cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Defining obesity in children and adolescents: Clinical approaches

For clinical utility, obesity should be defined as a condition of excess adipose tissue associated with adverse health outcomes. Based on a number of criteria, body mass index (BMI) (weight/height) is the most appropriate measure for clinical assessment of adiposity in children and adolescents. However, sufficient information regarding associations between adiposity and current or future morbidity is lacking. Available data suggest a definition of obesity based on adiposity alone would perform poorly as a clinical screening test for adverse health outcomes. In addition, labeling and attempted weight control therapy may produce more harm than benefit. Therefore, until better information regarding the risks of adiposity and risks of treatment are available, recommendations for weight control therapy should be focused primarily on those children and adolescents who currently manifest adiposity-related morbidity, those with a BMI above the 95th percentile, or those above the 85th percentile who perceive their adiposity to be a significant psychosocial problem. To produce a clinically useful definition of obesity, longitudinal data should be used to determine the sensitivities, specificities, and predictive values of comparative measures of childhood and adolescent adiposity for predicting current and future morbidity, and to evaluate the utilities of including characteristics such as age, age of adiposity rebound, persistence of increased adiposity, family adiposity, family morbidities, and fat distribution to improve predictive values and minimize misclassification. Weight control research should attempt to identify patient characteristics that predict long-term treatment success, treatment failure, and treatment side effects.
Cooperative Hydrophobic Core Interactions in the β‐trefoil Architecture

Symmetric protein architectures have a compelling aesthetic that suggests a plausible evolutionary process (i.e., gene duplication/fusion) yielding complex architecture from a simpler structural motif. Furthermore, symmetry inspires a practical approach to computational protein design that substantially reduces the combinatorial explosion problem, and may provide practical solutions for structure optimization. Despite such broad relevance, the role of structural symmetry in the key area of hydrophobic core-packing cooperativity has not been adequately studied. In the present report, the threefold rotational symmetry intrinsic to the β-trefoil architecture is shown to form a geometric basis for highly-cooperative core-packing interactions that both stabilize the local repeating motif and promote oligomerization/long-range contacts in the folding process. Symmetry in the β-trefoil structure also permits tolerance towards mutational drift that involves a structural quasi-equivalence at several key core positions.
Integrable geometric flows for curves in pseudoconformal S3

Abstract We consider evolution equations for curves in the 3-dimensional sphere S 3 that are invariant under the group S U ( 2 , 1 ) of pseudoconformal transformations, which preserves the standard contact structure on the sphere. In particular, we investigate how invariant evolutions of Legendrian and transverse curves induce both new and well-known integrable systems and hierarchies at the level of their geometric invariants.
The effects of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation on cognition in healthy individuals: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) may benefit cognition in healthy adults but may differentially affect specific domains of cognitive function. Currently, optimal stimulation parameters of taVNS have yet to be identified and the overall effectiveness of this approach remains unclear. METHOD A literature review and random effects meta-analysis evaluated the effects of taVNS on cognitive performance outcomes across domains of function and outcome metrics (accuracy and response times). Subgroup meta-analyses and meta-regression models explored the moderating effects of stimulation parameters on performance outcomes. RESULTS Meta-analyses on 19 eligible studies indicated a weighted effect size of 0.21 for the effect of taVNS on overall cognitive performance, with significant effects on measures of executive function and measures of accuracy. Parameter meta-analyses indicated that stimulation site was most associated with improvements in executive function (gtragus = 2.39, gcymba concha = 0.48; Q = 39.84, p < .0001; β = -2.33, p = .03). CONCLUSIONS taVNS may improve cognition, particularly executive function, and stimulation parameters may differentially influence outcomes. Continued research into the effects of taVNS as well as optimal stimulation parameters will be beneficial. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
An automated low-cost modular hardware and software platform for versatile programmable microfluidic device testing and development

Abstract The development of functional microfluidic devices requires multiple iterations of the design, fabrication and testing of an initial concept. Much attention in the literature has been given to improving the design of microdevices, and several rapid-prototyping techniques have been created to fabricate microfluidic structures in the past decade. However, little attention has been given to the testing phase of this iterative process, which is as crucial as the other steps. Testing results “make or break” a concept, and therefore is perhaps the most important phase in design iteration. Conventional approaches to testing microdevices typically require fixed mounts as testbeds, which are usually machined in hard substrates and do not allow for rapid modifications. This, in turn, limits alterations in the design of microfluidic devices, imposing an unnecessary constraint in the iterative development cycle. To alleviate these issues, we present here a new approach to test microfluidic devices by using modules. The modular system contains hardware that can be rapid-prototyped, if needed, speeding up the testing of devices without imposing restrictions on the design of devices. Another innovation presented here is the creation of a new, object-oriented-style language to automate fluidic manipulations in Programmable Microfluidic Arrays (PMAs). This open-source automated computer application, written in Python, requires from the user only the positioning of reservoirs containing reagents, their mixing ratios and the output reservoir, rather than traditional “long-list” or machine-code level programming, representing a significant development in operating these systems. This work decreases the development time and resources required to make functional microfluidic devices, at lower costs, which is an advancement over conventional approaches.
The Social Functions of College Drinking: Pregaming, Priming, and Protecting the Liminoid Experience

