cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stakeholder's Perceptions of Mexico's Federal Corn Flour Fortification Program: A Qualitative Study.

Background: In Mexico, the fortification of corn and wheat flours with iron, zinc, and folic acid and the restoration of B-vitamins is a mandatory program. However, the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of this fortification process is not well understood. Thus, the purpose of the study was to understand the M&E of the food fortification program in Mexico, with an emphasis on technology research and development. Methods: Open-ended exploratory interviews were conducted with food technology representatives (n = 9), food science academic faculty (n = 1), president of a private tortilla-making federation (n = 1), and representatives of the federal monitoring agency (n = 2). Interviews were transcribed and themes were identified using the content analysis methodology. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by calculating an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the raters (n = 3). Results: A total of 49 codes were identified that resulted in three overarching themes, manufacturing/processing, monitoring logistics, and nutrition. Overall, there is a need for more robust internal and external M&E with Mexico’s fortification program to improve the manufacturing/processing of fortifying the tortillas, the monitoring of this fortification program, and the impact the fortified tortillas have on the nutritional status of the Mexican population. The overall ICC was 0.87. Conclusions: The present study can be used to gain insight into Mexico’s fortification program and to inform food fortification policymakers of best practices.
Simulation-based surgical training systems in laparoscopic surgery: a current review

Simulation-based training has been widely used in medical education. More specifically, various systems for minimally invasive surgery training have been proposed in the past two decades. The aim of this article is to review and summarize the existing simulation-based training systems for laparoscopic surgery in terms of their technical realizations. Forty-three training systems were found and analyzed. These training systems generally consist of training tasks, a visualization interface, and an instrument interface. Three different approaches—physical, virtual, and augmented reality—to implement visualization interfaces are discussed first. Then, haptic feedback, performance evaluation, and guidance methods are summarized. Portable devices to enable at-home training and instrument tracking technologies to support visualization, evaluation, and guidance are also presented. Based on survey of the relevant literature, we propose several recommendations to design the next-generation training systems in laparoscopic surgery. Novel guidance and assessment schemes with augmented reality visualization are recommended to design an intelligent surgical training simulator. This intelligent simulator enhances the training procedure and ultimately improves the patient safety.
Human ferroportin mediates proton-coupled active transport of iron

As the sole iron exporter in humans, ferroportin controls systemic iron homeostasis through exporting iron into the blood plasma. The molecular mechanism of how ferroportin exports iron under various physiological settings remains unclear. Here we found that purified ferroportin incorporated into liposomes preferentially transports Fe2+ and exhibits lower affinities of transporting other divalent metal ions. The iron transport by ferroportin is facilitated by downhill proton gradients at the same direction. Human ferroportin is also capable of transporting protons, and this activity is tightly coupled to the iron transport. Remarkably, ferroportin can conduct active transport uphill against the iron gradient, with favorable charge potential providing the driving force. Targeted mutagenesis suggests that the iron translocation site is located at the pore region of human ferroportin. Together, our studies enhance the mechanistic understanding by which human ferroportin transports iron and suggest that a combination of electrochemical gradients regulates iron export.
Atypical Features of COVID-19: A Literature Review

Objective: To review current reports on atypical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Methods: Review of the literature Results: Evidence regarding atypical features of COVID-19 is accumulating SARS-CoV-2 can infect human cells that express the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, which would allow for a broad spectrum of illnesses affecting the renal, cardiac, and gastrointestinal organ systems Neurologic, cutaneous, and musculoskeletal manifestations have also been reported The potential for SARS-CoV-2 to induce a hypercoagulable state provides another avenue for the virus to indirectly damage various organ systems, as evidenced by reports of cerebrovascular disease, myocardial injury, and a chilblain-like rash in patients with COVID-19 Conclusion: Because the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may occur with varying frequency across populations, it is important to keep differentials broad when assessing patients with a clinical illness that may indeed be COVID-19
Acute, medical management of left sided diverticular disease

Abstract The majority of patients with acute diverticular disease will not require operative intervention. Non-operative management of acute diverticular disease begins with proper patient selection. Antibiotic therapy may not be necessary for uncomplicated disease, and a 4-day course of antibiotics for complicated disease after source control has been obtained may be sufficient. Oral feeding should be initiated as soon as feasible. Follow up colonoscopy is warranted for patients with complicated disease or CT findings concerning for malignancy, however the interval to endoscopy may not need to be as long as previously thought. Patient education regarding surgical management after recovery is essential and should center around the risk of recurrence.
Characterization of Phosphorylated Proteins Using Mass Spectrometry

