cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Steroid Hormone Receptor Activity

Classical steroid hormones (SHs) - estrogens, androgens, progestins, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids - play critical roles in the regulation of reproduction, metabolism and cancer. SHs act via their cognate steroid hormone receptors (SHRs) in multiple target tissues throughout the body, exerting their physiological effects through nuclear receptor (NR)-mediated gene transcription. Since SHRs are the mediators of steroid hormone signalling in cells, regulation of their expression and function is critical for appropriate physiological responses to SHs. Cells regulate SHRs by determining the cellular concentration of SHR proteins in the cell and by tightly regulating their activity through post-translational modifications and interactions with coactivator protein complexes. In this chapter we will examine each of these regulatory mechanisms and assess their functional impact on the activity of SHRs.
Introduction to Human Health, Ecosystems, and Poverty Reduction

Our understanding of the human health impacts of global environmental change resembles ancient maps of the world in which large swaths of the globe were blank with only the words “terra incognita” scrolled across their surfaces and the occasional arrow warning “this way lurk monsters.” This is a nascent field, and there remains more mystery than clarity. Our goal in the following chapters cannot be to provide a comprehensive summary of all the health consequences of global environmental change: most of these consequences have yet to be discovered. We will introduce the reader to what is currently known about the consequences of different classes of environmental change. We hope that the reader will be left with a sense of the scope and magnitude of impacts that are well described, as well as an appreciation for how much remains to be studied.
General routes to porous metal oxides via inorganic and organic templates

The generation of porous metal oxides by removal of template molecules from inorganic polymers formed by sol-gel type hydrolysis and condensation of metal alkoxides is described. The template molecules include organic polymers, copper (II) ions in hybrid copper oxide/silica sols and copper (II) bis(hexafluorocetylacetonate) (hfac). Neutron scattering experiments on the system in which polyacrylic acid (Mw=2,000 Daltons) is used as an organic template to generate microporous tin oxide show that removal of the template generates skeletal voids. In a second series of experiments, mixed copper/silicon oxide xerogels were prepared by hydrolysis of mixtures of Si(OEt)4 and Cu(OCH2CH(CH3)N(CH3)H)2 in the ratios of Si:Cu=2:1, 4:1, 9:1. Selective removal (etching) of the copper component generates porous silica. Neutron scattering data and BET surface area measurements are consistent with the creation of pores with molecular dimensions (micropores, 10 A or less). In the third strategy, Si(OEt)4 is hydrolyzed in the presence of Cu(hfac)2, a volatile, inert inorganic template, in a 4 to 1 molar ratio. Removal of the template from the xerogel at 100°C in vacuo affords microporous silica.
Molecular Contamination and Amplification Product Inactivation

Laboratory strategies for diagnosing and monitoring infections now routinely include nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs), in particular variations of the polymerase chain reaction. These molecular approaches represent a paradigm shift and can often carry diagnostic advantages over traditional culture-based methodologies. Nevertheless, molecular infectious disease testing is not without its caveats and challenges. Notably, the high sensitivity and target amplification nature of these tests can represent a double-edged sword, as it creates the theoretical potential for false-positive results due to carryover contamination from specimen-to-specimen or amplicon-to-specimen. Clinical laboratories that conduct such assays must be acutely aware of this risk, given the potential risk for patient harm that can be caused by spurious detections. The current chapter reviews the phenomenon of carryover contamination in the molecular environment, as well as specific strategies that can be implemented to mitigate the risk as part of a molecular quality assurance program. These measures include both incorporation of biochemical techniques for amplification product inactivation—such that generated amplicons are no longer able to serve as detectable targets for future reactions—and more general practices in assay design and laboratory workflow. Special consideration is given to carryover contamination in the context quantitative assays, multiplex/syndromic molecular platforms, and broad-range PCR technologies.
A single-center experience and review of the literature: 64 Cases of Phyllodes tumors to better understand risk factors and disease management

Phyllodes tumors of the breast are rare fibroepithelial tumors that are characterized as benign, borderline, or malignant based on cellular characteristics such as stromal overgrowth and number of mitoses. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on risk factors and management of patients with phyllodes tumors, which has led to variation in treatment patterns as well as patient outcomes across many institutions. This study seeks to understand the clinicopathologic features, risk factors for local and metastatic recurrence, and clinical outcomes of patients with phyllodes tumors to better define optimal treatment patterns.
Public Access in Decline

