cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular-Based Modeling and Simulation Studies of Water–Water and Water–Macromolecule Interactions in Food and Their Effects on Food Dehydration

A molecular dynamics (MD) modeling and simulation approach has been developed to study porous food systems constructed with amylose chains. The results indicate that food macromolecules form porous structures and can make the adjacent water molecules strongly bound with reduced water activity and removal rate by providing additional water–macromolecule interactions that can significantly outweigh the reduction of the water–water interactions. These effects of pore structures are greater in systems with higher densities of food macromolecules and smaller in size pores. During dehydration, water molecules can develop concave menisci in large pores and nonplanar interfaces between the dried and hydrated sections of the food, and thus water removal can be considered to start from the largest pores and, in particular, from the middle of the pores. Dehydration in general results in reduced pore sizes, a decreased number of pore openings, increased water–macromolecule interactions, and reduced overall thermal conductivity, so that more heat and longer times are needed to further dehydrate the porous materials. Additionally, the average minimum entropy requirement for food dehydration is greater in food systems with higher densities of food macromolecules and lower water content.
Robust homing with stereovision

Visual Homing is a bioinspired approach to robot navigation which can be fast and uses few assumptions. However, visual homing in a cluttered and unstructured outdoor environment offers several challenges to homing methods that have been developed for primarily indoor environments. One issue is that any current image during homing may be tilted with respect to the home image. The second is that moving through a cluttered scene during homing may cause obstacles to interfere between the home scene and location and the current scene and location. In this paper, we introduce a robust method to improve a previous developed Homing with Stereo Vision (HSV) method for visual homing. HSV adds stereo information to the image information typically used in homing resulting in improved performance. The Robust Homing with Stereo Vision (RHSV) algorithm is modified to deal with current images taken at arbitrary pitch and roll values, and to handle homing and navigation through occluding obstacles. The results for several trials comparing HSV and RHSV are presented and the future direction of this work outlined.
Study of vapor film dynamics and heat transfer through an image processing technique

Abstract Understanding of two-phase heat transfer mechanisms on downward-facing hemispherical vessels is crucial during external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) under severe accident conditions. Film boiling is the predominant heat transfer regime in the initial stages of quenching under these circumstances. In this work, the process of downward-facing film boiling on the outer surface of a hemispherical vessel is studied using high-speed video. High-speed video is a valuable measurement technique because it does not require any invasive sensors that may alter the natural liquid-vapor interface in film boiling. With high-speed video and a few image processing techniques, accurate measurements of film thickness have been made at four different degrees of subcooling (0, 3, 5, and 10 °C) and angular locations (0, 14, 28, and 42°) on a hemispherical vessel. With increasing subcooling and decreasing angular location, the vapor film thickness has been found to decrease. Average film thickness at 0 °C (respectively, 10 °C) subcooling and one second after immersion is found to be approximately 2 mm (respectively, 0.5 mm). High-speed videos taken at 650 frames per second (fps) have shown significant oscillations at the liquid-vapor interface during film boiling. Additionally, oscillations in the film thickness and its wave characteristics have been analyzed at the prescribed angular locations and degrees of subcooling. From the visual data, insights regarding the heat transfer behavior of film boiling are obtained. Additionally, the characteristics of the interfacial oscillations have been related to the heat flux distribution. The mechanism for the interfacial oscillations can be attributed to disturbances in the balance between the wall and interfacial heat fluxes, along with the hydrodynamic instability.
A Cloud-Based Execution Framework for Program Analysis

Program analysis is a popular method to determine properties about program behavior, such as execution times and potential security vulnerabilities. One of the biggest challenges faced by almost every form of program analysis is scalability. One way to address scalability issues is to distribute the analysis across multiple machines. However, this is not an easy task; designing a distribution framework that is capable of supporting multiple types of program analysis requires careful thought and consideration. This paper presents the cloud-based execution framework that we built for performing distributed analysis of Java bytecode programs. We describe the design decisions that allow this framework to be generic enough to support multiple types of analysis but remain efficient at the same time. We also present a simple, static work partitioning algorithm that we have found to work well in practice and provide benchmarks to show its efficiency.
Limits on the number of primordial Scattered disc objects at Pluto mass and higher from the absence of their dynamical signatures on the present-day trans-Neptunian Populations

Today, Pluto and Eris are the largest and most massive Trans-Neptunian Objects respectively. They are believed to be the last remnants of a population of planetesimals that has been reduced by >99% since the time of its formation. This reduction implies a primordial population of hundreds or thousands of Pluto-mass objects, and a mass-number distribution that could have extended to hundreds of Lunas, dozens of Mars, and several Earths. Such lost protoplanets would have left signatures in the dynamics of the present-day Trans-Neptunian Populations, and we statistically limit their primordial number by considering the survival of ultra-wide binary TNOs, the Cold Classical Kuiper belt, and the resonant population. We find that if the primordial mass-number distribution extended to masses greater than Pluto (~1e-3 Earth masses), it must have turned downwards to be no more top-heavy than roughly equal mass per log size, a significant deviation from the distribution observed between 1e-5 and 1e-3 Earth masses. We compare these limits to the predicted mass-number distribution of various planetesimal and proto-planet growth models. The limits derived here provide a test for future models of planetesimal formation.
The Looking-Glass Self: Self-Objectivation through the Garden