The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study has concluded that, on average, one in three college students abuses alcohol regularly. However, while highlighting potential risks, academic literature largely neglects the social functions students derive from consuming alcohol. College represents an important milestone in an individual’s life and is characterized by what Turner (1969) called liminoid experiences, which involve a temporary suspension of social status, at bars, clubs, concerts, festivals, and college parties, often closely connected to alcohol consumption. This paper explores how women students’ practice of “pregaming,” that is, drinking alcohol in smaller groups before attending a social event such as a party, enables individuals to achieve the liminoid state while also providing opportunities to resist potential negative consequences of intoxication. College women use pregaming to build a support network with close friends, enabling them to ensure their physical safety. Beyond the integrity of their bodies, women also ensure that their actions during the liminoid experience of a college party are consistent with ideas they have of their personal identity. Although they temporarily suspend their social and personal identities during college parties, women prevent unwanted permanent changes of their sense of self by holding each other accountable to rules they establish during the pregame.
Convergent mosaic brain evolution is associated with the evolution of novel electrosensory systems in teleost fishes.

Brain region size generally scales allometrically with total brain size, but mosaic shifts in brain region size independent of brain size have been found in several lineages and may be related to the evolution of behavioral novelty. African weakly electric fishes (Mormyroidea) evolved a mosaically enlarged cerebellum and hindbrain, yet the relationship to their behaviorally novel electrosensory system remains unclear. We addressed this by studying South American weakly electric fishes (Gymnotiformes) and weakly electric catfishes (Synodontis spp.), which evolved varying aspects of electrosensory systems, independent of mormyroids. If the mormyroid mosaic increases are related to evolving an electrosensory system, we should find similar mosaic shifts in gymnotiforms and Synodontis. Using micro-computed tomography scans, we quantified brain region scaling for multiple electrogenic, electroreceptive, and non-electrosensing species. We found mosaic increases in cerebellum in all three electrogenic lineages relative to non-electric lineages and mosaic increases in torus semicircularis and hindbrain associated with the evolution of electrogenesis and electroreceptor type. These results show that evolving novel electrosensory systems is repeatedly and independently associated with changes in the sizes of individual brain regions independent of brain size, which suggests that selection can impact structural brain composition to favor specific regions involved in novel behaviors.
Terahertz metal grid polarizer with bridges on quartz substrate

The metal wire-grid polarizer is a venerable device that is used on radiation throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. It usually consists of a 1D-periodic array of subwavelength metallic wires in free space or mounted on a low-loss dielectric substrate, the plane of the grid being oriented perpendicular to the propagation direction. Herein is presented a new structure, a subwavelength wire-grid polarizer for the terahertz region that acts not only as a wideband polarizer but also as a transparent electrode. This function is achieved by the addition of periodically placed metallic bridges that connect the parallel metal wires of the polarizer. The bridges allow for the uniform distribution of an electrostatic potential over all wires while maintaining the polarizing functionality of the metal wire grid polarizer. Full-wave electromagnetic simulations were performed on the device. The transmittance was computed in both perpendicular polarization and parallel polarization from 100 to 4000 GHz, and the extinction ratio was calculated across the same range. Furthermore, fill-factor studies were performed to understand how device performance is affected by varying slot width and bridge length, as well as bridge offset. The simulation results showed extraordinary optical transmission through the device for perpendicular polarization, creating excellent transmittance and extinction ratios over the frequency range. The perpendicular polarization transmittance and extinction ratio at 1 THz was calculated to be -1 dB and -36 dB respectively. Meanwhile, the bridges allow the device to behave like a DC electrode.
Punctuated Equilibrium and Phyletic Gradualism

Since Eldredge and Gould (1972) first wrote about “punctuated equilibrium” as a pattern for the history of life, three factions have appeared among evolutionary theorists. One faction favors the picture of punctuated equilibrium (Eldredge and Gould, 1972; Gould and Eldredge, 1977; Gould, 1982, 1985; Stanley, 1975, 1979, 1982). Another favors the traditional alternative of phyletic gradualism or at least gradual change (Gingerich, 1976, 1984, 1985; Charlesworth et al., 1982; Rose and Bown, 1984; Malmgren and Kennett, 1981, 1983; Ozawa, 1975). And the third faction suggests that the major differences between punctuated equilibrium and phyletic gradualism largely are semantic because evolution can and does produce both patterns, and moreover both were envisioned by the formulators of the modern evolutionary synthesis and even by Darwin (for example, Levinton and Simon, 1980; Stebbins and Ayala, 1981; Mayr, 1982; Hoffman, 1982; Johnson, 1982; Charlesworth and Lande, 1982; Ginzburg and Rost, 1982; Rhodes, 1983; Chaline, 1984; Newman et al., 1985). The differences in opinion persist largely because of a relative paucity of facts—facts about evolutionary relationships within lineages, about the rate of morphological change through time, about the distribution of the changes in space, and about the relationship between morphological change and speciation.
The Acute Scrotum

