cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Criminal Law and Crime Policy

Although the institutions of criminal justice around the world vary substantially in form and function, patterns can be discerned in what is expected of them at the millennium. Whether the society is democratic or authoritarian, its police and courts are expected to deal harshly with law-breakers (particularly those who have committed violent offenses). The spread of community policing and heightened awareness of police misconduct are raising expectations for protective state police forces even as policing by private security and volunteer groups becomes the norm for businesses and affluent neighborhoods. Recognizing that developments in transportation, communications, and trade have provided new opportunities for transnational crime and that local crime increasingly reflects and feeds global events, the nations of the world are trying to coordinate strategies to address crimes like drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and fraud that cross national borders. The spread of constitutional democracies on several continents and the breakdown of traditional mechanisms of informal social control in the Third World are introducing a culture of rights in nations where it has previously been unknown. Finally, the evolution of two new perspectives—actuarial justice and restorative justice—is challenging the offender-based paradigm of criminal justice in the modern, liberal state.
Size Restrictions on the Passage of Overwintering Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Through Openings.

Intentional and unintentional openings in a building's envelope provide opportunities for unwanted pests to enter buildings. The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal), is one such pest, causing a significant domestic winter nuisance in many locations. One important means of pest control is exclusion, or blocking openings through which they can enter, although some openings are intentional and cannot be completely blocked without putting a building at risk. To help understand what size openings are relevant to entry, adult H. halys ready for overwintering were driven out of heated boxes through openings designed to limit passage by their lateral pronotal and dorsoventral dimensions. Pronotally limited holes of 8 mm wide were passed by only one female (3.3% of those tested), and no females and only one male (3.3%) passed through 7-mm-wide holes. For dorsoventrally limited slits, few (13%) of females passed through 4-mm-high slits, and no individuals passed through 3-mm-high slits. Dorsoventral heights and pronotal widths of 930 individuals collected in Virginia were measured. Females were consistently larger, with pronota averaging 8.33 mm wide to the males' 7.47 mm and heights at the point of leg movement restriction averaging 4.03 mm to the males' 3.50 mm. Based on experimental data and size data, we conclude that most H. halys individuals will be excluded by slits smaller than 3 mm and holes smaller than 7 mm.
Moyamoya Disease: Indications for Revascularization and Techniques

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare, idiopathic, chronic, steno-occlusive cerebrovascular disease involving the bilateral terminal internal carotid or proximal middle and anterior cerebral arteries. The stenosis or complete occlusion, in turn, results in the characteristic development of fragile collateral moyamoya vessels with the appearance of a puff of smoke. In Japan, where the disease was first described, the age of onset fits a bimodal distribution in the 5–9 and 45–49 age groups. In Asia, the younger age group presents mostly with ischemic strokes and TIAs, while adults present mostly with hemorrhagic strokes. Interestingly, the demographics of MMD in the USA differ, with predominantly ischemic symptoms in both pediatric and adult populations. Treatment involves revascularization via direct or indirect bypass methods or a combination of both. Patient outcomes after revascularization have shown a decreased rate of strokes.
The Role of the Image in Engineering and Technical Graphics Education: Through a Lens of Cultural-Historical Learning Theory

It is most appropriate to look at engineering and technical graphics education within the context of Debray’s image as the visual. Within this context the image can take on many different forms and be used for many purposes. In this way it is very much schizophrenic. Educators can employ it as a temporary cognitive tool to help students organize information or exercise visualization ability, as sketches or electronic visuals within a design activity, or as visuals used to document a design. The way in which students master the signs and symbols of engineering and technical graphics is a complex process. Examining this process through the lens of cultural-historical learning theory provides a method of understanding the ways of knowing within this field. Signs and symbols are considered psychological tools, which are used in daily activities to direct the mind and change the process of thinking. Educators are responsible for introducing students to the signs and symbols within a subject where students would not spontaneously discover them on their own. They do this by helping students learn the languages of graphics by recognizing emerging abilities and using questioning strategies and other techniques to move a student from their actual development to their potential development. This scaffolding technique is recommended within collaborative, culturally meaningful, problem-solving environments.
Cross-linking dots on metal oxides

Metal oxides are ubiquitous in our daily lives because they are robust and possess versatile electrochemical properties. Despite their popularity, these materials present limitations with respect to effective large-scale implementation. Recently, there has been growing interest in creating hybrid metal oxides to tailor the morphology and properties of these materials. From this perspective, we highlight several recent developments in cross-linked hybrid metal oxides, focusing on chemical cross-linking techniques to enrich their properties. We discuss future directions of this cross-linking approach that could enable further manipulation of these materials. Chemical cross-linking represents a unique approach for creating hybrid materials with enriched properties. This method facilitates the formation of interconnected networks within the material, which can modulate its porosity, conductivity and photophysical properties. Porous morphologies are beneficial for electrochemical applications as they enable the smooth diffusion and penetration of ions, effective ion transport at material interfaces, and also offer a synergy of the properties of the constituent materials and cross-linker. This perspective article highlights the recent advances in the area of covalently cross-linked hybrid metal oxides.
Gender segregation within neighborhoods