This study concerns the estate garden located in Annapolis, Maryland that was built and owned by William Paca. Among his many outstanding achievements, Paca was an eighteenth-century lawyer, revolutionist, signer of the Declaration, Governor of Maryland, Judge of the Federal District Court of Maryland, and anti-federalist. I visited the estate garden for the first time in the summer of 1999 without any intention of formulating a research project; but as a phenomenologist, I became motivated to engage in the phenomenological epoche.
Spinal myxopapillary ependymoma metastatic to bilateral internal auditory canals.

Objectives We report a rare case of spinal myxopapillary ependymoma metastatic to both internal auditory canals (IACs) and its implications for diagnosing neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Methods We present a detailed clinical history, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), intraoperative photographs, and histopathologic findings from a patient with bilateral IAC lesions, and review the diagnostic criteria for NF2. Results An 11-year-old boy with surgically resected spinal myxopapillary ependymoma, treated with total spine irradiation for recurrence, later showed bilaterally enhancing IAC lesions on T1-weighted MRI with contrast. The diagnosis of NF2 with bilateral vestibular schwannomas was entertained. Close examination of T2-weighted MRI, however, demonstrated the masses to be isointense to cerebrospinal fluid. This finding raised the possibility of other, more unusual IAC lesions. The patient underwent sequential suboccipital craniotomies for tissue diagnosis, and both IAC lesions were found to be myxopapillary ependymomas. Conclusions This is the youngest reported patient with metastatic myxopapillary ependymoma. Although vestibular schwannomas account for the majority of contrast-enhancing T1-weighted IAC lesions, other uncommon lesions may present in a similar manner. A T2 fast-spin echo screening MRI would have missed this patient's lesions. Therefore, both T1-weighted MRI with or without contrast and T2-weighted MRI may be necessary to distinguish vestibular schwannoma from other, more unusual IAC lesions.
Empowering Satisfaction: Analyzing the Relationship between Empowerment, Work Conditions, and Job Satisfaction for International Center Managers.

The rising cost of higher education has driven researchers and practitioners alike to identify areas of waste and search for practices associated with increasing efficiency. One area commonly targeted is human resources, where the dominant narrative focuses on the role of downsizing as a way to decrease cost. In contrast to workforce reduction, institutions could reduce inefficiencies by finding effective ways to avoid premature departure and strengthen the current workforce in higher education. In this study, we analyze employees’ perception of their work conditions and sense of empowerment, in relation to job satisfaction, which has been found to increase productivity and reduce turnover. To illustrate and model key variables, we utilize structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship between our key latent constructs. We find empowerment is positively related to job satisfaction, while working conditions are not.
The Costs of a National Single-Payer Healthcare System

The leading current bill to establish single-payer health insurance, the Medicare for All Act (M4A), would, under conservative estimates, increase federal budget commitments by approximately $32.6 trillion during its first 10 years of full implementation (2022–2031), assuming enactment in 2018. This projected increase in federal healthcare commitments would equal approximately 10.7 percent of GDP in 2022, rising to nearly 12.7 percent of GDP in 2031 and further thereafter. Doubling all currently projected federal individual and corporate income tax collections would be insufficient to finance the added federal costs of the plan. It is likely that the actual cost of M4A would be substantially greater than these estimates, which assume significant administrative and drug cost savings under the plan, and also assume that healthcare providers operating under M4A will be reimbursed at rates more than 40 percent lower than those currently paid by private health insurance.
Immersive Search: Interactive Information Retrieval in Three-Dimensional Space

Researchers in interactive information retrieval (IIR) have studied and refined 2D presentations of search results for years. Recent advances are bringing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to real-world systems, though the IIR community has done relatively little work to explore and understand aspects of 3D presentations of search results, effects of immersive environments, and the impacts of spatial cognition and different spatial arrangements of results displays in 3D. In the research proposed here, I outline my plan to use immerse environments to investigate how users' spatial cognition may influence the information retrieval process. Specifically, this work will observe how spatial arrangements of search results affect users' ability to find information in the post-query, visual search phase of the IIR process across quantitative and qualitative measures.
A Millimeter-Wave Receiver Using a Wideband Low-Noise Amplifier With One-Port Coupled Resonator Loads

