cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiparameter Schur $Q$-Functions Are Solutions of the BKP Hierarchy

We prove that multiparameter Schur $Q$-functions, which include as specializations factorial Schur $Q$-functions and classical Schur $Q$-functions, provide solutions of the BKP hierarchy
ECOWAS and democratic consolidation in West Africa : praetorian resurgence as a failure of democratic process

The recent coup attempts and military takeovers in some West African countries and the effective response of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) leadership in stemming the return of preatorianism in the sub-region, calls for an understanding of the experiences across the continent between the 1960s and 1990s. The region is seen by many to be undergoing democratic consolidation and the legitimization of constitutional process. Despite this seeming optimism, there is an undercurrent of possible relapse. In examining the resurgence of military intervention in politics within the context of democratic consolidation in the West African sub-region, one must most also appreciate the effectiveness of the sub-regional organization, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a by-product of the increasing democratization of institutions within the states in the region. It is also a function of the decades of experience of the organization in monitoring and promoting electoral processes as well as its effective action on the crisis in Liberia and Sierra Leone - among others. The popular but negative response from other states in the region should also be seen as a product of the domestic politics within the states where these coups occurred as well as the fear of possible contagion effects across territorial borders. The firm international community response to military intervention is in contrast to the experience during the decades of the Cold war. This is because the international environment is less conducive to such aberrations today than it was before.
Sterilization, Gender, and the Law in Costa Rica

In 1999, the President and the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica issued a decree making contraceptive sterilization available upon demand, with informed consent. This event represented a vantage point from which to consider the evolution of sterilization law in Costa Rica, a project which I had the opportunity to undertake at the Women, Justice, and Gender Program of ILANUD, the United Nations Latin American Institute, in the summer of 2000. I learned at ILANUD that sterilization rights play a central role in Costa Rican women’s reproductive autonomy. There, as in most of the world, women are sterilized at far greater rates than are men. In a 1997 study, for example, 20% of Costa Rican women relied on female sterilization, compared to 1% who relied on their partner being sterilized. This wide and persistent disparity in sterilization rates means that even facially neutral laws regarding sterilization automatically affect more women than men. This greater reliance on female sterilization may stem from ignorance about vasectomy and women’s more frequent contact with the healthcare system, but it also reflects the higher physical and sociological burdens that unwanted pregnancies place on women. Such burdens are particularly daunting in a country such as Costa Rica, where abortion is not legally available in most cases. Within this context, the option of sterilization rather than temporary forms of birth control is an
Supersymmetry in Nature

Nature is certainly Poincare invariant. However it is possible that her forces possess a much higher degree of space-time invariance than we have heretofore realized, such as invariance under transformations which relate fermions and bosons, so-called supersymmetry transformations(1). As will be explained below, exact supersymmetry of the forces (i.e., of the Lagrangian) as well as of the physical states requires bosons and fermions to come in mass-degenerate multiplets; evidently, nature does not exhibit such behavior. However it is nonetheless possible that nature is supersymmetric but that this is not manifest through degeneracy between bosons and fermions. Such a state of affairs is called spontaneously broken supersymmetry and occurs when the lowest energy state (the vacuum) is not super-symmetric even though the forces are(2).
Chronic hematic cysts of the orbit.

We present two cases in which CT showed an expansile erosive mass in the roof of the orbit adjacent to the lacrimal fossa and MR revealed signal changes characteristic of hemorrhage, thereby confirming the diagnosis of chronic hematic cyst
T cells as secondary players in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects about 1% of the general population worldwide [1]. The pathogenesis of RA remains a subject of debate, and many paradigms have been proposed and disputed over the years. The concept of autoimmunity in RA appeared in the 1940’s when it was first appreciated that self-reacting antibodies (rheumatoid factors) are present in the blood of most patients with RA [2]. Subsequently, advances in immunological techniques established the framework for the “extravascular immune complex” hypothesis in the early 1970’s [3-5]. This theory speculated that the inflammatory response in RA is initiated by the local production of rheumatoid factors and/or antibody directed against an undefined antigen. This, in turn, leads to complement fixation and generation of chemotactic molecules that attract polymorphonuclear leukocytes into joints. Hydrolytic enzymes contained within lysozomal granules are then released during phagocytosis of immune complexes and mediate the destructive process in the RA joint [6]. However, many questions remain unanswered by this model, especially mechanisms of synoviocyte invasion into articular cartilage.
The Effect of Behavioral Targeting on Trust in E-Commerce