Abstract Homophily generates segregation, which reduces diversity in peer groups and leads to narrower social interactions. Using novel data from Foursquare, a popular mobile app that documents the activity of millions of people, we document robust, highly localized gender segregation within neighborhoods: most venues (e.g., shops, restaurants, parks, museums) in eight major US cities are highly gender segregated, and over half of the gender segregation across cities occurs within Census blocks. This segregation is mostly driven by venue offerings, not discriminatory preferences. A higher variety of venues on a block attracts more gender-balanced visitors, but, perversely, more intense sorting across those venues ultimately leads to more segregated venues. Hence top-down approaches to facilitate diverse interactions may be counterproductive. We find similar results for segregation by age.
Wrangling in the Power of Code Pointers with ProxyCFI

Despite being a more than 40-year-old dark art, control flow attacks remain a significant and attractive means of penetrating applications. Control Flow Integrity (CFI) prevents control flow attacks by forcing the execution path of a program to follow the control flow graph (CFG). This is performed by inserting checks before indirect jumps to ensure that the target is within a statically determined valid target set. However, recent advanced control flow attacks have been shown to undermine prior CFI techniques by swapping targets of an indirect jump with another one from the valid set.
Chemoautotrophic Bacteria — Marine Invertebrate Symbioses

Symbiosis, the living together of dissimilar-named organisms, is a widespread phenomenon that can result in mutualistic benefit for both partners. In symbiosis, the metabolic capabilities of symbiotic partners are integrated to create a new organism. Thus symbiosis is a powerful means by which organisms can solve adaptive problems such as living in extreme environments.
Pharmacodynamics of natalizumab extended interval dosing in MS.

Objective To determine if the concentration and saturation of natalizumab (NTZ) administration at extended interval dosing (EID; every 5–8 weeks) over 18 months is able to be maintained in the range considered adequate to sustain the clinical efficacy of NTZ. Methods In a cross-sectional assessment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who received standard interval dosing (every 4 weeks) or EID, serum NTZ concentrations were measured using ELISA, and α4-integrin receptor saturations were analyzed via cytometry, in blood samples obtained at trough timepoints. Results Trough serum concentration was above the “therapeutic” concentration of 2.0 μg/mL in 72% of EID patients. Trough saturation was above the “therapeutic” 50% threshold in 79% of EID-treated patients. Our model predicted that at least 9 NTZ infusions/year are required to maintain adequate trough saturation and concentration levels. Higher body mass index (BMI) was a predictor of suboptimal trough saturation on EID NTZ. Conclusions Trough α4-integrin receptor saturation >50% correlated with high clinical efficacy of NTZ in previous studies. A continual treatment with EID maintains receptor saturation and concentration that are in the “therapeutic range” for most patients. This finding provides biological plausibility for the clinical efficacy of NTZ EID. Patients with higher BMI may require closer clinical and MRI follow-up.
Association of Race and Ethnicity With Late-Life Depression Severity, Symptom Burden, and Care.

Importance Knowledge gaps persist regarding racial and ethnic variation in late-life depression, including differences in specific depressive symptoms and disparities in care. Objective To examine racial/ethnic differences in depression severity, symptom burden, and care. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study included 25 503 of 25 871 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), a randomized trial of cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention conducted from November 2011 to December 2017. Data analysis was conducted from June to September 2018. Exposure Racial/ethnic group (ie, non-Hispanic white; black; Hispanic; Asian; and other, multiple, or unspecified race). Main Outcomes and Measures Depressive symptoms, assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire–8 (PHQ-8); participant-reported diagnosis, medication, and/or counseling for depression. Differences across racial/ethnic groups were evaluated using multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial regression to compare PHQ-8 scores and multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds of item-level symptom burden and odds of depression treatment among those with diagnosed depression. Results There were 25 503 VITAL participants with adequate depression data (mean [SD] age, 67.1 [7.1] years) including 12 888 [50.5%] women, 17 828 [69.9%] non-Hispanic white participants, 5004 [19.6%] black participants, 1001 [3.9%] Hispanic participants, 377 [1.5%] Asian participants, and 1293 participants [5.1%] who were categorized in the other, multiple, or unspecified race group. After adjustment for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health confounders, black participants had a 10% higher severity level of PHQ-8 scores compared with non-Hispanic white participants (rate ratio [RR], 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17;P Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, significant racial and ethnic differences in late-life depression severity, item-level symptom burden, and depression care were observed after adjustment for numerous confounders. These findings suggest a need for further examination of novel patient-level and clinician-level factors underlying these associations.
Successful treatment and follow-up of one 500 gram extremely low birth weight infant