Phosphorylation is arguably the most important post-translational modification that occurs within proteins. Phosphorylation is used as a signal to control numerous physiological activities ranging from gene expression to metabolism. Identifying phosphorylation sites within proteins was historically a challenge as it required either radioisotope labeling or the use of phospho-specific antibodies. The advent of mass spectrometry (MS) has had a major impact on the ability to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize phosphorylated proteins. In this article, we describe MS methods for characterizing phosphorylation sites within individual proteins as well as entire proteome samples. The utility of these methods is illustrated in examples that show the information that can be gained using these MS techniques.
Racial differences in anxiety, depression, and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective To evaluate racial differences in the anxiety and depression prevalence and scores in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design Cross-sectional. Setting Academic institution. Patient(s) Reproductive-aged women with PCOS (n = 272) and controls (n = 295). Intervention(s) Hospital anxiety and depression scale and modified PCOS quality-of-life survey (MPCOS-Q). Main Outcome Measure(s) Differences in depression and anxiety scores and quality-of-life score measured using the hospital anxiety and depression scale and MPCOS-Q were determined between White and Black women with PCOS. Multivariable correlation regressions assessed the association of the Ferriman-Gallwey score, total testosterone, body mass index (BMI), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance with anxiety, depression, and quality-of-life scores. Result(s) Multivariable regression controlling for age, BMI, and socioeconomic status showed that White women with PCOS had a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety than Black women with PCOS (75.9% vs. 61.3%) and significantly higher anxiety scores (mean ± SD, 10.3 ± 4.1 vs. 8.7 ± 4.6). The prevalence of depression (24.4% vs. 29%) and depression scores (4.8 ± 3.6 vs. 5.1 ± 4.0) was not significantly different. In multivariable correlation regressions, the interaction between BMI and race in its association with anxiety scores was significant. The association of race with Ferriman-Gallwey score, total testosterone, or homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance was not significant. In multivariable models, although the total MPCOS-Q scores were similar, the infertility domain was significantly lower in Black women with PCOS (mean ± SD, 12.6 ± 7.8 vs. 17.5 ± 6.8) indicating a lower quality of life related to infertility. Conclusion Racial differences identified in the prevalence of anxiety and MPCOS-Q domains suggest the importance of routine screening and provide an opportunity for targeted interventions based on race.
82125 Multiple epidemics of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis revealed by spatial disease mapping and whole-genome sequencing analysis in urban China

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Our study will integrate state-of-the-art methods in pathogen genomics, epidemiology, and geospatial analysis to identify both host- and pathogen-factors driving the MDR-TB transmission and the study outcome can inform the design of targeted interventions OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) poses serious challenges for the global eradication of tuberculosis. Recent research has shown that transmission is now the dominant driver of MDR-TB. However, our limited understanding of where and among whom MDR-TB is transmitted hampers efforts to control person-to-person spread. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We used several analytic approaches to characterize the dynamics of MDR-TB transmission in Shanghai, China. We identified all culture-confirmed MDR cases between 2009-2016 in the city and 1) estimated individual-level risk factors for MDR disease; 2) mapped the TB cases by their home addresses and used a Bayesian spatial disease mapping method to identify regions with an elevated risk of MDR-TB; and 3) we sequenced all MDR isolates to understand whether transmission explained variance in risk that was not attributable to the distribution of individual or location-specific risk variates. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: There were 1034 MDR-TB cases among 16,315 culture-confirmed TB cases during the study period. Bayesian disease mapping identified spatial heterogeneity of MDR-TB and determined four hotspots with an elevated risk of MDR-TB, none of which were fully explained by individual or regional-covariates (Figure 1). Sequencing revealed that more than 40% of the MDR-TB strains were in genomic clusters, indicating recent MDR-TB transmission. Most importantly, MDR-TB cases in three of the four large clades (>8 isolates) were spatially concentrated in three strain-specific hotspots (Figure 2). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: With the combination of traditional epidemiological tools, geographical, and genomic methods, this study revealed multiple loci of transmission of specific MDR-TB clades within a single city. Identification of where and among whom MDR-TB is transmitted can inform the design of targeted interventions.
Modulation of Nanoparticle Diffusion by Surface Ligand Length and Charge: Analysis with Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

To help better interpret experimental measurement of nanoparticle size, it is important to understand how their diffusion depends on the physical and chemical features of surface ligands. In this study, explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations are used to probe the effect of ligand charge and flexibility on the diffusion of small gold nanoparticles. The results suggest that despite a high bare charge (+18 e), cationic nanoparticles studied here have reduced diffusion constants compared to a hydrophobic gold nanoparticle by merely a modest amount. Increasing the ligand length by 10 CH2 units also has a limited impact on the diffusion constant. For the three particles studied here, the difference between estimated hydrodynamic radius and radius of gyration is on the order of one solvent layer (3-5 A), confirming that the significant discrepancies found in the size of similar nanoparticles by recent transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements were due to aggregation under solution conditions. The limited impact of electrostatic friction on the diffusion of highly charged nanoparticles is found to be due to the strong anticorrelation between electrostatic and van der Waals forces between nanoparticle and environment, supporting the generality of recent observation for proteins by Matyushov and co-workers. Including the first shell of solvent molecules as part of the diffusing particle has a minor impact on the total force autocorrelation function but reduces the disparity in relaxation time between the total force and its electrostatic and van der Waals components.
Global Health Research Partnerships – Shared Responsibility Governance Model

