cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Afrodescendants, Law, and Race in Latin America

Law and Society research in and about Latin America has been particularly beneficial in elucidating the gap between the ideals of racial equality laws in the region and the actual subordinated status of its racialized subjects. This chapter maps recurring research themes in the race-related socio-legal literature, mostly focusing on studies about afro-descendant populations and the ways in which states throughout the region have dealt with ideas of race and racial discrimination. I organize this literature according to the analysis of what Latin American states have achieved –or not- in addressing racial inclusion, racial discrimination, and racial equality through reparations and affirmative action. As a result, I identify three sets of sociolegal debates: the limits of multicultural constitutional reform for full political participation; the limits of the Latin American emphasis on criminal law to redress discriminatory actions; and the challenges to implementing race conscious public policies such as affirmative action. Following my mapping of the field, I signal the resistance of legal systems to enforcing anti-discrimination measures in order to show that future research should interrogate the judicial presumption that racial violence does not and has not existed in Latin America, and the resulting social is empowerment of not naming violence as racial.
If everyone is doing it, it must be safe. College students' development of attitudes toward poly-substance use

Background: While binge drinking on college campuses has been a topic of concern for decades, especially among fraternity and sorority members, recreational drug use is on the rise and mixing alcohol and drugs is now more of a concern than ever. Objective: Social learning theory was used as a framework for understanding how students develop attitudes regarding the possible risks and rewards of various behaviors such as binge drinking and drug use. Method: This research reports the results of 13 focus group discussions with 63 college students. A thematic approach was used and revealed several themes: participating in college culture, experimenting is expected, ignoring risk-taking, and resisting peer pressure. Findings: Participants felt as if it was expected that college students would experiment with alcohol and drugs, and that it was just "part of going away to college." Students reported ignoring the known risks of mixing alcohol and drugs use despite prior education efforts. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that alcohol and drug use on college campuses is, at least in part, driven by a perception of college culture and a poor balancing of the risks and rewards associated with these behaviors.
Oxepanes from an unusual acetal cleavage of 6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octanes

On treatment with BF3·OEt2 and TMSCN, epoxy ketone 1 cyclized to the bicyclic acetal 2, which then cleaved to give primarily the oxepane 5 as a single stereoisomer. Reductive decyanation of 5 led to the oxepane 7, a structural unit present in the brevetoxin family of natural products. The scope and limitations of this reaction sequence were investigated.
Lead-Related Quantum Emitters in Diamond

We investigate the optical properties of quantum emitters formed in diamond after the implantation of Pb and subsequent high-temperature annealing. We find narrow-band emission in two spectral ranges, indicating multiple classes of Pb-related color centers.
rlpyt: A Research Code Base for Deep Reinforcement Learning in PyTorch.

Since the recent advent of deep reinforcement learning for game play and simulated robotic control, a multitude of new algorithms have flourished. Most are model-free algorithms which can be categorized into three families: deep Q-learning, policy gradients, and Q-value policy gradients. These have developed along separate lines of research, such that few, if any, code bases incorporate all three kinds. Yet these algorithms share a great depth of common deep reinforcement learning machinery. We are pleased to share rlpyt, which implements all three algorithm families on top of a shared, optimized infrastructure, in a single repository. It contains modular implementations of many common deep RL algorithms in Python using PyTorch, a leading deep learning library. rlpyt is designed as a high-throughput code base for small- to medium-scale research in deep RL. This white paper summarizes its features, algorithms implemented, and relation to prior work, and concludes with detailed implementation and usage notes. rlpyt is available at this https URL.
Migration-driven Resilient Disaster Response Edge-Cloud Deployments

Cloud based incidence response systems suffer from lack of network connectivity to offload compute intensive mission-critical applications to remote cloud. Thus, the next-generation incidence response solutions are becoming more edge-cloud based where computational resources are available closer to the disaster site. However, frequent and dynamic unpredictabilities or fluctuations generated in such edge-cloud deployments (e.g., using wireless spectrum in unlicensed manner) adversely impact the performance of mission-critical, real-time applications which often demand strict performance guarantees. Such fluctuations cause severe performance degradations to mission-critical applications that use such channels. In this paper, we propose an intelligent yet lightweight application task assignment (end-user device to edge-cloud) and application migration scheme (between edge-cloud resources) that can help mission-critical applications avoid impending fluctuations and improve system resilience. The proposed scheme implements Largest Bandwidth Largest Job-First Fit (LBLJ-FF) algorithm as a Unified Resource Broker (URB) service that optimizes transmission cost and migration overhead. The algorithm is light-weight and fast converging in reacting to sudden fluctuations. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme through a realistic simulation that uses real fluctuation dataset. The results demonstrate the existence of an optimal trade-off point between transmission cost and migration overhead optimizations. The results also show the resilience of the proposed algorithm in improving job completion rate when the edge-cloud system is under intense fluctuation.
The biology, function, and biomedical applications of exosomes