Public Access Television in the United States has undergone a serious decline. This chapter introduces the conflict between two ways of explaining the decline of public access: that of technological utopians who believe that technology itself promotes democracy and that of social constructionism and critical theorists who look first to the social shaping of technologies as embedded in relations of power and domination. The first view is important because it is often appealed to by policymakers and municipal leaders. I criticize the technological utopian view for its inherent determinism, its explanatory insufficiency and its political naivety. Technologies alone do not determine the course of social change. I briefly outline the alternative view, and later outline the plan of the book.
Three dimensional volcano-acoustic source localization at Karymsky Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

article i nfo Article history: We test two methods of 3-D acoustic source localization on volcanic explosions and small-scale jetting events at Karymsky Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia. Recent infrasound studies have provided evidence that volcanic jets pro- duce low-frequency aerodynamic sound (jet noise) similar to that from man-made jet engines. For man-made jet noise, noise sources localize along the turbulent jet flow downstream of the nozzle. Discrimination of jet noise sources along the axis of a volcanic jet requires high resolution in the vertical dimension, which is very dif- ficult to achieve with typical volcano-acoustic network geometries. At Karymsky Volcano, an eroded edifice (Dvor Caldera) adjacent to the active cone provideda platform for the deployment of five infrasound sensors in July 2012
Blood utilization and clinical outcomes in pancreatic surgery before and after implementation of patient blood management.

BACKGROUND Over the past decade, patient blood management (PBM) programs have been developed to reduce allogeneic blood utilization. This is particularly important in pancreatic surgery, which has historically been associated with high transfusion requirements and morbid event rates. This study investigated blood utilization and clinical outcomes in pancreatic surgery before, during, and after the implementation of PBM. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 3482 pancreatic surgery patients were assessed in a 10-year retrospective cohort study (2009-2019) at a single academic center. Baseline patient characteristics, transfusion practices, postoperative morbidity (infectious, thrombotic, ischemic, respiratory, and renal complications), mortality, and length of stay were compared between patients in the pre-PBM (2009-2013), early-PBM (2014-2016), and mature-PBM (2017-2019) time periods. Multivariable analysis assessed the odds for composite morbidity/mortality. RESULTS Comparing the mature-PBM to pre-PBM cohorts, transfused units per 100 discharged patients decreased by 53% for erythrocytes (155 to 73; P < .0001), 81% for plasma (79 to 15; P < .038), and 75% for platelets (10 to 2.5; P < .005). Clinical outcomes improved as well, with composite morbid event rates decreasing by more than 50%, from 236 in 1438 patients (16.4%) to 85 in 1145 patients (7.4%) (P < .0001). Mortality and length of stay remained unchanged. Compared to the pre-PBM time period, early-PBM was associated with a risk-adjusted decrease in composite morbidity/mortality (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.57-0.93; P = .010), while mature-PBM demonstrated a further incremental decrease (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.33-0.57; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS The implementation of PBM was associated with substantially decreased blood utilization in pancreatic surgery, without negatively impacting clinical outcomes.
How Is Surgical Risk Best Assessed? A Cohort Comparison of Measures in Total Joint Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND We designed this study to determine whether a Frailty Deficit Index (FI) confers added risk stratification beyond more traditional methods. The associations of preoperative scores on FI, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) with complications after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) were compared. METHODS Using a single institution cohort of adult patients ≥50 years undergoing primary or revision TJA from 2005 to 2016, we assessed how well the FI, CCI, and ASA scores predicted risk of mortality, infection, and reoperation. We performed 7 models for each outcome: FI, ASA, and CCI alone, FI + ASA, FI + CCI, ASA + CCI, and FI + ASA + CCI. Cox proportional hazards regression methods were used to calculate the concordance (C-) statistic, a measure of discrimination. RESULTS Of 18,397 TJAs included, 98.9% were alive 1 year postoperatively. For mortality, all models had concordance between 0.76 and 0.79, with the FI + ASA + CCI model performing highest (C-statistic 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.82). Unadjusted, FI had the strongest concordance (C-statistic 0.77). In FI + ASA + CCI, each increase in 1 comorbidity (of 32 total comorbidities) in the FI was significantly associated with a 12% increase in the rate of mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.12, 95% CI 1.07-1.17, P < .001), 10% increase in infection (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.14; P < .001), and 6% increase in reoperation (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.05-1.08, P < .001). CONCLUSION Identifying at-risk patients preoperatively is crucial and may result in adjustment of postoperative care. FI was independently associated with risk of adverse outcomes following TJA even after taking into account other predictive measures.
Surgical anatomy and nuances of the extended endoscopic endonasal transtuberculum sellae approach: pearls and pitfalls for complications avoidance