Objective To summarize the clinical featurs, experience in diagnosis and treatment and prognosis of the first survival case of an extremely low birth weight infant (ELBWI) with the birth weight of 500 g in China to improve the management of ELBWI. Methods The clinical data and follow up of one neonate with birth weight 500 g, who successfully survived in our hospital in 2006, were collected and analyzed. Results The birth weight of this infant is 500 g. After hospitalization of 139 days, his body weight reached 2710 grams, and the neonatal behavioral neurological assessment scored 38. Physical and intelligence development was good. At the age of 18 months, the physical and intelligence development of this infant became normal. Conclusions There were many complications in ELBWI. Healthy survival of this infant depended on the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, chronic lung disease, infection and retinopathy of prematurity necrotizing enterocolitis as well as cystic-periventricular leukomalacia, and early developmental care was also important. Key words: Infant, extremely low birth weight; Infant, premature; Respiratory distress syndrome, newborn; Retinopathy of prematurity; Follow-up studies
Analyzing Pre-Trained Neural Network Behavior with Layer Activation Optimization

Image classification and object recognition with neural networks could have applications in aesthetically-focused branches of the humanities, such as landscape architecture. However, such methods require either the assembly of a massive, domain specific labeled data set or use of network weights initialized on another data set, a technique known as transfer learning. Transfer learning research has established that a pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN) can achieve high accuracy on new image recognition tasks with relatively few training images. In practice, pre-trained tends to mean pre-trained on ImageNet, the standard dataset for computer vision research. Experiments have shown that the dataset on which a pre-trained model was originally optimized can quantitatively bias it. The goal of this project was to design an experiment to qualitatively analyze how the dataset used to initialize a pre-trained classification system affects its behavior at progressive network layers using feature visualization strategies. We initialized two ResNet-18 CNNs with weights pre-trained on ImageNet and the Places365 dataset, respectively, and fine-tuned them for a new classification task on a landscape image dataset which we collected. Using class activation optimization methods taken from the deep visualization literature, we compared the network filters at several hidden layers and the final output layers. The class activation optimization results show that even at early stages in the networks, their neurons exhibit notably different behavior. Accordingly, we show both that feature visualization techniques can be used to qualitatively study the effect of original training data on transfer learning and, consequently, that the homogeneous use of ImageNet in computer vision experiments may have notable implications for model behavior.
Development of a truncated ellipsoidal reflector-based metal halide lamp solar simulator for characterization of photovoltaic cells

With the increasing prevalence of solar photovoltaics in the renewable energy mix, the need for device-level assessment has greatly increased. This is challenging in rural, off-grid areas with limi...
Thumbs down on “likes”? The impact of Facebook reactions on online consumers’ nonprofit engagement behavior

Businesses and marketers have long pursued users’ “likes” on Facebook, but some have doubts about the effect of the presence of Facebook reactions such as “like” and “love.” This study addresses the long-overdue question of whether the presence of social media reactions (e.g., “likes” and “loves”) influences consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions towards nonprofits after being exposed to nonprofit organizations’ (NPOs’) social media posts. This study, drawing on signaling theory, investigated the impact of social media reactions on individuals’ engagement behavior intentions toward nonprofits. The results show that a higher number of reactions is not always good. The higher number of Facebook reactions positively influence individuals’ trust, but that number showed either a negative or no effect on engagement behaviors toward nonprofits. This study has important implications for marketing practitioners, particularly in the nonprofit sector, such as being careful how they approach pursuing “likes” on social media. Facebook marketing could be used more effectively to improve social media users’ attitudes towards a nonprofit organization than to influence their engagement behavior, such as making a donation.
Electrical Substrate Ablation for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation: Results of the AVATAR Study.

Background - Refractory ventricular fibrillation (VF) is a challenging clinical entity, for which ablation of triggering premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) is described. When PVCs are infrequent and multifocal, the optimal treatment strategy is uncertain. Methods - We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients presenting with multiple ICD shocks for VF refractory to antiarrhythmic drug therapy, exhibiting infrequent (≤3%), multifocal PVCs (≥3 morphologies). Procedurally, VF was induced with rapid pacing and mapped, identifying sites of conduction slowing and rotation or rapid focal activation. VF electrical substrate ablation (VESA) was then performed. Outcomes were compared against reference patients with VF who were unable or unwilling to undergo catheter ablation. The primary outcome was a composite of ICD shock, electrical storm, or all-cause mortality. Results - VF was induced and mapped in 6 patients (60±10 y, LVEF 46±19%) with ischemic (n=3) and nonischemic cardiomyopathy. An average of 3.3±0.5 sites of localized reentry during VF were targeted for radiofrequency ablation (38.3±10.9 minutes) during sinus rhythm, rendering VF non-inducible with pacing. Freedom from the primary outcome was 83% in the VF ablation group versus 17% in 6 non-ablation reference patients at a median of 1.0 years (IQR 0.5-1.5 years, p=0.046) follow-up. Conclusions - VESA is associated with a reduction in the combined endpoint compared with the non-ablation reference group. Additional work is required to understand the precise pathophysiologic changes which promote VF in order to improve preventative and therapeutic strategies.
Assessing Consistency Across Functional Screening Datasets in Cancer Cells.