Classic political theories of global justice are inadequate to deal with global inequalities in health capabilities between rich and poor countries. Many times this is true even when unjust consequences are predictable in light of lower-middle income countries' (LMIC) inabilities to ensure health justice for their populations, as the target paper points out. This global health problem is affects and is affected by actors from different countries, each connected in different ways to one another, with different powers. I agree with Pratt and Hyder, the authors, that the solution should be multileveled and structural¬—a result of the connection and cooperation of many participants. Pratt and Hyder relate to it as the duty of high income countries and institutions to assist LMIC. I agree that a joint global action on behalf of the Western world is a duty, not a choice. However, I do not think that it is merely the incapacity of LMIC that requires developed countries to aid them. Rather, the potential benefit developed countries are presented by research in LMIC lays a corresponding duty on them, echoing the principle of mutuality mentioned in the target paper. I also agree that the decision-making process is a primary location where the solution should take place, and in order to implement principles of justice, a joint program of research should be set as part of a global health governance. Having said that, given the current global health order - no single participant, even the strong actors, can prevent unjust consequences by themselves. It will be impossible to succeed in reducing inequalities in health capabilities without a parallel effort from professionals in the community. I have suggested elsewhere a shared responsibility model, which I applied to the case of cross-border reproductive markets and the structural injustice that they create (Bassan, 2016). In this commentary I apply this model to the case of global inequalities in health capabilities. My refined model of shared responsibility is based on models suggested by Iris Young and Christian Barry, connecting the obligation of justice to inter-relations between actors involved in a certain practice. Rather than a governance model in itself, mine is a regulative model through which relevant stakeholders could advance health justice, as part of a coherent governance model such as the one suggested in the target paper.
Uneven Interactions: Before Norma Rae, Beyond New Economy

Diversity characterizes our interdisciplinary field. My own academic background includes a BS in textile commerce, an MS in textile science, and a Ph.D. in communications research. My research interests developed out of this education and include textile economics, international textile trade, public policy and legal analysis, and political economy.
The effect of unsteadiness on the time-mean thermal loads in a turbine stage

Two steady numerical analysis methods and one unsteady method are used to study the viscous three-dimensional flow in the middle stage of the Pratt & Whitney alternate design Space Shuttle Main Engine fuel turbine. The principal characteristic of this flow is that the secondary flows generated in the rotor blade reconfigure a radial inlet total temperature distortion into one with a pitchwise exit hot streak distortion. Secondary flows in the following vane redistribute the radial variation while unsteadiness causes a segregation of hot and cold flow from the hot streak within the vane. Such redistribution and segregation can lead to unexpected thermal loads and reduced durability. The physical phenomena and the ability of a steady analysis to capture them are investigated by performing a numerical experiment whereby the results of the two steady analysis methods are compared to the time-mean of the unsteady simulation. The flow physics related to the segregation and mixing of total temperature are discussed.
Deletion Mutagenesis of PSBF , the Gene for the β-Subunit of Cytochrome B559 in Synechocystis PCC 6803

Cytochrome b559 is an integral part of the core complex of photosystem II (1). It consists of two protein subunits, α and β, encoded by two neighboring genes psbE and psbF, respectively. The number and arrangement of these subunits in the PSII complex are currently unknown. Directed deletion of these genes from the genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 yields a strain lacking PSII activity because of the absence of a stably assembled PSII reaction center complex (2). A role for redox chemistry of the cytochrome in PS II has not yet been demonstrated. We are currently using site-directed mutagenesis techniques to more precisely define the roles of the individual subunits of this protein and their constituent amino acids. In the current study, we have precisely deleted the coding region of the psbF gene from the genome of Svnechocystis PCC 6803.
Organometallic Lanthanide Chemistry

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses organolanthanide chemistry. Organolanthanide chemistry currently is one of the most rapidly developing areas of organometallic chemistry. The lanthanide elements are differentiated from other metallic elements by the fact that their valence electrons are in 4f orbitals. The highly ionic, trivalent organolanthanide complexes appeared to have little potential to interact with small-molecule substrates that provide such a rich chemistry for the transition metals. The synthesis, structure, and physical and chemical properties of organolanthanide complexes containing only polyhaptocyclopentadienyl and cyclooctatetraenyl metal–carbon bonds are covered in other reviews. For many years, the only fully characterized homoleptic organolanthanide complex and the only structurally characterized Ln–C species of any type was the tetrakis complex. One of the most recent and rapidly developing areas of organolanthanide chemistry involves species containing Ln–H bonds. The first evidence for the existence of organolanthanide hydride molecules arose from a study of catalytic hydrogenation by lanthanide metal vapor reaction products. There are two low-valent oxidation states available to the lanthanides under normal conditions: the +2 oxidation state and the formally zero oxidation state found in the elemental metals. The pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligand, C5Me5, has proven to be of great importance in organometallic chemistry. The thesis that the lanthanide elements offer something unique to organometallic chemistry has been proven in a variety of ways.
Fairy Tales: A New History

