cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface velocity and impact pressure of green water flow on a fixed model structure in a large wave basin

Abstract The present study investigated green water velocities and impact pressures caused by the impact of overtopping waves on a fixed deck structure in a large-scale, three-dimensional deep-water wave basin. Using the bubble image velocimetry technique, detailed two-dimensional surface flow structures on a horizontal plane, including the temporal and spatial distributions of the maximum horizontal velocities, were successfully obtained. Pressure measurements were also obtained along four different vertical positions at three different locations on the horizontal plane. Based on the mean velocity distributions on the deck surface, the most significant spatial variability of the propagating green water flow is the protruding wave front near the center of the deck during the early stages of the wave overtopping. The maximum front speed of 1.5C was first observed near the midpoint of the deck along the deck centerline with C being the wave phase speed. The flow velocities decreased to below 1C once the wave front passed the rear edge of the deck. Most of the measured pressures showed impulsive impacts characterized by a sudden rise of the pressure peak. The highest pressure was observed as 1.65 ρ C 2 at a midpoint and a rear edge of the deck with ρ being the water density. Correlations between wave kinetic energy and dynamic pressure were examined to determine the impact coefficients. The phase speed based impact coefficient was found to vary within a narrow range between 0.29 and 1.69 and a practical value of 1.5 may be used in applications. It appears that the impact pressures on the structures were strongly affected by the changing front shape of the broken wave and the impulsiveness of the impinging wave that contains a considerable amount of air entrainment.
Things That Go Together: A Review of Stimulus-Response Compatibility and Related Effects

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a review of stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility and related effects. The S-R ensemble must be learnable and usable. The humans who constitute the system's liveware must be able to learn to associate the symbols in the response alphabet with those in the stimulus alphabet and to do so well enough to perform consistently and correctly. S-R compatibility effects are also relatively stable, but they are accentuated under conditions of workload stress. Extraneous activity, such as a secondary task, affects performance least with the most compatible ensembles and degrades performance most with the least compatible pairings. The use of highly compatible S-R ensembles tends to optimize both human performances and the system performances that are dependent upon those human performances. The discovery and use of the mechanisms underlying S-R compatibility effects is basic to the development of effective human-factors applications. The studies indicate that relative S-R compatibility tends to increase in proportion to the degree of direct physical correspondence between the paired stimulus and response alphabets. This observation can be safely generalized to all other ensembles employing similar types of perceptual-motor performances.
Adaptive oscillator control for a vibrational gyroscope

We present an adaptive controller for the drive axis of a vibrational gyroscope. A piezoelectrically driven gyroscope is operated as an oscillator circuit, by using a destabilizing positive feedback with automatic gain control. We adapt the feedback loop gain to obtain the desired amplitude for the oscillation and a parameter of the phase shift component in the feedback loop to yield a 90/spl deg/ phase shift. No sinusoidal driving input is required, and naturally occurring noise is the only input. The resulting oscillation is at the drive axis resonant frequency.
Contributions of Pathway and Neuron to Preferential Motor Reinnervation