The study of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has the potential to identify unknown cellular and molecular mechanisms in intercellular communication and in organ homeostasis and disease. Exosomes, with an average diameter of ~100 nanometers, are a subset of EVs. The biogenesis of exosomes involves their origin in endosomes, and subsequent interactions with other intracellular vesicles and organelles generate the final content of the exosomes. Their diverse constituents include nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, amino acids, and metabolites, which can reflect their cell of origin. In various diseases, exosomes offer a window into altered cellular or tissue states, and their detection in biological fluids potentially offers a multicomponent diagnostic readout. The efficient exchange of cellular components through exosomes can inform their applied use in designing exosome-based therapeutics.
CHAPTER 9 – Factorial Experiments

Publisher Summary This chapter presents various models and procedures for the analysis of multifactor data sets. Such data sets arise from two types of situations: Factorial experiments and Experimental design. A factorial experiment is defined as one in which responses are observed for every combination of factor levels. The chapter extends the use of the analysis of variance for comparing means when the populations arise from the use of levels from more than one factor. An important consideration in such analyses is interaction, which is defined as the inconsistency of the effects of one factor across the levels of another factor. The study of interaction is made possible by the use of factorial experiments in which observations are obtained on all combinations of factor levels. The computations for performing the analysis of variance for a factorial experiment can be described in two stages: the between cells analysis and the factorial analysis. The principles underlying the analysis of a two-factor factorial experiment and the definitional formulas for performing that analysis are presented.
Pancreatic Macrophages: Critical Players in Obesity-Promoted Pancreatic Cancer

Obesity is a known risk factor for the development of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of malignancies. In recent years it has become clear that the pancreatic microenvironment is critically involved and a contributing factor in accelerating pancreatic neoplasia. In this context obesity-associated chronic inflammation plays an important role. Among several immune cells, macrophages have been shown to contribute to obesity-induced tissue inflammation. This review article summarizes the current knowledge about the role of pancreatic macrophages in early pancreatic cancer development. It describes the heterogenous origin and mixture of pancreatic macrophages, their role in pancreatic endocrine and exocrine pathology, and the impact of obesity on islet and stromal macrophages. A model is postulated, by which during obesity monocytes are recruited into the pancreas, where they are polarized into pro-inflammatory macrophages that drive early pancreatic neoplasia. This occurs in the presence of local inflammatory, metabolic, and endocrine signals. A stronger appreciation and more detailed knowledge about the role of macrophages in early pancreatic cancer development will lead to innovative preventive or interceptive strategies.
The English Language Arts Classroom as a Multilingual Literacy Community

Literacy educators have long understood the importance of designing multicultural instruction for students. However, in an educational context that is both increasingly multilingual, literacy educa...
Analysis of the interrelationships of non-nutrient blood flow, oxygen delivery, oxygen consumption, and the ratio of oxygen delivery/oxygen consumption based on a mathematical model of non-nutrient blood flow.

Non-nutrient blood flow (NNBF) is defined for the purposes of this model as any blood flow that does not participate in oxygen exchange at the level of the microcirculation. It theoretically includes intra-cardiac and large vessel left to right shunts, anatomic and physiologic shunting in the microcirculation, decreased cellular utilization of oxygen, and decreased diffusion of oxygen.
Fetal Supraventricular Tachycardia: What the Adult Cardiologist Needs to Know

Fetal supraventricular tachycardia management is challenging, with consequences for both the fetus and the mother. If left untreated, fetal hydrops may ensue, at which point delivery and treatment of the arrhythmia is preferred. However, if the fetus is not at term nor near-term, significant doses of antiarrhythmics may be needed to achieve adequate transplacental bioavailability. Although digoxin has classically been the mainstay of treatment, the use of flecainide or sotalol as monotherapy or in combination with digoxin is being studied. Interdisciplinary team management and shared decision-making between the physician and patient are key to achieving successful outcomes. Adult cardiologists, particularly inpatient consultation services or through burgeoning cardio-obstetrics programs, may, in some practice settings, be asked to evaluate or co-manage pregnant women with fetal arrhythmia.
Cell-Laden Bioactive Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels for Studying Mesenchymal Stem Cell Behavior in Myocardial Infarct-Stiffness Microenvironments