Behavioral targeting is an online marketing method that collects data on the browsing activities of consumers, in order to 'target' more relevant online advertising. It places digital tags in the browsers of web site visitors, using these tags to track and aggregate consumer behavior. Most data is collected anonymously, i.e., not linked to a person's name. However, behavioral targeting does create digital dossiers on consumers that connect browsing activity to a tagged individual. This tagging is largely invisible to consumers, who are not asked to explicitly give consent for this practice. While this is presented as beneficial because it delivers a more personalized e-commerce experience, this paper will argue that behavioral targeting in its current form is damaging to trust in e-commerce. To document this damage, Whitworth's polite software framework will be applied to three case studies of behavioral targeting. Whitworth argues politeness is an important social requirement of software, defining politeness as 'offering the locus of control of a social interaction to another party.' This paper will show that behavioral targeting is impolite, and by using data collected clandestinely it undermines the autonomy of consumers in their online shopping and purchase decisions, thus eroding trust in e-commerce.
Pressure measurements during acoustic cavitation by sonoluminescence

Acoustic cavitation in llquids generates a variety of high energy chemical processes, including sonoluminescence. Intense local heating, either by adiabatic compression or through shock wave formation, occurs with the collapse of bubbles during acoustic cavitation. Previously, we have quantified local temperatures by spectroscopic analysis of sonoluminescence from cavitating bubble clouds. In hydrocarbon liquids, sonoluminescence closely resembles flame emission. The emission is dominantly from excited states of diatomic carbon, C 2; the rotational and vibrational fine structure of this emission permits a spectroscopic determination of the emission temperature of the excited states of C 2, which is ≈ 5100 K. In order to use sonoluminescence to probe local pressures during cavitation, emission from atomic rather than molecular excited states is required. This allows us to accurately measure excited state lifetimes, which can be related to inter-atomic collision rates, and hence pressure. We have discovered that excited state metal atoms are produced during ultrasonic irradiation of solutions containing volatile metal carbonyls. Linewidth analysis of this emission permits us to determine collisional lifetimes of the emitting atoms and from that to estimate effective local pressures during cavitation. The observed excited state lifetime of Cr atoms during emission from Cr(CO)6 is 0.20 ± 0.02 picoseconds, and with a corresponding calculated pressure of 1700 ±110 atmospheres (1.72 ± 0.11 kBar).
The Mythology of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and Sympathetically Maintained Pains

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is simply an symptom complex, underlaid by any of multiple possible causes, that carries the illusion of a defined pathophysiology. Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are programmed from this fantasy. The patient's re-sponse to these procedures, which in the case of sympathetic blocks has engendered the concept of sympathetically maintained pain (SMP), is most likely the expression of active placebo effect. Although animal models of nerve injury do provide important data on abnormal peripheral and central nervous system dysfunction, such discrete models misrepresent the broad clinical conditions of RSD-SMP. The issue is futher complicated by all-embracing definitions that retain the word sympathetic. Revision of current theories to explain RSD-SMP, and procedures to diagnose and attempt to treat these patients, are well overdue.
Low–temperature exchange of hydrogen and deuterium between molecular ethanol and water on Au(111)

Abstract Proton transfer and hydrogen-bonding networks are critical in biochemical processes including protein folding and protein–protein interactions. Surface science can simplify these complex systems by studying the exchange of hydrogen and deuterium atoms between molecules supported on surfaces. Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) was used to show that the exchange of hydrogen and deuterium between co–adsorbed isotopologues of ethanol and water occurs readily at temperatures below 200 K on Au(111). Since Au(111) is an inert substrate that does not cause dissociation of water or ethanol at any temperature, the results herein suggest that Au(111) acts as a support to facilitate H/D exchange via hydrogen-bonded networks of molecular ethanol and water at low temperatures.
The Importance Of Hadoop Clusters in Educational Institutions

As concepts such as Big Data, Data Analytics, and Machine Learning become more prevalent in industry how does your educational institution intend to join into this new stream of technology and areas of research? How will your faculty conduct grant based research in this area - Costly cloud based options exist, as well as individuals running small scale versions on laptops or PCs stored under their desks. But what if you could pool those resources to create a shared Big Data/Hadoop Cluster and present it to your entire institution as a research and experimentation option? This paper will demonstrate how this can be done using OpenSource technology and commodity x86 hardware, and share a case study of future collaboration opportunities that are being opened across the institution.
Devices Used for CPAP Delivery

CPAP is a spontaneous mode of ventilation that maintains a constant airway pressure during the inspiratory and expiratory phases. This therapeutic modality is used across the continuum of care from pre-hospital treatment to intensive and acute care units to the home care environment to treat a host of acute and chronic clinical conditions. A variety of devices are currently available for the delivery of CPAP, including oxygen-conserving valved systems, continuous-flow generators, portable demand-flow devices, and mechanical ventilators. The devices used to administer CPAP vary in complexity, performance, monitoring capabilities, ability to provide humidification, and safety features. Regardless of the type of device or system used to deliver CPAP, a system that is unable to meet or exceed the patient's flow demands has the propensity to deliver pressure and oxygen concentrations that are lower than intended or set. If undetected, this can contribute to adverse patient outcomes. Considerations for device selection depend on the setting (eg, pre-hospital, acute care, critical care, home care), length of therapy (ie, short vs long-term), patient safety (eg, alarms, monitoring devices), and comfort. Understanding the science and clinical application of CPAP delivery systems can assist clinicians in a variety of care settings with selecting the type of device that best matches the clinical setting, and thus with optimizing therapeutic effectiveness by maximizing patient comfort, safety and stability of pressure, and FIO2 delivery.
Spin Seebeck effect in insulating SrFeO3−δ films