This article presents design techniques to facilitate the use of the driving point impedance (Z 11 ) of one-port transformer-coupled resonators as wideband loads of millimeter-wave amplifier stages for a 28-GHz receiver front end. While the use of both the Z 11 of a one-port and the transimpedance (Z 21 ) of a two-port coupled resonator is considered to achieve a wideband response, it is shown that under conditions of low magnetic coupling and constrained network quality factor, the use of Z 11 can result in a higher gain-bandwidth product of low-noise amplifier (LNA) amplifier stages. The effect of the complex zero in the Z 11 response on the in-band gain ripple is shown to be alleviated merely by lowering the quality factor of the transformer's secondary coil; this strongly motivates the use of compact, nested-inductor transformer layouts. Implemented in a 65-nm CMOS process, a three-stage LNA (with Z 11 wideband loads in two stages) achieves a 24.4-32.3-GHz bandwidth (27.9 % fractional bandwidth), a peak S 21 of 24.4 dB (20.4 dB), a minimum noise figure (NF) of 4 dB (4.6 dB), and an input-referred P1dB of -23 dBm (-22 dBm) while consuming 22-mW (9.9 mW) power from a 1.1-V (0.85 V) supply. The use of compact transformers limits the LNA's footprint to only 0.12 mm2. A 26.5-32.5-GHz quadrature receiver prototype employing the LNA achieves a 29.5-dB peak conversion gain, a 5.3-dB minimum NF, and a -26-dBm inputreferred P1dB while consuming 33 mW from a 1.1-V supply.
Communicating science in an age of on-screen reading: taking a page from journalism.

With the increasing move to publish manuscripts online, the science community needs to consider what effect this will have on their ability to communicate findings effectively to not only the science community but to the public as well. Online manuscripts are not a new concept. The increasing trend towards online use will be seamless for many. Yet, with information readily available at our fingertips, the ability to receive and appropriately perceive information may not be nearly as natural. To improve engagement, scientists need to find ways to convey across a variety of audiences effectively, actively inviting and engaging members of the public. Many scientists are trained to write for academic outlets, skilled in drafting journal manuscripts and conversing with scientific colleagues, while the benefits of alternative outlets remain underused and understudied. The need for better scientific communication is no secret. Last year, the National Institutes for Health released ‘A Checklist for Communicating Science and Health Research to the Public’, highlighting ways to improve scientific communication.1 As scientists continue to write for academic journals, in either print or online forms, they should look to journalism for direction in navigating new communication frontiers, namely those that involve a screen to expand their public reach, while continuing to engage the scientific community through traditional means. Like science, journalism serves as a source of information and knowledge for the public. Given the role the field of Public Health plays in ensuring the well-being of entire global populations, the ability to effectively convey information to both scientists and the public is especially important. Journalism continues to be effective in capturing public interest, allowing for a more expansive spread of information through its ability to adapt to and incorporate mixed mediums.2 It is estimated that 72% of internet users in the USA have used …
Draft Genome Sequence of Spiroplasma platyhelix ATCC 51748, Isolated from a Dragonfly

ABSTRACT Spiroplasma platyhelix is a helical bacterium belonging to the class Mollicutes. First isolated from a Pachydiplax longipennis dragonfly, it has the smallest reported Spiroplasma genome size of 740 kbp. Here, we report the genome sequence of S. platyhelix ATCC 51748.
A physically-based entropy production rate method to simulate sharp-front transport problems in porous medium systems

Sharp-front problems arising from equations that tend toward a hyperbolic limit occur routinely in modeling transport phenomena in porous medium systems. Numerical methods to approximate hyperbolic conservation equations are mature for finite volume methods. However, irregularly shaped domains make finite element methods (FEMs) an attractive approach for many subsurface problems. For conforming FEM approaches, sharp fronts continue to pose a computational challenge. We build on recent work to develop and evaluate an entropy viscosity approach. Recent theoretical advancements have resulted in the formulation of entropy inequality equations for many porous medium problems, which we use to compute a physically-based entropy production rate for both linear and nonlinear species transport problems. The entropy production rate is in turn used to add dissipation to the approximation of the hyperbolic operator using an entropy-viscosity formulation. We demonstrate how existing, problem-specific theoretical results can be leveraged in a generic and efficient numerical method to create problem-specific dissipation functions.
The effect of binaural beat stimulation on sustained attention