Motivation Many high-throughput screening studies have been carried out in cancer cell lines to identify therapeutic agents and targets. Existing consistency assessment studies only examined two datasets at a time, with conclusions based on a subset of carefully selected features rather than considering global consistency of all the data. However, poor concordance can still be observed for a large part of the data even when selected features are highly consistent. Results In this study we assembled nine compound screening datasets and three functional genomics datasets. We derived direct measures of consistency as well as indirect measures of consistency based on association between functional data and copy number-adjusted gene expression data. These results have been integrated into a web application - the Functional Data Consistency Explorer (FDCE), to allow users to make queries and generate interactive visualizations so that functional data consistency can be assessed for individual features of interest. Availability The FDCE web tool and we have developed and the functional data consistency measures we have generated are available at https://lccl.shinyapps.io/FDCE/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
UAV-assisted Online Machine Learning over Multi-Tiered Networks: A Hierarchical Nested Personalized Federated Learning Approach.

We consider distributed machine learning (ML) through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for geo-distributed device clusters. We propose five new technologies/techniques: (i) stratified UAV swarms with leader, worker, and coordinator UAVs, (ii) hierarchical nested personalized federated learning (HN-PFL): a holistic distributed ML framework for personalized model training across the worker-leader-core network hierarchy, (iii) cooperative UAV resource pooling for distributed ML using the UAVs' local computational capabilities, (iv) aerial data caching and relaying for efficient data relaying to conduct ML, and (v) concept/model drift, capturing online data variations at the devices. We split the UAV-enabled model training problem as two parts. (a) Network-aware HN-PFL, where we optimize a tradeoff between energy consumption and ML model performance by configuring data offloading among devices-UAVs and UAV-UAVs, UAVs' CPU frequencies, and mini-batch sizes subject to communication/computation network heterogeneity. We tackle this optimization problem via the method of posynomial condensation and propose a distributed algorithm with a performance guarantee. (b) Macro-trajectory and learning duration design, which we formulate as a sequential decision making problem, tackled via deep reinforcement learning. Our simulations demonstrate the superiority of our methodology with regards to the distributed ML performance, the optimization of network resources, and the swarm trajectory efficiency.
Discrimination and adjustment in adolescence: The moderating role of sleep.

STUDY OBJECTIVES We examined multiple actigraphy-based sleep parameters as moderators of associations between experiences of general and racial discrimination and adolescent internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression) and externalizing behavior (rule-breaking). Adolescent sex and race were examined as additional moderators. METHODS Participants were 272 adolescents (Mage = 17.3 years, SD = 0.76; 51% male; 59% White/European American, 41% Black/African American). Sleep was assessed using actigraphs for 7 consecutive nights from which sleep duration (minutes), efficiency, and variability in minutes over the week were derived. Youth reported on their experiences of general discrimination, racial discrimination, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and rule-breaking behavior. RESULTS Both types of discrimination were associated with poorer adjustment outcomes. Longer sleep duration, greater sleep efficiency, and less variability in sleep duration were protective in associations between race-specific and general discrimination and internalizing symptoms. Findings for duration and efficiency were more pronounced for females such that the adverse effects of discrimination were minimized among females with longer and more efficient sleep. Greater variability in sleep exacerbated rule-breaking behavior among adolescents experiencing general or racial discrimination. Associations did not differ by adolescent race. CONCLUSIONS Short and poor-quality sleep may exacerbate internalizing symptoms for adolescents experiencing discrimination, particularly females. Variability in sleep duration was a key moderator of associations between discrimination and internalizing symptoms as well as rule-breaking behavior. Findings illustrate that actigraphy-assessed sleep parameters play a key role in ameliorating or exacerbating adjustment problems associated with discrimination.
Progress in Cheerleading Safety: Update on the Epidemiology of Cheerleading Injuries Presenting to US Emergency Departments, 2010-2019.

