cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Statistical Learning Model for Accurate Prediction of Time-Dependent Dielectric Degradation for Low Failure Rates

A physics-based degradation rate (DR) model is discussed which can effectively predict TDDB degradation at low failure rates. The model is shown to follow all the features of TDDB degradation-like Weibull distribution, area scaling etc. In addition, a self-consistent statistical learning model is proposed which can predict TDDB degradation with same accuracy of DR model albeit without the need for large amount of data collection. Both models are shown to accurately predict TDDB degradation for low failure rates (∼ 1 ppm) which makes them extremely effective tools for time-to-failure estimations for technology qualifications especially for automotive applications.
Organoid model of mammographic density displays a higher frequency of aberrant colony formations with radiation exposure.

Motivation Aberrant three-dimensional (3D) colony organization of premalignant human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) is one of the indices of dysplasia. An experiment has been designed where the stiffness of the microenvironment, in 3D culture, has been set at either low or high level of mammographic density (MD) and the organoid models are exposed to 50 cGy X-ray radiation. This study utilizes published bioinformatics tools to quantify the frequency of aberrant colony formations by the combined stressors of stiffness and X-ray exposure. One of the goals is to develop a quantitative assay for evaluating the risk factors associated with women with high MD exposed to X-ray radiation. Results Analysis of 3D colony formations indicate that high stiffness, within the range of high MD, and X-ray radiation have an approximately additive effect on increasing the frequency of aberrant colony formations. Since both stiffness and X-ray radiation are DNA-damaging stressors, the additive effect of these stressors is also independently validated by profiling activin A-secreted protein. Secretion of activin A is known to be higher in tissues with a high MD as well as tumor cells. In addition, we show that increased stiffness of the microenvironment also induces phosphorylation of γH2AX-positive foci. The study uses two HMECs derived from a diseased tissue (e.g. MCF10A) and reduction mammoplasty of normal breast tissue (e.g. 184A1) to further demonstrate similar traits in the frequency of aberrant colony organization. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Toward Metrics for Re(imagining) Governance: The Promise and Challenge of Evaluating Innovations in How We Govern

Governance — how institutions analyze information and make decisions to solve collective problems — is broken. Around the world, we face increasingly complex challenges ranging from widespread poverty to serious ecological crises that threaten our planet’s future. Yet trust in traditional institutions of governance is at an all-time low. At the same time, we are living through the greatest era of disruptive innovation and rapid experimentation since the Industrial Revolution. Tremendous progress in information and communication technologies, including big data and social media, are empowering individuals to engage with one another — and with traditional institutions of governance — to tackle problems collectively. Groups of individuals with diverse social, intellectual, and professional backgrounds can now use technology to collaborate in new ways that can drive progress more rapidly and effectively than ever before. From local and federal governments to leading universities and Fortune 500 companies, institutions have an opportunity to reevaluate how they solve problems in the networked age. While there is good reason to believe that breakthroughs may come from recent innovations such as communitybased problem solving, behavioral economic insights about human behavior, or predictive analytic experiments, there are limited studies measuring exactly how productive it is to use these kinds of new governance techniques. Without a deeper understanding of whether, when, why and to what extent an intervention has made an impact, any initiative we design will be sub-optimal and will produce less than the desired results. If we are going to accelerate the rate of experimentation in governance and create more agile institutions capable of piloting new techniques and getting rid of ineffectual programs, we need research that will enable us to move away from “faith-based” engagement initiatives toward “evidence-based” ones. This Paper is an attempt to describe the promise and challenge of evaluating new practices of problem solving in governance, specifically citizen-engagement interventions. The purpose is to inform those innovators who are eager to develop a deeper insight into what works for the key steps, opportunities and challenges involved when assessing impact. In addition, the paper aims to develop a foundation for further interdisciplinary research and debate. This paper summarizes the recent lessons learned in the field of evaluation and examines how new methods could help assess the impacts of participatory governance and emerging social technologies used in governance. This work is not meant to be a comprehensive review of current approaches to evaluating new governance initiatives but is intended to frame the issues involved, and suggest where work needs to be done to develop better assessments. We are also providing an annotated and open bibliography for further reading, inviting others to expand upon it.
98. LOST IN TRANSLATION: SIMULTANEOUS SPANISH MEDICAL INTERPRETATION DURING FAMILY CENTERED ROUNDS FOR IMPROVED RESIDENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