Binaural beats have been used as a way of modifying cognition via auditory stimulation. A recent meta-analysis suggests that binaural beat stimulation can have a positive effect on attention (Garcia-Argibay et al., Psychologische Forschung 83:1124-1136, 2019a, Psychological Research Psychologische Forschung 83:357-372, 2019b), with the sample-weighted average effect size being about .58. This is an intriguing and potentially useful finding, both theoretically and practically. In this study, we focus on sustained attention. We delivered beta-frequency (16 Hz) binaural beat stimulation during a sustained attention task. In "Experiment 1", reaction times were faster under beat stimulation than control stimulation in a between-subjects design. However, the effect was modest in magnitude, and model comparisons using Bayes Factors were indiscriminate between including and excluding the effect from the model. We followed this initial experiment with two concurrently administered follow-up experiments. In "Experiment 2", we added thought probes to measure any changes in task engagement associated with binaural beat stimulation. "Experiment 2" revealed a different effect from "Experiment 1": participants in the binaural beat condition exhibited a shallower vigilance decrement. However, the beat stimulation did not affect the thought probes responses. Combining data across the two experiments indicated rather strong evidence against the hypothesis that beta-frequency binaural beats can augment sustained attention, either via a general speeding of responding or a mitigation of the vigilance decrement. Finally, in "Experiment 3", we investigated whether pupillary measures of arousal and/or task engagement would be affected by binaural beat stimulation. There was no evidence for such effects. Overall, we did not observe any consistent evidence that binaural beat stimulation can augment sustained attention or its subjective and physiological correlates.
Reference-free adaptive filtering of extracellular neural signals recording in ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging scanners: Removal of periodic interferences

Abstract This paper focuses on the removal of periodic artifacts from neural signals recorded in rats in ultra-high field (UHF) MRI scanners, using a reference free adaptive feedforward method. Recording extracellular neural signals in the UHF environment is motivated by the desire to combine neural recording and UHF functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to better understand brain function. However, the neural signals are found to have extremely high noise artifacts of a periodic nature due to electromagnetic interference and due to small oscillatory motions. In particular, noise at 60 Hz and several harmonics of 60 Hz, sinusoidal noise from a pump, and low frequency breathing motion artifacts are observed. Due to significant overlap between the noise frequencies and the neural frequency region of interest, band pass filters cannot be effectively utilized in this application. Hence, this paper develops adaptive least squares feedforward cancellation filters to remove the periodic artifacts. The interference fundamental frequency is identified precisely using an implementation of k-means in an iterative approach. The paper includes significant animal data from rats recorded in an IACUC-approved procedure in 9.4 T and 16.4 T MRI machines. For breathing artifacts filtered from 4 rats, the mean signal cancellation values at the harmonic interference frequencies are 5.18, 12.97, and 20.87 dB/Hz for a sliding template subtraction, a single-stage impulse reference method, and the cascaded adaptive filtering approach respectively. For pump artifacts filtered from 2 chronically implanted rats, mean signal cancellation values are 2.85, 9.52 and 12.06 dB/Hz respectively. The experimental results show that periodic noise is very effectively removed by the developed cascaded adaptive least squares feedforward algorithm.
ON-LINE SYSTEMS: CONTROL BUTTON DESIGN AND CHARACTERISTIC EFFECTS ON USER LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE

With the increased use of on-line systems requiring users to interact with an unfamiliar interface after little or no formal training developers must be cognizant of design characteristics that are detriments to success. The introduction of an on-line property tax system in Nashville, TN is seeing numerous implementation snags. Many of the issues preventing people from accomplishing their desired tasks appear to be design related. Many such systems recently introduced are developed and launched without implementing many of the basic design characteristics taught for years by top design experts. This research will examine control characteristics and will attempt to identify potential stumbling blocks to user learning caused by control design. Specifically control color, shape and location will be examined to determine if differentiation between controls aids in the learning of an on-line system.
Value and Existence

The question of the place of values in the world of existence requires the determination of the place of man in the natural world. This question has received conflicting answers in the philosophical literature. The term “value” has been defined narrowly and broadly; and the nature of man has been accepted in traditional forms or on the basis of scientific knowledge and explanation. The overextension of the concept of value, to make it apply to all existence as a general ontological principle, has been prominent.
The Morality of System Design

In this chapter we discuss the ethical implications of system design. In the past, science and design could remain value free. One of the important premises of the Industrial Revolution was that the optimum course of action is dictated solely by the “technological imperative,” according to which efficiency means finding the solution with the lowest technical costs.1
Weak Axiom of Cost Dominance: A Nonparametric Test of Cost Efficiency Without Input Quantity Data

Varian's Weak Axiom of Cost Minimization provides a nonparametric test of cost minimization, which can be applied only when both input price and quantity data are available for individual firms. In this paper we propose a Weak Axiom of Cost Dominance (WACD), which serves as the basis of an alternative test of cost-minimization applicable in situations where input quantity data are missing. Unlike a previous test developed by Diewert and Parkan, the proposed test does identify individual firms that violate the assumption of cost-minimizing behavior. It also provides an upper bound of the cost-efficiency of any observed firm. The test procedure is shown to be equivalent to applying dominance analysis using normalized input prices with reference to the Cost-indirect technology. The proposed method is applied to Nerlove's electrical utility data. The nonparametric results are also compared with parametric efficiency levels computed from a stochastic frontier cost function.
Formation of α-Ketoglutaric Semialdehyde from l-2-Keto-3-deoxyarabonic Acid and Isolation of l-2-Keto-3-deoxyarabonate Dehydratase from Pseudomonas saccharophila