Background:Although the athleticism required of cheerleaders has increased, the risks of cheerleading have been less studied as compared with other sports.Purpose:To update our understanding of the...
The mechanism of dextransucrase action: Biosynthesis of branch linkages by acceptor reactions with dextran

Abstract Dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512 catalyzes the polymerization of dextran from sucrose. The resulting dextran has 95% α-1 → 6 linkages and 5% α-1 → 3 branch linkages. A purified dextransucrase was insolubilized on Bio-Gel P-2 beads (BGD, Bio-Gel-dextransucrase). The BGD was labeled by incubating it with a very low concentration of [ 14 C]sucrose or it was first charged with nonlabeled sucrose and then labeled with a very low concentration of [ 14 C]sucrose. After extensive washings with buffer, the 14 C label remained attached to BGD. This labeled material was previously shown to be [ 14 C]dextran and was postulated to be attached covalently at the reducing end to the active site of the enzyme. When the labeled BGD was incubated with a low molecular weight nonlabeled dextran (acceptor dextran) all of the BGD-bound label was released as [ 14 C]dextran whereas essentially no [ 14 C]dextran was released when the labeled BGD was incubated in buffer alone under comparable conditions. The released [ 14 C]dextran was shown to be a slightly branched dextran by hydrolysis with an exodextranase. Acetolysis of the released dextran gave 7.3% of the radioactivity in nigerose. Reduction with sodium borohydride, followed by acid hydrolysis, gave all of the radioactivity in glucose, indicating that the nigerose was exclusively labeled in the nonreducing glucose unit. These results indicated that [ 14 C]dextran was being released from BGD by virtue of the action of the low molecular weight dextran and that this action gave the formation of a new α-1 → 3 branch linkage. A mehanism for branching is proposed in which a C 3 -OH on an acceptor dextran acts as a nucleophile on C 1 of the reducing end of a dextranosyl-dextransucrase complex, thereby displacing dextran from dextransucrase and forming an α-1 → 3 branch linkage. It is argued that the biosynthesis of branched linkages does not require a separate branching enzyme but can take place by reactions of an acceptor dextran with a dextranosyl-dextransucrase complex.
Die isolierung von emetin, cephaelin und psychotrin aus alangium lamarckii und die identifizierung von almarckine mit N-methylcephaelin

Zusammenfassung Aus der Alangiaceen-Art alangium Lamarcki Thw, wurden Emetin, Cephaelin und Psychotrin isoliert. Das fruher beschriebene Alkaloid alamarckin konnte mit N-Methylcephaelin identifiziert werden. Dies stellt den ersten Nachweis von Ipecacuanha-Alkaloiden ausserhalb der Familie der Rubiaceen dar. Das Fragmentierungsverhalten von Ipecacuanha-Alkaloiden im Massenspektrometer, das es erlaubt, Basen dieser Klasse leicht zu erkennen und zu identifizieren, wird diskutiert.
Surface Generation from an Irregular Network of Parametric Curves

This paper proposes a method of generating surfaces from a network of curves that have arbitrary parametric forms, and that intersect in an arbitrary topology.
Graph analysis for detecting fraud, waste, and abuse in healthcare data

Detection of fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) is an important yet difficult problem. In this paper, we describe a system to detect suspicious activities in large healthcare claims datasets. Each healthcare dataset is viewed as a heterogeneous network of patients, doctors, pharmacies, and other entities. These networks can be large, with millions of patients, hundreds of thousands of doctors, and tens of thousands of pharmacies, for example. Graph analysis techniques are developed to find suspicious individuals, suspicious relationships between individuals, unusual changes over time, unusual geospatial dispersion, and anomalous networks within the overall graph structure. The system has been deployed on multiple sites and data sets, both government and commercial, to facilitate the work of FWA investigation analysts.
Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Parenchymal Texture Analysis for Breast Cancer Risk Estimation: A Preliminary Study

Studies with mammograms have demonstrated a relationship between parenchymal texture and breast cancer risk. Although promising, texture analysis in mammograms is limited by the effect of tissue superimposition. Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) is a novel tomographic x-ray breast imaging modality that alleviates the effect of tissue superimposition. We explore the potential advantages of DBT texture analysis for breast cancer risk estimation. We analyzed bilateral DBT and DM images from 39 women, and compared the performance of the computed texture features in (i) reflecting characteristic parenchymal properties, and (ii) correlating to mammographic breast density, an established surrogate of breast cancer risk. Strong texture correlation was observed between contralateral and ipsilateral breasts, indicating that parenchymal properties are potentially inherent to an individual woman. Compared to DM, DBT texture features demonstrated a stronger correlation with breast density. Although preliminary, our results show that DBT texture analysis could potentially improve breast cancer risk estimation.
Electronic Marketplaces: A Cross-Industry Comparison

This research addresses the question of the potential growth of electronic marketplaces as an eentrepreneurship model. We will examine how electronic marketplaces are different among industry sectors from two major perspectives: the level of electronic marketplace usage and the level of e-readiness. The results of an empirical study conducted in the United States show that a wide range of industry sectors are currently prepared to use electronic marketplaces, and will use them in the future. These findings indicate a better chance for the growth of e-entrepreneurship as a solution for entrepreneurs in our current troubled economy.
On the performance study of several access control strategies in ISDN