Cellular therapy with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) shows promise for restoring function after myocardial infarction (MI). However, cellular therapy has yet to be clinically translated, in part because of difficulty in studying how MSCs interact with the post-MI scar microenvironment. This study aimed to design an in vitro model to study MSC behavior in the post-MI scar stiffness microenvironment. Using poly(ethylene glycol)-acrylate (PEG) conjugated to bioactive peptides, rat MSCs were encapsulated in hydrogels of varying stiffnesses and crosslinking densities. Cell viability was assessed through 14 days using calcein and ethidium homodimer staining. To simulate post-MI pro-fibrotic signaling, transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) was added to selected cultures. Immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR were used to assess changes in cardiac transdifferentiation or paracrine secretion, two proposed methods of MSCs in cellular therapy. Bioactivated PEG hydrogels with stiffnesses between 1.6 and 151.0 kPa were prepared. Rat MSCs demonstrated up to 71.6% viability after 3 days of encapsulated culture, and survived within the hydrogels up to 14 days. Encapsulation decreased MSC expression of cardiac troponin T and most growth factors, except interleukin-6. Meanwhile, TGFβ caused increased cardiac troponin T expression but decreased secreted factor expression. Varying hydrogel stiffness did not have an effect on cardiac troponin T or secreted factor expression. These findings suggest that a 3D microenvironment hinders two key mechanisms by which MSCs could improve cardiac function after post-MI scar formation, namely cardiac transdifferentiation and secreted factor production. Future studies incorporating MSCs other cell types should broaden understanding of the post-MI scar microenvironment.
The Joys and Challenges of Delivering Obesity Care: a Qualitative Study of US Primary Care Practices.

Obesity is of epidemic proportion in the USA but most people with obesity do not receive treatment. To explore the experience of providing obesity management among primary care clinicians and their team members involved with weight loss in primary care practices. The study’s focus was on examining the use of the Medicare payment code for intensive behavioral therapy for obesity (IBT), but other obesity management services and payment mechanisms were also studied. We conducted 85 interviews of clinicians (physician, advanced practice clinicians, registered dietitian, or other) practicing in primary care practices. Interviews gathered information about treatment approach to obesity, barriers, and facilitators to providing obesity care including the handling of billing and reimbursement (especially use of the IBT code), personal beliefs about the appropriateness of primary care providing weight loss services, and recommendations for improving weight management in primary care practice. The analysis was conducted using a grounded theory hermeneutic editing approach and the constant comparative method. Seventy-five interviews were included in this analysis. We identified three primary themes: (1) clinicians and staff involved in obesity management in primary care believe that addressing obesity is an essential part of primary care services, (2) because providing obesity care can be challenging, many practices opt out of treatment, and (3) despite the challenges, many clinicians and others find treating obesity feasible, satisfying, and worthwhile. Treating obesity in primary care settings poses several challenges but can also be very satisfying and rewarding. To improve the ability of clinicians and practice members to treat obesity, important changes in payment, education, and work processes are necessary.
On the promise of glycogen phosphorylase inhibition in acute inflammation

How glycogen metabolism directly regulates macrophages in the acute inflammatory state is not well understood. In the recent issue of Nature Communications, Ma et al. provide new insight into this ...
Comparing Metaphor Theory and Embodiment in Research on Social Cognition

Social psychologists have expanded the study of mind to recognize various ways in which bodily states and experiences influence social cognition. This development has invigorated interest in conceptual metaphor—a mental mapping that people can use to understand a social concept in terms of a superficially dissimilar bodily concept (e.g., understanding time in terms of moving objects). Taking a step back, though, we see that Conceptual Metaphor Theory takes a different approach to the body than do influential embodiment theories, and there are double dissociations involved: Not all metaphors leverage bodily concepts, and not all embodied influences on social cognition involve metaphor. In this chapter, I illustrate these meta-theoretical distinctions with research findings and show how they help researchers to categorize body-related effects, generate novel hypotheses, and identify conceptual issues regarding mind-body interactions. This analysis is intended to contribute to a taxonomy that differentiates types of embodiment and specifies their roles in social thought and behavior.
High expression of peroxiredoxins in prostate cancer cells