Any male child, adolescent, or adult who presents with complaints of scrotal pain, tenderness, or swelling should be promptly evaluated. Although the differential diagnosis is extensive, testicular torsion and rupture should be considered based on a thorough history, physical examination, and appropriate radiological evaluation. However, if testicular torsion is suspected based on history and physical examination, operative management should not be delayed while awaiting radiological confirmation. Timely and accurate diagnosis is required to prevent testicular loss. Testicular salvage is only possible when the diagnosis is considered early in the evaluation of the patient with the acute scrotum.
Immunological studies on a yeast peptido-galactomannan: Nature of antigenic determinants reacting with rabbit antisera and those involved in delayed hypersensitivity in guinea pigs

Abstract The antigenicity of the peptido-phosphogalactomannan (PPGM) of Cladosporium werneckii and the carbohydrate and peptide moieties isolated from it were studied in rabbits and guinea pigs. In rabbits, the antisera produced against whole C. werneckii cells reacted only with the carbohydrate portions of the antigen. The major portion of the antibody was directed towards the long phosphogalactomannan carbohydrate chains. O -Acetyl substituents were shown to play important roles in the determinants on these chains since selective removal of these groups eliminated their reactivity with antibody. A relatively small amount of the antibody response was directed towards the more numerous, short, mannose-containing chains. Concanavalin A, on the other hand, precipitated the polymer by virture of its reactivity with these units and not with the phosphogalactomannan chains. Delayed type (cell-mediated) immunity to C. werneckii was studied in guinea pigs. PPGM was able to elicit strong delayed skin-tests as was a peptide-rich fraction derived from PPGM by mild acid hydrolysis. Pure carbohydrate chains of PPGM were completely inactive. In contrast, two of the modified peptides derived from PPGM were able to elicit a response although they were less active than PPGM. It was concluded that the determinants responsible for delayed hypersensitivity reside in the peptide portion of the antigen but that the technique used to isolate the peptides (alkaline β-elimination) partially destroyed the determinants.
A 17 dB gain, 0.1-70 GHz InP HEMT amplifier IC

Over the last five years, the 0.1 /spl mu/m gate length indium phosphide high electron mobility transistor (InP HEMT) has been taken from first demonstration to a high-yield, manufacturable monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) process. Discrete InP HEMT devices have shown transconductances (g/sub m/) as high as 1740 mS/mm and cutoff frequencies (f/sub T/) up to 340 GHz and thus are extremely attractive devices for high gain amplifiers in the 30-100 GHz range. For very broadband instrumentation applications, this process is used to realize a fully-integrated, three-stage, shunt-feedback amplifier with 17 dB gain from 100 MHz to 70 GHz, a gain-bandwidth product the authors believe to be the highest reported for any amplifier. In comparison to distributed amplifiers typically used for such broadband applications, this amplifier has higher gain, better low-frequency response, uses less dc power, and yet has good output power capability. Potentially low-cost MMICs of this type could open the millimeter-wave frequencies to commercial applications. >
Do All the Resource Problems in the West Begin in the East

Economics can make good policy better and bad policy go away—a message often constrained by the political realities surrounding federal resource policy toward the West. This essay responds to these challenges to economic reasoning based on the lessons learned after a stay at the Council of Economic Advisers. My goal is to help make apolitical economists more effective advocates of efficiency .
Spinal cord injury rehabilitation in a pediatric achondroplastic patient: Case report

Abstract Achondroplasia is an autosomal dominant condition that occurs in approximately 1 of 25,000 births. It has long been associated with neurologic morbidity and mortality in adults, but more recently it has been increasingly identified in children. Neurological sequelae of achondroplasia includes spinal stenosis, spinal cord compression at the foramen magnum (which can result in fatal acute craniocervical junction compression), hydrocephalus, radiculopathy, paresis, and abnormal spinal curvature. We report the case of a 12-year-old achondroplastic patient who incurred an apparently nontraumatic cervical spinal cord infarction, with resultant quadriplegia, with no apparent cause, which was complicated by impaired tolerance of temperature changes and hypercalcemia of immobilization. Whereas persons with achondroplasia have many of the same physical and functional impairments from spinal cord injury as other SCI patients, they are more likely to experience certain types of neurologic deficits and are more subject to other problems because of their altered body habitus.
Protein synthesis during meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes in vitro. Synthesis and phosphorylation of a protein localized in the germinal vesicle.