Using the expanded endoscopic transtuberculum approach (EETA), the nuances of this technique have rendered a safe, direct, and feasible ventral corridor for the treatment of extending suprasellar pathologies. This study illustrates surgical landmarks and strategies of paramount importance for complications avoidance. This study presents the surgical anatomy and nuances of EETA, which can be used to remove large pituitary adenomas with suprasellar extension. Special references to cadaveric dissections highlight anatomical landmarks and surgical key points for complications avoidance. The EETA represents a versatile route for the treatment of sellar/suprasellar pathologies. Although, sizeable extrasellar pituitary tumors still pose a threat due to displacement/encasement of surrounding structures, necessitating accurate knowledge of correlative operative anatomy with traditional landmarks. Complete resection of extrasellar components is essential to avoid postoperative apoplexy.
Using kinetic eGFR to identify acute kidney injury risk in children undergoing cardiac transplantation.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common following pediatric cardiac transplantation. Since no treatments exist, strategies focus on early identification and prevention. Kinetic glomerular filtration rate (kGFR) was developed to assess renal function in the non-steady state. Although used to predict AKI in adults, kGFR has not been explored in children. Our study examines AKI and the ability of kGFR to identify AKI risk in pediatric heart transplant recipients. One hundred and seventy-five patients under 21 years who underwent cardiac transplantation at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital between September 2007–December 2017 were included. kGFR1 was calculated using pre-operative and immediate post-operative creatinines; kGFR2 was calculated with the first two post-operative creatinines. The primary outcome was AKI as defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria. One hundred and thirty-one (75%) and 78 (45%) patients developed AKI and severe AKI, respectively; 5 (2.9%) required dialysis. kGFR was moderately associated with post-operative AKI risk. The adjusted area under the curve (AUC) for kGFR1 was 0.72 (discovery) and 0.65 (validation). The AUC for kGFR2 was 0.72 (discovery) and 0.68 (validation). AKI is pervasive in children undergoing cardiac transplant, particularly in the 24 h after surgery. kGFR moderately identifies AKI risk and may represent a novel risk stratification technique.
Social Cohesion and Informal Social Control as Mediators Between Neighborhood Poverty and Child Maltreatment

Neighborhoods have profound impacts on children and families. Using structural equation modeling and data from 4,898 children in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the current study examines the direct and indirect effects of neighborhood poverty on the likelihood of being maltreated at age 5. Two neighborhood social processes, social cohesion and informal social control, were examined as mediators. The study found that neighborhood poverty was indirectly related to physical assault and psychological aggression through its impact on social cohesion, and indirectly related to neglect through its impact on informal social control. The results highlight the need to reduce poverty across communities and increase social cohesion and social control as potential pathways for interrupting the impact of neighborhood poverty on maltreatment.
Updates and Challenges in Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Clostridioides difficile Infection in Children.

ABSTRACT: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is currently the most effective but loosely regulated therapy, for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) in pediatrics. Over the last 2 years, there have been mounting challenges in the ability to provide FMT to pediatric patients. Firstly, an Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety alert in 2019 reported transmission of a multidrug resistant organism from FMT donor to recipient resulting in the death of 1 patient. Secondly, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic induced further safety and regulatory challenges. Biotherapeutics are promising and more readily regulated treatment options for rCDI, which may replace FMT in the near future for adults upon regulatory agency approvals. Such approvals, however, are expected to be significantly delayed for children, raising concerns for limited access to effective treatment for children with rCDI. In this commentary, we discuss the recent challenges and future directions of FMT and microbial therapeutics in children with rCDI.
Wire, Hybrid, and Laser-Cut X-Pinch Emission Studies for Talbot-Lau X-Ray Deflectometry

Talbot-Lau X-ray Deflectometry (TXD) is a refraction-based imaging diagnostic that enables plasma electron density mapping through Moire imaging. TXD has been studied and developed with the goal of diagnosing high energy density plasmas and the adaptation of pulsed-power systems is presented. X-pinches are well-known for generating fast (~1 ns), small (~1 µm) X-ray sources. Three distinct copper x- pinch configurations were driven on the compact Linear Transformer Driver GenASIS (~200 kA, 150 ns). Wire, hybrid, and laser-cut x-pinches were studied as potential backlighter sources for TXD. X-ray emission from each configuration was analyzed in context of x-ray backlighter requirements for the TXD systems implemented. Spatial and temporal resolution, number of sources, time of emission, spectrum, and reproducibility were characterized through a suit of diagnostics. Results and analysis of x-ray emission from wire, hybrid, and laser-cut x-pinch configurations are presented along with recommendations for future experimental improvements and applications. Electron density of static objects was retrieved from Moire images. Mass density was retrieved with 11% error for hybrid x- pinches and 4% for laser-cut x-pinches. Laser-cut x-pinches were found to be the optimal x-pinch configuration for TXD due to their high reproducibility, small source size (≤ 5 µm), short duration (~1 ns FWHM), and up to 10 6 W peak power at ~8 keV, matching the Talbot-Lau interferometer design energy. Plasma loads were imaged through TXD for the first- time using laser-cut x-pinch backlighting. Experimental images agreed well with X-ray Wave-Front Propagation simulations, demonstrating that TXD can be a powerful x-ray refraction-based diagnostic for dense Z-pinch loads.
Some Effects of Fire Suppression and Prescribed Burning on Birds and Small Mammals in Sagebrush