2911 The peroxiredoxins (PRDXs), an anti-oxidant protein family composed of six isoforms, called PRDX1-PRDX6, are thought to offer protection to tumor cells in an environment of increased oxidative stress. PRDX6, also known as antioxidant protein 2, is transcriptionally activated by the stress regulated transcription co-activator lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF/p75). LEDGF/p75 is upregulated in prostate cancer (PCa) and is likely to promote prostate tumor survival by transcriptionally activating stress and anti-oxidant genes. We hypothesized that because PRDX6 is upregulated by LEDGF/p75, the PRDXs might also be upregulated in PCa cells and promote protection against oxidative stress-induced cell damage. We analyzed by immunoblotting the protein levels of LEDGF/p75 and PRDXs in a panel of prostate cell lines in order to establish a correlation in the expression levels of these proteins. Cell lines included tumor, transformed tumor, transformed non-tumor, benign prostatic hyperplasia and primary prostate. Total protein from cell lines was separated by 4-12% SDS-PAGE, followed by transfer onto PVDF membranes. Protein expressions were detected using specific antibodies to the individual proteins. Similarly, we also analyzed the expression of PRDXs in PC3 prostate tumor cells with small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) mediated LEDGF/p75 knockdown. Additionally expression levels of LEDGF/p75 and PRDX6 was quantified in commercially available PCa tissue micro-arrays. We observed that the PRDXs are expressed at very high levels in the prostate tumor cell lines, as compared to normal or non-tumor transformed cells. Preliminary immunohistochemical analysis of PRDX6 in human prostate tumor tissue arrays revealed high expression of this protein in prostate tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal prostate tissue. However, there was little correlation between the expression levels of LEDGF/p75 and PRDXs in the different prostate cell lines. This was confirmed by the observation that knockdown of LEDGF/p75 in PC3 cells, using siRNA oligos, did not decrease the expression levels of PRDXs. We conclude that while LEDGF/p75 might contribute to the regulation of PRDXs, it may not be essential for controlling their expression in prostate cells. The high PRDX expression in prostate cancer cells may provide a protective mechanism against the augmented state of cellular oxidative stress (ASCOS) in prostate tumors. PRDXs could be attractive targets for novel therapeutic strategies in the treatment of advanced PCa.
Beach Sustainability Assessment: The Development and Utility of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Sandy Beach Monitoring

Patsch, K.; King, P.; Reineman, D.R.; Jenkins, S.; Steele, C.; Gaston, E., and Anderson, S., 2021. Beach sustainability assessment: The development and utility of an interdisciplinary approach to sandy beach monitoring. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(6), 1130–1157. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Sandy beaches are valued for various ecosystem services but are increasingly imperiled by anthropogenic stressors. Sea-level rise (SLR), reductions to sand supply, hardening the position of the coastline, and the prevalence of human development along California's coast combine to reduce the fundamental dynamism critical to the resilience of California's beaches. If California continues with business as usual, many of its beaches will erode and eventually disappear. Coastal jurisdictions in California are planning for SLR. However, these coastal managers lack a standardized regional assessment tool that compiles information on the current and likely future condition of sandy beaches. Without such a tool, these managers have limited ability to analyze the integrated impacts of historic decisions or future alternative management scenarios upon beach morphology, ecological functioning, economics, and social utility. This paper presents a study of the Beach Sustainability Assessment (BSA) decision support tool applied to 17 beaches spanning Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties. In addition to scoring and grading geomorphological, ecological functioning, and social utility components, the BSA provides a single, overall grade for each beach. To demonstrate the utility of the BSA, a scenario with 1 m of SLR and a 100-year storm was simulated to assess the changes to the overall grade and component grades. The BSA offers a cost-effective, standardized protocol to monitor the condition of California's sandy beach ecosystems. The metrics support spatial and temporal comparisons on a regional scale, giving coastal managers and stakeholders the ability to assess real trade-offs among management solutions. Current BSA indices indicate that beaches in the Southern California Bight study area are already struggling, with most urban beaches receiving Cs and Ds for ecological functioning. The SLR stressor test indicates that ecological functioning and social utility will continue to decline with increasing sea levels.
Western Intervention in the Balkans: The Strategic Use of Emotion in Conflict

Conflicts involve powerful experiences. The residue of these experiences is captured by the concept and language of emotion. Indiscriminate killing creates fear; targeted violence produces anger and a desire for vengeance; political status reversals spawn resentment; cultural prejudices sustain ethnic contempt. These emotions can become resources for political entrepreneurs. A broad range of Western interventions are based on a view of human nature as narrowly rational. Correspondingly, intervention policy generally aims to alter material incentives ('sticks and carrots') to influence behavior. In response, poorer and weaker actors who wish to block or change this Western implemented 'game' use emotions as resources. This book examines the strategic use of emotion in the conflicts and interventions occurring in the Western Balkans over a twenty-year period. The book concentrates on the conflicts among Albanian and Slavic populations (Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, South Serbia), along with some comparisons to Bosnia.
Biochemical Pathways Involving Carbohydrates