Several access control strategies are studied for handling a mixture of wideband and narrowband traffic over a common time-division-multiplexing communication link. The access control schemes are two-side moving-boundary strategies with blockable and queuable policies for wideband and narrowband messages. These strategies can provide some useful insight for the future broadband ISDN user access developments. >
STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF DEMYELINATION: TRIETHYL TIN-INDUCED DEMYELINATION

The metabolism of myelin undergoing breakdown as a result of edema induced by chronic administration of triethyl tin (TET) dissolved in the drinking water (10 mg/l.) was examined. The spinal cord showed more edema and loss of myelin than the brain. Uptake in vitro of [1-14C]acetate into myelin lipids of slices of brain or spinal cord from TET-treated rats was depressed until 4–5 weeks after the beginning of the regime, then rose to above normal levels. The uptake of [l-14C]leucine into myelin protein rose within several weeks of TET treatment to levels averaging over 300 per cent of normal and remained high even after the TET was removed. The high levels of [l-14C]leucine incorporation were inhibited by cycloheximide and were not explained by an increase in the size of the free amino acid pool. The three classes of myelin proteins, basic, proteolipid protein, and Wolfgram protein shared in the increased incorporation. Spinal cord myelin showed the greatest metabolic response, brain stem myelin less, and myelin from the forebrain was minimally affected by the TET treatment. Myelin prelabelled by intracisternal injection of [l-14C]acetate and [l-14C]leucine before the onset of TET administration showed faster turnover in myelin proteins in relation to the myelin lipids than the control in the most severely affected animals, but not in others less affected. A ‘floating fraction’ was observed floating on 10.5% (w/v) sucrose during the myelin purification. This fraction showed metabolic characteristics typical of myelin, and myelin-labelling studies at various stages of the animal's development showed it to be derived from recently synthesized myelin. The floating fraction from the brain contained less cerebroside and more lecithin than myelin, while the spinal cord floating fraction composition was much like that of myelin. The floating fractions contained less protein typical of myelin (basic and proteolipid protein) and more highmolecular-weight protein which may have been derived from contaminating microsomes. The floating fraction was presumed to be partially deproteinated myelin. The use of TET-treatment as model for demyelination as a result of edema and proceeding in the absence of macrophages is discussed.
Self-assembly of rod-coil diblock copolymers

A two-dimensional self-consistent-field lattice model incorporating the rotational isomeric state scheme to account for chain rigidity was developed to study the phase diagram of rod−coil diblock copolymer melts. Several morphologies such as lamella, zigzag lamella, elliptical cross-sectional cylinders, and hexagonally packed cylinders were observed for rod−coil diblock copolymers. A free energy analysis suggests that the zigzag and elliptical cross-sectional cylindrical structures are metastable. The effect of decreasing the flexibility of the coil segment of a rod−coil diblock copolymer was determined. Our calculation showed that as the flexible block of the copolymer becomes more rigid, part of the cylindrical domain in the phase diagram is replaced by lamella structures.
A distributed parameter integral model for predicting the thermal performance characteristics of single- and multi-wall radiation heat shield systems

Heat shielding has become an increasingly necessary means for protecting temperature-sensitive components from direct exposure to thermal radiation from high temperature sources. A simple but comprehensive distributed parameter integral model has been developed for predicting the temperature distribution of the shield and the protected component for a variety of heat shield systems. The integral model presented here is seen to be more accurate than lumped models, and can be computed with much greater speed than that required for numerical models.
Bone health and aging: implications for menopause