In SrFeO3−δ, noncollinear antiferromagnetic spin textures have led to the observation of the topological Hall effect and may give rise to novel magnetic excitations. Here, we measured the spin Seebeck effect in epitaxial, oxygen reduced SrFeO3−δ films, which are nonferromagnetic and insulating at low temperatures. We detected a spin Seebeck signal below 300 K and the signal is enhanced below ∼100 K, near the ordering temperature of incommensurate antiferromagnetism found in bulk single crystals of SrFeO3−δ. The spin Seebeck signal increases in magnitude and develops a nonlinear dependence on the magnetic field at lower temperatures. Control experiments were used to verify that the measured signal arises from a spin current and to rule out magnetic proximity effects. Our work shows a detectable spin Seebeck signal in nonferromagnetic insulator SrFeO3−δ.
Factors Influencing Parents' Perceptions of Child Care Services. Implications for Public Policy Formulation:

Child care is a vital resource for children and their families regardless of income, race, or family composition. In a recent study published by The National League of Cities (Meyers & Kyle, 1996), child care was identified by government officials in cities and towns of 10,000 or more residents as the most pressing need of families with children. Each year more and more mothers, especially those with young children, enter the workforce (Hofferth & Chaplin, 1994a). In 1992, approximately 57% of women in the United States worked or were looking for work (Hofferth & Chaplin, 1994a). Finding and paying for high-quality child care are daily concerns as many parents struggle to keep their families together and to help their children acquire the skills necessary for a successful life. Public policies that help mothers work or return to work soon after childbirth are often designed to reduce the costs of caring for children and balancing work and family life. Poor, single, and low-income mothers are less likely to have the support and resources for child care to enable an early return to work (Hofferth & Chaplin, 1994a; Meyers, 1992); for these women, subsidized child care services in Head Start, public-school-based, or other sponsored nonprofit programs are directly related to economic self-sufficiency (Hofferth & Chaplin, 1994a).
Feasibility Assessment of Cloud SaaS Enabled Collaboration and Information Confidentiality for the Public Accounting Industry

In recent years, the growing use of Software as a Service (SaaS) presents both new opportunities and challenges for organizations. Specifically, building trust in SaaS as an alternative to traditional methods of conducting business presents unique challenges for the CPA industry, who deals with sensitive financial client information and strict regulations.
Asexuality and Its Implications for LGBTQ-Parent Families

Asexuality, most often defined as a lack of sexual attraction, has emerged as a relatively new sexual identity category, and very little research has yet to explore asexual families and parenting. In this chapter, I review the literature on asexuality and its implications for parenting research and LGBTQ-parent families. First, I explain the meanings of asexuality through a review of its competing definitions and the evolving vocabulary of sexual and romantic dispositions within the asexual community. I also examine the methodological issues that have made asexuality especially difficult to research and the growth of asexuality as an identity movement in resistance to pathologizing narratives of sexual dysfunction. Next, I examine intersections between asexuality and gender, race, class, and disability, with critical attention toward the relationship between asexuality and the broader LGBTQ umbrella. I then review existing knowledge of asexual individuals’ experiences of parenting, intimate relationships, and marginalization. Practitioners are urged to consider the validity of many types of intimacy as research on asexual parenting can further societal understandings of diverse expressions of love and family formation.
Preparation for civil society: A necessary element of curriculum for social justice

Civic education historically has focused primarily on preparing students to influence politics and government policy. Less attention has been paid to the curricular implications of civil society, e...
Perioperative nursing care of 30 infants with ROP treated with anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor by Intra-vitreous injection at bedside

We summarized the perioperative nursing care of 30 infants with ROP treated with anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor(anti-VEGF)by intra-vitreous injection. Preoperative preparations were fully made, such as the disinfection and preheating of radiant warmer, preparation of eyedrops and first-aid equipments, fasting, etc.Effecient nursing care was provided during the procedure, such as topical anesthesia, drawing of anti-VEGF, positioning of the baby, observation of vital signs, and providing appropriate treatment under emergency situations.After operation we focused on babies′ eye care, temperature management and nutrional support.At last, 30 infants recovered well and were discharged successfully. Key words: Retinopathy of prematurity; Intra-vitreous injection; Anti-VEGF; Perioperative nursing care
Hexagonal boron nitride: Epitaxial growth and device applications