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Ruth B. Bottigheimer Year: 2009 Pages: 128 Publisher: State University of New York Press ISBN: 978-1-4384-2523-8 (hard cover). Prices: $45.00 USD(hard cover).
Immunomodulatory effects of IL-10 in tuberculosis granulomas of non-human primates (MPF1P.772)

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by M. tuberculosis (Mtb), continues to be a leading cause of deaths from infectious diseases worldwide. Active TB disease has been associated with suppressed T cell responses and increased production of immunosuppressive cytokines, particularly IL-10. However, published research has focused on the systemic immune response to Mtb as measured in blood. Little is known about the local immune response within individual granulomas. Using a cynomolgus macaque model of Mtb infection, we quantified IL-10 production in granulomas and determined immunomodulatory effects of IL-10 on granuloma immune cells by flow cytometry. Although all granulomas from Mtb infected macaques were found to produce IL-10, the percent of CD3+ T cells that produced this cytokine varied between granulomas, even within an individual host. Neutralization of IL-10 in granulomas ex vivo increased IL-2 and IL-17 production, suggesting IL-10 may normally suppress T cell production of IL-2 and IL-17 in the granuloma. Other cytokines critical for control of TB, such as IFN-γ and TNF, were not affected by IL-10 neutralization. Proliferation was also increased by neutralization of IL-10. Thus, IL-10 may be locally suppressing some, but not all, T cell functions in the granulomas of TB infection. This may be important in either controlling the pathology during infection, or in preventing elimination of the bacilli in granulomas.
Intravascular Lymphoma with NK Cell Immunophenotype

Intravascular Lymphoma is a rare extranodal large cell lymphoma characterised by a neoplastic proliferation of lymphoid cells in small vessel lumina typically involving the skin and central nervous system. The malignant cells are most commonly of B cell origin, although rare T cell variants have been described. We report a rare case of intravascular lymphoma with an NK cell phenotype. The patient is a 65 year-old man with a 5 year history of hypogammaglobulinemia and a six month history of tinea corporis involving the legs. Following topical antifungal treatment.asymptomatic erythematous plaques were noted on the lower extremities. A skin biopsy revealed intravascular thrombi with atypical malignant lymphoid cells which were immunoreactive for: CD3, CD2, LCA, CD56, perforin, granzyme B, and TIA-1. There is one description of an NK-like intravascular lymphoma in the literature and one of the authors (G.P.) has recently described two patients with intravascular lymphoma of definitive NK cell type (submitted for publication). Intravascular lymphoma is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Recognition of this newly described variant will help to elucidate our understanding of its pathogenesis and natural history.
A Novel Switched-Capacitor Based Field-Programmable Analog Array Architecture

A novel field-programmable analog array (FPAA) architecture based on switched-capacitor techniques is proposed. Each configurable analog block (CAB) in the proposed architecture is an opamp with feedback switches which are controlled by configuration bits. Interconnection networks are used to connect programmable capacitor arrays (PCAs) and the CABs. The routing switches in the interconnection networks not only function as interconnection elements but also switches for the charge transfer required in switched-capacitor circuits. This scheme minimizes the number of connecting switches between CABs and PCAs, thereby, it reduces the settling time of the resultant SC circuits and thus achieving high speed operation. The architecture is highly flexible and provides for the implementation of various A/D and D/A converters when the FPAA is connected with external digital circuits or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
Document ontology: supporting narrative documents in electronic health records.

Electronic health records (EHRs) are beginning to manage an increasing volume of narrative data, such as clinical notes pertaining to admission, patient progress, shift change, follow-up, consultation, procedures, etc. These documents fall into a wide variety of classes, based on who is writing them, for what purpose, and in which location, suggesting the need for a document ontology (DO) to model our knowledge of health care documents and their properties. This paper focuses on one aspect of the Health Level 7 (HL7)/Logical Observation Identifiers, Names, and Codes (LOINC) DO, the Subject Matter Domain (SMD). We created a new polyhierarchical structure for the SMD that combines the current value lists from the LOINC database with another value list from the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). We refined and evaluated the new structure through expert review of the ontology, a survey of medical specialty boards, and specification of SMDs for a corpus of clinical notes.
Purification to apparent homogeneity by immunoaffinity chromatography and partial characterization of the GM3 ganglioside-forming enzyme, CMP-sialic acid:lactosylceramide alpha 2,3-sialyltransferase (SAT-1), from rat liver Golgi.