Ecosystems in northwestern Wyoming have remained relatively unpertrubed by fire for the last 70-80 years. Recently a fire management plan was implemented in the Teton wilderness allowing natural fires to burn, and similar plans are being developed for other wilderness areas in Wyoming and central Idaho. Large portions of these areas consist of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) communities where natural fires frequently occur. Prescribed burning in sagebrush is also an expanding program in this region. Burning is often used to reduce sagebrush densities, increase forage production for livestock and improve certain wildlife habitat. Plans to use prescribed fire to simulate the ecological effects of a natural fire regime in Jackson Hole are also being developed. These plans are based on the contention that fires are necessary to maintain diversity within many ecosystems of the Jackson Hole region, and the exclusion of fire has resulted in increased areas occupied by sagebrush communities. Studies of the effects of fire in sagebrush on consumers, including both invertebrates and vertebrates, are virtually non-existent. Even for some of the more conspicuous groups like birds, the best available information on response to shrub habitat alteration comes from studies on the effects of herbicides. This study was designed to explore the response of bird and small mammal density and diversity to fire. Field operations were based from the JHBRS at Moran, Wyoming.
Diatoms as Endosymbionts

Diatoms, or their plastids, are symbionts of four different families of foraminifera. Evidence suggests that the evolution of these families was driven by their symbiotic relationships. All hosts are many times larger than their ancestors, have complex subcompartmentalization, and have multiple nuclei and internal organelles (e.g., Golgi, mitochondria). The diatom symbionts and the captured plastids are photosynthetically active. Symbiotic diatoms have a 104 kDa glycoprotein epitope on their surfaces that is recognized by receptors on the host’s reticulopodia. Less than two dozen species of diatoms are involved in the phenomenon. All are small (≤10 μm). Nitzschia frustulum var. symbiotica is the most common species. This species along with two other species of Nitzschia, N. laevis Hustedt and N. panduriformis var. continua Grunow in Cleve and Grunow, Nanofrustulum shiloi (Lee, Reimer, and McEnery), Amphora roettgerii Lee and Reimer, and Amphora erezii Reimer and Lee, were isolated from over 75% of the associations. Several diatom species have unusual mechanisms for size regeneration. Host homogenate experiments suggest that there are signals that cause the symbiotic diatoms not to form frustules and to release their photosynthetates. Benefits to the holobiont and to each symbiont are discussed.
I AM THE GREATEST OF PROPHETS

A document recently found among Joseph Angus’s papers in the Angus Library provides for the first time an eyewitness account of Robert Hall’s mental disturbance in 1804.
Rat duodenal iron-binding protein mobilferrin is a homologue of calreticulin

Abstract Background: Mobilferrin is a water soluble 56-kilodalton protein isolated from human and rat duodenal mucosa. It binds iron and other transitional metals in vivo and in vitro and is postulated to play a role in their absorption and intracellular metabolism. The purpose of this study was to characterize mobilferrin. Methods: Mobilferrin was characterized by identification of the N-terminal amino acid sequence, two-dimensional protein electrophoresis, and studies of mobilferrin and homologues using anti-mobilferrin antibody and competitive metal binding. Results: The N-terminal amino acid sequence of mobilferrin was Asp-Pro-Ala-Ile-Tyr-Phe-Lys-Glu-Gln-Phe-Leu-Asp-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Thrand is a homologue of calreticulin (calregulin). The proteins had a similar molecular mass (56 kilodalton) and isoelectric point (4.7). Anti-mobilferrin antibodies react with calreticulin. Both proteins bind iron and calcium but have a greater affinity for iron. Conclusions: Mobilferrin and calreticulin are homologues that bind iron with greater affinity than calcium and other transitional metals. Competitive binding of metals by mobilferrin provides insight into the absorptive pathway shared by both essential and toxic transitional metals.
PATELLOFEMORAL JOINT FRACTURE LOAD PREDICTION USING PHYSICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

Lower extremity (knee) injury prediction resulting from impact trauma is presently based on a bone fracture (BF) criterion derived from experiments on predominantly aged cadavers. Subsequent experimental and theoretical studies indicate that more aged, pathological specimens require higher, rather than lower, loads to initiate BF. This suggests that a BF criterion based solely on aged specimens may not be indicative of the current driving population. In the current study, the authors sought to determine if cadaver age, physical size, sex, baseline joint pathology, or patellar geometry correlated with fracture load. An analysis was made of data from previous impact experiments conducted on 15 isolated cadaver knees using a consistent impact protocol. The protocol consisted of sequentially increasing the impact energy with a rigid interface until gross fracture. Gross BFs occurred at loads of 6.9 +/- kN (range 3.2-10.6 kN) using this protocol. Regression analyses revealed that fracture load was predicted by only 1 parameter: patellar geometry. Alternately, the authors developed a 2-D mathematical model of the human knee to explore parameters that might influence the loads required to cause gross BF. In support of the authors' recent experimental studies using rigid and padded impact interfaces, the model suggested that load intensity and it's distribution over the knee play a role in defining the fracture load as well as the site (patella or femur) of patellofemoral joint injury.
Chapter 4 Multiparameter Analysis of Leukocytes by Flow Cytometry