Background Language barriers significantly contribute to medical errors compromising patient safety, quality of care, and resident engagement with patients. Spanish speakers account for the fastest growing population of patients within US pediatric hospitals. However, the communication needs of limited English proficiency (LEP) patients frequently remain unmet. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to implement equipment assisted simultaneous medical interpretation (EASMI) for Spanish speaking families on family centered bedside rounds (FCR) and determine family and trainee provider satisfaction. Methods In-person interpreters joined FCR at a tertiary care academic children's hospital. All medical discussion on FCR was interpreted simultaneously from English to Spanish. Interpreters wore a noise-cancelling microphone connected to a transmitter and family members were given a receiver with an earpiece. Qualitative interviews were performed with family members on their experience (N=25). Online qualitative and quantitative surveys were completed by medical students, residents, fellows, attendings, and nurses (N= 136). Results Surveys demonstrated 94% of physicians and 100% of nurses were “very satisfied” with EASMI. Common themes from the resident and fellow survey were improved efficiency of rounds, increased family engagement, improved understanding of the care plan, decreased communication errors and improving patient safety. After the intervention Spanish speaking families reported an increase in the domains of communication with physicians and nurses on the Child HCAHPS survey. Conclusion Medical interpretation for LEP patients and families is critical for improved healthcare and reduction in health disparities. Overall, EASMI is both an efficient and effective patient-centered intervention during pediatric FCR for increased trainee engagement with patients.
Integration by Parts: Collaboration and Topic Structure in the CogSci Community.

Is cognitive science interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary? We contribute to this debate by examining the authorship structure and topic similarity of contributions to the Cognitive Science Society from 2000 to 2019. Our analysis focuses on graph theoretic features of the co-authorship network-edge density, transitivity, and maximum subgraph size-as well as clustering within the space of scientific topics. We also combine structural and semantic information with an analysis of how authors choose their collaborators based on their interests and prior collaborations. We compare findings from CogSci to abstracts from the Vision Science Society over the same time frame and validate our approach by predicting new collaborations in the 2020 CogSci proceedings. Our results suggest that collaboration across authors and topics within cognitive science has become increasingly integrated in the last 19 years. More broadly, we argue that a formal quantitative approach which combines structural co-authorship information and semantic topic analysis provides inroads to questions about the level of interdisciplinary collaboration in a scientific community.
Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of Virtual Reality as a Pain Management Modality in Academic, Community, and Safety-Net Settings: Qualitative Analysis.

Background: Prior studies have shown that virtual reality (VR) is an efficacious treatment modality for opioid-sparing pain management. However, the majority of these studies were conducted among primarily White, relatively advantaged populations and in well-resourced settings. Objective: We conducted a qualitative, theory-informed implementation science study to assess the readiness for VR in safety-net settings. Methods: Using the theoretical lens of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) framework, we conducted semistructured interviews with current VR users and nonusers based in safety-net health systems (n=15). We investigated barriers and facilitators to a commercially available, previously validated VR technology platform AppliedVR (Los Angeles, CA, USA). We used deductive qualitative analysis using the overarching domains of the CFIR framework and performed open, inductive coding to identify specific themes within each domain. Results: Interviewees deemed the VR intervention to be useful, scalable, and an appealing alternative to existing pain management approaches. Both users and nonusers identified a lack of reimbursement for VR as a significant challenge for adoption. Current users cited positive patient feedback, but safety-net stakeholders voiced concern that existing VR content may not be relevant or appealing to diverse patients. All respondents acknowledged the challenge of integrating and maintaining VR in current pain management workflows across a range of clinical settings, and this adoption challenge was particularly acute, given resource and staffing constraints in safety-net settings. Conclusions: VR for pain management holds interest for frontline pain management clinicians and leadership in safety-net health settings but will require significant tailoring and adaption to address the needs of diverse populations. Integration into complex workflows for pain management is a significant barrier to adoption, and participants cited structural cost and reimbursement concerns as impediments to initial implementation and scaling of VR use.
A model of piston impact and vibration for internal combustion engine noise reduction

In this paper a mathematical model is developed to study piston impact and cylinder liner vibration in internal combustion engines. The aim of this study is to assess the effect on cylinder liner response (and, therefore on piston-- impact induced noise) of certain design modifications such as cylinder liner stiffness, -piston mass, and piston/cylinder liner running clearance. A single-mode representation of cylinder liner vibration is developed using the assumed modes method, where the cylinder liner is modeled as a thin cylindrical shell with fixed-free boundary conditions. Expressions for the kinetic and potential energy of the system, and for the generalized mass and stiffness of the system are developed. Lagrange's equation of motion is used to derive a differential equation of cylinder liner motion. The equation of motion for the piston is derived by assuming that the piston motion is pure translation. The initial conditions for cylinder liner response are developed from the conservation of momentum of the piston and the cylinder liner at impact. Experimental cylinder liner -vibration data from a diesel engine are used to verify the accuracy of the piston impact model. Agreement between the experimental data and the cylinder liner response predicted by the mathematical model is generally good, but some discrepancies do exist. A computer simulation of the model is used to study the effect of parameter changes.
Enhancement of catalytic performance of graphene supported Pt catalysts by Ni and W for hydrogen gas production by hydrothermal gasification of biomass-derived compounds