Motor axons regenerating after transection of mixed nerve preferentially reinnervate distal muscle branches, a process termed preferential motor reinnervation (PMR). Motor axon collaterals appear to enter both cutaneous and muscle Schwann cell tubes on a random basis. Double-labeling studies suggest that PMR is generated by pruning collaterals from cutaneous pathways while maintaining those in motor pathways (the "pruning hypothesis"). If all collaterals projecting to muscle are saved, then stimulation of regenerative sprouting should increase specificity by increasing the number of motoneurons with at least one collateral in a muscle pathway. In the current experiments, collateral sprouting is stimulated by crushing the nerve proximal to the repair site before suture, a maneuver that also conditions the neuron and predegenerates the distal pathway. Control experiments are performed to separate these effects from those of collateral generation. Experiments were performed on the rat femoral nerve and evaluated by exposing its terminal cutaneous and muscle branches to HRP or Fluoro-Gold. Crush proximal to the repair site increased motor axon collaterals at least fivefold and significantly increased the percentage of correctly projecting motoneurons, consistent with the pruning hypothesis. Conditioning the nerve with distal crushes before repair had no effect on specificity. A graft model was used to separate the effects of collateral generation and distal stump predegeneration. Previous crush of the proximal femoral nerve significantly increased the specificity of fresh graft reinnervation. Stimulation of regenerative collateral sprouting thus increased PMR, confirming the pruning hypothesis. However, this effect was overshadowed by the dramatic specificity with which predegenerated grafts were reinnervated by fresh uncrushed proximal axons. These unexpected effects of predegeneration on specificity could involve a variety of possible mechanisms and warrant further study because of their mechanistic and clinical implications.
Scaffold structure and fabrication method affect proinflammatory milieu in three-dimensional-cultured chondrocytes.

Cartilage tissue engineering has emerged as an attractive therapeutic option for repairing damaged cartilage tissue in the arthritic joint. High levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines present at arthritic joints can cause cartilage destruction and instability of the engineered cartilage tissue, and thus it is critical to engineer strong and stable cartilage that is resistant to the inflammatory environment. In the present study, we demonstrate that scaffolding materials with different pore sizes and fabrication methods influence the microenvironment of chondrocytes and the response of these cells to pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and TNFα. Silk scaffolds prepared using the organic solvent hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) as compared to an aqueous-based method, as well as those with larger pore sizes, supported the deposition of higher cartilage matrix levels and lower expression of cartilage matrix degradation-related genes, as well as lower expression of endogenous pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β in articular chondrocytes. These biochemical properties could be related to the physical properties of the scaffolds such as the water uptake and the tendency to leach or adsorb pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, scaffold structure may influence the behavior of chondrocytes by influencing the microenvironment under inflammatory conditions, and should be considered as an important component for bioengineering stable cartilage tissues.
It Takes a Team to Run a Restaurant: Introducing Elementary Students to the Interrelatedness of Occupations

This action-oriented classroom career guidance activity introduces elementary school students to the need for workers to work together in operating a newly opened restaurant. Through the use of pantomime and role play, students quickly realize that running a restaurant requires a variety of employees who work well together as members of a team.
Understanding the Social Context of the ASGM Sector in Ghana: A Qualitative Description of the Demographic, Health, and Nutritional Characteristics of a Small-Scale Gold Mining Community in Ghana

This descriptive paper describes factors related to demographics and health in an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) community in Ghana’s Upper East Region. Participants (n = 114) were surveyed in 2010 and 2011, adapting questions from the established national Demographic Health Survey (DHS) on factors such as population characteristics, infrastructure, amenities, education, employment, maternal and child health, and diet. In the study community, some indicators of household wealth (e.g., radios, mobile phones, refrigerators) are more common than elsewhere in Ghana, yet basic infrastructure (e.g., cement flooring, sanitation systems) and access to safe water supplies are lacking. Risk factors for poor respiratory health, such as cooking with biomass fuel smoke and smoking tobacco, are common. Certain metrics of maternal and child health are comparable to other areas of Ghana (e.g., frequency of antenatal care), whereas others (e.g., antenatal care from a skilled provider) show deficiencies. Residents surveyed do not appear to lack key micronutrients, but report lower fruit and vegetable consumption than other rural areas. The results enable a better understanding of community demographics, health, and nutrition, and underscore the need for better demographic and health surveillance and data collection across ASGM communities to inform effective policies and programs for improving miner and community health.
A Great Imitator: Sarcoidosis