Osteoporosis is one major health condition that contributes to excess morbidity and mortality in women after menopause. In the past, hormone therapy (HT) was prescribed commonly for symptoms of menopause, and there was also evidence that HT protected against osteoporosis. Recently, however, the overall health risks have been reported to exceed benefits, with the beneficial effects seen only in the decreased incidence of hip fractures and colon cancer. The role of HT in menopausal women is unclear at this time, although many women may require it to reduce menopausal symptoms. Osteoporosis may be an area where the benefit of using HT may outweigh the risks in a select group of women. Further, because lower than usual doses of estrogen have been shown to reduce menopausal symptoms and to protect bone, additional research will likely expand physicians' current knowledge of the use of HT in menopausal women. This article reviews the use of low-dose estrogen to promote bone health in postmenopausal women.
Conservative chiropractic management of recalcitrant foot pain after fasciotomy: a retrospective case review.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to describe the safety and potential therapeutic benefit of joint mobilization and manipulation in the conservative management of patients with recalcitrant foot pain after plantar fasciotomy. Methods The study design was a retrospective review of outcomes of 15 patients seen in a multidisciplinary office setting. All patients had undergone plantar fasciotomy within the 9 months before their admission and had developed lateral foot pain after operation. Each patient had exhibited suboptimal improvement with at least a 4- to 6-week trial of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, shoe padding, and rest as prescribed by the attending podiatric surgeon. Manual therapy consisted of either grade III or grade IV joint mobilization and/or high-velocity, low-amplitude chiropractic manipulation to the affected joints in the foot and ankle, and home-based exercise. Outcome criteria were empirically defined as significant improvement, moderate improvement, or no change as assessed by each patient based on a verbal rating scale. Results There was no long-lasting complication associated with any of the procedures, although a common pattern of transient pain migration over the dorsum of the foot into the ankle was noted in some patients; this resolved by the time of discharge. Of the patients with pain in the calcaneocuboid and/or fifth tarsometatarsal articulation, 11 noted significant improvement, 3 experienced moderate improvement, and 1 reported no change. Patients who complied with home care instructions responded better to therapy in most instances. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that joint mobilization and manipulation are safe conservative procedures to use in the treatment of patients with lateral column foot pain in status post plantar fasciotomy.
Spontaneous symmetry breaking in Reggeon field theory

Abstract We consider a Reggeon field theory when the bare or input Regge intercept α O is greater than one. This corresponds to a negative mass squared term in conventional field theory and allows for a spontaneous symmetry break-down. A theory with Regge intercept at one emerges, restoring the Froissart bound by t -channel considerations alone. In our elementary example the resulting bare trajectory is nearly of the square root variety familiar from s -channel eikonalization of models which violate the Froissart bound.
Effect of piracetam on one-way active avoidance in rats with medial thalamic lesions

Rats sustaining either medial thalamic electrolytic lesions or sham operations were injected with either piractam (100 mg/kg), a drug previously shown to enhance acquisition, or saline for 3 consecutive days prior to being tested for shock-flinch threshold and one-way active avoidance. The animals with medial thalamic lesions were found to make fewer avoidances than the sham-operated animals. Piracetam was shown neither to alleviate the lesion-induced avoidance deficit nor to facilitate acquisition in the sham-operated animals. No differences were observed in shock-flinch threshold.
Typologizing grammatical complexities or Why creoles may be paradigmatically simple but syntagmatically average

An important theme in work attempting to situate creoles with respect to non-creoles typologically is the extent to which it can be said that creole grammars are relatively simple from a cross-linguistic perspective. Work arguing for and against this position has generally focused on an examination of the synchronic grammars of creoles in order to show that they are either simple or complex in one way or another. By contrast, there has not been a detailed examination of two important related questions: How can we typologize grammatical complexities themselves? And, once we have typologized them, will we find that different types of complexities are affected differently during creolization? This paper examines these questions and proposes that distinguishing between complexities derived from paradigmatic structure as opposed to syntagmatic structure may yield important insights into apparent patterns of simplicity within creoles, in particular with respect to which complexities we might expect to be readily transferred from source languages into an emerging creole.
Relationship between self-reported task persistence and history of quitting smoking, plans for quitting smoking, and current smoking status in adolescents

The task persistence construct has previously been measured primarily behaviorally (e.g., with a mirror-tracing task, or breath holding), and only in adults. It has been shown to differentiate between adult smokers and non-smokers and to predict smoking cessation in adult smokers trying to quit. This theory-based analysis is the first to examine task persistence in adolescent smokers and to examine a two-item, internally consistent, self-report measure of task persistence. Results indicate that task persistence is greater among adolescent non-smokers as compared to adolescent current smokers, and those planning to quit smoking as compared to those with no plans to quit. Contrary to hypotheses, task persistence was not found to be related to prior successful attempts to quit smoking. Our results suggest that a brief, self-report measure of task persistence may be a methodologically sound, practical clinical tool for this population.
Antibody-based detection and inhibition of vaginolysin, the Gardnerella vaginalis cytolysin.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection worldwide and is associated with significant adverse sequelae. We have recently characterized vaginolysin (VLY), the human-specific cytotoxin produced by Gardnerella vaginalis and believed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of BV and its associated morbidities. We hypothesize that novel antibody-based strategies may be useful for detection of VLY and for inhibition of its toxic effects on human cells. Using purified toxin as an immunogen, we generated polyclonal rabbit immune serum (IS) against VLY. A western blot of G. vaginalis lysate was probed with IS and a single band (57 kD) identified. Immunofluorescence techniques using IS detected VLY production by G. vaginalis. In addition, we have developed a sandwich ELISA assay capable of VLY quantification at ng/ml concentrations in the supernatant of growing G. vaginalis. To investigate the potential inhibitory role of IS on VLY-mediated cell lysis, we exposed human erythrocytes to VLY or VLY pretreated with IS and determined the percent hemolysis. Pretreatment with IS resulted in a significant reduction in VLY-mediated lysis. Similarly, both human cervical carcinoma cells and vaginal epithelial cells exhibited reduced cytolysis following exposure to VLY with IS compared to VLY alone. These results confirm that antibody-based techniques are an effective means of VLY detection. Furthermore, VLY antiserum functions as an inhibitor of VLY–CD59 interaction, mitigating cell lysis. These strategies may have a potential role in the diagnosis and treatment of BV.
Expression of activins and TGFβ1 and β2 RNAs in early postimplantation mouse embryos and uterine decidua