Abstract A more practical approach to reduce the cost of the precious metal catalysts is to replace some of the precious metal particles with non-expensive metals that do not cause considerable loss of catalytic performance. In the present study, Ni and W metal particles deposited on graphene support along with and without Pt particles by ultrasound-assisted wet impregnation that followed chemical and thermal reduction process. The catalytic activities of the resulted catalysts were evaluated by aqueous-phase reforming (APR), an hydrothermal gasification process using glucose solution as feed. Although metal particles on Ni-based catalysts were well dispersed on the support, they had larger particle sizes with a broader size distribution compared to W-based catalysts. The combination of Ni and W metals with Pt showed positive synergy and the catalytic performance of bimetallic catalysts significantly enhanced for conversion of glucose to hydrogen.
The Puzzle and Persistence of Biglaw Clustering

Elite U.S.-based global law firms (“Biglaw”) exhibit a high degree of concentration in the costliest commercial districts of superstar cities, especially two neighborhoods in Manhattan. This pattern has persisted despite both the dispersal of Biglaw clients across less-dense, lower-cost U.S. geographies and the development of telework capacity. Its stickiness suggests a puzzle: law is among the occupations most conducive to remote work, yet Biglaw prior to the coronavirus pandemic required in-person work in the priciest places—paying a premium on both of its biggest expenses, salaries and real estate. How might this equilibrium be explained, and what might change it? This article contends that Biglaw clustering reflects a management preference for the exploitation of proven strategies over the exploration of novel and uncertain ones. It is often said that Biglaw is change-averse. Yet changes necessitated by the pandemic present an opportunity to assess the intensity of Biglaw’s traditional aversion to locational exploration. By requiring that firms switch their employees to remote work for a sustained period, the pandemic eliminated two managerial barriers to change relative to a purely voluntary switch. First, the mandatory and universal nature of the transition reduced the transaction costs of coordinating teams and clients. Second, it allowed firms to avoid various costs that attend selective telework, such as adverse selection. Post-pandemic, Biglaw no longer faces a choice between exploit and explore strategies. It enjoys an equalized choice between two exploit options. This article contributes a novel descriptive and theoretical analysis to a growing literature on the impacts of telework on cities, labor markets, and industries, and is the first to extend that literature to Biglaw. A post-pandemic Biglaw dispersal would destabilize scholarly understandings of agglomeration economies in general and skilled scalable services in particular. While the article expresses deep skepticism about that outcome, it identifies a mechanism—the replacement of an exploit vs. explore choice with two different exploit options—by which it might plausibly come about. Crucially, this mechanism posits not technology but management learning and innovation that occurred during the pandemic as the key driver, and thus can also partly expain why dispersal had not already taken place previously.
SGLT2 Inhibitors and the Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

ABSTRACT Rationale & Objective Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) have been found to have many benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, whether SGLT-2i increase the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) remains unknown. We examined the association of AKI hospitalization with prior initiation of an SGLT-2i compared to initiation of a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) or a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) among older adults with T2D in routine practice. Study Design Population-based cohort study. Setting and Participants Older adults aged ≥ 66 years with T2D enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service and who were new users of SGLT-2i, DPP-4i, or GLP-1RA agents in the interval from March 2013 to December 2017. Exposures New use of SGLT-2i versus new use of DPP-4i or GLP-1RA. Outcome The primary outcome was hospitalization for AKI, defined as a discharge diagnosis of AKI in the primary or secondary position. Analytical Approach New users of SGLT-2i were 1:1 matched to new users of DPP-4i or GLP-1RA using propensity scores in two pairwise comparisons. Cox proportional hazards regression models generated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in propensity score matched groups. Results A total of 68,130 and 71,477 new users of SGLT-2i were matched to new users of DPP-4i or GLP-1RA, respectively. Overall, the mean age of study participants was 72 years. The risk of AKI was lower in the SGLT-2i group than the DPP-4i group (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.65-0.76) or the GLP-1RA group (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.75-0.87). Limitations Residual confounding and lack of laboratory data. Conclusions Among older adults with T2D, initiation of an SGLT-2i was associated with a reduced risk of AKI compared to initiation of a DPP-4i or GLP-1RA.
Television socialization and risky driving by teenagers

