cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Pathophysiology of GERD

The understanding of the pathophysiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has evolved in the last decade primarily by recognizing the multitude of factors that contribute to the emergence of the disorder (Fig. 1). These factors may overlap in some patients and differ in others. GERD is primarily considered a motility disorder, because dysfunction of the anti-reflux barrier is still considered as a prerequisite for the development of the disease. However, recent investigation into symptom generation in GERD disclosed the important role of altered esophageal sensation. Recent studies have demonstrated that peripheral and central factors are pivotal for the emergence of symptoms after gastroesophageal reflux had occurred; supporting the view that GERD is a sensory-motor disorder rather than motor disorder alone. The primary pathophysiologic event in GERD is the movement of acid, pepsin, and other injurious substances from the stomach into the esophagus. This event also occurs as part of normal physiology, but results in GERD when symptoms or tissue damage occurs. Esophageal mucosal injury in GERD results when mucosal defensive factors are overwhelmed by refluxate, occurring secondary to compromised anti-reflux barrier, decreased effective esophageal acid clearance, abnormal mucosal defensive factors and so on.
On the Motives for Proof Theory

The central concerns of this chapter are to (i) identify the chief motives which led Hilbert to develop his “direct” approach to the consistency problem for arithmetic and to (ii) expose certain relationships between these motives. Of particular concern will be the question of the role played by conceptual freedom (i.e. freedom in use of concepts) in this development. If I am right, Hilbert was motivated by an ideal of freedom, though it was only one of a number of factors that shaped his proof theory.
What we measure … and what we should measure in medical education.

Context As the practice of medicine evolves, the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide patient care will continue to change. These competency-based changes will necessitate the restructuring of assessment systems. High-quality assessment programmes are needed to fulfil health professions education's contract with society. Objectives We discuss several issues that are important to consider when developing assessments in health professions education. We organise the discussion along the continuum of medical education, outlining the tension between what has been deemed important to measure and what should be measured. We also attempt to alleviate some of the apprehension associated with measuring evolving competencies by discussing how emerging technologies, including simulation and artificial intelligence, can play a role. Methods We focus our thoughts on the assessment of competencies that, at least historically, have been difficult to measure. We highlight several assessment challenges, discuss some of the important issues concerning the validity of assessment scores, and argue that medical educators must do a better job of justifying their use of specific assessment strategies. Discussion As in most professions, there are clear tensions in medicine in relation to what should be assessed, who should be responsible for administering assessment content, and how much evidence should be gathered to support the evaluation process. Although there have been advances in assessment practices, there is still room for improvement. From the student's, resident's and practising physician's perspectives, assessments need to be relevant. Knowledge is certainly required, but there are other qualities and attributes that are important, and perhaps far more important. Research efforts spent now on delineating what makes a good physician, and on aligning new and upcoming assessment tools with the relevant competencies, will ensure that assessment practices, whether aimed at establishing competence or at fostering learning, are effective with respect to their primary goal: to produce qualified physicians.
Research of Efficiency of the System of Photovoltaic Converters for Electric Vehicle

In the modern automotive industry, the problem of CO2 emissions in the operation of vehicles is of high relevance. Thus, hybrid vehicles and clean electric vehicles are gaining popularity. However, in terms of the mileage of an electric vehicle on a single charge in the CO2 emissions emitted by the energy complex of different countries in the production of 1 kWh, it may be that this vehicle does not solve the whole complex of problems assigned to it to improve the environmental situation.
Evaluation of crime topic models: topic coherence vs spatial crime concentration

Nan-negative matrix factorization (NAfP) topic modeling has recently been introduced for the categorization and analysis of crime report text. Topic modeling in Otis context allows for more nuanced categories of crime compared to official UCR categorizations. In this paper we suggest two metrics for the evaluation of crime topic models: coherence and spatial concentration. The importance of space comes into play through Weisburd's law of crime concentration, that states a large percentage of crime occurs in a small area of a city. We investigate the extent to which topic models that improve coherence lead to higher levels of crime concentration. Through analyzing a dataset of crime reports from Los Angeles, CA, we find that Latent Dirichlst Allocation (IDA) generates crime topics with both higher coherence and crime concentration. While NMF improves the coherence compared to UCR categorization, die spatial concentration is not as high. These foldings have important implications for hotspot policing.
People Are Slow to Adapt to the Warm Glow of Giving