Abstract Isolated fully grown mouse oocytes, arrested in dictyate of the first meiotic prophase, synthesize a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 28,000 which is localized in the germinal vesicle of the oocyte (germinal vesicle-associated protein; GVAP). Analyses of the distribution of GVAP have been carried out on SDS-polyacrylamide gels using oocytes cultured in vitro in the presence of [ 35 S]methionine or [ 3 H]lysine and germinal vesicles isolated individually from these cultured oocytes. The results of such analyses show that GVAP contains only about 2% of the total radiolabel incorporated into mouse oocyte proteins, but as much as 40% of the total radiolabel incorporated into proteins associated with isolated germinal vesicles. These measurements indicate that GVAP is at least 1000-fold more concentrated in the germinal vesicle than in the cytoplasm of the oocyte. Furthermore, the synthesis and phosphorylation of GVAP are apparently terminated at a time which coincides with germinal vesicle breakdown during spontaneous meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes in vitro . Although the exact nature of GVAP is not known as yet, it appears to be an example of a protein that is selectively sequestered in the germinal vesicle of the oocyte during oogenesis and whose synthesis and modification are dependent upon the presence of an intact germinal vesicle.
Replication of Bacteriophage φX174 DNA in a Temperature-Sensitive dnaE Mutant of Escherichia coli C

Bacteriophage phiX174 cannot grow in a temperature-sensitive dnaC mutant of Escherichia coli C at the nonpermissive temperature. The inability to grow is the result of inhibition of virus DNA synthesis. Parental replicative form synthesis is not temperature sensitive. Single-stranded virus DNA continues to be synthesized for at least 45 min after shifting to the nonpermissive temperature late in infection. In contrast, the replication of the replicative form terminates within 5 min after shifting to the nonpermissive temperature.
Optimized reaction conditions and specific inhibitors for initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II in nuclei from cultured mammalian cells.

Abstract An assay that employs guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) was used to measure correct initiation of RNA chains in isolated cell nuclei, where chromatin structure is relatively undisturbed. RNA chains initiated with guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) were separated from the remaining RNA by mercury-Sepharose column chromatography and analyzed for correctly initiated mouse mammary tumor virus RNA with a T1 nuclease protection assay. The monovalent cation concentration dependence for initiation in isolated nuclei was similar to that previously observed for initiation from naked DNA templates (optimum near 90 mM) but different from that for elongation of nascent RNA chains. However, in contrast to the systems that employ naked DNA templates, initiation efficiency in the nuclear system was relatively unaffected by moderate changes in pH (6.7-8.3), temperature (25-37 degrees C), and magnesium ion concentration (1-9 mM). The optimized assay was used to assess the inhibitory activity of several compounds that have been reported to be specific inhibitors of transcription initiation on naked DNA templates. Both Sarkosyl and heparin were effective inhibitors of specific initiation by RNA polymerases I and II in isolated nuclei without inhibiting elongation of nascent chains, but 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside was relatively ineffective as a specific inhibitor of initiation by RNA polymerase II.
Corpus callosum subdivision based on a probabilistic model of inter-hemispheric connectivity

Statistical shape analysis has become of increasing interest to the neuroimaging community due to its potential to locate morphological changes. In this paper, we present the a novel combination of shape analysis and Diffusion Tensor Image (DTI) Tractography to the computation of a probabilistic, model based corpus callosum (CC) subdivision. The probabilistic subdivision is based on the distances of arc-length parameterized corpus callosum contour points to trans-callosal DTI fibers associated with an automatic lobe subdivision. Our proposed subdivision method is automatic and reproducible. Its results are more stable than the Witelson subdivision scheme or other commonly applied schemes based on the CC bounding box. We present the application of our subdivision method to a small scale study of regional CC area growth in healthy subjects from age 2 to 4 years.
Does home blood pressure monitoring improve patient outcomes? A systematic review comparing home and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure control and patient outcomes

Objective Our objective was to compare the clinical effectiveness of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) on blood pressure (BP) control and patient outcomes. Design A systematic review was conducted. We also appraised the methodological quality of studies. Data sources PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials (CENTRAL). Inclusion criteria Randomized control trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, observational studies, and case-control studies published in English from any year to present that describe HBPM and 24-hour ABPM and report on systolic and/or diastolic BP and/or heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and/or all-cause mortality for adult patients. Due to the nature of the question, studies with only untreated patients were not considered. Results Of 1,742 titles and abstractions independently reviewed by two reviewers, 137 studies met predetermined criteria for evaluation. Nineteen studies were identified as relevant and included in the paper. The common themes were that HBPM and ABPM correlated with cardiovascular events and mortality, and targeting HBPM or ABPM resulted in similar outcomes. Associations between BP measurement type and mortality differed by study population. Both the low sensitivity of office blood pressure monitoring (OBPM) to detect optimal BP control by ABPM and the added association of HBPM with cardiovascular mortality supported the routine use of HBPM in clinical practice. There was insufficient data to determine the benefit of using HBPM as a measurement standard for BP control. Conclusion HBPM encourages patient-centered care and improves BP control and patient outcomes. Given the limited number of studies with both HBPM and ABPM, these measurement types should be incorporated into the design of randomized clinical trials within hypertensive populations.
To Lay Collect': Governors, Fiscal Federalism, and the Political Economy of Twentieth-Century Tax Policy