Television is considered to be an influential force across many domains of adolescent attitudes and behaviors, such as aggressiveness, substance abuse, sexuality, gender roles, politics, and materialism. However, the role of TV messages in informally socializing youthful drivers has been largely overlooked by investigators studying both media effects and risky driving (although some research attention has focused on purposive messages such as drunk driving public service campaigns). Due to the paucity of empirical evidence relating television viewing to risky driving, this paper will emphasize theoretically based predictions of the likely effects of entertainment and commercial advertising content on teenagers, focusing on drunk driving and riding behavior, safety belt buckling, social intervention to prevent drunk driving, and perceptions of normative practices involving risky driving, drinking patterns, and safety belt usage. Relevant data from the author's research will be introduced at several points to provide preliminary findings on the subjects of (a) the impact of alcohol advertising on drinking and driving, (b) the effects of entertainment programming on drunk driving intervention orientations, and (c) high-risk driving and safety belt portrayals in prime-time television content.
NASA Hydrogen Research for Spaceport and Space Based Applications

The activities presented are a broad based approach to advancing key hydrogen related technologies in areas such as hydrogen production, distributed sensors for hydrogen-leak detection, laser instrumentation for hydrogen-leak detection, and cryogenic transport and storage. Presented are the results form 15 research projects, education, and outreach activities, system and trade studies, and project management. The work will aid in advancing the state-of-the-art for several critical technologies related to the implementation of a hydrogen infrastructure. Activities conducted are relevant to a number of propulsion and power systems for terrestrial, aeronautics, and aerospace applications.
Strong equivalence for causal theories

Strong equivalence is an important property for nonmonotonic formalisms, allowing safe local changes to a nonmonotonic theory. This paper considers strong equivalence for nonmonotonic causal theories of the kind introduced by McCain and Turner. Causal theories T 1 and T 2 are strongly equivalent if, for every causal theory T, T 1 ∪ T and T 2 ∪ T are equivalent (that is, have the same causal models). The paper introduces a convenient characterization of this property in terms of so-called SE-models, much as was done previously for answer set programs and default theories. A similar result is provided for the nonmonotonic modal logic UCL. The paper also introduces a reduction from the problem of deciding strong equivalence of two causal theories to the problem of deciding equivalence of two sets of propositional formulas.
Epidermal growth factor: II. Increased activity of ribosomes from chick embryo epidermis for cell-free protein synthesis

Abstract 1. The characteristics of a cell-free protein-synthesizing system from chick embryo epidermis are described. 2. Extracts prepared from epidermis cultured with the epidermal growth factor (EGF) were over 2-times as active as extracts of tissue cultured without EGF in incorporating labeled amino acids. This difference was accounted for in the ribosomal fraction of the cells. No differences were detected in the soluble fraction. 3. The results of experiments with polyuridylic acid and f 2 phage ribonucleic acid suggest that ribosomes prepared from EGF-treated cells have a greater ability to bind messenger RNA in a functional manner than those of control cells.
Glucocorticoid regulation of the mouse metallothionein I gene is selectively lost following amplification of the gene

The mouse metallothionein I (MT-I) gene is regulated by both heavy metals and glucocorticoid hormones. We selected cadmium-resistant variants of the mouse sarcoma cell line, S180, in which the metallothionein I gene has been amplified 10-fold and found that the amplified genes are regulated by cadmium in a manner identical with that observed for the original MT-I gene in unselected S180 cells. However, the amplified metallothionein I genes appear to be essentially nonresponsive to glucocorticoids even though at least 18 kilobases of DNA flanking the 5' side of the metallothionein I gene are amplified in these cells. The same result has been observed in nine clonal lines derived from the cadmium-resistant (CdR) population. The implications of this result both for models of steroid hormone action and for gene evolution are discussed.
An Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System Based Approach to Real Estate Property Assessment

This paper describes a first effort to design and implement an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-based approach to estimate prices for residential properties. The data set consists of historic ...
Colonial Blackness: A History of Afro-Mexico

List of Tables Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Writing Afro-Mexican History 1. Discipline and Culture 2. Genealogies to a Past 3. Creoles 4. Provincial Black Life 5. Local Blackness 6. Narrating Freedom 7. Sin Epilogue: Colonial Blackness? Bibliography Index
Influence of food deprivation on intestinal cholecystokinin and somatostatin