Abstract CMP-sialic acid:lactosylceramide alpha 2,3-sialyltransferase (SAT-1) has been purified approximately 40,000-fold to apparent homogeneity from rat liver Golgi. The enzyme was solubilized from Golgi vesicles in 5% lauryldimethylamine oxide and "partially" purified by affinity chromatography twice on CMP-hexanolamine and once on lactosylceramide aldehyde-Sepharose 4B. Final purification was achieved by immunoaffinity chromatography on M12GC7-Gel 10. The M12GC7 monoclonal antibody specifically inhibits and immunoprecipitates SAT-1 activity. Identification of the protein, with an apparent molecular weight by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of about 60,000 daltons, was confirmed by Western blot and immunodetection with M12GC7. SAT-1 specifically catalyzes the transfer of N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc, sialic acid) to lactosylceramide (Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-O-ceramide), forming GM3 ganglioside. Studies on substrate specificity indicate that the preferred acceptors have the general structure saccharide beta 1-O-ceramide, a disaccharide being preferred to a monosaccharide. SAT-1 is a glycoprotein. The carbohydrate moieties are detected with specific lectins. Deglycosylation of SAT-1 with N-glycanase results in an increase in a 43,000-dalton band. The two-dimensional electrophoretogram of SAT-1 indicates a pI range of 5.7-6.2 for the 60,000-dalton protein.
Viologen embedded polyaromatic hydrocarbons (VPAH 2+ ): synthesis, computational, photophysical, and electrochemical characterizations of 3,8-diazaphenanthrenyl viologens

Abstract Several new dicationic viologen sensitizers are synthesized and characterized both photo- and electro-chemically. Benzo-annulation of methyl viologen increases its fluorescence lifetime by a factor of 6.6. Similar lifetime increases were observed for methylated derivatives, that have the added advantage of enhanced solubilities. These electron transfer sensitizers can oxidize organic substrates with oxidation potentials of approximately 2.4 eV and lower.
Persistent diet-induced obesity in male C57BL/6 mice resulting from temporary obesigenic diets.

Background Does diet-induced obesity persist after an obesigenic diet is removed? We investigated this question by providing male C57BL/6 mice with free access to two different obesigenic diets followed by a switch to chow to determine if obesity was reversible. Methodology/Principal Findings Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to five weight-matched groups: 1) C group that continuously received a chow diet; 2) HF group on a 60% high fat diet; 3) EN group on the high fat diet plus liquid Ensure®; 4) HF-C group switched from high fat to chow after 7 weeks; 5) EN-C group switched from high fat plus Ensure® to chow after 7 weeks. All food intake was ad libitum. Body weight was increased after 7 weeks on both obesigenic diets (44.6±0.65, 39.8±0.63, and 28.6±0.63 g for EN, HF, and C groups, respectively) and resulted in elevated concentrations of serum insulin, glucose, and leptin and lower serum triglycerides. Development of obesity in HF and EN mice was caused by increased energy intake and a relative decrease of average energy output along with decreased ambulatory activity. After the switch to chow, the HF-C and EN-C groups lost weight but subsequently maintained a state of persistent obesity in comparison to the C group (34.8±1.2, 34.1±1.2 vs. 30.8±0.8 g respectively; P<0.05) with a 40–50% increase of body fat. All serum hormones and metabolites returned to control levels with the exception of a trend for increased leptin. The HF-C and EN-C groups had an average energy output in line with the C group and the persistent obesity was maintained despite a non-significant increase of energy intake of less than 1 kcal/d at the end of the study. Conclusion Our results illustrate the importance of considering the history of energy imbalance in determining body weight and that a persistent elevation of body weight after removal of obesigenic diets can result from very small increases of energy intake.
Interannual variability of Great Lakes ice cover and its relationship to NAO and ENSO

[1] The impacts of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on Great Lakes ice cover were investigated using lake ice observations for winters 1963–2010 and National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis data. It is found that both NAO and ENSO have impacts on Great Lakes ice cover. The Great Lakes tend to have lower (higher) ice cover during the positive (negative) NAO. El Nino events are often associated with lower ice cover. The influence of La Nina on Great Lakes ice cover is intensity-dependent: strong (weak ) La Nina events are often associated with lower (higher) ice cover. The interference of impacts of ENSO and NAO complicates the relationship between ice cover and either of them. The nonlinear effects of ENSO on Great Lakes ice cover are important in addition to NAO effects. The correlation coefficient between the quadratic Nino3.4 index and ice cover (� 0.48) becomes significant at the 99% confidence level. The nonlinear response of Great Lakes ice cover to ENSO is mainly due to the phase shift of the teleconnection patterns during the opposite phases of ENSO. Multiple-variable nonlinear regression models were developed for ice coverage. Using the quadratic Nino3.4 index instead of the index itself can significantly improve the prediction of Great Lakes ice cover (the correlation between the modeled and observed increases from 0.35 to 0.51). Including the interactive term
Fluprazine hydrochloride decreases play behavior but not social grooming in juvenile male rats