Abstract α-Ketoglutaric semialdehyde has been identified as an intermediate in the conversion of l-2-keto-3-deoxyarabonate to α-ketoglutarate by cell-free extracts of Pseudomonas saccharophila. α-Ketoglutarate semialdehyde arises by the intramolecular dismutation of l-2-keto-3-deoxyarabonate. The enzyme, l-2-keto-3-deoxyarabonate dehydratase, which catalyzes the conversion of l-2-keto-3-deoxyarabonate to α-ketoglutarate semialdehyde, has been purified and crystallized. The enzyme is homogeneous on starch gel electrophoresis and shows a single asymmetrical peak in the ultracentrifuge. No cofactor has been observed.
CrossTalk proposal: 5-HT is necessary for peristalsis.

The overwhelming preponderance of the 5-HT of every known mammal is in the gut (Erspamer, 1966; Gershon & Tack, 2007; Gershon, 2013). Enteric 5-HT must be an important signalling molecule to be so conserved. Most enteric 5-HT is in enterochromaffin (EC) cells, but smaller amounts are present in myenteric neurons. Despite their small numbers, serotonergic neurons project widely throughout the enteric nervous system (ENS) and also innervate interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) (Okamoto et al. 2014). The abundance and variety of enteric 5-HT receptors (5-HT1-7 and subtypes) also suggest that 5-HT plays a significant role in GI physiology (Smith et al. 2014). The efficacy of therapies targeting enteric 5-HT or its receptors against GI motility disorders supports this idea (Gershon & Tack, 2007; Gershon, 2013). Beyond motility and secretion, putative roles that 5-HT plays include metabolism, osteogenesis, immunity, neurogenesis and neuroprotection (Gershon, 2013). The multiplicity of enteric 5-HT targets and receptors complicates ascertaining the physiological roles of 5-HT. Controversy is thus to be expected and has appeared in recent papers, which question whether EC or neuronal 5-HT has anything to do with peristalsis (Keating & Spencer, 2010; Spencer et al. 2011; Sia et al. 2013; Spencer et al. 2013). These papers are important not because enteric 5-HT is vestigial (it is not) or that its roles in normal and abnormal GI motility can be ignored (they cannot). Instead, they highlight common misunderstandings about peristaltic reflexes and 5-HT cellular biology. The papers focus on colonic migrating motor complexes (CMMCs), which are aborally propagating propulsive contractile complexes, essentially peristaltic reflexes. The authors assert that they can evoke CMMCs after mucosal removal or depleting 5-HT with reserpine; therefore, they conclude that neither EC cells, nor neuronal 5-HT is necessary for CMMCs. To comprehend what is misunderstood, it is necessary to discuss basic information about 5-HT and GI motility.
Not at Arm's Length: A Guide to Transfer Pricing Resources

ABSTRACT Transfer pricing is the setting of prices for transactions inside multinational enterprises. Because transfer prices can be manipulated to avoid paying taxes, governments insist that these prices must be set as if the firms were at arm's length. Complex regulations, particularly in the United States, have made transfer pricing the top international tax issueformultinational firms. As a result, most legal, accounting andcon-sulting firms offer transfer price services and advertise them on the Internet. This article explains why transfer pricing is so controversial, gives an overview of US and OECD regulations and methods, and provides an annotated list of transfer price resources available both on-line and off-line to researchers and information specialists.
Hippo Signaling and Organ Size Control

Hippo signaling is a growth control pathway first described in Drosophila and more recently studied in mammals. At the core of the Drosophila Hippo signaling pathway is a cascade composed of the Hippo and warts serine threonine kinases whose function in the context of Hippo signaling is to restrict the activity of the transcriptional coactivator yorkie by phosphorylation and cytoplasmic retention. In mammals, a similar cascade is present with the mst1 and mst2 kinases serving the function of Hippo and the lats1 and lats2 kinases functioning as orthologs of warts. Mammals also have two yorkie-related genes, yap and taz. Emerging evidence suggests that a common theme of Hippo signaling in epithelial tissues is to regulate growth, either in a homeostatic or developmental framework, or in pathological situations such as cancer. Much initial and recent attention has focused on Hippo signaling in the context of organ size control. Indeed, how final organ size is achieved during animal development and how it is maintained in adults is a long standing and fundamental problem. In this chapter, basic concepts of organ size determination and the relationship between progenitor, stem cells, and regulation of organ size, both during development and in adult tissue homeostasis are reviewed in the context of Hippo signaling.
A general approach to defect detection in textured materials using a wavelet domain model and level sets

