elongation zone at a gravistimulated angle. Under these conditions gravitropic curvature of roots of Zea mays L. continues long after the root cap reaches vertical, indicating that a signal from outside of the cap can contribute to the curvature response.
Absorption and saturation effects on degenerate four-wave mixing in excited states formed during collisions

Degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) in excited atoms is investigated as a probe of the excited-state density produced by collision-assisted transitions. Sodium atoms are excited to the 3P state by absorption of light in the extreme blue wing of the D lines in the presence of He, Ne and Ar perturbers. The rare-gas pressure dependence of the DFWM signals, resonantly enhanced by the 3P-4D transition, is studied to determine the regime where the signals give an unambiguous measure of the excited-state (3P) density. The observed behaviour is compared with a simple model of DFWM in absorbing media. Good qualitative agreement is obtained and the results illustrate the role of absorption, saturation and finite laser bandwidth. The technique allows small excited-state densities ( approximately 109 cm-3) to be detected with good temporal and spatial resolution.
Choosing Your Steps Carefully

Robot walking, while appealing for its resemblance to human motion, is not an obvious choice when both economy and versatility are desired. Wheeled vehicles are surprisingly capable on different terrains and are nearly unbeatable in terms of economy. In specialized situations, legged locomotion may become preferable. But legged locomotion entails inertial and other energetic costs that do not appear in wheeled machines. The force and work requirements of legged locomotion also only appear energetically economical when considering the unique features of the human body and human muscle. The attainment of high economy in a legged robot requires either actuators similar to humans' or discontinuous nonlinear mechanisms that can reduce energetic losses to support a load. The attainment of high versatility indicates that the ZMP is likely to remain applicable, unless serious advances are made in other control theoretical approaches.
Microsomal biphenyl hydroxylase of fall armyworm larvae and its induction by allelochemicals and host plants

1. Biphenyl was hydroxylated to 4-hydroxybiphenyl by a mixed-function oxidase system from midgut microsomes of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) larvae. Optimum conditions for assaying the enzyme were established. 2. The microsomal biphenyl 4-hydroxylase activity increased during larval development and declined in the prepupa. 3. Allelochemicals (monoterpenes, indoles and flavones), drugs (phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene) and host plants were found to induce the hydroxylase. 4. The enzyme was also found to be fairly active in other species such as velvetbean caterpillars, corn earworms, tobacco budworms, mole crickets, American cockroaches and honey bees.
Spin-flip Raman scattering in p-type semiconductors

Surveys the experimental studies and related analyses of such processes in p-type ZnTe, GaP, SiC and InSb. The observed scattering mechanisms include free heavy-hole spin flip, spin flip of holes bound to shallow acceptors spin flip of photoexcited electrons, and several exciton processes. A variety of photoexcited transitions which yield spin temperatures up to 300K in systems with lattice temperatures below 2K. Multiple spontaneous spin-flip scattering and spin-flip plus phonon scattering mechanisms are discussed.
Bioconversion of alachlor in an anaerobic stream sediment

Abstract We incubated a stream sediment amended with 50 μg per ml of 14C-ring labeled alachlor, 2-chloro-2′,6′-diethyl- N -(methoxymethyl) acetanilide, anaerobically for 10 weeks at 28°C. After 10 weeks, only 50.5% of the 14C-label was extractable into 30% acetonitrile from a nonsterile sediment. Combustion of the soil pellets indicated that increasing amounts of the 14C-label became strongly adsorbed or bound to the sediment. Chromatographic analysis of the hexane extract of the aqueous phase showed that it contained 16% of the unchanged alachlor and 35% of a product which was determined to be the dechlorinated alachlor by mass spectral analysis (C.I. and E.I.). Only alachlor was found in the extract of sterilized samples, indicating that biological activity caused the formation of the dechlorinated product.
A simple assay technique for pancreatic lipase

A simple and inexpensive procedure is described to include pancreatic lipase in the protocol for evaluation of pancreatic function by duodenal aspiration. The method involves dilution with an albumin solution, a 2-hr incubation with a commercially available substrate mixture, and manual titration with a burette. Results comparable to assay with a pH-stat were obtained. Assay for pancreatic lipase is recommended as a part of the diagnostic procedure of duodenal aspiration.
Modular Design and Implementation for a Sensory-Driven Mobile Manipulation Framework