The expression of the mesoderm inducing factors, activins and TGF beta s, was characterized in 5 1/2-9 1/2 day mouse embryos and implantation sites by in situ hybridization. Activin beta A RNA was not detected within the embryo, but is expressed in nearby decidual cells from 5 to 7 days. Thus activin A could play a role within the embyro during gastrulation. Activin beta A is also expressed in more mesometrially located decidual cells from 6 to 9 1/2 days. Activin beta B and inhibin alpha RNAs were not detected, while a control tissue was highly positive. TGF beta 1 is expressed in the secondary decidual zone and in developing endothelial cells in the decidua and embryo. TGF beta 2 is expressed in the mesometrial decidua at 6 1/2 days and in the midline of the cranial neural plate.
Economic and environmental evaluation of alternative pollution-reducing nitrogen management practices in central Illinois

Abstract Nitrogen fertilizer application from production agriculture is likely the largest contributor to non-point source nitrate pollution in the United States. This type of pollution from the agricultural sector is an important policy issue because it may cause serious environmental and health risks to society. There have been studies that examined the different effects of nitrogen timing and rate practices, but none has yet compared the economic and environmental effects of these practices to site-specific management (SSM) precision technology. This paper examines the economic and environmental impacts of alternative nitrogen management practices, including SSM, within the Lake Decatur watershed of central Illinois. Thus, this study provides evidence on how different nitrogen management practices perform in terms of their effect on water quality and profitability. Data for the analysis were derived from the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) agronomic simulation model due to unavailability of actual on-site data. The analysis revealed that SSM of nitrogen fertilizer has great potential in reducing the mean and variability of nitrate pollution in the watershed while improving profitability of producers, relative to the current practice in the watershed. The management practice where fertilizer is applied during the spring at 140 kg ha −1 provides reduction in mean and variability of nitrate pollution comparable to that of SSM. However, SSM technology substantially reduces the variability of net returns compared to the other management practices analyzed. Hence, SSM of nitrogen fertilizer has the potential to reduce nitrate pollution while reducing economic variability and maintaining profitability.
Analysis Of Diffusion And Binding In Cells Using The Rics Approach

The movement of macromolecules in cells is assumed to occur either through active transport or by diffusion. However the determination of the diffusion coefficients in cells using fluctuation methods or FRAP frequently give diffusion coefficient that are orders of magnitude smaller than the diffusion coefficients measured for the same macromolecule in solution. It is assumed that the cell internal viscosity is partially responsible for this decrease in the apparent diffusion. When the apparent diffusion is too slow to be due to cytoplasm viscosity, it is assumed that weak binding of the macromolecules to immobile or quasi immobile structures is taking place. In this work we derive equations for fitting of the RICS (Raster-scan Image Correlations Spectroscopy) data in cells to a model that includes transient binding to immobile structures and we show that under some conditions, the spatio-temporal correlation provided by the RICS approach can distinguish the process of diffusion and weak binding. We apply the method to determine the diffusion in the cytoplasm and binding of Focal Adhesion Kinase-EGFP to adhesions in MEF cells. Work supported in part by U54 GM064346 Cell Migration Consortium (MD and EG), NIH-P41 P41-RRO3155 (EG) and P50-GM076516 (EG).
Compositional and Metabolic Evaluation of Colostrum Preserved by Four Methods during Warm Ambient Temperatures

Abstract Colostrum from several cows was composited from the first six milkings post-calving and subdivided into the following treatments: frozen, naturally fermented, formaldehyde treated at .05% by volume, and treated with propionic acid at 1% by volume. All colostrum except the frozen were stored at warm ambient temperatures. The above regime was replicated five times, and colostrum was fed to 20 Holstein calves at 3.64 kg daily (3 parts colostrum to 1 part water) for 3 wk. Composition of frozen colostrum was constant. For most components analyzed, naturally fermented colostrum had more nutrient breakdown during storage than did propionic acid-treated, with formaldehyde-treated intermediate. Nitrogen loss and protein degradation were higher in naturally fermented colostrum. The most consistent pattern in serum from calves was higher serum urea in calves fed naturally fermented colostrum. The higher serum urea was related (correlation = .42) to the nonprotein nitrogen content of the diet.