This paper presents a novel approach for defect detection using a wavelet-domain Hidden Markov Tree (HMT)1 model and a level set segmentation technique. The background, which is assumed to contain homogeneous texture, is modeled off-line with HMT. Using this model, a region map of the defect image is produced on-line through likelihood calculations, accumulated in a coarse-to-fine manner in the wavelet domain. As expected, the region map is basically separated into two regions: 1) the defects, and 2) the background. A level-set segmentation technique is then applied to this region map to locate the defects. This approach is tested with images of defective fabric, as well as x-ray images of cotton with trash. The proposed method shows promising preliminary results, suggesting that it may be extended to a more general approach of defect detection.
Exit, selection, and the value of firms

Abstract This paper studies a competitive dynamic model with firm level uncertainty and derives implications for the distribution of firm values and Tobin's q. Allowing for entry and exit, the model determines endogenously the degree of selection. A consequence of this selection is that average industry q values are biased above one. As parameters describing the technology and firm level uncertainty are changed, the equilibrium distribution for q values changes. This comparative statics is developed in the paper.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide inhibits IL-8 production in human monocytes by downregulating nuclear factor κB-dependent transcriptional activity

Abstract Although interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a chemokine that plays a beneficial and central role in the inflammatory response, hematopoiesis, and angiogenesis, excessive IL-8 production can be deleterious to the host, and its selective inhibition represents an important therapeutic goal. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide that acts as a potent anti-inflammatory agent inhibiting the function of activated macrophages/monocytes. The present study reports the effect of VIP on IL-8 production by stimulated human THP1 monocytes. VIP inhibits IL-8 production in a dose- and time-dependent manner at the mRNA level. VIP seems to act by inhibiting the NF-κB-dependent IL-8 gene activation. The specific VPAC1 receptor mediates the inhibitory effect of VIP. Two transduction pathways appear to be involved, a major cAMP-independent pathway that preferentially blocks nuclear translocation of NF-κB and its binding to the κB site of the IL-8 promoter, and a cAMP-dependent pathway that inhibits the activation and binding to the IL-8 promoter of both CREB-binding protein (CBP) and TATA box-binding protein (TBP), two transcriptional cofactors strictly required for the transactivating activity of NF-κB. These findings support the proposed role of VIP as a key endogenous anti-inflammatory agent and describe a novel mechanism, i.e., the inhibition of the production of monocyte-derived IL-8, and are of obvious physiological significance, because VIP, through the inhibition of IL-8 production, could reduce the monocyte-induced neutrophil chemotaxis/infiltration, an important event in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
Self-Generated Fields and Polymer Crystallization

The creation of thermal, compositional, and stress fields during the crystallization of polymers from the melt is described. The treatment of crystallization under self-generated fields is reviewed, including classical moving boundary problems, the treatment of dendrite growth, and coupled growth. The extension of these treatments to polymer crystallization requires that the velocity of interface motion be defined by the temperature and composition of the melt at the solid–liquid interface, a feature not found in extant analyses suitable for small-molecule systems and metals. Inclusion of this feature renders analytical solutions difficult and usually requires the use of numerical methods. The role of the diffusion length in defining morphological features is described. Methods of simulating the growth of polymer spherulites are reviewed. These include finite element, analytical, and phase field approaches. The role of thermal fields in fiber processing is discussed. Finally, speculations regarding the ro...
First-principles molecular-dynamics study of carbon clusters

A universal-parameter tight-binding molecular-dynamics technique that correctly treats interactions in nontetrahedral as well as multicoordinated covalent systems is used to obtain equilibrium geometries for carbon clusters of arbitrary size. For N\ensuremath{\le}10 the ground states are determined to be linear chains for odd N and closed rings for even N. The minimum-energy cyclic structures exhibit symmetry-lowering in-plane distortions rather than being regular polygons. These findings are in complete agreement with available ab initio results. Large clusters of atoms are used to demonstrate the validity of the method to simulate bulklike diamond and single-layer graphitic structures. The well known 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 reconstruction for the (001) face is observed for the diamond cluster.
Role of personality self-organization in development of mental order and disorder

Normal and abnormal personality development can be quantified in terms of 15 specific steps in the self-organization of character as a complex adaptive system. Character is measured as three dimensions of Self-directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence, each with five components corresponding to steps in personality development. Each of these steps is differentially influenced by heritable temperament dimensions, antecedent steps in character development, and life experiences. Predictions about the nonlinear dynamics of personality development, such as equifinality and multifinality, are confirmed in longitudinal data about individuals representative of the general population. The stepwise development of character determines large differences between individuals in their risk of psychopathology, as well as varying degrees of maturity and health.
Scores on emotional self-control of elementary school children after a five-week running program

This study tested the prediction that fitness running would increase elementary school children's emotional self-control (Grade 3, n = 26, Control, n = 25). The results were contrary to the hypothesis.
Recoil corrections for single-nucleon transfer reactions☆