People adapt to repeated getting. The happiness we feel from eating the same food, from earning the same income, and from many other experiences quickly decreases as repeated exposure to an identical source of happiness increases. In two preregistered experiments ( N = 615), we examined whether people also adapt to repeated giving-the happiness we feel from helping other people rather than ourselves. In Experiment 1, participants spent a windfall for 5 days ($5.00 per day on the same item) on themselves or another person (the same one each day). In Experiment 2, participants won money in 10 rounds of a game ($0.05 per round) for themselves or a charity of their choice (the same one each round). Although getting elicited standard adaptation (happiness significantly declined), giving did not grow old (happiness did not significantly decline; Experiment 1) and grew old more slowly than equivalent getting (happiness declined at about half the rate; Experiment 2). Past research suggests that people are inevitably quick to adapt in the absence of change. These findings suggest otherwise: The happiness we get from giving appears to sustain itself.
Two weeks of ischemic conditioning improves walking speed and reduces neuromuscular fatigability in chronic stroke survivors

This pilot study is the first to demonstrate that ischemic conditioning can improve self-selected walking speed and reduce paretic muscle fatigue in stroke survivors. Ischemic conditioning has been...
Infiltration as affected by long-term residue and water management on a loess-derived soil in eastern Arkansas, USA

Abstract Improving the understanding of alternative and conventional management practices and their interactions on soil hydraulic properties is instrumental to soil, groundwater, and irrigation water management in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (LMRV), particularly the Delta region of eastern Arkansas. For decades, extensive regional groundwater withdrawals for irrigated agriculture has caused severe groundwater depletion. The objective of this field study was to evaluate the effects of alternative and conventional management practices, including wheat-residue level, residue burning, tillage, and irrigation, on falling-head and tension infiltration into a silt-loam-textured loessial soil (Glossaquic Fraglossudalf) following 11 and 14 years of consistent management in a long-term, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), double-crop (WSDC) production system in eastern Arkansas. In 2012, averaged across tillage, residue-level, and irrigation treatments, the overall tension infiltration rate at a tension of −2 cm into the no-burn (16.1 cm h−1) was over 300% greater (P
A scale to assess religious beliefs in end‐of‐life medical care

Background Studies postulate that certain religious beliefs related to medical care influence the end-of-life (EOL) medical decision making and care of patients with advanced cancer. Because to the best of the authors' knowledge no current measure explicitly assesses such beliefs, in the current study the authors introduced and evaluated the Religious Beliefs in EOL Medical Care (RBEC) scale, a new measure designed to assess religious beliefs within the context of EOL cancer care. Methods The RBEC scale consists of 7 items designed to reflect religious beliefs in EOL medical care. Its psychometric properties were evaluated in a sample of 275 patients with advanced cancer from the Coping With Cancer II study, a National Cancer Institute-funded, multisite, longitudinal, observational study of communication processes and outcomes in EOL cancer care. Results The RBEC scale proved to be internally consistent (Cronbach α, .81), unidimensional, positively associated with other indicators of patients' religiousness and spirituality (establishing its convergent validity), and inversely associated with patients' terminal illness understanding and acceptance (establishing its criterion validity), suggesting its potential clinical usefulness in promoting informed EOL decision making. The majority of patients (87%) reported some ("somewhat," "quite a bit," or "a great deal") endorsement of at least 1 RBEC item and a majority (62%) endorsed ≥3 RBEC items. Conclusions The RBEC scale is a reliable and valid tool with which to assess religious beliefs within the context of EOL medical care, beliefs that frequently are endorsed and inversely associated with terminal illness understanding.
The Regulation of Gambling Under U.S. Federal and State Law

This Book looks at the Law and the Policy on Betting and Sport in many countries around the world—sport is a global phenomenon—providing a very useful and valuable comparative survey on a subject that is so vital to safeguarding and preserving the integrity of those sports in which betting is legally allowed. The country reports show how sports-related betting is organized in the country concerned, also from a historical and policy perspective (national Lotteries Act; state run/state licensed lotteries and/or private operators; how the licensing system for public operators works; state supervisory mechanisms, etc.), and contain a treatment of the national case-law.
High-Sensitivity Coherent Raman Spectroscopy with Doppler Raman

Doppler Raman spectroscopy is a novel detection scheme for impulsively stimulated Raman scattering that unlocks high-sensitivity detection of low frequency Raman vibrational modes from 10cm−1 to 1500cm−1 through signal amplification in the external detection system.© 2019 The Author(s)
An SSHI Rectifier for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting

In this article, a synchronized switching harvesting on inductor (SSHI)-based rectifier for triboelectric energy harvesting is reported for the first time. In the recent few years, triboelectric energy harvesters (TEs), also called triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), are emerging and extensively studied, which provide promising solutions for converting mechanical energy to electricity as power resources for electronics. To practically power electronics from TENGs, a power management module with high energy efficiency is also essential. The state of the art of power management circuits for triboelectric energy harvesting is mainly focused on increasing dc–dc power efficiency technically. In this article, we report an SSHI rectifying strategy associated with TEH design and provide a new perspective on designing TEHs or TENGs by considering their capacitance concurrently. A new theoretical model is developed for electricity generation from triboelectric energy harvesting considering the introduced pairing capacitance and the impact force under practical condition. We also demonstrate that ultralow-cost, easy-fabricated TEHs can also generate a reasonable amount of power. The experimental results show that the proposed SSHI rectifier increases the harvested power by 242.83% when compared with a full-wave bridge rectifier for a newly designed low-cost TEH. The proposed SSHI interface provides a promising strategy of rectifier design to enhance ac–dc energy efficiency for triboelectric energy harvesting.
The Clinical and Financial Consequences of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Two-Midnight Rule in Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background To lessen the financial burden of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and encourage shorter hospital stays, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently removed TKA from the inpatient-only list. This policy change now requires providers and institutions to apply the two-midnight rule (TMR) to short-stay (1-midnight) inpatient hospitalizations (SSIH). Methods The National Inpatient Sample from 2012 through 2016 was used to analyze trends in length of stay following elective TJA. Using publically-available policy documentation, published median Medicare payments, and National Inpatient Sample hospital costs, we analyzed the application of the TMR to SSIHs and compared the results to the previous policy environment. Specifically, we modeled 3 scenarios for all 2016 Medicare SSIHs: (1) all patients kept an extra midnight to satisfy the TMR, (2) all patients discharged as an outpatient, and (3) all patients discharged as an inpatient. Results The overall percentage of Medicare SSIHs increased significantly from 2.7% in 2012 to 17.8% in 2016 (P Conclusion The results of this analysis reveal the conflict between length of stay trends following TJA and the imposition of the TMR.
Preliminary Analysis of a Large-Scale Digital Entertainment Development Archive: A Case Study of the Entertainment Technology Center’s Projects

This paper describes a research plan for the investigation of the project archive from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, an interdisciplinary professional Masters program in interactive entertainment and game design. Representing nearly 20 years of project design in the interactive arts, the ETC’s ad hoc archive provides a prospective template collection for the analysis of entertainment software projects through historical, archival, and computational methods. The work-in-progress described here is based on a preliminary analysis of four early projects from the archive, and provides a guide to potential synchronic and diachronic investigations of software development methodology in a chronological collection of unified provenance. Access to software process documentation is difficult to come by and this “working” collection provides a significant resource for approximating the organizational state of future software development collections to be ingested into archives.
Biochar as an Additive in Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sludge: Biochar Properties and Their Effects on the Digestion Performance

Fast pyrolysis of biomass pretreated with mineral acid produces high quality bio-oil, however, biochar produced from this process has not been characterized and its performance as an additive to an...
Effectiveness of PPAR Gamma Agonists in Preventing Recurrent Stroke and Other Vascular Events.

PPAR gamma agonists are probably effective in preventing recurrent stroke in people with previous stroke or TIA.
Heart transplant recipients with confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus infection: The Detroit experience.

A chronic immunosuppressed state as in solid organ transplant recipients is a reported risk factor for the novel 2019 coronavirus infection. Patients with a history of orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) at a tertiary care transplant center in Detroit, Michigan were retrospectively reviewed from March until May 2020. Clinical parameters and outcomes of 5 OHT recipients and one combined heart-lung recipient with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 were obtained. The cohort was predominately African American males with median age of 59 years (interquartile range, 48.25-73.25). All patients were classified as having mild-moderate disease; none required intubation or ICU admission with no deaths. The most common presenting symptoms were fever and shortness of breath 83% (n = 5), followed by cough and chills 67% (n = 4). All admitted patients (n = 5) received hydroxychloroquine and 3 received high-dose steroids. Antimetabolites were held for 2 patients (33.3%). The calcineurin inhibitor trough goal was decreased in only 1 patient; 3 other patients, without change in goal, required calcineurin inhibitor dosage reduction. Two patients requiring readmission presented 7 and 23 days after initial symptoms onset. In conclusion, our experience with OHT patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus did not have an elevated risk of severe infection. Impact of modifying immunosuppression remains unclear.
Research on Fault Diagnosis of Oil-Paper Insulated Bushing Based on Frequency Domain Dielectric Spectrum