Abstract As a newest family member of the III-nitrides, BN is considered amongst the remaining frontiers in wide energy bandgap semiconductors with potentials for technologically significant applications in deep UV (DUV) optoelectronics, solid-state neutron detectors, electron emitters, single photon emitters, switching/memory devices, and super-capacitors. It was shown that it is possible to produce h-BN epilayers with high hexagonal phase purity, UV transparency, and film stoichiometry by employing nitrogen-rich growth conditions. The quasi-2D nature of h- BN supports unusually strong optical transitions near the band edge and a large exciton binding energy on the order of 0.7 ​eV. Due to the fact that the isotope of B-10 has a large capture cross-section for thermal neutrons, h-BN is an ideal material for the fabrication of solid-state neutron detectors for special nuclear materials detection, well and geothermal logging, and medical imaging applications. Freestanding B-10 enriched h-BN (h-10BN) epilayers with varying thicknesses up to 200 ​μm have been successfully synthesized by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) as of this writing. By utilizing the conductivity anisotropy nature of h-BN, 1 ​cm2 lateral detectors fabricated from 100 ​μm thick h-10BN epilayers have demonstrated a detection efficiency of 59% for thermal neutrons, which is the highest on record among all solid-state neutron detectors as of today. It was noted that high growth temperatures, long growth times and the use of sapphire substrate tend to incorporate oxygen related impurities into h-10BN epilayers, which strongly impacted the carrier mobility-lifetime (μτ) products and charge collection efficiencies of h-10BN neutron detectors. As the h-BN material technology further develops, improved carrier mobilities and μτ products will allow the fabrication of h-BN devices with enhanced performance.
Bridge Structural Health Monitoring using Asynchronous Mobile Sensing Data

This study presents a flexible approach for bridge modal identification using smartphone data collected by a large pool of passing vehicles. With each trip of a mobile sensor, the spatio-temporal response of the bridge is sampled, plus various sources of noise, e.g., vehicle dynamics, environmental effects, and road profile. This paper provides further evidence to support the hypothesis that through trip aggregation, such noise effects can be mitigated and the true bridge dynamics are exhibited. In this study, the continuous wavelet transform is applied to each trip, and the results are combined to estimate the structural modal response of the bridge. The Crowdsourced Modal Identification using Continuous Wavelets (CMICW) method is presented and validated in an experimental setting. In summary, the method successfully identifies natural frequencies and absolute mode shapes of a bridge with high accuracy. Notably, these results are the first to extract torsional mode shape information from mobile sensor data. Moreover, the influence of vehicle speed on the estimation accuracy is investigated. Finally, a hybrid simulation framework is proposed to account for the vehicle dynamics within the raw mobile sensing data. The proposed method is successful in removing vehicle dynamic effects and identifying modal properties. These results contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the practice of mobile crowdsensing for physical properties of transportation infrastructure.
The Effect of Relative Performance Evaluation on Earnings Management: A Game-theoretic Approach

Because investors and creditors often compare the financial statements of similar or competing firms when deciding how to allocate their funds, it is likely that a firm's financial well-being depends on how well it performs relative to its rivals. In this paper, we consider the problem of earnings management as a noncooperative game among several firms, in which each firm seeks a comparison advantage through its financial statement numbers. Our model indicates that firms may exaggerate their earnings in a world driven by multi-firm comparisons simply because they expect other firms to do so. Thus, very little may be needed for earnings management to emerge in the Nash equilibrium. Our results hold under the following conditions. First, investors and creditors are not able to unravel the earnings management, thus ensuring that some information asymmetry remains. Second, investors and creditors make interfirm comparisons when assessing firm value. Third, firms care about their own fundamental value as well as the market's perception about firm value. We also show that the equilibrium amount of earnings management depends on the characteristics of the earnings management technique itself and on the proportion of stockholders who are long-term investors in the firm.
Establishing a Profession through Boundary Drawing: Defining Criminology’s Autonomy Vis-À-Vis Six Competing Disciplines

Criminology as an independent profession established itself just over a half century ago. An analysis of oral histories collected with seventeen leading scholars in criminology reveal how the profession has worked to establish institutional legitimacy over that time. Extending a thesis of boundary drawing (Gieryn, 1999) the present effort first briefly traces the field’s emancipation from its former intellectual home in sociology. Second, third, and fourth criminology has established a border with economics, public health, and biology while permitting “home disciplines” to continue to inform its formation. Fifth and sixth,it has distinguished itself internally from both Justice Studies and Law and Society. The field has worked to establish separation through crafting an interdisciplinary framing of its approach to the subject of crime that is influenced by but not dependent upon its more established peers. Criminology has made unique contributions to the development of methods and policy. While the emergent field has established a measure of separation from more established academic enterprises, several respondents expressed a lack of paradigmatic markers of theoretical and methodological consensus that carry potential professional costs if left unaddressed. Lessons can be drawn from the frustrations and promise of establishing multidisciplinary, policy-centric fields.
Transoral endoscopic repair of Zenker diverticulum by a thoracic surgical service.