This chapter discusses the similarities between reactions in the contemporary biochemical world and related reactions in the prebiotic world. This chapter explains how hexoses are broken down into smaller molecules. The reverse process of how hexoses are synthesized from two or three carbon compounds is also considered. This chapter discusses how pentoses are derived from hexoses and the process whereby the three-carbon units are broken down to carbon dioxide and water. Glycolysis is the process by which glucose or other hexoses are converted into the three-carbon compound, pyruvate. Glycolysis is the most ubiquitous pathway in all energy metabolism, occurring in almost every living cell. It is regarded as a primitive process because it probably arose early in biological history long before there was a significant amount of molecular oxygen in the atmosphere. The glycolytic pathway is multifunctional. The glycolytic pathway resembles a series of “lakes” (metabolic pools) connected by short “rivers” (the reactions between the pools). This pattern is reflected in the ways that functional metabolic relationships have evolved. Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis constitute a set of oppositely directed conversions. The organization of glycolysis as a series of connected metabolic pools makes it possible for most of the same enzymes to function in both directions. Many kinds of organisms and some mammalian organs, notably the liver, possess an alternative pathway for the oxidation of hexoses that results in pentose phosphate and carbon dioxide.
Health Information Exchange: Current Challenges and Impediments to Implementing National Health Information Infrastructure

The inability to exchange health information of patients across diverse healthcare organizations and providers is a critical component responsible for both the increase in medical errors, which may result in premature death of the patient and the continuous increase in healthcare costs and redundancies. It is projected that by 2020, national healthcare expenditures will reach $4.8 trillion; nearly 20% of the GDP. This may be attributed to the lack of standardization of health information technology. Because the private healthcare market has failed to resolve this issue, government intervention is necessary to lead and establish a standard platform for the exchange of health information. In the absence of standardization, the goal of attaining a national health information exchange network will not materialize. The standardization of the World Wide Web and the financial sector during the early 1980’s should serve as a model for policy makers and industry experts. This paper proposes federal government intervention to standardize health information technology and adoption of the health record bank model as proposed by researchers Ball and Gold (Ball & Gold, 2006). Adoption of the health record bank model can be realized by utilizing current e-commerce technologies. Furthermore, adoption of this model in health information exchange will be less expensive and at the same time will lessen the government’s financial burden as it relates to the development of health information technology.
GENOTYPIC ALTERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AVIRULENCE IN STREPTOMYCIN-RESISTANT PASTEURELLA PESTIS

Brubaker, Robert R. (Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.) and Michael J. Surgalla. Genotypic alterations associated with avirulence in streptomycin-resistant Pasteurella pestis . J. Bacteriol. 84: 615–624. 1962.—Avirulence in Pasteurella pestis , as indicated by the existence of a new genotype, was associated with the genetic loss of Ca ++ dependence rather than with the usual concomitant loss of ability to produce virulence antigens. Strains of the new type exhibited all four of the known virulence factors of P. pestis but were avirulent for mice and guinea pigs (ld 50 > 10 8 cells). In addition to producing virulence antigens, the new strains formed rough colonies at 37 C when grown on Ca ++ -deficient medium, as opposed to typical avirulent strains which formed smooth colonies on this medium and failed to produce virulence antigens. Growth of the new strains in a corresponding Ca ++ -deficient broth medium was slow, as compared with that of typical avirulent strains, but was more rapid than that of virulent strains. The new strains were obtained (i) at 26 C by selecting for resistance to streptomycin or (ii) at 37 C by isolation from rough colonies growing on a Ca ++ -deficient agar medium plated with either a virulent streptomycin-sensitive or -resistant culture. Usually, isolates obtained at 26 C exhibited a marked reduction in ability to form colonies upon primary plating at 37 C. Of 108 streptomycin-resistant isolates obtained from six virulent strains, 20% were of the new type. In addition, five isolates were of reduced virulence (mouse ld 50 ∼ 10 4 cells) but differed in being Ca ++ -dependent; they possessed all of the known virulence properties. Certain streptomycin-resistant strains failed to give rise to avirulent colonies when plated on a Ca ++ -deficient agar medium containing streptomycin. The significance of this phenomenon, which was not exhibited by the five strains of reduced virulence, is discussed, as are some apparent differences between isolates from a glycerol-fermenting strain and similar isolates obtained from five nonglycerol-fermenting strains. Images
Superconductivity in boron-doped diamond.