As an important component of power transformer, transformer bushing cause thirty percent of transformer accidents. It is difficult to find defects in transformer bushing in advance because of the lack of on-site inspection methods. Frequency domain dielectric spectroscopy is widely used in the field of insulation evaluation of electrical equipment because of its frequency bandwidth and rich information. However, the frequency domain dielectric spectroscopy in the inspection of oil-paper insulated transformer bushing is affected by lacking substation test case and diagnostic criteria. In this paper, a dielectric response model of the transformer bushing is established to reveal the different defect types corresponding to the test curves in different frequency bands. In the low frequency band which is less than 0.0lHz, it is reflecting the water content of bushing. In the middle frequency band which is between 0.0lHz to 100Hz, it is reflecting the aging of bushing. Several cases of substation bushing defects detected by frequency domain dielectric spectroscopy have verified the above results. It is difficult to propose uniform fault diagnosis criteria for the frequency domain dielectric spectrum of transformer bushing which is affected by the structure and type. Based on a large number of substation case studies, a defect diagnosis criterion based on Frechet similarity method is proposed in this paper, which is universal for different structures and different types of bushing.
Correlated Drug Action as a Baseline Additivity Model for Combination Cancer Therapy in Patient Cohorts and Cell Cultures

Abstract Identifying and characterizing the effect of combination cancer therapies is of paramount importance in cancer research. The benefit of a combination can either be due to inherent heterogeneity in patient populations or because of molecular synergy between the compounds given in combination, usually studied in cell culture, or both. To shed light and help characterized combinations and their enhanced benefits over single therapies, we introduce Correlated Drug Action (CDA) as a baseline additivity model. We formulate the CDA model as a closed-form expression, which lends itself to be scalable and interpretable, both in the temporal domain (tCDA) to explain survival curves, and in the dose domain (dCDA), to explain dose-response curves. CDA can be used in clinical trials and cell culture experiments. At the level of clinical trials, we demonstrate tCDA’s utility in explaining the benefit of clinical combinations, identifying non-additive combinations, and cases where biomarkers may be able to decouple the combination into monotherapies. At the level of cells in culture, dCDA naturally embodies null models such as Bliss additivity and the Highest Single Agent model as special cases, and can be extended to be sham combination compliant. We demonstrate the applicability of dCDA in assessing non-additive combinations and doses. Additionally, we introduce a new synergy metric, Excess over CDA (EOCDA), that incorporates elements of Bliss additivity and dose equivalence concepts in the same measure. CDA is a novel general framework for additivity at the cell line and patient population levels and provides a method to characterize and quantify the action of drug combinations.
Standard reliability and gaze tracking metrics in glaucoma and glaucoma suspects.

PURPOSE: To compare standard reliability metrics and gaze tracking (GT) metrics on the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA). DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: SETTING: VA Medical Center, San Diego. PATIENT POPULATION: 494 glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients that had an HFA 24-2 SITA Fast visual field (VF) performed in both eyes. OBSERVATION: Standard reliability metrics (fixation loss [FL], false positive [FP], and false negative [FN]) were compared to GT metrics (deviations 1-2 degrees [M1], deviations 3-5 degrees [M3], deviations >6 degrees [M6], and tracking failure frequency [TFF]). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Spearman's rank-based correlation coefficient and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves between standard and GT reliability metrics. RESULTS: The 95th percentile limits for GT metrics were 66.7% for M1, 67.5% for M3, 49.5% for M6, and 79.8% for TFF. There were statistically significant correlations between standard and GT reliability metrics using the 95th percentile as a binary cutoff for GT metrics. However, low Spearman correlation values and AUROC calculations suggest little clinical significance of the associations. FN increased as VF severity worsened (p<0.001). M6 was lower in eyes with mild compared to moderate and advanced VF loss (p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: GT metrics do not have a clinically significant association with standard reliability metrics. Both FN and M6 are influenced by VF severity. Aggregate GT metrics do not aid in reliability assessment. These findings suggest that GT metrics may provide an alternative or complementary measure of VF reliability.
The comparison of differences in flammability and thermal degradation between cotton fabrics treated with phosphoramidate derivatives

The effectiveness of a phosphoramidate tetraethyl piperazine-1,4-diyldiphosphoramidate (TEPP) as a flame retardant on cotton twill fabrics was compared with that of a previously studied diethyl 4-methylpiperazin-1-ylphosphoramidate (DEPP). TEPP was formed in a reaction between two phosphonates and a piperazine then cotton twill fabrics were treated with TEPP at different levels of add-on (2–19 wt%) and characterized using vertical flammability, limiting oxygen index, microscale combustion calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis methods. The results showed better flame retardancy and thermal behavior for TEPP fabrics when compared with DEPP fabrics. When the morphological structure of the formed char from the burned areas was examined by scanning electron microscopy, the results revealed a fairly insignificant difference in the mode of action between the two types of fabric. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Gay Male Gaze: Body Image Disturbance and Gender Oppression Among Gay Men