With the practice of medicine becoming more “cook-book” oriented, it is easy for physicians to develop tunnel vision. It is important for us to be reminded that differentials still exist and that certain multi-organ diseases can easily and often mimick more sinister pathology. This case report presents a patient with a history of cervical cancer who presented with a clinical picture of widespread metastatic disease. Workup eventually lead to a diagnosis of multi-organ sarcoidosis, still a serious condition but less ominous than the alternative. A potential relationship between sarcoid and malignancy is also discussed. J Med Cases. 2013;4(6):426-428 doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jmc1280w
Exploring the Correlation between Halorespirer Biomarker Concentrations and TCE Dechlorination Rates

Whether the concentration of selected genetic biomarkers could be correlated to the rate of trichloroethylene (TCE) reductive dechlorination was investigated. Samples from a pilot-scale aquifer that had been bioaugmented with a halorespiring mixed culture to promote bioremediation of a chlorinated solvent source zone were used for this purpose. Dechlorination rates were determined in batch microcosms, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses were used to estimate the concentration of phylogenetic 16S rRNA for total Bacteria and for Dehalococcoides spp., and the catabolic gene tceA and its expressed mRNA. The first-order dechlorination rate coefficient ( k′ ) obtained from the mixed culture used to bioaugment the pilot scale aquifer ranged from 0.033 to 0.662 h−1 . Samples collected from the source zone showed the highest k′ value ( 0.03 h−1 ±0.011 ; n=6 ) as well as the highest concentration of the biomarkers tested: 2.2±0.5× 107 genes∕μL for total Bacteria, 1.97±0.1× 107 genes...
Recent Updates in Both the Diagnosis and Treatment Options that Impact the Clinical Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

The evaluation and management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rapidly evolving area of subspecialty medicine requiring regular clinical updates. Most notably are changes in the World Health Organization diagnostic scheme whereby the clinician categorizes the correct type of pulmonary hypertension in order direct the most specific evaluation and treatment plan. In addition, there have been several changes in both the FDA-approved pharmaceutical formulations and new agents for the treatment of PAH. This review will provide an update in these areas and more importantly, guidance to the clinician on the most appropriate utilization of these new treatment options.
Effect of acute injections of ethanol on lipid and protein-bound sialic acid in mice of different ages

Mice of different age groups (weanling, young adult and aged) were tested for changes in brain lipid- and protein-bound sialic acid (SA) 2 h after ethanol (2 g/kg, i.p.), either as a single dose or after binge dosing of five repeated doses of ethanol spaced 2 h apart. The results clarify our earlier demonstrations that acute ethanol can reduce whole brain SA. Ethanol generally decreased SA of both gangliosidic and glycoprotein origin, with the effect varying with number of doses and mouse age. Single-dose ethanol decreased both lipid-bound and protein-bound SA in young adults and decreased lipid-bound SA in aged mice. There was no effect on lipid-bound SA in weanlings, but weanlings did have a 72% decline in protein-bound SA. Repeated injections in young adults did not cause the SA decrease seen with acute injection. In both weanling and aged mice, however, repeated injections did cause large decreases in both lipid- and protein-bound SA. Small, but statistically significant, changes also occurred in free SA. Ethanol increased free SA in singly-dosed young adults and in multiply-dosed aged adults, while causing a distinct decrease in singly-dosed weanlings.
An experimental comparison of index traumatic event queries in PTSD assessment.

Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often assessed based on an individual's self-defined “worst” traumatic event. This method may not be optimal for assessing current PTSD, as it is vague and often does not emphasize events associated with current distress. The purpose of this study was to examine whether providing a more specific index traumatic event query increases the selection traumas associated with higher PTSD symptom ratings. Non-clinical participants endorsing a trauma history ( n = 342) received one of the three randomly assigned index event queries and rated their current PTSD symptoms. The queries varied in their emphasis on current distress and description of PTSD criteria. Findings revealed no significant differences between groups, providing preliminary support for the “worst event” method.
Multidimensional models of social perception, cognition, and behavior