Dietary stimulation has trophic effects on the gastrointestinal tract, whereas prolonged fasting causes mucosal atrophy. Whether gastrointestinal endocrine cells within the mucosa are similarly affected is unknown. The present study was designed to determine the effects of food deprivation and refeeding on cholecystokinin (CCK) and somatostatin in the rat small intestine. RNA was prepared from the duodenum, and peptide and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of CCK, somatostatin, and beta-actin were analyzed by hybridization with complementary DNA probes. During food deprivation for up to 5 days, plasma CCK levels decreased rapidly, followed by a decline in duodenal CCK mRNA levels and a more gradual decrease in mucosal CCK peptide concentrations. After 3 days of fasting, one group of rats was refed. After only 1 day of refeeding, all parameters (levels of plasma CCK, duodenal CCK mRNA, and duodenal CCK peptide) were restored to control levels. The reduction in CCK mRNA levels seen with fasting was specific, because food deprivation and refeeding produced no changes in either duodenal somatostatin concentrations or mRNA levels of somatostatin and beta-actin. These findings provide initial evidence that food deprivation inhibits duodenal CCK mRNA levels but does not affect duodenal somatostatin.
The use of a process challenge device in dental office gravity displacement tabletop sterilizers

There is evidence that dental office sterilizers often fail to pass the challenge of a biological indicator test. The use of a class 5 integrating indicator in each load could reduce the risk of instruments being released when all parameters for sterilization have not been met.
A shrinkage method for testing the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in case-control studies.

Testing for the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) is often used as an initial step for checking the quality of genotyping. When testing the HWE for case-control data, the impact of a potential genetic association between the marker and the disease must be controlled for otherwise the results may be biased. Li and Li [2008] proposed a likelihood ratio test (LRT) that accounts for this potential genetic association and it is more powerful than the commonly used control-only χ2 test. However, the LRT is not efficient when the marker is independent of the disease, and also requires numerical optimization to calculate the test statistic. In this article, we propose a novel shrinkage test for assessing the HWE. The proposed shrinkage test yields higher statistical power than the LRT when the marker is independent of or weakly associated with the disease, and converges to the LRT when the marker is strongly associated with the disease. In addition, the proposed shrinkage test has a closed form and can be easily used to test the HWE for large datasets that result from genome-wide association studies. We compare the performance of the shrinkage test with existing methods using simulation studies, and apply the shrinkage test to a genome-wide association dataset for Alzheimer's disease.
Modulation of androgens in southern hemisphere temperate breeding sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis): an altitudinal comparison

Most work investigating modulation of testosterone (T) levels in birds has focused on northern temperate and Arctic species, and to a lesser degree, tropical species. Studies exploring modulation of T in birds in temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere are lacking. Here we explore patterns of T secretion across the breeding season in two populations of temperate Zonotrichia capensis in Chile, located only 130 km apart, but separated by 2000 m in elevation. We then compared these T profiles to those of conspecifcs in the tropics and congeners in northern zones. We measured baseline T levels during pre-breeding in lowland Z. c. chilensis, early breeding in highland Z. c. chilensis and mid-breeding in both populations. We also tested for social stimulation of T secretion during mid-breeding in both populations. Lastly, we challenged the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of the lowland population with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) to determine maximum possible T production. We found that the highland population adjusted T secretion across the breeding season like northern species. Neither Z. c. chilensis population modulated T in response to social stimuli, nor the HPG axis of the lowland population was not maximally active during either pre- or mid-breeding. These results suggest that patterns of circulating T in the highland population of Z. c. chilensis in the Southern Hemisphere are similar to congeners in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but those of the lowland population of Z. c. chilensis are not, and are more similar to conspecifics breeding in the tropics.
An MILP formulation for heat-integrated distillation sequence synthesis

In this paper the problem of distillation sequence synthesis with heat integration is formulated and solved as a mixed integer linear superstructure optimization problem. Allowing both conventional and multieffect distillation, two alternatives for generating a superstructure are shown, then a formulation is presented which approximates the synthesis problem as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem. Examples illustrate the method. Reported computer times suggest that earlier algorithmic methods for discovering the better sequences among those allowed by the problem formulation, and without the option of multieffecting, are an order of magnitude slower than this approach.
The photoelectron spectra of gaseous zinc(II) and cadmium(II) chlorides, bromides, and iodides

Abstract The He I photoelectron spectra of the gaseous chlorides, bromides, and iodides of zinc(II) and cadmium(II) have been obtained using a high-temperature spectrometer equipped with an internally-located, laser-beam heated, sample oven. The spectral peaks have been assigned molecular-orbital origins by use of qualitatively-derived molecular-orbital diagrams.
Light Deprivation and Parotid Flow in the Human

The unstimulated parotid saliva flow rate decreased significantly from 0.057 to 0.014 ml/minute when subjects were blindfolded. It is suggested that photic stimulation of retinal receptors induces sympathetic neuronal activity, which may be responsible for maintaining resting parotid flow in the human.
CAD tools for sustainable design