Abstract A formalism is developed for approximately treating the recoil of the projectile in single-nucleon transfer reactions. The “no-recoil” term is evaluated exactly by rotating the nuclear matrix element to a coordinate system where the lighter projectile lies along the z -axis relative to the target nucleus. Recoil terms are constructed by expanding the “recoil phase factor” in terms of spherical harmonic and Bessel functions, and they are again evaluated exactly. Numerical results are then obtained for some representative light-ion reactions of high incident energies. For these reactions, we find that although the first-order recoil term may be very large, higher order terms are correspondingly less important, and convergence is always easily obtained. However, absolute magnitudes of cross sections at forward angles predicted by the present theory and by the local energy approximation differ by up to 50% for the reactions we consider.
Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Pediatric Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Treatment of internalizing disorders in youth often entails a multimodal approach, including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and systems-based intervention in familial, school, and social settings. Prior to selecting appropriate treatments, a comprehensive, lifetime assessment employing multiple informants (youth, parents, teachers) and methods (questionnaires, semi-structured evaluation, clinical interview) should be conducted. Given the high rate of co-occurrence of multiple internalizing disorders, comorbidity of mood and anxiety with other psychiatric problems, and symptom overlap across diagnostic categories, thorough assessment taking into account differential diagnoses is essential. Following evaluation, treatment selection should be based on the primary presenting problem, degree of impairment, and current evidence. For moderate-to-severe adolescent depression, a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with pharmacotherapy (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs]) has the strongest empirical base. Mounting evidence also supports the use of CBT and interpersonal therapy (IPT) as monotherapies for depressed youth. CBT for depression involves identifying and challenging cognitive distortions, behavioral activation, problem solving, and emotion regulation, while IPT aims to reduce interpersonal conflict via interpersonal problem-solving and communication skills. For pediatric bipolar disorders, family psychoeducation about the etiology, course, and treatment of mood disorders, plus skill building (problem solving, CBT, communication, emotion regulation), should be employed adjunctive to pharmacotherapy. Finally, for anxiety disorders, various forms of CBT have demonstrated efficacy. Typically, use of SSRIs concurrently with CBT offers additional benefit for anxious youth. Though the format and focus of CBT varies depending on the specific anxiety disorder, most interventions involve psychoeducation, emotion identification and management strategies, cognitive restructuring, exposure, and familial involvement. Recent preliminary research also supports the use of other psychotherapies (e.g., attachment-based family therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, attention bias modification training) and healthy lifestyle changes (e.g., sleep, diet, exercise). In conclusion, CBT-based treatments currently have the most empirical support, and should be considered first-line psychosocial interventions for pediatric internalizing disorders.
Proton Transfer in Gramicidin Channels is Modulated by the Thickness of Monoglyceride Bilayers

The thickness of monoglyceride planar bilayers has significant effects on the transfer of protons in both native gramicidin A (gA) and in covalently linked SS- and RR-dioxolane-linked gA proteins. Planar bilayers with various thicknesses were formed from an appropriate combination of monoglyceride with various fatty acid lengths and solvent. Bilayer thicknesses ranged from 25 A (monoolein in squalene) to 54 A (monoeicosenoin in decane). Single-channel conductances to protons (gH) were measured in the concentration range of 10–5000 mM HCl. In native gA as well as in RR channels, the shape of the log(gH)-log([H+]) relationships was nonlinear and remained basically unaltered in monoglyceride bilayers with various thicknesses. For both native gA and RR channels, gH values were systematically and significantly larger in thin than in thick bilayers. By contrast, the shape of the log(gH)-log([H+]) relationships in the SS channel was linear (with a slope considerably smaller than 1) in thick (>37 A) bilayers. However, in thin (<37 A) bilayers these plots became nonlinear and gH values approached those obtained in native gA channels. The linearization of the log-log plots in the SS channel in thick bilayers is a consequence of a dramatic increase (instead of a decrease as in native gA and RR channels) of gH in these bilayers in [H+] <1 M. The gating characteristics of the various gA channels as a function of bilayer thickness followed the same pattern as described previously. It was noticed, however, that in the thickest monoglyceride bilayer used in this study, both the SS- and RR-dioxolane-linked channels opened in a mode of bursting activity instead of remaining in the open state as in thin bilayers. It is proposed that the thickness of monoglyceride bilayers modulates proton transfer in native gA channels by a combination of factors including the access resistances of channels to H+, and fluctuations in both the structure of the lipid bilayer and in the distance between gA monomers. The differential effects of relatively thick monoglyceride bilayers on proton transfer in both dioxolane-linked gA channels must relate to distinct interactions between the bilayers and the SS and RR dioxolanes.
ECONOMIES OF SCARCITY AND ACQUISITION, ECONOMIES OF GIFT AND THANKSGIVING

Mainstream economics has long prided itself to be an empirical “science”, at least in aspiration if not yet in practice. Yet, some of the most elementary, commonplace premises of the discipline are flatly contradicted by the empirical findings of cultural anthropology. Karl Polanyi made this point:
Pronatalist programmes in Eastern Europe.