A mobile manipulator is a manipulator mounted on a mobile platform with no support from the ground. We are already in the process of building a platform (RISCbot II) which consists of a comprehensive sensor suite and significant end-effector capabilities for manipulation. In order to reduce the uncertainty in localization, sensor fusion is used to create an efficient and effective user interface to facilitate teleoperation by enhancing the quality of information that is provided to the teleoperator. We are developing a framework for a modular design of sensory modules, actuation platforms, and task descriptions that will be implemented as a tool to reduce and streamline efforts in designing robotic platforms. The framework is comprised of three modules. The first module encapsulates the sensors which gather information about the remote, or local, environment. The second module defines the platforms and actuation methods. The last module describes the tasks that the platforms will perform such as teleoperation, navigation, obstacle avoidance, manipulation, 3-D reconstruction, and map building. This paper presents the modular design process of the RISCbot II mobile manipulator. In the design process, the overall design of the system is discussed and then the control process of the robot is presented. Furthermore, the tasks that the RISCbot II can perform such as teleoperation, navigation, obstacle avoidance, manipulation, and face detection and recognition are described.
Effect of Physicochemical Anomalies of Soda-Lime Silicate Slides on Biomolecule Immobilization

Glass microscope slides are considered by many as the substrate of choice for microarray manufacturing due to their amenability to various surface chemistry modifications. The use of silanes to attach various functional groups onto glass slides has provided a versatile tool for the covalent immobilization of many diverse biomolecules of interest. We recently noted a dramatic reduction in biomolecule immobilization efficiency on standard microscope slides prepared using a well-characterized silanization method. A survey of commercial soda-lime slides yielded the surprising result that slides purchased prior to 2008 had superior immobilization efficiencies when compared to those purchased after 2008. Characterization of the slides by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle measurements, and atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealed a significant correlation (R > 0.9) between magnesium content, surface roughness, and bioimmobilization efficiency. High performance slides had higher magnesium conte...
Darstellung von 14α‐Methyltestosteron aus 3β‐Hydroxy‐4,4,14α‐trimethyl‐17β‐acetoxy‐5α‐androstan. Über Steroide und verwandte Naturprodukte, XX. Mitteilung

Employign a twenty-step reaction sequence, lanosterol has been degraded to 14α-methyl-testosterone. Possible formation of 14α-methylsteroids in vivo is discussed.
Immunological cross-reactivity and inhibitor sensitivities of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase from plants and fungi

Abstract Properties of the plasma membrane proton pump (H + -ATPase) isolated from several species of higher plants were compared to those isolated from the mycelial fungus, Neurospora crassa . Under identical experimental conditions, differences were observed in the vanadate concentrations required for half-maximal inhibition (1 μM and 10 μM, respectively, for fungal and plant enzymes) and in the stability towards treatment with detergents at 30°C. Similarities were noted in the reactivity to N , N ′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an irreversible inhibitor that reacts with an essential amino acid in the putative proton-transport site (Sussman, M.R. and Slayman, C.W. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 1839–1843). A structural comparison was performed using immunoblot analysis with specific polyclonal antibodies directed towards the M r = 100 000 polypeptide of the enzyme isolated from hyphal cells of N. crassa and from root cells of oat. Weak cross-reactivity was observed between the fungal and plant enzymes. Strong cross-reactivity was observed between the M r = 100 000 H + -ATPases of oat and tomato or potato roots, providing evidence for structural homology between the enzymes isolated from phylogenetically diverse species of higher plant.
Method for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by fluorodensitometry

Abstract A TLC fluorodensitometric method for the determination of total PAHs in aqueous and hydroalcoholic solutions at the parts per billion level has been developed. The PAHs are extracted into cyclohexane and separated as a class on a chemically bonded reversed-phase TLC plate using stepwise development. In the fluorescence scanning of the plate the PAHs are located by reference to a mixture of 16 PAHs designated by EPA as primary pollutants and measured as benzo( a )pyrene.