Superconductivity of boron-doped diamond, reported recently at ${T}_{c}=4\text{ }\mathrm{K}$, is investigated exploiting its electronic and vibrational analogies to ${\mathrm{M}\mathrm{g}\mathrm{B}}_{2}$. The deformation potential of the hole states arising from the C-C bond-stretch mode is 60% larger than the corresponding quantity in ${\mathrm{M}\mathrm{g}\mathrm{B}}_{2}$ that drives its high ${T}_{c}$, leading to very large electron-phonon matrix elements. The calculated coupling strength $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\approx}0.5$ leads to ${T}_{c}$ in the 5--10 K range and makes phonon coupling the likely mechanism. Higher doping should increase ${T}_{c}$ somewhat, but the effects of three dimensionality primarily on the density of states keep doped diamond from having a ${T}_{c}$ closer to that of ${\mathrm{M}\mathrm{g}\mathrm{B}}_{2}$.
Displaced apophyseal olecranon fracture in a healthy child

Olecranon apophyseal fractures in children are uncommon. The bulk of these injuries are nondisplaced and therefore can be treated nonoperatively. Few published reports of children with displaced fractures of the olecranon apophysis exist, and the large majority of reports describe children with osteogenesis imperfecta. We report our experience with the case of an 11-year-old, healthy, male patient without osteogenesis imperfecta who sustained a displaced olecranon apophyseal fracture during a fall.
Archaeal Nucleosome Positioning by CTG Repeats

DNA shape recognition determines the preferred binding sites for sequence-independent DNA binding proteins, and here we document that archaeal histones assemble archaeal nucleosomes in vitro centered preferentially within (CTG)6 and (CTG)8 repeats, close to junctions with flanking mixed-sequence DNA. Archaeal nucleosomes were not positioned by (CTG)4-, (CTG)5-, or (CTG)3AA(CTG)3-containing DNA sequences. The features of CTG repeat-containing sequences that direct eucaryal nucleosome positioning may also be similarly recognized by archaeal histones.
Developing early senses about the world: "Object Permanence" and visuoauditory real-time learning

What "constraints" are exactly wired into the human developmental program? What "constraints" are minimally necessary for a developmental robot? These are open questions. In this paper, we propose a mechanism of developing experience-based priming - predicting the future contexts including sensation and action based on the previous experience - as a powerful "constraint" for developmental robots. We present an architecture that develops this priming capability through realtime online interactions with the environment. We report how our SAIL robot developed a sense of novelty in a well-known "drawbridge" experiment which sheds light on the controversial issue of "object permanence" in psychology. We further show how the proposed priming mechanism enabled SAIL to deal with a very challenging online learning setting: learning the name and property (e.g., size) of dynamically rotating objects through verbal dialogues.
Feasibility and efficacy of sodium reduction in the Trials of Hypertension Prevention, phase I. Trials of Hypertension Prevention Collaborative Research Group.

Phase I of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention was a multicenter, randomized trial of the feasibility and efficacy of seven nonpharmacologic interventions, including sodium reduction, in lowering blood pressure in 30- to 54-year-old individuals with a diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 89 mm Hg. Six centers tested an intervention designed to reduce dietary sodium to 80 mmol (1800 mg)/24 h with a total of 327 active intervention and 417 control subjects. The intervention consisted of eight group and two one-to-one meetings during the first 3 months, followed by less-intensive counseling and support for the duration of the study. The mean net decrease in sodium excretion was 43.9 mmol/24 h at 18 months. Women had lower sodium intake at baseline and were therefore more likely to decrease to less than 80 mmol/24 h. Black subjects were less likely to decrease to less than 80 mmol/d, independent of sex or baseline sodium excretion. The mean (95% confidence interval) net decrease associated with treatment was -2.1 (-3.3, -0.8) mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and -1.2 (-2.0, -0.3) mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure at 18 months (both P < .01). Multivariate analyses indicated a larger systolic blood pressure effect in women (-4.44 versus -1.23 mm Hg in men), adjusted for age, race, baseline blood pressure, and baseline 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (P = .02). Dose-response analyses indicated an adjusted decrease of -1.4 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and -0.9 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure for a decrease of 100 mmol/24 h in 18-month sodium excretion. These results support the utility of sodium reduction as a population strategy for hypertension prevention and raise questions about possible differences in dose response associated with gender and initial level of sodium intake.
Surface reactions and performance of non-aqueous electrolytes with lithium metal anodes

Abstract Six electrolytes were investigated for lithium metal battery applications. The electrolytes were composed of combinations of four different salts (LiPF 6 , LiB(C 2 O 4 ) 2 , LiI and LiN(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 ) and three different solvents (PC, DME, and 1,3-dioxolane). All six electrolytes had conductivities >3 mS cm −1 at temperatures from −20 to 40 °C. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and linear polarization, both at room temperature and low temperature (−8 °C), provided congruent results. The LiI-based electrolyte had the lowest film resistance, while 0.7 M LiB(C 2 O 4 ) 2 –PC:DME (1:1) had the highest impedance. The presence of 1,3-dioxolane in electrolytes provided lower impedance with LiB(C 2 O 4 ) 2 but higher resistance with LiPF 6 -based electrolytes. NMR analysis of electrolytes after thermal abuse indicate that LiN(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 -based electrolytes are the most thermally stable. SEM analysis suggests that surface modification and impedance changes are correlated.
Multiple-plug binding assays using affinity capillary electrophoresis electrophoresis