Publisher Summary Multiparameter analysis is complex and time consuming because populations that are labeled with more than one antibody must be individually identified. Each file must be analyzed separately because current software is not capable of analyzing data automatically in a reliable fashion. This is because the relative positions of populations resolved by multiple antibodies can move relative to one another when the same panel is used with different subjects. Multiple antibodies provide the opportunity to resolve unique cell populations that cannot otherwise be identified. These populations may be most important in understanding normal and disease processes. This chapter discusses the strategies for analyzing this type of data and the pitfalls encountered in multiparameter data acquisition and analysis. The chapter aims to illustrate the procedures that will lead to good flow cytometry data acquisition and analysis and to illustrate problematic areas. The most important rule of all is to recognize when there is a problem. The principles discussed in the chapter can be applied to any type of cell population.
Hereditary Substitution for the \lambda\Delta-Calculus

Hereditary substitution is a form of type-bounded iterated substitution, first made explicit by Watkins et al. and Adams in order to show normalization of proof terms for various constructive logics. This paper is the first to apply hereditary substitution to show normalization of a type theory corresponding to a non-constructive logic, namely the lambda-Delta calculus as formulated by Rehof. We show that there is a non-trivial extension of the hereditary substitution function of the simply-typed lambda calculus to one for the lambda-Delta calculus. Then hereditary substitution is used to prove normalization.
Two Concepts of Corruption

To combat institutional corruption, we need to distinguish it clearly from individual corruption. Individual corruption occurs when an institution or its officials receive a benefit that does not serve the institution and provides a service through relationships external to the institution under conditions that reveal a quid pro quo motive. Institutional corruption occurs when an institution or its officials receive a benefit that is directly useful to performing an institutional purpose, and systematically provides a service to the benefactor under conditions that tend to undermine procedures that support the primary purposes of the institution. Institutional corruption does not receive the attention it deserves partly because it is so closely (and often unavoidably) related to conduct that is part of the job of a responsible official, the perpetrators are often seen as (and are) respectable officials just trying to do their job, and the legal system and public opinion are more comfortable with condemning wrongdoing that has a corrupt motive. Yet institutional corruption, which is usually built into the routines and practices of organizations, is usually more damaging to the institution and society than individual corruption, which in advanced societies typically consists of isolated acts of misconduct with effects limited in time and scope.
A majority of cotton genes are expressed in single-celled fiber

Multicellular eukaryotes contain a diversity of cell types, presumably differing from one another in the suite of genes expressed during development. At present, little is known about the proportion of the genome transcribed in most cell types, nor the degree to which global patterns of expression change during cellular differentiation. To address these questions in a model plant system, we studied the unique and highly exaggerated single-celled, epidermal seed trichomes (“cotton”) of cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). By taking advantage of advances in expression profiling and microarray technology, we evaluated the transcriptome of cotton fibers across a developmental time-course, from a few days post-anthesis through primary and secondary wall synthesis stages. Comparisons of gene expression in populations of developing cotton fiber cells to genetically complex reference samples derived from 6 different cotton organs demonstrated that a remarkably high proportion of the cotton genome is transcribed, with 75–94% of the total genome transcribed at each stage. Compared to the reference samples, more than half of all genes were up-regulated during at least one stage of fiber development. These genes were clustered into seven groups of expression profiles that provided new insight into biological processes governing fiber development. Genes implicated in vesicle coating and trafficking were found to be overexpressed throughout all stages of fiber development studied, indicating their important role in maintaining rapid growth of this unique plant cell.
MICROSCOPY STUDIES OF THE PALYGORSKITE-TO-SMECTITE TRANSFORMATION

The transformation process between palygorskite and smectite was studied by examining the morphological and structural relationships between these two minerals in an assemblage from the Meigs Member of the Hawthorne Formation, southern Georgia. Studied samples were related to an alteration horizon with a tan clay unit above and a blue clay unit below. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the mechanism of transformation. From AFM data, both clay units contain euhedral palygorskite fibers. Many fibers are found as parallel intergrowths joined along the [010] direction to form ‘raft-like’ bundles. Degraded fibers, which are common in the tan clay, have a distinctly segmented morphology, suggesting a dissolution texture. Many of the altered palygorskite fibers in the tan clay exhibit an oriented overgrowth of another mineral phase, presumably smectite, displaying a platy morphology. This latter mineral forms along the length of the palygorskite crystals with an interface parallel to {010} of the palygorskite. The resulting grain structures have an elongate ‘wing-like’ morphology. Imaging by TEM of tan clay material shows smectite lattice-fringe lines intergrown with 2:1 layer ribbon modules (polysomes) of the palygorskite. These features indicate an epitaxial overgrowth of smectite on palygorskite and illustrate the structural relationship between platy overgrowths on fibers observed in AFM data. The epitaxial relationship is described as {010} [001] palygorskite ‖ {010} [001] smectite. Energy dispersive spectroscopy indicates that the smectite is ferrian montmorillonite. Polysomes of palygorskite fibers involved in these textures commonly vary and polysome widths are consistent with double tetrahedral chains (10.4 A), triple tetrahedral chains (14.8 A), quadruple tetrahedral chains (21.7 A) and quintuple tetrahedral chains (24.5 A). The transformation of palygorskite to smectite and the resulting intergrowths will cause variations in bulk physical properties of palygorskite-rich clays. The observation of this transformation in natural samples suggests that this transformation mechanism may be responsible for the lower abundance of palygorskite in Mesozoic and older sediments.
The Role of Visual Ornamentation in Female Choice of a Multimodal Male Courtship Display