IN 1920 the Soviet government enacted an unprecedented and almost unrestricted system of provision of induced abortion on demand. Official distress over the large number of abortions performed under this system and low fertility rates led to imposition of a small fee in 1923. After years of controversy, direct administrative action was finally taken in 1935 forbidding interruption of first pregnancies and requiring a sixmonth interval between legal abortions. In June 1936 the balance of the law of i920 was substantively repealed. At the same time, a system of family allowance payments was established and child-care facilities were expanded with the explicit hope of stimulating population growth. Despite massive resort to illegal abortion, the restrictions of I935 and 1936 were not removed until I955.2 After the re-liberalization of the Soviet abortion laws in December I955, all the European socialist countries, except for the German Democratic Republic and Albania, rapidly enacted similar legislation. In each instance the change in the form and substance of the socio-legal posture towards abortion was enormous, and in each country there was an immediate and clearly visible rise in the number of abortions performed and an apparently related change in the birth and population growth rates.3 While fertility rates have fallen throughout the European world in the postwar period, in much of Eastern Europe the full legalization
Nonplasmonic Metal Particles as Excitation Energy Transfer Acceptors: an Unexpected Efficiency Revealed by Quantum Mechanics

We present a time-dependent density functional theory investigation of the excitation energy transfer (EET) between a typical chromophore (perylene diimide) and a small metal cluster (Au20). Two different physical descriptions are tested for the metal: the real (nonplasmonic) cluster and a hypothetical nanoparticle characterized by a bulk gold dielectric response (which thus sustains surface plasmons). By comparing the results obtained for the same EET process with the two types of metal particles, we show that, surprisingly, nonplasmonic small metal clusters can be as intrinsically effective as plasmonic particles in EET, a finding that is also relevant for applications in several field ranging from analytical chemistry to nanoscience.
Theory for establishing proximity relations in biological membranes by excitation energy transfer measurements

In a previous publication (Shaklai et al., 1977a) the present author developed a theory for evaluating proximity relations and surface densities sigma in biological membranes by measurements of excitation energy transfer from a donor attached to a specific site of a membrane protein and an acceptor attached to a specific carbon on a membrane lipid. It was assumed that the protein and lipid are randomly distributed in the plane of the membrane and that the donor and acceptor groups are confined to different planes in the membrane separated by a distance Rp. In this article several aspects of the theory presented in the previous paper are clarified, especially noting that the previous theoretical expressions for the time-dependent and steady state fluorescence intensities assumed that the labeled protein molecule is cylindrically symmetric with the symmetry axis perpendicular to the plane of the membrane and that the donor is positioned on the symmetry axis of the protein. This assumption is also implicitly or explicitly made in subsequent formulations by other investigators. In this article we generalize the theory to include the case where the donor is not on the symmetry axis of the labeled protein. Equations for calculating the time-dependent and steady state fluorescence intensities for this more general case are presented, and methods for applying these theoretical expressions to the analysis of steady state fluorescence intensity data and evaluation of proximity parameters are discussed. It is also shown in this article that the linear relation l/lo = 1 + Kq sigma previously derived for simple analysis of excitation transfer data for the condition rc/Ro 1 can be modified to apply to almost all practical ranges of rc/Ro without much affecting its simplicity in the analysis of experimental data.
Immunofluorescent detection and localization of thyroxine in blood of adult amphibians

Indirect immunofluorescent staining was used to detect and localize thyroxine (T4) in blood smears from different species of adult amphibians, namely, Rana pipiens, Rana catesbeiana, Bufo marinus, Xenopus laevis, and Notopthalmus viridescens. Fluorescence, indicative of T4, was observed in both plasma and erythrocytes (RBC) from all individuals of the five species studied. It was weak and diffuse in the plasma and in the cytoplasm of the RBC but was intense in the nuclei (especially the nuclear perimeter) of these cells. The finding of intracellular T4 suggests that thyroid hormone may be of some physiological importance in adult amphibians.
MYOPIC SPATIAL COMPETITION: BOUNDARY EFFECTS AND NETWORK SOLUTIONS

Recent findings suggest that spatial competition studies should focus more on markets having numerous firms and realistic topologies. Eventually clarification is needed of the existence conditions and properties of multi-firm equilibria in network markets. This paper uses a traditional conjectures approach to examine long-run equilibria in a variety of one-dimensional markets. In all cases consumer demand is perfectly inelastic, price conjectures are exogenous, and (interior) firms show maximum locational differentiation. The attitude of firms is always myopic and never strategic, however. In a linear market the analysis discloses that firm price depends upon price in the counterpart circular market, a boundary effect, the spatial aggression of exterior firms, and the location of the firm. In a network market the analysis discloses that multiple equilibria occur and that the existence conditions for these equilibria depend upon both the geometric properties of the network and the price conjectures of the firms.