Throughout the twentieth century, state governments and the individuals who have led them have played a vital role in the development of American tax policy. As the political leaders of our country's "laboratories" of democracy, state executives have helped forge fiscal policies that have not only spread from state to state but have also been emulated by national lawmakers. At the same time, governors have been constrained in their ability to shape tax reform by broad structural forces and the American federal system of governance. This chapter contends that two broad trends help explain the tax policy choices made by state executives over the course of the twentieth century. First, governors, along with other state policy makers, often had to balance concerns for equity and expediency in choosing tax vehicles. Second, the tax policy decisions of states and governors were limited and shaped by the institutional constraints of fiscal federalism. These dynamics in and of themselves, however, do not explain the history of American governors and taxation. To understand the system of taxation that states developed over time, it is also necessary to consider these themes in the context of the broad historical forces and critical events that shaped the American past. The new demands placed on state government by urbanization and industrialization, the crisis of the Great Depression, the growth of an expansive federal government, the mobilization of World War II, the prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s, and the economic downturn of the 1970s all affected the calculus of equity and expediency, the dynamics of fiscal federalism, and the tax structures that ultimately emerged.
The RETSINA MAS, a case study

In this paper we identify challenges that confront the large-scale multi-agent system (LMAS) designer, and claim that these challenges can be successfully addressed by agent-based software engineering (ABSE), which we consider to be distinct from object-oriented software engineering for multi-agent systems (OOSE for MAS) in its consideration of agent goal, role, context and attitude as first class objects. We show how we have discovered these principles through our experiences in developing the RETSINA multi-agent system, in implementing specific test applications, and in the derivation of three distinct architectures that help guide and describe the designs of our systems: the individual agent architecture, the functional architecture, and the infrastructure architecture.
Climate change, elevational range shifts, and bird extinctions.

Abstract: Limitations imposed on species ranges by the climatic, ecological, and physiological effects of elevation are important determinants of extinction risk. We modeled the effects of elevational limits on the extinction risk of landbirds, 87% of all bird species. Elevational limitation of range size explained 97% of the variation in the probability of being in a World Conservation Union category of extinction risk. Our model that combined elevational ranges, four Millennium Assessment habitat-loss scenarios, and an intermediate estimate of surface warming of 2.8° C, projected a best guess of 400–550 landbird extinctions, and that approximately 2150 additional species would be at risk of extinction by 2100. For Western Hemisphere landbirds, intermediate extinction estimates based on climate-induced changes in actual distributions ranged from 1.3% (1.1° C warming) to 30.0% (6.4° C warming) of these species. Worldwide, every degree of warming projected a nonlinear increase in bird extinctions of about 100–500 species. Only 21% of the species predicted to become extinct in our scenarios are currently considered threatened with extinction. Different habitat-loss and surface-warming scenarios predicted substantially different futures for landbird species. To improve the precision of climate-induced extinction estimates, there is an urgent need for high-resolution measurements of shifts in the elevational ranges of species. Given the accelerating influence of climate change on species distributions and conservation, using elevational limits in a tested, standardized, and robust manner can improve conservation assessments of terrestrial species and will help identify species that are most vulnerable to global climate change. Our climate-induced extinction estimates are broadly similar to those of bird species at risk from other factors, but these estimates largely involve different sets of species.
Co-production of feed and furfural from dried distillers’ grains to improve corn ethanol profitability

Dried distillers’ grains (DDG) was chosen as the starting material for a two-step furfural conversion process aiming at increasing the value of corn ethanol byproducts and thus further decreasing the cost of corn ethanol. Modeling the experimental data, dilute acid extraction was predicted to be able to extract 86.7% of total pentose in DDG. Batch and reactive distillation dehydration (BRD) processes were used to convert the pentose-rich dilute acid hydrolysate into furfural giving maximum furfural yields of 47% and 68%, respectively. In parallel, analyses of composition and in vitro true dry matter digestibility (IVTDMD) of DDG-residue after dilute acid hydrolysis suggested potential animal feed values. An economic analysis of the process was performed using the optimized process parameters predicted from the statistical models. The models confirms that making furfural and selling the DDG-residue as animal feed would make the process more profitable than selling DDG solely as animal feed.
Grain Boundaries, Fracture, and Heat Treatment of Commercial Partially Stabilized Zirconia