In the past engineering design would focus on in-service requirements such as functional and strength requirements. Today, design must also consider stringent environmental requirements and the handling of products after their “death.” Sustainable design requires that designers consider the environmental consequences of product creation, use, and after death. In all these three phases, product designers must minimize energy consumption and damage to environment. One of the challenging tasks is the quantification of sustainable design theory and concepts. A large body of sustainable design knowledge is qualitative, making it hard to develop tools for designers and engineers to evaluate their designs for sustainability. This paper discusses the product cycle and sustainable design concepts and how they are implemented in commercial CAD/CAM systems. The paper provides hands-on example on to use the sustainability module of Solid-Works, a popular CAD/CAM system.
Food safety regulation and trade in food products

Abstract Nations are becoming increasingly dependent upon internationally traded food products, often at the expense of traditional agricultural commodities. As the focus shifts to high value-added imports and exports, regulations targeting the food safety attributes of these products are increasingly cited as a source of potential non-tariff barriers to trade. To counter such concerns, various bilateral and multilateral efforts to demonstrate the integrity of the regulatory systems under which these foods are produced are taking centre stage. Little analysis of the relative efficacy of such rapprochement efforts exists. This paper therefore discusses the impacts food safety regulation can have on the growth in food trade by presenting a review of key regulatory rapprochement efforts targeting them. The GATT SPS Agreement in particular is discussed. Recent disputes centring on the impacts of food safety regulations are also reviewed to suggest how GATT commitments are being interpreted and enforced. This discussion highlights potential road-blocs to additional trade facilitation and evaluates if a ‘hard law’ system now exists.
DNA synthesis in adult rat anterior pituitary glands in organ culture.

Abstract Anterior pituitary glands of adult male rats weighing 175–500 g were cultured for periods up to 13 h in Medium 199 containing 2 μc/ml of 3H-thymidine. Extraction of the nucleic acids from pituitary homogenates by conventional biochemical procedures indicated that the 3H-thymidine was incorporated into DNA. In addition, radioautographs showed that the newly synthesized DNA was nuclear and in pituitary parenchymal cells. Labeled mitotic figures were found, and labeled acidophils and basophils were also observed. These results indicate that pituitary cells committed to the synthesis of specific hormones can also synthesize DNA.
Antibiotic prophylaxis prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with obstructive jaundice: is it worth the cost?

Background: There are few published data concerning the economic impact of antibiotic prophylaxis prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the setting of biliary obstruction. Aim: To perform decision analysis to determine the costs of prophylaxis in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for obstructive jaundice. Methods: A decision analysis model was constructed. The probability of biliary sepsis, death and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography complications was obtained from the medical literature and from a retrospective analysis of our own experience. Costs were obtained from Medicare reimbursement at our institution. The strategies evaluated were endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with and without single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis. We compared the total costs, number of episodes of cholangitis and deaths associated with each strategy. Results: Based on published data and the results of our retrospective analysis, the strategy of administering single-dose prophylactic antibiotics prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with obstructive jaundice resulted in lower total costs, fewer episodes of cholangitis and fewer deaths compared to a strategy of not administering antibiotics. The results were sensitive to the rates of cholangitis, cost of antibiotics and the cost of treating an episode of cholangitis. Conclusions: Antibiotic prophylaxis prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography results in fewer cases of cholangitis and is cost saving when compared to a strategy of no prophylaxis in patients with obstructive jaundice.
Learning in escape/avoidance tasks in female rats does not vary with reproductive condition

To determine whether the development of novel stimulus-response associations by the mother during the periparturient period is attributable to a general facilitation of learning produced by the hormonal milieu during that period, learning ability under various reproductive conditions was assessed in two tasks unrelated to the periparturitional situation. The two tasks, selected because they equalized the various groups for motivation and performance variables, were acquisition of a water-maze escape (including two reversals), and acquisition and retention of an unsignalled shuttlebox shock avoidance. The groups tested in the water maze were a midpregnant group, an immediately prepartum group, and an immediately postpartum group. In the shuttlebox, the same conditions (different rats) were compared, together with a nonpregnant estrus condition, and a nonpregnant diestrus condition. The results of both experiments indicate that although learning occurred, the characteristics of acquisition and retention were not influenced by reproductive condition.
Primary Epstein-Barr virus infections in African infants. I. Decline of maternal antibodies and time of infection.