The courtship behavior of male Schizocosa uetzi wolf spiders incorporates both visual and seismic signals into a multimodal display. These two signals have been shown to interact in such a manner that the seismic signal alters a female's response to the visual signal, leading to a putative increased importance of visual signaling in the presence of a seismic signal. Experiments leading to this attention-focusing hypothesis relied in part on the video playback technique, eliciting the question of its significance under more biologically relevant conditions. Here, we directly examine female mate choice of males with differing visual signals (foreleg pigmentation) both in the presence and absence of a seismic courtship signal. We first quantified the natural variation of male foreleg pigmentation within a population of S. uetzi. The proportion of the tibia covered in pigmentation was found to be positively correlated with male weight, suggesting that this signal may convey reliable information about male size. Visual signals of live males were then manipulated into two treatments: black and brown male foreleg tibias, representing the extreme ends of the natural variation found. The seismic signaling environment was also manipulated into two treatments: seismic signal present and absent. Mating frequency was higher in the presence of a seismic signal than in its absence, but there was no interaction between the seismic and visual signaling treatments. Females mated with black and brown males equally whether a seismic signal was present or absent. This study suggests that inexperienced females do not distinguish between males of different manipulated foreleg pigmentations in mate-choice decisions, even when in the presence of a seismic courtship signal.
Multilayer relaxation features on (100) and (111) surfaces of β-SiC

Multilayer relaxation features were investigated for beta-SiC surfaces. Calculations include (1 x 1), (2 x 1) and c(2 x 2) phases of the (100) surface, and the (1 x 1) structure of the (111) surface. For both C- and Si-terminated surfaces, variations in the top three interlayer spacings were calculated. The largest vertical displacement was calculated for the top interlayer spacing of the (111) surface. In general, it was found that top interlayer spacings contract, while the second interlayer spacings expand moderately. The third interlayer spacings, on the other hand, were found to exhibit very small amounts of contractions. Dimerization energies and bond distances were also calculated for reconstructed phases of the (100) surface. Calculated results were compared with data from the literature.
Dapsone in the treatment of erosive lichen planus

A patient with erosive lichen planus responded to therapy with dapsone after multiple therapeutic modalities had failed. The potential usefulness of dapsone therapy for lymphocyte-mediated inflammatory diseases such as erosive lichen planus is suggested.
Towards Large-Scale Unsupervised Relation Extraction from the Web

The Web brings an open-ended set of semantic relations. Discovering the significant types is very challenging. Unsupervised algorithms have been developed to extract relations from a corpus without knowing the relation types in advance, but most rely on tagging arguments of predefined types. One recently reported system is able to jointly extract relations and their argument semantic classes, taking a set of relation instances extracted by an open IE Information Extraction algorithm as input. However, it cannot handle polysemy of relation phrases and fails to group many similar "synonymous" relation instances because of the sparseness of features. In this paper, the authors present a novel unsupervised algorithm that provides a more general treatment of the polysemy and synonymy problems. The algorithm incorporates various knowledge sources which they will show to be very effective for unsupervised relation extraction. Moreover, it explicitly disambiguates polysemous relation phrases and groups synonymous ones. While maintaining approximately the same precision, the algorithm achieves significant improvement on recall compared to the previous method. It is also very efficient. Experiments on a real-world dataset show that it can handle 14.7 million relation instances and extract a very large set of relations from the Web.
Shen and Cinema in 1930s Shanghai

In her article "Shen (1904-1940) film 十字街頭 (1937) (Crossroads Hollywood and Soviet cinema in 1930s explores the transcultural and transmedial possibilities and potentials in the in the 1930s and the unruly energy and unique aesthetic characteristics embedded in the process of creative mimesis and transplantation. While in the paradoxical attitude toward US-American and Soviet films, Chinese filmmaker narrative and formal style in the process of a trans > ISSN 1481-4374 15 Issue 2 (June 2013) Article 16 Ling Zhang, Cinema in 1930s Shanghai" .purdue.edu/clcweb/vol15/iss2/16> 15.2 (2013) Asian Culture(s) and Globalization Ed. I-Chun Wang and Li Guo > and Cinema in 1930s Shanghai" Ling Zhang analyzes ) influence of foreign film practice and concepts from Shanghai. By an analysis of the film's cinematic style, context of cinema culture 1930s Chinese cinema had an ambivalent and Shen developed his own -cultural practice of visual reinterpretation. > ©Purdue University
The Generalizability of Scores for a Performance Assessment Scored with a Computer-Automated Scoring System.