Treatment with 8 mg/kg fluprazine hydrochloride strongly inhibited the play behavior of juvenile male rats but had no effect on social grooming. The results indicate that fluprazine affects play behavior as well as conspecific and predatory attack, male copulation, and maternal behavior. These drug actions may result from a rather generalized disruption in higher order stimulus processing or a drug-induced potentiation of fearfulness.
Light-Cone Analysis of Soft-Pion Production in Deep-Inelastic Electron-Proton Scattering

Partial conservation of axial-vector current and light-cone current commutators in the gluon-quark model are used to study the scaling behavior of one-soft-pion production in deep-inelastic $e\ensuremath{-}p$ scattering. A very interesting sum rule which relates the inverse square of the pion decay constant to the integral of the scaling functions is obtained, namely, $f_{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}=\ensuremath{\int}{0}^{1}(\frac{d\ensuremath{\omega}}{\ensuremath{\omega}})({F}_{2}^{{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}}\ensuremath{-}{F}_{2}^{{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}})$.
JYAG & IDEY: a tempelate-based generator and its authoring tool

JYAG (Java 2.0 Platform YAG) is the Java implementation of a real-time, general-purpose, template-based generation system (YAG, Yet Another Generator) (Channarukul 1999; McRoy, Channarukul, & Ali 2000). JYAG enables interactive applications to adapt natural language output to the interactive context without requiring developers to write all possible output strings ahead of time or to embed extensive knowledge of the grammar of the target language in the application. Currently, designers of interactive systems who might wish to include dynamically generated text face a number of barriers; for example designers must decide (1) How hard will it be to link the application to the generator? (2) Will the generator be fast enough? (3) How much linguistic information will the application need to provide in order to get reasonable quality output? (4) How much effort will be required to write a generation grammar that covers all the potential outputs of the application? The design and implementation of our template-based generation system, JYAG, is intended to address each of these concerns. A template-based approach to text realization requires an application developer to define templates to be used at generation time; therefore, the tasks of designing, testing, and maintaining templates are inevitable. JYAG provides a set of pre-defined templates. Developers may also define their own templates to fit the requirements of a domain-specific application. Those templates might be totally new or they can be a variation of existing templates. Even though developers can author a template by manually editing its textual definition in a text file (in YAG’s declarative format or XML), it is more convenient and efficient if they can perform such tasks in a graphical, integrated development environment. A developer might have to spend a substantial amount of time dealing with syntax familiarization, authoring templates, testing their natural language output, and managing them. IDEY (Integrated Development Environment for YAG) provides these services as a tool for JYAG’s templates authoring, testing, and managing. IDEY’s graphical interface reduces the amount of time needed for syntax familiarization through direct manipulation and tem-
Growth and Photodissociation of Crx−(Coronene)y Complexes

Gas-phase complexes are produced containing one or more chromium atoms bound to one or more molecules of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) coronene (C24H12). These species are prepared with...
Light Scattering in the Atmosphere and the Polarization of Sky Light

The characteristic properties of scattered light in the atmosphere can be derived from the equations of radiative transfer, conveniently formulated in terms of four Stokes polarization parameters. For the case of Rayleigh scattering, by a method outlined by Chandrasekhar, it is possible to obtain an exact solution of this equation in the sense that the effect of all orders of scattering is included. With the use of this method, the intensity and the polarization of the diffuse sky radiation in a pure, molecular atmosphere were computed. These theoretical values are compared with the results of measurements of sky-light polarization, performed by means of a new photoelectric polarimeter specially constructed for such measurements. The deviations of the observed sky-light polarization from that of a molecular atmosphere are discussed with respect to the degree of atmospheric turbidity. These deviations show a systematic character which can be deduced already from the form of the equation of radiative transfer for a turbid atmosphere. The method of solving the problem of radiative transfer for a turbid atmosphere is outlined, with emphasis on the possible determination of the type of scattering from the measurements of sky-light polarization.
Pseudothrombosis of the Subclavian Vein

A woman in her late 20s presented one week after an abdominoplasty surgical procedure to the emergency room complaining of shortness of breath and chest pain. A chest computed tomography angiogram (CTA) pulmonary embolism protocol (PE) was ordered to rule out acute PE. The CTA study was negative for PE, but an incidental finding of complete obstruction of the right subclavian vein was noted.
Marxism, Positivism, and Scientific Sociology: Social Gravity and Historicity

Marxism and positivism are often thought to be incompatible perspectives in sociology. Yet, Marxism has a long history of commitment to scientific inquiry. Here, we juxtapose these two scientific p...
Effect of lovastatin on the secretion of very low density lipoprotein lipids and apolipoprotein B in the hypertriglyceridemic Zucker obese rat