Abstract Objective Zenker diverticulum (ZD), a pulsion diverticulum of the esophagus, has been traditionally managed with an open surgical approach, but endoscopic transoral stapling has been reported with increasing frequency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of endoscopic repair of ZD by a thoracic surgery service. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent transoral stapling repair of ZD at our institution by the thoracic surgery service. We evaluated perioperative outcomes including dysphagia (1, no dysphagia to 5, unable to swallow saliva) and failure of repair requiring surgical intervention. Results A total of 151 patients (median age, 78 years; 75 men, 76 women) underwent evaluation for endoscopic repair of ZD. Endoscopic stapled repair of the ZD was completed in 135. Sixteen patients underwent conversion to open repair. The perioperative mortality was 0.6% (1 patient). The median hospital stay was 2 days (range, 0-18 days). Complications occurred in 5 patients who underwent endoscopic repair. The mean preoperative dysphagia score was 2.8 and improved to 1.2 during follow-up (median, 16 months; P Conclusions Endoscopic stapling repair of ZD can be performed safely with good results in experienced centers by thoracic surgeons with significant esophageal experience. Long-term follow-up is required to evaluate the durability of endoscopic repair of ZD.
Design principles and physical properties of two-dimensional heterostructured borides

Principles of design to create dynamically stable transition metal-, lanthanide-, and actinide-based low-dimensional borides are presented. A charge transfer analysis of donor metal atoms to electron deficient honeycombed B lattices allows to predict complex covalent heterostructures hosting Dirac states. The applicable guidelines are supported with the analysis of phonon spectra computed with first-principles calculations to demonstrate the physical stability of nanometer-thick heterostructures. Similar or dissimilar layered borides can be stacked on top of each other in a layer-by-layer fashion creating compounds that can be fundamentally different from the individual layers, opening a rich playground to explore novel physical properties and new materials. Functionalities such as multiple Dirac states, highly dispersive electronic bands, and decoupled acoustic-optical phonon branches are studied. The combination of appealing electronic properties and physical realization makes of predicted layered borides promising materials to integrate a new generation of two-dimensional materials.
Split-nitrogen application with cover cropping reduces subsurface nitrate losses while maintaining corn yields.

Artificial subsurface drainage is essential to sustain crop production in many areas, but may also impair water quality by exacerbating nitrate-nitrogen (NO3 -N) delivery downstream. Cover crops (CC) and split N application have been promoted as key conservation practices for reducing NO3 -N losses, but few studies have simultaneously assessed their effect on water quality and crop productivity. A field-study was conducted to evaluate the effects of N application timing and CC on subsurface drainage NO3 -N losses and grain yield in continuous corn (Zea mays L.). Treatments were: Pre-plant-N: 224 kg N ha-1 split-applied with 60% fall + 40% pre-plant in 2018, or as single pre-plant applications in 2019 and 2020; Split-N: 40% pre-plant + 60% side-dress (V6-V7); Split-N + CC: Split-N + cereal rye (Secale cereale L.); and a zero N plot as the Control. Across the 3-yr study period, Split-N + CC significantly reduced flow-weighted NO3 -N concentration and NO3 -N loss by 35 and 37%, respectively, compared to Pre-plant-N. However, flow-weighted NO3 -N concentration (4.3 mg L-1 ) and NO3 -N loss (22.4 kg ha-1 ) with Split-N were not significantly different from either Pre-plant-N (4.8 mg L-1 and 26.4 kg ha-1 , respectively) or Split-N + CC (3.1 mg L-1 and 16.7 kg ha-1 , respectively). Corn yield was significantly lower in the Control treatment, but did not differ among N fertilized treatments in any year. These results indicate that combining split N application with CC holds promise for meeting the state-wide interim milestone NO3 -N reduction target of 15% by 2025 without negatively impacting crop productivity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Treatment of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast: Is postoperative radiation getting its due credit?

Abstract Introduction The role of postoperative radiation (PR) in treating mammary ACC is poorly defined. This study evaluated the impact of PR on survival outcomes for mammary ACC and the extent of utilization. Methods Patients who underwent surgery for mammary ACC from 2005 to 2015 in SEER database were analyzed. KM analyses of OS and DSS were done for PR versus no PR. Cox hazard regression models were used to determine predictors of OS and DSS. Results Of the 488 patients, 244 underwent PR. The PR group was younger, but other variables were similar between the 2 groups. OS was better for PR (p = 0.029). 10-year DSS was better for PR group by an absolute value of 6 % but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.537). Age, radiation, nodal metastasis, and grade III/IV were independent predictors of OS while grade III/IV and AJCC stage III/IV independently predicted DSS. Conclusion PR improves OS for mammary ACC, but this study did not show increased utilization. Radiation should be considered after surgery for mammary ACC, particularly for patients with independent predictors of OS.
Alterations in postmortem degradation of myofibrillar proteins in muscle of lambs fed a beta-adrenergic agonist.