When performance assessments are delivered and scored by computer, the costs of scoring may be substantially lower than those of scoring the same assessment based on expert review of the individual performances. Computerized scoring algorithms also ensure that the scoring rules are implemented precisely and uniformly. Such computerized algorithms represent an effort to encode the scoring policies of experts. This raises the question, would a different group of experts have produced a meaningfully different algorithm? The research reported in this paper uses generalizability theory to assess the impact of using independent, randomly equivalent groups of experts to develop the scoring algorithms for a set of computer-simulation tasks designed to measure physicians' patient management skills. The results suggest that the impact of this "expert group" effect may be significant but that it can be controlled with appropriate test development strategies. The appendix presents multivariate generalizability analysis to examine the stability of the assessed proficiency across scores representing the scoring policies of different groups of experts.
Evolution of sensory aroma attributes from coffee beans to brewed coffee.

Abstract This study investigated the impact of degree of roasting, grinding, and brewing on the evolution of coffee aroma in green coffee beans from Ethiopia, Hawaii, and El Salvador. Using a highly-trained descriptive panel, 15 aromatic sensory attributes were identified and quantified in green beans, roasted beans (light, medium, and dark), ground coffee, and brewed coffee. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal components analysis (PCA) were done separately for each preparation stage/step. The ANOVA showed that green beans had low coffee-related characteristics and were high in beany, green, musty/earthy, and sour aromatics, all of which carried through to the final brews. In general, the light roast was perceived to be sweeter in all stages and the darker roasts attained higher intensity of the typical ‘coffee’ attributes with which coffee consumers might like (coffee, roasted, burnt/acrid, and ashy/sooty). The aroma profiles generated were more influenced by the preparation stages and degrees of roasting than the coffee varieties.
Stress analysis in solidification processes: Application to continuous casting

Abstract Calculations of thermal stresses in solidifying materials have been carried out using thermal-elastoplastic finite element method. The temperature history in the process of solidification was calculated first by the temperature recovery method and then transferred to the MARC code for the stress analysis. The scheme was applied to a complete analysis of continuous casting of low carbon steel. According to the two-dimensional model, the predicted depth of the liquid pool showed good agreement with experimental measurement. The analysis results were compiled into temperature history, shell thickness, stress history, principal stress distributions, residual stresses and deformation.
Understanding the Sarbanes-Oxley Act—A valued added approach for public interest

Abstract There has been an explosion of renewed interest in ethical behavior. This attention has been the result of the continuous notoriety of the corporate, community, and educational misdeeds. This trend has called for increased corporate governance and accountability. This interest has been fueled by the wrongdoings at Enron, WorldCom, Martha Stewart, Tyco, Citigroup, Qwest, Arthur Andersen, and Adlephia, to name a few. To mitigate these activities, an effort is underway to reestablish public confidence and impose additional requirements to enhance financial reporting and disclosure. This endeavor includes the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on 30 July 2002. This act establishes new substantive and procedural requirements for public companies, their officers and directors with the intent to improve the quality of financial reporting, disclosure, and auditing. In short, public interest is taken into consideration. In this study, the 11 titles of the act are examined and interpreted as to their impact.
Pressure and composition of a weakly degenerate nucleon gas

The equation of state and species concentrations of a hot neutral gas of neutrons, protons, electrons, positrons, and muons are determined in the temperature range 5 x 10/sup 10/--10/sup 11/ degreeK and density range 5 x 10/sup 10/--10/sup 14/ g/cm/sup 3/. The gas is considered to be in local thermal and chemical equilibrium under the effect of weak and strong interactions. A virial expansion is constructed to include second-order statistical and dynamical terms, the latter through experimental nucleon-nucleon scattering phase shifts. Decreases in pressure and increases in electron number densities are found to be quite modest. (AIP)
Racial disparities in quality of medication use in older adults: findings from a longitudinal study.