Abstract Recent studies demonstrated that inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase lower plasma triglyceride primarily by decreasing hepatic secretion of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). A possible mechanism is that inhibition of cholesterol synthesis interferes with the assembly of VLDL particles. Since one molecule of apolipoprotein (apo) B is required for the proper assembly and secretion of each VLDL and secretion of apo B may be regulated by various lipid components of the lipoproteins, question arises whether HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors also decrease the secretion of apo B. To address this issue, we investigated the effect of lovastatin on the secretion rate of VLDL-apo B and on the composition of VLDL in the Zucker obese rat; a model for genetic hypertriglyceridemia. Lovastatin treatment (4 mg/kg day × 13 days), as compared with placebo, decreased the concentrations of fasting plasma triglyceride (1740 ± 170 vs. 3130 ± 790 μg/ml) and VLDL-triglyceride (1379 ± 59 vs. 3082 ± 715 μg/ml). There was a small but non-significant decrease in VLDL-apo B (19 ± 2 μg/ml vs. 26 ± 7 μg/ml). Thus, lovastatin significantly decreased the ratio of triglyceride to apo B in VLDL (76 in lovastatin vs. 124 in placebo group). Secretion rates of VLDL-lipids and VLDL-apo B were measured after intravenous injection of Triton WR-1339. Lovastatin, as compared with placebo, decreased the secretion rates of plasma triglyceride (78 vs. 123 μg/ml per min) and VLDL-triglyceride (102 vs. 167 μg/ml per min) significantly, but not of VLDL-phospholipid (11 vs. 14 μg/ml per min), VLDL-free cholesterol (5.3 vs. 6.6 μg/ml per min) or VLDL-apo B (1.1 vs. 1.0 μg/ml per min). Consequently, newly-secreted VLDL particles had a significantly smaller ratio of triglyceride to apo B (91 vs. 184) and smaller estimated particle sizes (46 + 2.4 nm vs. 58 + 2.6 nm in diameter). In summary, the present study demonstrated that, in the hypertriglyceridemic state, lovastatin interfered with the secretion of VLDL-triglyceride but not of VLDL-apo B, resulting in the production of smaller, triglyceride-depleted VLDL particles.
Post-positivism and the pragmatics of leisure research.

The two primary paradigms traditionally discussed in leisure research are interpretivism and positivism. This essay argues for a further discussion and acknowledgement of post-positivism as it can be applied in leisure studies. A description of post-positivism is offered along with a rationale for its use in past as well as future studies. Examples are offered regarding how a post-positivist paradigm can be pragmatic in further examining the complex meanings of leisure.
Wheel speed equilibria in precision contour grinding

In grinding operations, wheel speed significantly affects surface finish and chip thickness. The grinding wheel speed represents an equilibrium condition based upon the energy input by the grinding motor and the energy removed by the grinding process. An analysis of these energy relationships allows prediction of wheel speed and shows how it changes during grinding because of changes in chip geometry. The analysis also reveals that some wheel speeds are energetically preferred. Wheel speed measurements and images of ground surfaces corroborate the analytical predictions. The presence of narrow ranges of preferred wheel speed has implications for selection of grinding conditions and adoption of wheel speed control.
Direct observations of the formation and growth of austenite from pearlite and allotriomorphic ferrite in a C–Mn steel arc weld

Abstract The formation and homogenization of austenite from ferrite and pearlite are directly observed in the heat affected zone of a 1045 C–Mn steel arc weld. With rapid heating, cementite does not completely dissolve before the base metal ferrite is transformed, and a second austenite constituent forms. These two austenite constituents exist up to 1400 °C before a single homogeneous austenite phase is produced.
Experience with the red cell uroporphyrinogen synthase (URO-S) assay in kindreds with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP).

Abstract 1. 1. Erythrocyte URO-S activity was assessed in members of 14 AIP kindreds and correlated with clinical symptoms and urinary excretion of porphobilinogen (PBG). 2. 2. When a single URO-S assay showed levels in an indeterminate range, in most cases genotype ascertainment was achieved by repeat assay, assay by more than one laboratory, PBG quantitation in the urine, and analysis of pedigrees. In about 5% of cases, this approach still precluded definition of the genotype. 3. 3. Neither symptoms of AIP nor urinary excretion of PBG correlated with red cell URO-S activity.
Aging: A mitochondrial DNA perspective, critical analysis and an update