This work evaluates the concept of a multiple-plug binding assay to estimate binding constants of proteins to ligands using affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE). This concept is demonstrated using two model systems: carbonic anhydrase B (CAB, EC 4.2.1.1) and vancomycin from Streptomyces orientalis. Multiple plugs of protein, and non-interacting neutral and protein standards, are injected and analysis of the electrophoretic mobilities of the individual protein plugs, relative to the non-interacting neutral standard, as a function of the concentration of ligand yields values for their binding constants to the protein. These values agree well with those estimated using other assay and ACE techniques. This technique offers a new and expeditions approach to estimating binding constants of ligands to proteins.
Heterozygosity at individual amino acid sites: Extremely high levels for HLA-A and -B genes

Abstract The amino acid heterozygosities per site for HLA-A and -B loci are determined to be extremely high by combining population serotypic frequencies with amino acid sequences. For the 54 amino acid sites thought to have functional importance, the average heterozygosity per site is 0.301. Sixteen positions have heterozygosities greater than 0.5 at one or both loci and the frequencies of amino acids at a given position are very even, resulting in nearly the maximum heterozygosity possible. Furthermore, the high heterozygosity is concentrated in the peptide-interacting sites, whereas the sites that interact with the T-cell receptor have lower heterozygosity. Overall, these results indicate the importance of some form of balancing selection operating at HLA loci, maybe even at the individual amino acid level.
Network risk management using attacker profiling

Risk management refers to the process of making decisions that minimize the effects of vulnerabilities on the network hosts. This can be a difficult task in the context of high-exploit probability and the difficult to identify new exploits and vulnerabilities. For many years, security engineers have performed risk analysis using economic models for the design and operation of risk-prone, technological systems using attack profiles. Based on the type of attacker identified, security administrators can formulate effective risk management policies for a network. We hypothesize that sequence of network actions by an attacker depends on the social behavior (e.g., skill level, tenacity, financial ability). We extended this and formulated a mechanism to estimate the risk level of critical resources that may be compromised based on attacker behavior. This estimation is accomplished using behavior based attack graphs representing all the possible attack paths to all the critical resources. The risk level is computed based on these graphs and are used as a measure of the vulnerability of the resource and forming an effective basis for a system administrator to perform suitable changes to network configuration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and evaluation of a water-soluble polymer to reduce Ac-225 daughter migration

The actinium decay chain has been promoted as an in vivo alpha generator for therapy, but migration of daughters from the primary conjugate has lead to increased toxicity away from the target organ. To reduce daughter migration, polyethylenimine (PEI) was used with a primary chelator and secondary chelators. The primary chelator, DOTA, was used to coordinate 225Actinium and secondary chelators-acetate and DTPA, were added to the polymer for coordination of daughters formed by decay. The 225Actinium polymer derivatives containing secondary chelators were found to retain radioactive daughters better than the 225Actinium bond to the primary alone. The retention of 213Bismuth and 209Thallium had the following order from highest retained to lowest DOTA-PEI-DTPA≈DOTA-PEI-CH2OO- > DOTA-PEI. The data suggests this polymer approach could be used to reduce daughter migration and has potential for development of actinium labeled radiopharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
National and Regional Population Trends in Georgia, 1989-2002: Results from the 2002 Census

An American geographer and specialist on urbanization and population change in the countries of the former USSR summarizes major results of the first post-Soviet census of Georgia, only recently released. After describing sources of census data and methodological issues warranting attention (e.g., exclusion of most of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and movements of internally displaced persons), he reviews significant national- and regional-level developments in population size, urban and rural distribution, and ethnic affiliation in the country. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: J11, O18, R23. 3 figures, 3 tables, 34 references.
Characterizing postoperative paralytic ileus as evidence for future research and clinical practice

Postoperative ileus, a delay of gastrointestinal (GI) motility beyond 3 days, is common in patients after GI surgery. This disorder increases length of hospital stay and costs millions of dollars annually. This study was done to determine clinical factors associated with paralytic ileus. An interdisciplinary team developed a data collection tool based on eight hypotheses derived from a review of literature on factors that contribute to ileus. In a retrospective medical record review of 101 patients who had abdominal surgery, 44 developed postoperative ileus and 57 did not. Data analysis found that three factors were statistically significant in reducing ileus: (1) early postoperative introduction of fluids and food, (2) avoidance of positive fluid balance exceeding 1,000 ml, and (3) avoiding potassium elevations over a 3-day period. A trend identified that the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could reduce the incidence of ileus. Clinical implications include the importance of encouraging early oral intake, monitoring fluid intake and output in postoperative patients, and identifying positive fluid balance early to prevent it from continuing.
Effect of L-glutamic acid analogues on the enzymatic formation of hydroxamic acid.