Abstract Background The quality of medication use in older adults is suboptimal, with a large percentage of individuals not receiving recommended care. Most efforts to evaluate the quality of medication use target high-risk drugs, appropriate treatment of prevalent chronic disease states, or a set of predefined quality indicators of medication use rather than the patient. It is also suggested that racial differences in the quality of medication use may exist in older adults. Objective This study was conducted to determine the prevalence, number, and types of medication-related problems in older adults, examining the impact of race on quality medication use. Methods This was a prospective cohort study involving in-home interviews and medical record reviews of community-residing older adults, stratified by race, conducted 3 times over 1 year. No intervention to address medication-related problems was performed. The quality of medication use was reported as medication-related problems by clinical pharmacists. Results Of the 200 participants (100 blacks, 100 whites), mean age was 78.3 (whites) and 75.5 (blacks), and the majority of patients were female. Although whites used more medications than blacks (mean, 11.6 vs 9.7; P Conclusions Medication-related problems were prevalent in both black and white older adults and persisted over 1 year. Blacks had more medication-related problems than whites, including higher rates of nonadherence. These findings require further study to better understand racial disparities in the quality of medication use in older adults and the impact of race on specific medication-related problems.
Optimal affine-invariant matching: performance characterization

The geometric hashing scheme proposed by Lamdan and Wolfson can be very efficient in a model-based matching system, not only in terms of the computational complexity involved, but also in terms of the simplicity of the method. In a recent paper, we discussed errors that can occur with this method due to quantization, stability, symmetry, and noise problems. These errors make the original geometric hashing technique unsuitable for use on the factory floor. Beginning with an explicit noise model, which the original Lamdan and Wolfson technique lacks, we derived an optimal approach that overcomes these problems. We showed that the results obtained with the new algorithm are clearly better than the results from the original method. This paper addresses the performance characterization of the geometric hashing technique, more specifically the affine-invariant point matching, applied to the problem of recognizing and determining the pose of sheet metal parts. The experiments indicate that with a model having 10 to 14 points, with 2 points of the model undetected and 10 extraneous points detected, and with the model points perturbed by Gaussian noise of standard deviation 3 (0.58 of range), the average amount of computation required to obtain an answer is equivalent to trying 11 of the possible three-point bases. The misdetection rate, measured by the percentage of correct bases matches that fail to verify, is 0.9. The percentage of incorrect bases that successfully produced a match that did verify (false alarm rate) is 13. And, finally, 2 of the experiments failed to find a correct match and verify it. Results for experiments with real images are also presented.
Symphony: A platform for search-driven applications

We present the design of Symphony, a platform that enables non-developers to build and deploy a new class of search-driven applications that combine their data and domain expertise with content from search engines and other web services. The Symphony prototype has been built on top of Microsoft's Bing infrastructure. While Symphony naturally makes use of the customization capabilities exposed by Bing, its distinguishing feature is the capability it provides to the application creator to combine their proprietary data and domain expertise with content obtained from Bing. They can also integrate specialized data obtained from web services to enhance the richness of their applications. Finally, Symphony is targeted at non-developers and provides cloud services for the creation and deployment of applications.
Sm-Nd isotopic evolution of chondrites and achondrites. II

The ^(147)Sm-^(143)Nd and ^(146)Sm-^(142)Nd isotope systematics have been investigated in five chondrites and the achondrites Moama and Angra dos Reis (ADOR). The new chondrite data and those we have reported before are all consistent with our previously reported reference values for CHUR (“chondritic uniform reservoir”) of (^(143)Nd/^(144)Nd)_(CHUR)^0 = 0.511847 and (^(147)Sm/^(144)Nd)_(CHUR)^0 = 0.1967. Most of the bulk chondrites analyzed have ^(143)Nd/^(144)Nd and ^(147)Sm/^(144)Nd within 0.5 e-units and 0.15% of the CHUR values, respectively. This strongly suggests that the CHUR evolution is now known to within these error limits throughout the history of the solar system. The St. Severin chondrite yields an Sm-Nd internal isochron age of T = 4.55 ± 0.33AE and an initial e_(Nd) = 0.11 ∓ 0.26. Much larger variations in Sm/Nd ratios were measured in mineral separates of the Moama and ADOR achondrites. Thus, very precise ages of 4.46 ± 0.03 AE and 4.564 ± 0.037 AE were obtained for these meteorites, respectively. The initial e_(Nd) values obtained for Moama and ADOR are 0.03 ∓ 0.25 and 0.14 ∓ 0.20, respectively. The values obtained on these meteorites are fully consistent with the CHUR evolution curve. Initial e_(Nd) data on terrestrial igneous and meta-igneous rocks demonstrates that positive initial e_(Nd) values occur throughout the past 4 AE. This confirms our earlier report that a light rare earth element-depleted layer has existed throughout most of the Earth history and is the source of present-day mid-ocean ridge basalts. The inferred shape of the e_(Nd) vs. age curve for the depleted mantle suggests profound changes in tectonic regimes with time; in particular, it suggests a much higher rate of recycling of continental materials into the mantle during the Archean as compared to later time periods. ^(146)Sm-^(142)Nd systematics of ADOR and Moama are supportive of the hypothesis that ^(146)Sm was present in the early solar system and suggests a ^(146)Sm/^(144)Sm ratio of about 0.01 for the solar system ∼ 4.56 AE ago. This inferred high ^(146)Sm abundance cannot be explained as a late injection from a supernova and must be due to galactic nucleo-synthesis.