The mitochondrial theory of aging, a mainstream theory of aging which once included accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS) as its cornerstone, has been increasingly losing ground and is undergoing extensive revision due to its inability to explain a growing body of emerging data. Concurrently, the notion of the central role for mtDNA in the aging process is being met with increased skepticism. Our progress in understanding the processes of mtDNA maintenance, repair, damage, and degradation in response to damage has largely refuted the view of mtDNA as being particularly susceptible to ROS-mediated mutagenesis due to its lack of “protective” histones and reduced complement of available DNA repair pathways. Recent research on mitochondrial ROS production has led to the appreciation that mitochondria, even in vitro, produce much less ROS than previously thought, automatically leading to a decreased expectation of physiologically achievable levels of mtDNA damage. New evidence suggests that both experimentally induced oxidative stress and radiation therapy result in very low levels of mtDNA mutagenesis. Recent advances provide evidence against the existence of the “vicious” cycle of mtDNA damage and ROS production. Meta-studies reveal no longevity benefit of increased antioxidant defenses. Simultaneously, exciting new observations from both comparative biology and experimental systems indicate that increased ROS production and oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules, including mtDNA, can be associated with extended longevity. A novel paradigm suggests that increased ROS production in aging may be the result of adaptive signaling rather than a detrimental byproduct of normal respiration that drives aging. Here, we review issues pertaining to the role of mtDNA in aging.
Voronoi diagrams with barriers and on polyhedra for minimal path planning

Two generalizations of the Voronoi diagram in two dimensions (E2) are presented in this paper. The first allows impenetrable barriers that the shortest path must go around. The barriers are straight line segments that may be combined into polygons and even mazes. Each region of the diagram delimits a set of points that have not only the same closest existing point, but have the same topology of shortest path. The edges of this diagram, which has linear complexity in the number of input points and barrier lines, may be hyperbolic sections as well as straight lines. The second construction considers the Voronoi diagram on the surface of a convex polyhedron, given a set of fixed source points on it. Each face is partitioned into regions, such that the shortest path to any goal point in a given region from the closest fixed source point travels over the same sequence of faces to the same closest point.
Analysis of volatiles in fluid inclusions by mass spectrometry

Abstract Means of extracting and quantitatively analyzing volatiles in fluid inclusions have been studied and details of the methods developed are presented. Thermal decrepitation is the preferred method to open inclusions because experiments indicate that this method yields more accurate measurements of the sulphur-species gases and water. Two assemblages of inclusion species have repeatedly been detected in inclusions from mineral deposits. A CO 2 -dominated assemblage typically has been measured in inclusions from porphyry-type deposits. A CO 2 N 2 C n H n assemblage is typical of inclusion volatiles from sediment-hosted and epithermal deposits. The probable source of N 2 and organic compounds is biologic material which is consistent with a crustal source for the ore solutions. Inclusion volatiles from most ore deposits have 1–3 mole% gaseous species. However, levels of 5–15% have been measured in assemblages of vapor-dominant and liquid dominant inclusions from epithermal deposits. The interpretation is that vapor-dominant inclusions are rich in gaseous species. This implies that the indicated “boiling” of the ore solutions was not strictly aqueous boiling but more an unmixing of the gaseous components. Analytical data on volatiles in fluid inclusions have been used to calculate f O 2 , f S 2 , f CO 2 and pH of ore fluids, and these values agree with values calculated from other data. Data on gases in fluid inclusions have also been used to estimate trapping pressure and study paragenesis.
Age‐specific metabolic rates and mortality rates in the genus Drosophila

Early theories of aging suggested that organisms with relatively high metabolic rates would live shorter lives. Despite widespread tests of this 'rate of living' theory of aging, there is little empirical evidence to support the idea. A more fine-grained approach that examined age-related changes in metabolic rate over the life span could provide valuable insight into the relationship between metabolic rate and aging. Here we compare age-related metabolic rate (measured as CO2 production per hour) and age-related mortality rate among five species in the genus Drosophila. We find no evidence that longer-lived species have lower metabolic rates. In all five species, there is no clear evidence of an age-related metabolic decline. Metabolic rates are strikingly constant throughout the life course, with the exception of females of D. hydei, in which metabolic rates show an increase over the first third of the life span and then decline. We argue that some physiological traits may have been shaped by such strong selection over evolutionary time that they are relatively resistant to the decline in the force of selection that occurs within the life time of a single individual. We suggest that comparisons of specific traits that do not show signs of aging with those traits that do decline with age could provide insight into the aging process.
Pressure Effect on Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation Between Brucite and Water at Elevated Temperatures

Experimental evidence for a pressure effect on isotopic partitioning at elevated temperatures demonstrates that equilibrium deuterium-protium fractionation between the mineral brucite [Mg(OH) 2 ] and pure water systematically increases by 12.4 per mil as pressure increases from 15 to 800 megapascals at 380°C. A linear relation is observed between the measured fractionation factor and the density of water (0.070 to 1.035 grams per cubic centimeter). The trend of the isotope pressure effect is the same as that of recent theoretical studies, but the magnitude is smaller. The pressure effect must be accounted for in the interpretation of isotopic data of geologic systems involving water (paleotemperature, source of fluids).