Thirty-one infants living in Accra, Ghana, an area endemic for Burkitt's lymphoma, were visited at monthly intervals for the first 15 months of life and once again at 21 months. Sera obtained at each visit were tested for antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) capsid antigen (VCA), EBV-induced early antigens (EA) and EBV-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA) by immunofluorescence techniques as well as for EBV-neutralizing antibodies and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytolysis. All infants had maternal antibodies to VCA at 1 month of age and the majority also antibodies detected by the other tests, except anti-EA. The maternal anti-VCA titers declined in subsequent months according to a half-life of nearly 5 weeks. Depending on the initial titers, all infants became seronegative for all antibodies by 2–8 months of age, with anti-VCA persisting longest. The earliest primary EBV infection occurred in the third month after maternal antibodies to VCA had become non-detectable. By 12 months of age, 44% of the infants had seroconverted, by 15 months, 62% and by 21 months, 81%. There was no seasonal variation in the incidence of infections. Infants from families of the lowest socio-economic level tended to become infected somewhat earlier than those from better situated families (p = 0.22) but no other factors, such as household size or crowding, seemed to be associated with enhanced risk of early infection.
Formation and stability of the complex formed between human antithrombin-III and thrombin

The inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin-III involves formation of a 1:1 covalent complex between protease and inhibitor and concomitant cleavage of the antithrombin-III peptide chain after Arg-385. The resultant fragment remains connected to the complex via a disulfide bond. This complex spontaneously breaks down into a fragment of approximately 55,000 daltons and smaller peptides. Breakdown is prevented by the presence of hydroxylamine or diisopropylflurophosphate, or by denaturation with urea. It occurs even if the purified complex is treated with diisopropylflurophosphate prior to purification, and can be greatly accelerated by the presence of small amounts of active thrombin. The initial sites of proteolytic attack on the complex are after Arg-13 of the thrombin A chain and Arg-68 of the thrombin B chain. These data indicate that active thrombin can be released from the antithrombin-thrombin complex, and that thrombin becomes more susceptible to proteolytic attack when complexed with antithrombin.
A parallel precorrected FFT based capacitance extraction program for signal integrity analysis

In order to optimize interconnect to avoid signal integrity problems, very fast and accurate 3-D capacitance extraction is essential. Fast algorithms, such as the multipole or precorrected Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) accelerated methods in programs like FASTCAP, must be combined with techniques to exploit the emerging cluster-of-workstation based parallel computers like the IBM SP2. In this paper, we examine parallelizing the precorrected FFT algorithm for 3-D capacitance extraction and present several algorithms for balancing workload and reducing communication time. Results from a prototype implementation on an eight processor IBM SP2 are presented for several test examples, and the largest of these examples achieves nearly linear parallel speed-up.
T-lymphocyte subsets during pregnancy and the menstrual cycle

Many observations suggest that cellular immunity is depressed during gestation. To define alterations in subsets of circulating lymphocytes during pregnancy, we compared the percentages of total T cells, T helper cells, and T suppressor cells in the peripheral blood of 31 pregnant women at various stages of gestation with those in that of nonpregnant controls. Control studies consisted of five women ingesting oral contraceptives and five women menstruating spontaneously. Isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells were reacted with fluoresceinated monoclonal antibodies that were specific for Leu-2 cells, Leu-3 cells, and Leu-4 cells and that were subsequently analyzed on a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. No variation in the percentage of Leu-2, Leu-3, or Leu-4 cells was observed during the menstrual cycle or oral contraceptive cycle. No differences were seen when T-cell subsets at various stages of gestation were compared with the corresponding T-cell subset in nonpregnant controls. The data suggest that pregnancy does not alter the percentage of T-cell subsets in the peripheral blood.
Building consistency between title, problem statement, purpose, & research questions to improve the quality of research plans and reports

Consistency in the title, problem, purpose, and research question improve the logic and transparency of research. When these components of research are aligned research design and planning are more coherent and research reports are more readable.This article reviews the process for checking for and improving consistency.Numerous examples of consistency among these four components of research are provided and ways to remove inconsistency are outlined. A graphic, rubric and worksheet are provided to help researchers evaluate their own work or give feedback to the research work of others.
In Vivo Cross-Priming of MHC Class I–Restricted Antigens Requires the TAP Transporter

Abstract Recent in vitro evidence suggests two alternative mechanisms by which bone marrow–derived APCs may process exogenous antigens for presentation to CTL in vivo, a phenomenon termed cross-priming. Although in vitro studies have suggested that both TAP-dependent and TAP-independent pathways exist, we have now demonstrated an absolute requirement for a functional TAP for cross-priming to occur in vivo. Bone marrow chimeras reconstituted with marrow from TAP-defective donors develop functional CD8 + CTL, but have APCs with disrupted TAP function. In such chimeras, in vivo priming of naive CTL was observed when antigen was targeted to the ER in a TAP-independent fashion, but cross-priming could not be demonstrated. These results support the TAP-dependent mechanism of cross-priming.
Prediction of Convective Initiation and Storm Evolution on 12 June 2002 during IHOP_2002. Part I: Control Simulation and Sensitivity Experiments