Dietary administration of 4 ppm of the beta-agonist L-644,969 (Merck Sharpe and Dohme Research Laboratories) to finishing lambs induced a decrease (10 to 14%, P less than .05) in extractable calpain I activity in the longissimus muscle (LD) at death (d 0). At 4 d postmortem (d 4), extractable calpain I levels in the LD of both control and treated lambs were reduced (P less than .001) from those present at d 0, but the extractable activity in the LD was reduced to a greater extent in control than in treated lambs. Calpain II activity was increased 42% (P less than .005) in LD of treated lambs; however, no significant differences were observed between d 0 and d 4 calpain II activity within treated or control LD samples (P greater than .1). Calpastatin activity was higher in the LD of treated lambs (74% on d 0, P less than .001 and 430% on d 4, P less than .001) than in the LD of control lambs. Measurable cathepsin B activity was decreased (29% on d 0, P less than .05) and measurable cathepsin H activity was increased (10% on d 0, P less than .05 and 10% on d 4, P less than .05) in the LD of treated lambs compared with controls. On d 2, 4 and 6 postmortem, degradation in myofibrils isolated from the LD was lower for treated than for control lambs. Warner-Bratzler shear values for loin chops from treated lambs were higher on both d 3 (111%) and 6 (108%) postmortem than for chops from control lambs (P less than .001). L-644,969-induced decreases in muscle proteolytic capacity may limit postmortem myofibril degradation and contribute to the reduced tenderness observed. This decreased proteolytic capacity may contribute to increased muscularity of L-644,969-treated lambs.
Determining transition states from kinetic isotope effects.

BEBOVA-based TS determination has been very successful in elucidating enzyme mechanisms at a level of detail that would be otherwise inaccessible. The resulting TS structures have been used successfully as the basis for designing TS mimics as enzyme inhibitors with dissociation constants to 10(-11) M. The structure interpolation approach has systematized the process of finding a TS, increasing both the speed and the accuracy of TS determination. The combination of information from several TSs into a unified model increases the accuracy of the process significantly and results in an extremely sensitive probe of changes in TS with varying reaction conditions (i.e., enzymatic vs nonenzymatic reactions, different enzymes, or different nucleophiles). The TS determination process is summarized in Fig. 15.
BLOGS: ANTI-FORENSICS and COUNTER ANTI-FORENSICS

Blogging gives an ordinary person the ability to have a conversation with a wide audience and has become one of the fastest growing uses of the Web. However, dozens of employee-bloggers have been terminated for exercising what they consider to be their First Amendment right to free speech and would-be consumer advocates face potential liability for voicing their opinions. To avoid identification and prevent retribution, bloggers have sought to maintain anonymity by taking advantage of various tools and procedures antiforensics. Unfortunately some anonymous bloggers also post content that is in violation of one or more laws. Some blogging content might be viewed as harassing others an area known as cyber-bullying. Law enforcement and network forensics specialists are developing procedures called Counter Anti-forensics that show some promise to identify those who violate the law. However, these techniques must be used with caution so as not to violate the rights of others.
Buy-back Contracts and Forecasting Incentives in a Supplier-Retailer Channel

We consider a supplier of style goods who sells his products through a single retailer. Previous research has shown that there exists a continuum of buy-back contracts which can induce the retailer to order the system optimal quantity. In this paper we show that when forecasting choice is included in the decision space, depending on the forecasting ability of the channel members, only certain buy-back contracts can induce both parties to invest in forecasting. To understand the interrelationships between order quantity coordination and forecasting, we first develop a framework for modeling the existence of different forecasts in a supplier-retailer supply chain. The value of combining these forecasts to yield more accurate demand information is then characterized. We show that when both channel members have the ability to forecast and the cost of such forecasting is not prohibitive, there is a unique equilibrium in which the retailer extracts additional profit. Under varying assumptions on the forecasting capability of both channel members and channel margin, we analyze buy-back contracts that can coordinate the channel.
The metabolism of acetol phosphate: I. Synthesis, properties and enzymic reduction

Abstract The chemical synthesis of acetol phosphate and its chromatographic separation from a number of closely related three-carbon phosphates are reported. Using a rabbit muscle α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase preparation, Km values for dihydroxyacetone phosphate, DPNH, DL -α-glycerophosphate, acetol phosphate and DL - I ,2-propanediol- I -phosphate were obtained. The affinity ratio dihydroxyacetone phosphate to acetol phosphate was estimated to be 330. Possible mechanisms for the alkaline and acid hydrolysis of the phosphate group in α-keto phosphate esters of the type RCOCH2OPO3H2 were discussed. The possibility that a specific enzyme, catalyzing the reduction of acetol phosphate is pointed out.
If You See Something, Say Something: Lateral Surveillance and the Uses of Responsibility