Studies of commercial PSZ show that fractography is quite feasible. Although the fracture was predominately transgranular, it commonly originated from grain-boundary facets. This behavior indicates that strengths are controlled by energies less than those for polycrystalline fracture and are limited by grain boundaries. Appropriate heat treatment under reducing conditions gave strengths up to ≅ 600 MPa; Stoichiometry appears to be important.
Biomarkers and evolution in Alzheimer disease

Brain regions and their highly neuroplastic long axonal connections that expanded rapidly during hominid evolution are preferentially affected by Alzheimer disease. There is no natural animal model with full disease pathology (neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic amyloid plaques of a severity seen in Alzheimer's disease brains). Biomarkers such as reduced glucose metabolism in association neocortex, defects in long white matter tracts, RNA neurochemical changes, and high CSF levels of total and phosphorylated tau protein, which are helpful to identify MCI and preclinical Alzheimer disease patients, may also provide insights into what brain changes led to this disease being introduced during hominid evolution.
The health-related functions of social support.

Social support research has been hampered by a lack of clarity both in the definitions of social support and in the conceptualization of its effects on health outcomes. The present study compared social network size and three types of perceived social support—tangible, emotional, and informational —in relation to stressful life events, psychological symptoms and morale, and physical health status in a sample of 100 persons 45–64 years old. Social network size was empirically separable from, though correlated with, perceived social support and had a weaker overall relationship to outcomes than did support. Low tangible support and emotional support, in addition to certain life events, were independently related to depression and negative morale; informational support was associated with positive morale. Neither social support nor stressful life events were associated with physical health. It was concluded that social support research would benefit from attention to the multidimensionality of support and greater specificity in hypotheses about the relationship between types of support and adaptational outcomes.
Intergranular cavitation in creeping alloys

Fracture at high temperature in structural alloys can be of several forms. Of these, the only one of interest here is the intergranular form of fracture that occurs under usual service stresses and takes a relatively long time to develop. This fracture goes through several stages, starting with nucleation of cavities along grain boundaries, followed by their growth by coupled diffusional flow and creep flow under conditions of gradual load shedding, leading to the development of quasi-homogeneously accumulated grain boundary facet cracks, without or with eventual macro-crack evolution before final fracture. The subject has seen active development during the past decade which, however, has not always led to a general consensus on the nature of the specific processes and their representation. The mechanistic details of intergranular fracture in creeping alloys have recently been critically assessed by Argon. Here the authors are interested in the mechanisms of cavity nucleation and growth.
Macromolecular engineering via ‘living’ free radical polymerizations

The use of nitroxide-mediated ‘living’ free radical procedures as a synthetic tool for obtaining polymers with well defined and complex macromolecular architectures is discussed. The preparation of linear homo, block, and random co-polymers by ‘living’ free radical procedures have been demonstrated for a variety of systems and results in a significant increase in control over the macromolecular structure when compared to traditional free radical polymerization. The factors which affect the success of this novel synthetic approach will be reviewed and the advantages of ‘living’ free radical polymerization over other living polymerization techniques discussed. The synthesis and chemical stability of a wide range of unimolecular alkoxyamine initiators will also be demonstrated and their use in the preparation of complex macromolecular architectures such as hyperbranched polymers and hybrid dendritic-linear polymers illustrated.
Hemorrhagic stroke following elective cesarean delivery

We present a case of hemorrhagic stroke after cesarean delivery under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia in an 35-year-old Hispanic patient treated with anticoagulants for protein C deficiency. She required vasopressor therapy for intraoperative hypotension and developed severe headache immediately after administration. To our knowledge, this is the first case of stroke occurring in a pregnant woman following vasopressor therapy for spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension. Although the exact cause of her hemorrhagic stroke is uncertain, the hypertensive response that may have led to the hemorrhagic stroke occurred following administration of commonly used doses of vasopressor agents. We discuss the possible causes of stroke.
Circulating ICAM-1 levels in bronchial asthma and the effect of inhaled corticosteroids.