Abstract The 12–13 June 2002 convective initiation case from the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) field experiment over the central Great Plains of the United States is simulated numerically with the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) at 3-km horizontal resolution. The case involves a developing mesoscale cyclone, a dryline extending from a low center southwestward with a cold front closely behind, which intercepts the midsection of the dryline, and an outflow boundary stretching eastward from the low center resulting from earlier mesoscale convection. Convective initiation occurred in the afternoon at several locations along and near the dryline or near the outflow boundary, but was not captured by the most intensive deployment of observation instruments during the field experiment, which focused instead on the dryline–outflow boundary intersection point. Standard and special surface and upper-air observations collected during the field experiment are assimilated into the ARPS at hourly inte...
Disposition of Prednisone and Prednisolone in the Perfused Rabbit Liver: Modeling Hepatic Metabolic Processes

The livers of 15 rabbits were perfused in situwith prednisone (PO) or prednisolone (POH) over a wide range of steady state concentrations, resulting in multiple experimental measurements per organ. Linearity of extraction, an apparent lack of oxidative conversion, and marked preference for the reduction of PO to POH was observed. Predictions of hepatic tissue concentrations were made using both the well-stirred and parallel-tube model approximations. Giucocorticoid disposition across the liver was described by a series of differential equations. Discrimination between the two models was accomplished by examining the effects of changes inflow rate upon the availability of the highly extracted drug PO. The well-stirred model very closely predicted the observed changes in availability of PO, whereas the parallel-tube model provided poor predictions. The intrinsic clearances of interconversion and elimination of PO and POH were subsequently calculated by population analysis using NONMEM. This method assumed the well-stirred model and resulted in intrinsic clearance estimates of 26 ml/min for the elimination of POH, 157 ml/min for reductive conversion of PO to POH, and 205 ml/min for the irreversible elimination of PO. A mechanism of intrahepatic disposition of these glucocorticoids was proposed using well-stirred model predictions of hepatic drug concentrations, the perfusion rate limitation to drug transport, and the assumption of no oxidative interconversion of POH to PO. In this case, the capacity for reduction of PO to POH approaches the elimination clearance of PO and the elimination of PO is about 13 times greater than the elimination clearance of POH.
Flame Photometry and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Abstract In the past few years the applications of atomic absorption spectroscopy have mushroomed to prodigious proportions.
Lattice expansion of Bi2Te3 from 4.2 K to 600 K

Abstract The lattice expansion of single crystal Bi 2 Te 3 has been measured from 4.2 K to 600 K using X-ray techniques. Considerable anisotropy is observed in the resulting expansion coefficients, α | being approximately double α ⊥ at 300 K. No anomalous temperature dependence is observed in either coefficient as a function of carrier density or carrier type.
Customers' Adoption of Biometric Systems in Restaurants: An Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model

Given the tremendous development of consumer-oriented biometric systems, this study examined consumers' adoption of biometric systems in restaurants. To truly capture the context of biometric system adoption by restaurant guests, the original technology acceptance model (TAM) was extended by adding perceived security of biometric systems and perceived innovativeness toward information technology. Validating this extension of the TAM, this study found that restaurant guests are ready to adopt biometric systems in restaurants, and their adoption is largely influenced by their perceptions of usefulness and security of the biometric systems. Several important academic and managerial implications are discussed.
The effect of inhibition of synthesis, release, metabolism and uptake on the microdialysis extraction fraction of dopamine

Abstract The present study was designed to determine the effects that synthesis, release, metabolism and uptake have on the in vivo extraction fraction (relative recovery) of dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens of the rat. The extraction fraction and extracellular concentration of DA were established for rats that were perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) with or without substances inhibiting synthesis (100 μM α-methylparatyrosine (α-MPT)), release (1 μM tetrodotoxin (TTX)), uptake (1 μM, 20 μM cocaine or 1 μM GBR-12909) or metabolism (100 μM tropolone or 100 μM pargyline) with DA concentrations ranging from 0 to 200 nM. Inhibiting synthesis with α-MPT or release with TTX had no effect on the extraction fraction of DA. Inhibiting intracellular or extracellular metabolism with pargyline or tropolone, respectively, did not cause any changes in the extraction fraction. However, inhibiting uptake with 20 μM cocaine or 1 μM GBR-12909 decreased the extraction fraction by one-third and one-half, respectively. These results provide evidence that uptake is the primary neuronal process affecting the extraction fraction of DA in the nucleus accumbens and indicate that the extraction fraction may be useful as an index of DA uptake in vivo.