The US Department of Homeland Security’s new “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign displays a renewed drive to redistribute surveillance responsibilities to the public. Using this campaign as its point of departure, this article examines the relationship between conditions of sovereign governance and public lateral surveillance campaigns. As the police and other sovereign institutions have receded from their traditional public responsibilities, many surveillance functions have been assumed by the lay population via neighborhood watch and other community-based programs. Comparing this development with the policing functions of lateral surveillance during the Norman Conquest, this article provides a historically grounded analysis of the potential for this responsibilization to fracture the social by transforming communal bonds into technologies of surveillance power.
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) as a potential biomarker for multiple myeloma: determination of plasma S1P by ELISA using a monoclonal antibody to S1P.

B11 This study was undertaken to use a recently-developed ELISA-based assay to evaluate plasma sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) as a potential biomarker for malignant myeloma (MM). The bioactive lipid signaling mediator, S1P, is the only product of an oncogene, sphingosine kinase1 (Sphk1), and is S1P is known to promote tumorigenesis and angiogensis. S1P is produced by cancer cells for release into the extracellular space to activate its cognate GPCRs. While S1P has been proposed as a cancer biomarker, but a simple, inexpensive assay for its measurement as not been available until now. We have generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that has been shown to retard tumor progression in experimental animals (Visentin et al. 2006), and report here that it can be used to assess S1P as a biomarker in the plasma of cancer patients. The detection limit, assay linearity, and inter- and intra-assay precision were satisfactory for the assay development and optimization. The S1P ELISA operates in a dynamic range from 10 pM to 2 uM S1P. S1P level in cancer-free, control human plasma was 0.215 ± 0.094 uM (n=41). Importantly, the plasma S1P levels were significantly (p
Evidence for serotonin synthesis, uptake, and release in dissociated rat sympathetic neurons in culture

In the previous paper (Matsumoto et al., 1987), pharmacological evidence for secretion of serotonin (5-HT) by cultured sympathetic principal neurons was reported. Here, we present further evidence that 5-HT is a transmitter of some of these neurons under certain culture conditions, and can also be a "false" transmitter. Sympathetic principal neurons, dissociated from superior cervical ganglia (SCG) of newborn rats, were grown in cell culture. The presence of serotonin was demonstrated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), immunocytochemistry, and electrophysiological recording. Homogenates of cultures contained a substance that comigrated with authentic 5-HT in HPLC. A voltammogram for this substance was superimposed upon that for authentic 5-HT. When the cultures were examined with immunocytochemical staining, using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique, many neuronal processes contained 5-HT-like immunoreactive material. Many somata also contained 5-HT-like immunoreactivity when the neurons were grown in the presence of medium conditioned by heart cells (CM), but few somata stained above background in the absence of CM. Medium that contained a raised concentration of K+ (54 mM) or veratridine evoked Ca2+-dependent release of 5-HT, consistent with a neurotransmitter role for 5-HT in the cultures. In preliminary electrophysiological experiments on microcultures containing single sympathetic principal neurons and cardiac myocytes, a nonadrenergic excitatory (NAE) interaction was sometimes obtained after exposing the neurons to 100 microM 5-hydroxytryptophan. This interaction was sensitive to the serotonin blockers reserpine, methysergide, and gramine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Multiple Polylogarithms: A Brief Survey

We survey various results and conjectures concerning multiple polylogarithms and the multiple zeta function. Among the results, we an- nounce our resolution of several conjectures on multiple zeta values. We also provide a new integral representation for the general multiple polylogarithm, and develop a q-analogue of the shuffle product.
Pathobiology of Helicobacter pylori-induced Gastric Cancer

Colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori and its role in causing gastric cancer is one of the richest examples of a complex relationship among human cells, microbes, and their environment. It is also a puzzle of enormous medical importance given the incidence and lethality of gastric cancer worldwide. We review recent findings that have changed how we view these relationships and affected the direction of gastric cancer research. For example, recent data have indicated that subtle mismatches between host and microbe genetic traits greatly affect the risk of gastric cancer. The ability of H pylori and its oncoprotein CagA to reprogram epithelial cells and activate properties of stemness show the sophisticated relationship between H pylori and progenitor cells in the gastric mucosa. The observation that cell-associated H pylori can colonize the gastric glands and directly affect precursor and stem cells supports these observations. The ability to mimic these interactions in human gastric organoid cultures as well as animal models will allow investigators to more fully unravel the extent of H pylori control on the renewing gastric epithelium. Finally, our realization that external environmental factors, such as dietary components and essential micronutrients, as well as the gastrointestinal microbiota, can change the balance between H pylori's activity as a commensal or a pathogen has provided direction to studies aimed at defining the full carcinogenic potential of this organism.
Educating under-represented minority students in electronics packaging for the 21st century