Abstract This article examines body image disturbance among gay men from various sociocultural perspectives. A review of the empirical literature on body image disturbance indicates that gay males experience greater body dissatisfaction than other groups due to their higher levels of gender nonconformity. The impact of gendered power relations on body image is considered in light of feminist, postmodernist, queer, and disability theories of the body. The history of gay bodily beauty is also examined, along with contemporary critiques of gay body politics. The author concludes that gender oppression constitutes a distinct mode of psychosocial oppression among gay men that is no less disabling than heterosexism, and therefore deserves greater attention in gay affirmative theory, research, and practice.
55 Ghz Polysilicon-Emitter Graded Sige-Base Pnp Transistors

SiGe-Base PNP transistors with dramatically reduced valence band barrier effects on the DC and AC characteristics were fabricated with an N-type UHV/CVD epitaxial base in a polysilicon emitter technology.
Addressing Sexual Dysfunction After Risk‐Reducing Salpingo‐Oophorectomy: Effects of a Brief, Psychosexual Intervention

Abstract Introduction Women at high risk for ovarian cancer due to BRCA1 or BRCA 2 mutation or family history are recommended to undergo risk‐reducing salpingo‐oophorectomy (RRSO) after age 35 or completion of childbearing. This potentially life‐saving surgery leads to premature menopause, frequently resulting in distressing and unaddressed sexual dysfunction. Aim To pilot a novel sexual health intervention for women with BRCA1/2 mutations who previously underwent RRSO a using a single‐arm trial. Feasibility and primary outcomes including sexual dysfunction and psychological distress were assessed. Methods This single‐arm trial included a one‐time, half‐day educational session comprised of targeted sexual health education, body awareness and relaxation training, and mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy strategies, followed by two sessions of tailored telephone counseling. Assessments were completed at baseline and 2 months postintervention. Main Outcome Measure Study end points include feasibility and effectiveness as reported by the participant. Results Thirty‐seven women completed baseline and postintervention assessments. At baseline, participants had a mean age of 44.4 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.9) years and mean duration of 3.8 (SD = 2.7) years since RRSO. Overall sexual functioning ( P = 0.018), as well as desire ( P = 0.003), arousal ( P = 0.003), satisfaction ( P = 0.028), and pain ( P = 0.018), improved significantly. There were significant reductions in somatization ( P = 0.029) and anxiety scores ( P P P Conclusions This intervention integrates elements of cognitive behavioral therapy with sexual health education to address a much‐neglected problem after RRSO. Results from this promising single‐arm study provide preliminary data to move toward conducting a randomized, controlled trial. Bober SL, Recklitis CJ, Bakan J, Garber JE, and Patenaude AF. Addressing sexual dysfunction after risk‐reducing salpingo‐oophorectomy: Effects of a brief, psychosexual intervention. J Sex Med 2015;12:189–197.
Mental retardation in a birth cohort, 1976-1980, Rochester, Minnesota

The cumulative incidence of mental retardation in a birth cohort of children born from 1976 through 1980 in Rochester, Minnesota (n = 5,919) was estimated. Rochester is the site of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, which captures virtually all medical care delivered locally. Passive follow-up through school and community medical records for criteria diagnostic of mild or severe mental retardation was undertaken. Thirty children were classified with mental retardation. The cumulative incidence of mental retardation by age 8 years was 9.1 per 1,000 (95% confidence interval = 6.2, 13.0) and was similar for boys and girls (8.3 vs. 10.0 per 1,000, respectively). The cumulative incidence for severe mental retardation in girls was more than twice that in boys; for mild retardation it was the opposite. The cumulative incidence among boys was 1.7 times greater than the cumulative incidence for girls. Results suggest that although the overall incidence of mental retardation by gender was similar, the severity may differ somewhat.
Statistical Variations of Solder Joint Fatigue Life Under Realistic Service Conditions

Common damage accumulation rules fail to predict the fatigue life of solder joints under realistic service conditions where cycling amplitudes vary over time. A modification of Miner’s rule of linear damage accumulation has been proposed that accounts for effects of amplitude variations in, for example, the vibration of microelectronic assemblies with lead-free solder joints on the average or characteristic fatigue life. We are, however, obviously much more concerned with the first failure across a very large sample set. Prediction of, say, the first failure out of 10000 or a million would require the extrapolation of experimental failure distributions and the assumption of a shape of this distribution. Even qualitative comparisons of accelerated test results and their scatter should account for effects of amplitude variations. We have argued that the long-term life of solder joints in vibration or cyclic bending is limited by the accumulation of inelastic work, and that much can be learned from the low cycle fatigue behavior in shear. Individual ball grid array scale SAC305 and SAC105 solder joints were cycled in shear at room temperature with combinations of two different stress amplitudes. Relying on our modified Miner’s rule and the associated understanding of the effects of amplitude variations, we show that the statistical uncertainty in the fatigue life of solder joints under a specific set of realistic service conditions must be significantly greater than measured in fixed amplitude cycling tests. The predicted failure distribution was best fit by a Weibull distribution over a limited range, but we argue that the assumption of such a distribution is likely to be increasingly conservative when it comes to the prediction of earlier failure. Estimates are provided for the potential errors.
The system Ag-Fe-S: Phase relations between 1200° and 700°C