Background Even mild asthma has an inflammatory component. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) plays an important role in inflammation. Higher levels of circulating ICAM-1 (cICAM-1) in sera may reflect the upregulation of ICAM-1 expression in allergic inflammation. Objective The aim of this study was to assess cICAM-1 levels in children with atopic bronchial asthma and to determine the effects of inhaled glucocorticoids on cICAM-1 levels. Methods The study group consisted of 25 children with moderate atopic bronchial asthma with a mean age of 9.9 ± 4.2 years, and the control group consisted of 18 healthy children with a mean age of 9.6 ± 2.6 years. Serum cICAM-1 levels and pulmonary function tests were measured. The patients were treated 2 months with inhaled budesonide 400 to 800 μg (mean 440 μg) per day. After this treatment, cICAM-1 levels and pulmonary function tests were compared with pretreatment levels. The pretreatment cICAM-1 values were compared with healthy control group. Results The initial cICAM-1 levels of the patient group were significantly higher than the cICAM-1 levels of the control group ( P = .001). The post-treatment cICAM-1 levels of the patient group were significantly lower than the pretreatment values ( P = .007). Pulmonary function test results (FEV 1 , FEF 25–75 , and PEFR) rose significantly with the treatment in patients ( P Conclusion This study revealed the presence of inflammation in children with even moderate atopic asthma as reflected with elevated levels of cICAM-1 levels, which decreased following corticosteroid treatment as a result of decreased inflammation.
The Treatment Needs of Substance Abusing Batterers: A Comparison of Men Who Batter Their Female Partners

Though the co-occurrence rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) and problems with alcohol and other drugs (AOD) is 50 % or higher among men in clinical samples, little attention has been given to examining the characteristics of batterers with AOD problems (AOD batterers). We compared 274 AOD batterers and 524 non-AOD Batterers (batterers who do not have AOD problems). Results indicated AOD batterers were more violent, and were more likely to perpetrate violence that is severe in nature. They also reported higher levels of anger and trauma, had a greater proclivity toward a borderline personality orientation, and were much more likely to use AOD during an incident of violence at least half of the time (41 % versus 9 %). Results underscore the need for screening of batterers for AOD problems and substance abusers for IPV, and suggest that AOD problems might serve as an important indicator to help identify particularly complex cases.
The vacuum and lightcone quantization of interaction Hamiltonians

Let ϕ denote the conformally invariant neutral free scalar field on ℝ×Sn. The ‘naive’ lightcone Hamiltonian for a ϕp interaction is given by ∭c∶ϕp⋅, where C denotes a lightcone in ℝ×Sn, and the Wick power is relative to the free vacuum. We show that this sesquilinear form annihilates the free vacuum if n≥3 is odd, p>2, and p(n−1)≡0 mod 4.
Association of telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number in a community sample of healthy adults.

Abstract Cellular aging plays a role in longevity and senescence, and has been implicated in medical and psychiatric conditions, including heart disease, cancer, major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Telomere shortening and mitochondrial dysfunction are thought to be central to the cellular aging process. The present study examined the association between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and telomere length in a sample of medically healthy adults. Participants (total n = 392) were divided into 4 groups based on the presence or absence of early life adversity and lifetime psychopathology: No Adversity/No Disorder, n = 136; Adversity/No Disorder, n = 91; No Adversity/Disorder, n = 46; Adversity/Disorder, n = 119. Telomere length and mtDNA copy number were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. There was a positive correlation between mtDNA and telomere length in the entire sample (r = 0.120, p
Corn residue, tillage, and nitrogen rate effects on soil properties

A B S T R A C T Harvesting corn (Zea mays L.) residue for use as a biofuel feedstock may alter important chemical and physical properties of soils. Long-term residue removal, linked with tillage and fertilizer practices, could lower soil organic carbon (SOC), as well as increase soil compaction and susceptibility to erosion. A study initiated in 2006 included three levels of residue removal (none, partial, or full removal), two tillage treatments (no-till or chisel plow), and two N application rates (134 and 268 kg N/ha). These experiments were established in continuous corn (CC) at four Illinois sites, with treatments remaining in the same plots each year. In the spring at the beginning of the eighth growing season, we measured total carbon stocks (SOC), water aggregate stability (WAS), soil bulk density (BD), and penetration resistance (PR). Results showed that with all crop residue retained in the field, SOC stocks 13% lower under chisel tillage than in no-tilled plots, but removal of some or all of the residue lowered the SOC levels of no-tilled plots to those of tilled plots. On average for the studied depths, no-till plots had 5% and 39% higher BD and PR, respectively, than tilled plots, and residue removal significantly increased PR under no-till. Regardless of tillage treatment, the highest WAS values were found without residue removal at the lower N rate and with partial removal at the higher N rate. The higher N rate slightly lowered the BD under partial removal of residue for both tillage treatments at both studied depths. Our results indicate that residue harvest generates modest changes in soil properties under continuous corn, likely smaller than the effects of tillage and N fertilizer use in these systems. But as long as residue amount and tillage practices are sufficient to limit losses of soil by erosion to acceptable levels, we believe that corn residue represents a viable feedstock for a sustainable bioenergy industry in the U.S. Midwest.
Normalized Slit Widths for Diffraction-limited Spectroscopy

When using a spectrograph to photograph an emission spectrum consisting of sharp lines, there is little advantage to using a slit wide enough to degrade greatly the resolution. In contrast, when observing absorption or emission spectra with a spectrometer, the power arriving at the detector can be increased dramatically by widening the entrance and exit slits. Most infrared investigations in the past have been made with such wide slits that the resolution was well below the diffraction limit. The pioneering work of Rank and his co-workers was a notable exception. Today, however, with the availability of large echelles and the recent construction of large research spectrometers to high optical and mechanical standards, diffraction-limited infrared spectroscopy is becoming increasingly widespread.
Assessing landscape changes and dynamics using patch analysis and GIS modeling