In response to the changing ethnicity of the U.S. work force and the dearth of individuals from under-represented groups pursuing careers in technical fields, the Georgia Tech Summer Undergraduate Packaging Research and Engineering Experience for Minorities (GT-SUPREEM) has been developed to attract qualified minority students to pursue graduate degrees in electronics packaging-related disciplines. The program is conducted under the auspices of the Georgia Tech Engineering Research Center in Low-Cost Electronic Packaging, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. In the GT-SUPREEM program, junior and senior level undergraduate students are selected on a nationwide basis and paired with a faculty advisor to undertake research projects in the Packaging Research Center. The students are housed on campus and provided with a $3,000 stipend and a travel allowance. At the conclusion of the program, the students present both oral and written project summaries. It has been shown that this experience is extremely successful in motivating these students to attend graduate school, with 89% of the participants opting to do so. This paper will provide an overview of the GT-SUPREEM program, including student research activities, success stories, lessons learned, and overall program outlook.
Continuous-Recording Flame Photometry of Sodium and Potassium in Serum

Serum sodium and potassium can be measured with a continuous-flow system that includes an AutoAnalyzer Sampler II and Proportioning Pump II, a miniature dialyzer, an Instrumentation Laboratories 143 flame photometer, and two strip-chart recorders. A simple interface allows the IL flame photometer to drive the two strip-chart recorders.
THE ORIGINS OF FEMINISM AND THE LIMITS OF ENLIGHTENMENT

The publication of the collection of essays Women, Gender and Enlightenment (ed. Sarah Knott and Barbara Taylor, Houndsmills: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005) affords an unusual opportunity to confront a myriad of interrelated issues, at once definitional and ideological, that face intellectual historians of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and America. The 768-page work came out of a highly unusual collaborative research project conducted from 1998 to 2001, “Feminism and Enlightenment, 1650–1850: A Comparative History,” a series of colloquia, conferences, and Internet exchanges enlisting the participation of over a hundred historians in Europe, North America, and Australia. The product of this extensive interaction showcases the contributions of thirty-eight authors, not only covering a broad array of topics but, still more remarkable, displaying a large degree of consensus about issues of interpretative concern. While dozens of books and articles have anticipated pieces of the arguments made in this volume, never has so extensive an attempt been made to pull them together into a cohesive whole.
The effect of dietary phosphorus on the intermediary metabolism of epiphyseal cartilage from rachitic rats

Abstract 1. 1. Rickets was produced in weanling rats with a diet low in inorganic phosphate and vitamin D. The addition of inorganic phosphate to the diet healed the rickets morphologically, decreased the water and increased the mineral content of teh tibial epiphyses. The concentration of DNA relative to the wet weight was greater in the normal compared to the rachitic epiphyses. 2. 2. Slices of tibial epiphyses from rachitic rats incubated aerobically in vitro produced more labeled and unlabeled lactate from [ 14 C]glucose and [ 14 C]pyruvate than those from rats on standard diets. The ration of 14 CO 2 /[ 14 C]lactate formed was significantly higher in the slices from the normal rats. Addition of phosphate but not vitamin D to the diet of the rachitis rats reversed these changes towards normal. 3. 3. Addition of pyruvate to the incubation medium stimulated production of 14 CO 2 from [ i - 14 C]glucose to a greater extent in the rachitic than in the normal rats. 4. 4. Lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) activity was higher in extracts of teh epiphyseal cartilage from the rachitis rats as compared to the normal. 5. 5. The alteration in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in the rachitis epiphyseal cartilage probably occurs at several different sites.
Grasp adjustment on novel objects using tactile experience from similar local geometry

Due to pose uncertainty, merely executing a planned-to-be stable grasp usually results in an unstable grasp in the physical world. In our previous work [1], we proposed a tactile experience based grasping pipeline which utilizes tactile feedback to adjust hand posture during the grasping task of known objects and improves the performance of robotic grasping under pose uncertainty. In this paper, we extend our work to grasp novel objects by utilizing local geometric similarity. To do this, we select a series of shape primitives to parameterize potential local geometries which novel objects may share in common. We then build a tactile experience database that stores information of stable grasps on these local geometries. Using this tactile experience database, our method is able to guide a grasp adjustment process to grasp novel objects around similar local geometries. Experiments indicate that our approach improves the grasping performance on novel objects with similar local geometries under pose uncertainty.
Population balance modeling. Promise for the future

Population balance modeling has received an unprecedented amount of attention during the past few years from both academic and industrial quarters because of its applicability to a wide variety of particulate processes. In this article, a fresh look is taken of the basic issues of the application of population balances towards strengthening the approach as well as widening the scope of their applications with regard to formulation, computational methods for solution, inverse problems, control of particle populations and stochastic modeling.