Phase relations in the system Ag−Fe−S between 1200° and 700°C were studied at the vapor pressures of the system by quenching and D.T.A. experiments with the use of sealed, evacuated, silica tubes as reaction vessels. Only liquids and binary solids were encountered in this temperature interval. Two extensive liquid-immiscibility fields are present above 906°C; microtextures developed from the metal-rich immiscible-liquid field are illustrated. Condensed isothermal diagrams at 1200° and 700°C are presented, and reactions occurring between these temperatures are discussed.
Toward a Theory of Adolescence: Queer Disruptions in Representations of Adolescent Reading

Using queer and psychoanalytic schemas, this essay develops a theory of adolescence to shed light on the ways in which categories of age shape our experiences of ourselves and others. It draws from social discourse surrounding adolescent reading and from fictional scenes of reading in nineteenth-century novels, twentieth-century classics, and contemporary young adult fiction in order to unravel the cultural logic of adolescence as it has been deployed throughout the twentieth century.
NS2B-3 proteinase-mediated processing in the yellow fever virus structural region: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Abstract Several of the cleavages required to generate the mature nonstructural proteins from the flaviviral polyprotein are known to be mediated by a complex consisting of NS2B and a serine proteinase domain located in the N-terminal one-third of NS3. These cleavages typically occur after two basic residues followed by a short side chain residue. Cleavage at a similar dibasic site in the structural region is believed to produce the C terminus of the virion capsid protein. To study this cleavage, we developed a cell-free trans cleavage assay for yellow fever virus (YF)-specific proteolytic activity by using a substrate spanning the C protein dibasic site. Cleavage at the predicted site was observed when the substrate was incubated with detergent-solubilized lysates from YF-infected BHK cells. NS2B and the NS3 proteinase domain were the only YF-specific proteins required for this cleavage. Cell fractionation studies demonstrated that the YF-specific proteolytic activity was membrane associated and that activity could be detected only after detergent solubilization. Previous cell-free studies led to a hypothesis that processing in the C-prM region involves (i) translation of C followed by translocation and core glycosylation of prM by using an internal signal sequence, (ii) signalase cleavage to produce a membrane-anchored form of the C protein (anchC) and the N terminus of prM, and (iii) NS2B-3-mediated cleavage at the anchC dibasic site to produce the C terminus of the virion C protein. However, the results of in vivo transient-expression studies do not support this temporal cleavage order. Rather, expression of a YF polyprotein extending from C through the N-terminal one-third of NS3 revealed that C-prM processing, but not translocation, was dependent on an active NS2B-3 proteinase. This suggests that signalase-mediated cleavage in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum may be dependent on prior cleavage at the anchC dibasic site. Possible pathways for processing in the C-prM region are outlined and discussed.
Factors hindering ‘larger’ representation of women in parliament: the case of Seychelles

Female legislative representation in some sub-Saharan African countries surpasses that of most other countries on the Inter-Parliamentary Union's 187 country list by exceeding 20 per cent. While almost all of those African countries achieved such level of representation by implementing gender quotas, Seychelles achieved that level without gender quotas. Its female parliamentary representation, however, is far short of the 50 per cent target set for 2015 by the African Union. This study, therefore, examines the factors hindering ‘larger’ representation of women in the Seychellois parliament. It concludes that the dual burden of women, the longstanding traditional beliefs about women's role, the lukewarm commitment of political parties to nominate women, the authoritarian nature of Seychellois politics, and parliamentarians' financial contributions expected by constituents are the key variables hindering ‘larger’ female legislative representation in Seychelles.
The Anteroventral Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Differentially Regulates Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical Axis Responses to Acute and Chronic Stress

The anteroventral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) stimulates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses to acute stress. However, the role of the anterior BST nuclei in chronic drive of the HPA axis has yet to be established. Therefore, this study tests the role of the anteroventral BST in physiological responses to chronic drive, using a chronic variable stress (CVS) model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received either bilateral ibotenate lesions, targeting the anteroventral BST, or vehicle injection into the same region. Half of the lesion and control rats were exposed to a 14-d CVS paradigm consisting of twice-daily exposure to unpredictable, alternating stressors. The remaining rats were nonhandled control animals that remained in home cages. On the morning after the end of CVS exposure, all rats were exposed to a novel restraint stress challenge. CVS induced attenuated body weight gain, adrenal hypertrophy, thymic involution, and enhanced CRH mRNA in hypophysiotrophic neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, none of which were affected by anteroventral BST lesions. In the absence of CVS, lesions attenuated the plasma corticosterone and paraventricular nucleus c-fos mRNA responses to the acute restraint stress. In contrast, lesions of the anteroventral BST elevated plasma ACTH and corticosterone responses to novel restraint in the rats previously exposed to CVS. These data suggest that the anterior BST plays very different roles in integrating acute stimulation and chronic drive of the HPA axis, perhaps mediated by chronic stress-induced recruitment of distinct BST cell groups or functional reorganization of stress-integrative circuits.
Reconstruction of past ice conditions in a Hudson Bay estuary using tree rings