A common assumption of social psychological theo ries is that interpersonal behavior is mediated by struc tured cognitive representations of self and others, in teraction episodes, interpersonal roles and relation ships, group goals and tasks, as well as more general social environments and situations. A second basic theoretical assumption is that both individual adjust ment and group effectiveness depend on some degree of consensus and stability in conceptions of these do mains; thus, investigation of communalities and differ ences in perception and structuring of social stimuli is an important prerequisite for prediction of both indi vidual differences and intraindividual consistency in social behavior.The present paper reviews theoretical, empirical and methodological work that is relevant to these issues, with an emphasis on research that has employed mul tidimensional scaling, clustering techniques, and re lated multivariate methods to investigate problems in social cognition. Work in three major are...
Diffuse Axonal Injury in Periventricular Leukomalacia as Determined by Apoptotic Marker Fractin

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the major substrate of neurologic deficits in premature infants, is associated with reduced white matter volume. Using immunomarkers of axonal pathology [β-amyloid precursor protein (β-APP) and apoptotic marker fractin], we tested the hypothesis that widespread (diffuse) axonal injury occurs in the gliotic white matter beyond the foci of necrosis in PVL, thus contributing to the white matter volume reduction. In a cohort of 17 control cases and 13 PVL cases with lesions of different chronological ages, diffuse axonal damage in PVL was detected by fractin in white matter sites surrounding and distant from acute and organizing foci of necrosis. Using β-APP, axonal spheroids were detected within necrotic foci in the acute and organizing (subacute) stages, a finding consistent with others. Interestingly, GAP-43 expression was also detected in spheroids in the necrotic foci, suggesting attempts at axonal regeneration. Thirty-one percent of the PVL cases had thalamic damage and 15% neuronal injury in the cerebral cortex overlying PVL. We conclude that diffuse axonal injury, as determined by apoptotic marker fractin, occurs in PVL and that its cause likely includes primary ischemia and trophic degeneration secondary to corticothalamic neuronal damage.
Risk and advertising in an oligopoly game

Do subjects with different attitudes toward risk choose different strategies in an oligopoly business game? How do subjects With d i f fer ent attitudes toward risk react under varied levels of risk? The results of an economic experiment are analyzed here in an attempt to answer these questions. Experimental economics di f fers from most economic analysis in that in an economic experiment, an attempt is made to set up a controlled situation within which subjects are asked to participate. Behavior of the subjects with respect to the simulated situation can be observed as some elements are changed. This method has been used increasingly in economics in the past twenty f ive years. In 1948, Chamberlin (2) reported the results of an experiment he had run in the classroom and his ar t ic le is considered to be the f i r s t published report of an economic experiment. Fouraker and Siegel (3,10) did much of the early work. Their f i r s t book on the subject dealt with bilateral monopoly. Hypotheses were concerned with price decisions of subjects under different levels of available information. Their second book reported results of similar experiments, with the number of subjects participating in a market, the number of transactions, and the level of payoff varying. Murphy (8)
Liberal justice, national community

(1992). Liberal justice, national community. History of European Ideas: Vol. 15, No. 4-6, pp. 519-525.
To Use Technology Better

Although technological innovation can improve health outcomes, the precise magnitude of the contribution and its value are not easily measured. The findings reported by Jonathan Skinner and colleagues temper the favorable conclusions reached by observing correlations between improvement in heart attack outcomes over time with spending on medical products and services. Improvements in health care depend not only on producing better technologies, but also on using technology better.
Leading in the 1990s: The Four I′s of Transformational Leadership

The characteristics which differentiate transactional from transformational leadership are discussed, highlighting the differences between managers and leaders. Four distinct characteristics – the Fours I′s – associated with transformational leadership are described with respect to their evolution and influence on follower development, effort and performance. The advantages of combining transactional and transformational leadership styles into an overall framework of leadership development for leading in the 1990s are also discussed.
Spatially distributed stochasticity and the constancy of ecosystems.