Abstract Landscape ecology has brought spatial analysis and geospatial modeling to the forefront of ecological research. In this study, we investigated changes in landscape structure and the ecological consequences of urbanization in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area using spatial indices, change analysis, and geospatial modeling. Major land transformation patterns from 1975 to 2006 were mapped using multi-temporal classification maps. Landscape metrics for 1975, 1986, 1998, and 2006 were calculated and analyzed using Patch Analyst. The deforestation process due to urbanization in the future was modeled using GEOMOD within the framework of 2030 regional land use planning. Results reveal urban area expanded 82% from 1975 to 2006, mainly by displacing forest and agricultural lands by in-filling gaps within the urban area or near its periphery. Leap-frog development was noticeably absent. Many small patches of forest and agriculture located within or near the urban and suburban areas were replaced directly by urban land uses. Urbanization has become ecologically complicated but geometrically simpler whereas the rural landscape became less abundant and diverse. We predict: (1) forest cover will continue to decrease consistently due to on-going urbanization process; and (2) the pattern of deforestation will occur within the urban area due to in-filling and along its periphery as the urban area expands outward into undeveloped areas.
Effects of coal pile leachate on Taylor Brook in western Massachusetts

The metals in Taylor Brook, a second-order stream that receives the runoff and leachate from a coal pile, were analyzed and evaluated for toxicity. Al, Fe and Mn levels were highest immediately downstream from the coal pile at site 4, where the pH was 4.9. The water at this site was soft (41 ppm). Ca and Mg were predominantly unbound, yet maximum binding with organic acids occurred. The increase in SO4 concentrations (fourfold) and HCO3:SO4 ratios indicated little or no buffer capacity but the SO4:NO3:Cl ratios showed that the effect was local rather than a consequence of acid precipitation alone. The 96-h LC50 values for guppies in water from sites 4 and 3 were 26 and 100%, respectively. The increase of Al (80-fold) was inversely proportional to pH, but this proportionality was more pronounced at site 4 than at site 3. The 36-h LC50 values obtained on the addition of Al and acidity to water from site 3 at the levels measured in water from site 4 were 24% and greater than 100%, respectively. When compared with the values (17% and 49%) derived for site 4 water, the data indicate that the toxicity was principally exerted by aluminum. Residual oxygen data also suggest that fish mortality was primarily a function of Al. Additions of Al (0.3 ppm) to Taylor Brook control site water resulted in increased toxicity to guppies, while added acidity (pH 4.5) had no marked effect.
Insider's insects

Fundamentals of Insect Physiology. Edited by Murray S. Blum. Wiley: 1985. Pp. 598. 39.95, 41.40.
The Political Satirist as Public Intellectual: The Case of Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart is our greatest public intellectual. This is no joke. Although Stewart himself would deride such an assertion as the kind of hyperbole that too often permeates our political discourse, ...
Characterization of 15N Chemical Shift and 1H−15N Dipolar Coupling Interactions in a Peptide Bond of Uniaxially Oriented and Polycrystalline Samples by One-Dimensional Dipolar Chemical Shift Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

The magnitudes and orientations of the principal elements of the 15N chemical shift and 1H−15N dipolar coupling interaction tensors pertaining to the glycine residue in 15N-acetyl glycine (NAG) and [15N-Gly]collagen were determined by the analysis of one-dimensional dipolar chemical shift powder patterns. A one-dimensional 1H−15N dipolar 15N chemical shift spectrum was obtained on a [15N-Gly]collagen fiber sample with the fiber axis oriented parallel to the external magnetic field. The dipolar chemical shift spectrum enabled the orientation of the peptide plane to be determined relative to the direction of the applied magnetic field or the triple-helix axis of the collagen fiber. The magnitudes of the principal elements of the tensors and their orientations in the molecular frame for these two sites are quite different. The magnitudes of the chemical shift tensors are 42.3, 67, and 223.4 ppm for [15N-Gly]collagen and 37, 82.8, and 220.4 ppm for NAG. The angle (βN) between the least shielded 15N chemical s...
Chevron Deference after Mayo

ABSTRACT: The authors provide the background to the issues decided by the Supreme Court in Mayo regarding the deference the courts should grant to Treasury regulations. The implications are broad, since the deference issue determines whether the administration or the judiciary's opinion should prevail. The paper then discusses the impact of Mayo on the Chevron deference, and how the two-step approach should be applied to regulations and other Treasury pronouncements. Finally, the paper will address the role of legislative history and the Chenery and hard look doctrines within Chevron's two steps.