Descriptions of ice conditions, ranging from lake and sea ice to glacial advances and retreats, form an important portion of the climatic record. Ice formation, deterioration and changing areal extent are of increasing interest in climatology, sea transportation, petroleum exploration and the fishing industry. With few exceptions, quantitative information on ice conditions is generally brief, with many records in the US and Canada beginning only in the 1950s1. Tree-ring data from long-lived trees can be used as quantitative proxy data for past climatically related parameters. The record of first complete freezing of the Churchill River estuary on Hudson Bay is reconstructed here for 298 yr (1680-1977) by means of tree-ring analysis.
Modeling and analysis of urban traffic light control systems

Abstract Timed Coloured Petri nets (TCPN) have been utilized as visual formalism for the modeling of complex systems. This paper focuses on the use of TCPNs to model an intelligent urban traffic light control system. The intelligent traffic light controller proposes a solution to regulate the problem of traffic congestion. For this purpose, this paper also presents an intelligent control methodology which is constructed by the alternation of two different sub‐models.
Low molecular weight active form of inducible liver tyrosine aminotransferase.

RECENT experiments1–4 suggest that there are several forms of inducible liver tyrosine aminotransferase and that they may be stimulated by different hormones and expressed differently by genetic mutation. We now report the occurrence of a low molecular weight form of enzymatically active soluble tyrosine aminotransferase, which is inducible as is the larger molecular weight enzyme. Assuming that the latter is a tetramer5, the former has a tentative molecular weight equivalent to a subunit of the larger enzyme.
Increasing the Social Validity of Function-Based Treatments for Problem Behavior

Functional assessment, and function-based treatments, are the gold standard for the treatment of problem behavior. Historically, these assessment and treatment evaluations have been conducted in austere clinical settings to increase internal validity. While prioritizing internal validity is critical in the initial stages of a treatment evaluation, if there is not an eventual shift to prioritizing the external or social validity of the treatment it may inevitably fail in the natural environment. The purpose of this case example is to outline a socially valid approach to the assessment and treatment of problem behavior that ensures individuals’ and their families’ lives benefit in meaningful ways. More specifically, this case-example will outline a method of prioritizing social validity to identify treatment goals, conduct functional analysis, evaluate and generalize treatment, and implement caregiver training.
Single Parenthood: Leading With My Heart

Personally Speaking provides a forum for readers to describe important issues or events in their lives and the role, if any, counseling has played. Guidelines for submitting manuscripts may be obtained from Stephen G. Weinrach, 303 Falvey Hall, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085–1699.
Statistical conditional simulation of a multiresolution numerical air quality model

[1] This paper addresses subgrid variability, an issue that naturally arises in multiresolution numerical air quality models. Unlike previous approaches, which fit a parametric distribution over a spatial block and perform the fit from block to block independently over space and time, our approach to dealing with the subgrid variability is to describe the space-time conditional distribution of high-resolution output given its low-resolution counterpart. A novel conditional simulation approach is proposed to produce an ensemble of high-resolution runs based on the runs we have, and various criteria are used to assess whether our simulated high-resolution runs capture the overall space-time variability of the original high-resolution runs. The main idea of our algorithm is to apply a nonlinear filter to the high-resolution runs based on the low-resolution runs and then perform a time domain block bootstrap for the residuals simultaneously over space. The algorithm proposed in this paper can be readily used by practitioners to generate random high-resolution runs as a useful surrogate to the real high-resolution runs when one has low-resolution runs for a long period and only a few days' high-resolution runs.
Feature-driven, process-based approach to the integration of CAD /CAM in wireframe models

This paper presents a structure for an integrated CAD/CAM system in wireframe models than can be simultaneously used for product design and manufacture of prismatic components. A feature-driven, process-based design methodology, which derives its basis from traditional geometry-based design, feature-based design, deterministic and expert heuristic manufacturing knowledge, is proposed. This methodology provides an integrated modelling environment for automation of downstream manufacturing applications such as process planning and NC code generation. Representation of features in the design database is not limited to geometry alone but includes material, tooling and machine specifications and is based on a process-to-geometry mapping. Research shows that informational completeness of a CAD database depends on application; and for manufacturing tasks, the vocabulary of the process describing the means of making a part should be mapped directly to the feature-based geometry. This effort answers key issues in ...
Host response in tumor diagnosis and prognosis: importance of immunologists and pathologists alliance.