AQUEOUS extracts of acetone-dried sheep brain form hydroxamic acid from L-glutamic acid and hydroxylamine in the presence of adenosine triphosphate1. It was found that this reaction is inhibited by DL-N-(γ-glutamyl)-ethanolamine. Molar ratios of DL-N-(γ-glutamyl)-ethanolamine to L-glutamic acid varying from 2 : 1 to 10 : 1 gave inhibitions of 10–50 per cent. On the other hand, DL-α-methylglutamic acid not only did not inhibit the reaction between L-glutamic acid and hydroxylamine, but could be substituted for glutamic acid in this reaction, apparently with the formation of α-methylglutamohydroxamic acid.
The nature of high energy neutron damage in copper and gold

Abstract Transmission electron microscope studies have been made on the defect clusters in high-purity copper and gold single crystals produced by d-Be, D-T and fission neutron irradiations at ambient temperatures. The vacancy or interstitial nature of the defect clusters and Burgers vectors and habit planes were determined from the direction of the black-white contrast in dynamical images of the clusters and from depth information obtained from stereo measurements. Studies were also made using the weak-beam technique combined with stereo measurements to obtain spatial distribution information on vacancy clusters. It is shown that the nature of high-energy neutron damage is quite similar to fission neutron damage for copper. Significant differences between high energy and fission neutron damage particularly in the amount of retained damage, exist in the case of gold.
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Among Asian Indians in the United States

CONTEXT: Studies, mostly from outside the United States, have found high prevalence of diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), and hypertension among Asian Indians, despite low rates of associated risk factors.
Determination of the Extent of Lateral Spread and Density of Secondary Nucleation in Polymer Single Crystal Growth

As illustrated in an earlier work (Macromolecules 2006, 39, 1008), isotactic poly(vinylcyclohexane) (PVCH) single crystals display twinned growth sectors. Mapping of the twinned domains is possible via dark-field electron microscopy imaging. Each twinned domain results from a growth twin on the lateral growth face of the single crystal. The width of the twinned domain provides a measure of the so-called lateral spread extent, a fundamental parameter of classical theories of nucleation and growth for which only indirect estimates are available. The extent of lateral spread (and, as a corollary, the secondary nucleation density) (both average values and distribution), are determined for single crystals of PVCH produced in squalane over a wide range of crystallization temperatures (120−240 °C). These observations provide the first direct experimental data on these elementary processes in polymer crystal growth.
Polyuridylic acid stimulation of phenylalanine in human ribonucleoprotein particles.

THE discovery that synthetic polynucleotides can direct the incorporation into protein of specific amino-acids in cell-free bacterial systems1,2 has been extended to include sub-cellular systems in rat liver3, and mouse plasma cell tumour4, where coding units for amino-acid incorporation were found to be similar to the Escherichia coli system. Weinstein and Schechter4 also reported polyuridylic acid (poly U) stimulation of phenylalanine incorporation into crude cell-free fractions of normal mouse and rat livers, a rat liver tumour, rabbit reticulocytes and a human plasma cell tumour. The experiments reported here support the applicability of this type of study to various human tissues. Poly U was found to stimulate the incorporation of phenylalanine into ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles of human liver, ovary, lung and prostate. Rat liver RNP preparations are similarly stimulated.
Seven Strains of Enterovirus D68 Detected in the United States during the 2014 Severe Respiratory Disease Outbreak

Clusters of severe respiratory disease in the United States were reported to the CDC beginning in August 2014. Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was identified from 83% (30/36) of initial severe cases. Investigations in August and September found severe EV-D68 cases to be widespread across the United States. We report seven EV-D68 genomes from the outbreak.
Left-Definite Sturm–Liouville Problems

Abstract Left-definite regular self-adjoint Sturm–Liouville problems, with either separated or coupled boundary conditions, are studied. We give an elementary proof of the existence of eigenvalues for these problems. For any fixed equation, we establish a sequence of inequalities among the eigenvalues for different boundary conditions and estimate the range of each eigenvalue as a function on the space of boundary conditions. Some of our results here yield an algorithm for numerically computing the eigenvalues of a left-definite problem with an arbitrary coupled boundary condition. Our inequalities imply that the well-known asymptotic formula for the eigenvalues in the separated case also holds in the coupled case. Moreover, we study the continuous and differentiable dependence of the eigenvalues of the general left-definite problem on all the parameters in its differential equation and boundary condition.