Pathologists and immunologists have collaborated over many years in their efforts to understand and properly diagnose cancer. The ability of pathologists to correctly diagnose this disease was facilitated by the development of immunohistology that utilized specificity of antibodies to distinguish between normal cells and cancer cells. Further boost was provided through the advent of monoclonal antibodies. The two disciplines are now together on the brink of a paradigm shift resulting from a better understanding of the importance for cancer diagnosis and prognosis to consider not only the characteristics of the cancer cells, but also the cancer microenvironment reflecting the host response to the disease. This new immunology and pathology alliance named “Immunoscore” will advance research in both disciplines as well as benefit patients.
Adherence of Candida albicans to host cells

Research devoted to uncovering the mechanisms of adherence of Candida albicans to human tissue is reviewed. The physical aspects of adherence of the fungus to host cells and the biochemical and molecular features, as far as they are known, are discussed. Relevant pre- and post-adherence events in the pathogenesis of disease caused by this fungus are also noted. Putative adhesins and surface receptors of C. albicans for host proteins are discussed in detail.
Distortion range of filter synthetic discriminant function binary phase-only filters

This paper considers the performance of filter synthetic-discriminant-function binary-phase-only filters (fSDF-BPOFs) with images in the distortion range that were not members of the training set. This evaluation was performed to understand better the distortion range that can be effectively covered by fSDF-BPOFs. The peak correlation and peak clutter responses were measured over various distortion ranges for in-plane and out-of-plane rotations. The peak correlation initially decreased rapidly as the distortion range increased but decreased gradually as the distortion range became larger for the images used in this study. The distortion ranges that can be effectively covered by fSDF-BPOFs appear to be modest: 0-30 deg for in-plane rotation and 0-10 deg for out-of-plane rotation. The results indicate that a temporal multiplexing scheme will be required to cover a large distortion range when BPOFs are used.
Ab initio theory calculations of the electronic structure of nc-As2S3 and GeS2: an intrinsic mechanism for reversible photo-darkening

Abstract Since photo-darkening in chalcogenide thin films was first reported 30 years ago, several different mechanisms have been proposed for the reversible changes in band edge absorption following cycles of illumination and thermal annealing. This article identifies the optical absorption transitions that initiate these band edge shifts through ab initio calculations of the electronic structure of small clusters that include the short range order as obtained from diffraction studies. The calculations identify an intrinsic mechanism for the initiation of photostructural changes in As 2 S 3 that does not require intra-molecular bond scission-induced defect formation. This bond scission mechanism is limited to alloy compositions such as As 2 S 3 and GeS 4 in which self-organization at the glass transition temperature minimizes bond strain in the annealed or relaxed state. For alloy compositions outside of a narrow compositional window in which self-organization occurs, defect formation via intra-molecular bond scission contributes to the reported photostructural changes as in GeSe 2 and elemental Se.
Recent achievements, trends and prospects in homogeneous catalysis

Abstract Eight new chemical processes have been highlighted from the scientific and technological literature on homogeneous catalysis. A plant based on the CO process for acetic anhydride production has been built and is operated by Tennessee Eastman. BASF and Rhone-Poulenc have announced plans to commercialize a novel carbomethoxylation process for adipic acid manufacture and a two-phase catalyst system for propene hydroformylation, respectively. The remaining technologies may be implemented in the early to mid-1990s, depending upon competitive feedstock prices for existing processes. Many mechanistic details describing the actual organometallic intermediates in each of these eight processes have not been reported in the literature. Researchers should be able to find fruitful areas therein for model mechanistic studies.
Development and Pilot Testing of a Bicycle Safety Questionnaire for Adult Bicyclists

Most deaths associated with bicycle riding are reported in those over the age of 16 and the highest death rate per million trips is reported in those over the age of 50, yet most efforts to reduce deaths among bicycle riders have focused on children. The purpose of this study was to pilot test a new instrument designed to assess knowledge of bicycle laws and perception of risk related to specific host behaviors and agents of injury. A pilot study using a descriptive correlational design was conducted among a convenience sample of 104 adult bicycle riders. A 25-item questionnaire was administered to participants (10 knowledge items, 15 belief items). There were no significant differences in total knowledge or belief score for gender, age group, riding frequency, education, or formal bicycle training. Significant differences were found for responses to individual items on both scales. Psychometric testing indicated that items on the knowledge scale were independent. Psychometric testing on the belief scale suggested three underlying constructs measuring beliefs about riding behavior, agents of injury, and user burden. Bicycle riders with previous safety training had significantly different scores on the riding behavior and user burden subscales.