Ifconstancy is a measure of an ecosystem's (in) variability through time andstability is a measure of the system's ability to damp and recover from environmental perturbations, then constancy depends not only on stability but also on the frequency and amplitude of perturbations—theenvironmental “noise level”. The stability of an ecosystem reflects its texture, extent, and viscosity (fine-scale structure); the noise level experienced by the system (“effective” noise level) reflects the level at any point (“ambient” noise level), the spectrum of stochastic scale (regional distribution of stochasticity), and the system's spatial extent (size, or number of patches included). The coefficient of variation of a limiting stochastic variate is a measure of the effective noise level. Ifp is the total number of patches in the system (its extent) andn is the number of contiguous patches with noise signals correlated through time (its stochastic scale), then the coefficient of variation is directly proportional to\(\sqrt {(n/p)} \) whenevern<p. Thus ecosystems of small stochastic scalen or large sizep damp out environmental noise by “spreading the risk” in space, thereby reducing their variability in time.
Genetic Approaches to Mammalian Nuclear Receptor Function in Yeast

Abstract Mammalian nuclear receptor function can be faithfully reconstituted in yeast, enabling a wide variety of genetic approaches to be taken toward defining the mechanisms of signal transduction and transcriptional regulation. This report describes vectors for the expression of mammalian receptors in yeast, reporter genes, yeast host strains, and simple assays that monitor receptor transcriptional activity. Methods for the generation of receptors with distinct defects in particular functions, such as DNA or hormone binding, that couple random mutagenesis with phenotypic screens are outlined as well. In addition, strategies for the identification of nonreceptor components whose gene products may act on receptors are discussed. The experimental advantages of yeast invite a detailed genetic analysis of mammalian nuclear receptor functions-hormone and DNA binding, nuclear localization, and interaction with nonreceptor factors-and should illuminate further the mechanisms of signal transduction and transcriptional regulation by this important class of regulatory molecules.
Mortality in perforated duodenal ulcer depends upon pre-operative risk: a retrospective 10-year study.

Introduction Most patients presenting with acutely perforated duodenal ulcer undergo operation, but conservative treatment may be indicated when an ulcer has spontaneously sealed with minimal/localised peritoneal irritation or when the patient’s premorbid performance status is poor. We retrospectively reviewed our experience with operative and conservative management of perforated duodenal ulcers over a 10-year period and analysed outcome according to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score.
International Organizations and Government Killing: Does Naming and Shaming Save Lives?

Do international organizations affect government killing? Extant work has studied international organizations' effects on a set of human rights, but has not examined the abilities of specific actors to protect specific rights. I analyze naming and shaming by three types of international organizations (human rights nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], the news media, and the United Nations), focusing on their impacts on a single type of abuse: one-sided government killing. I present a principal-agent theory in which the government develops a preference for killing, and then delegates the murderous task to a set of individual perpetrators. The theory reveals new ways for international organizations to make killing costly, and statistical analyses support my expectations: By calling attention to abusive states, human rights NGOs and the United Nations can reduce both the likelihood and severity of state-sponsored murder. I also find that international organizations are better equipped to prevent killing fro...
Small scale convection induced by passive rifting: the cause for uplift of rift shoulders

Abstract Areas adjacent to rifts, or rift shoulders, are often observed to be uplifted as much as a kilometer or more. In some of these regions geologic data indicate a passive origin for the rifting itself (i.e. there was no anomalous heating of the regions before rifting). Purely conductive heat transport between the rift, where the lithosphere has been thinned, and the rift flanks cannot account for the magnitude of the uplift. Small-scale convection will be induced in the mantle beneath a rift due to the lateral temperature gradients there. Numerical experiments show that convection increases the amount of heat transported vertically into the rift and laterally out of it. In these calculations, the viscosity is taken to be dependent on temperature and pressure and, in some cases, stress. The mantle flow results in thinning of the adjacent lithosphere causing flanking uplift as well as slowing of the subsidence of the middle of the rift. The magnitude of the uplift is dependent on the geometry of the rift and the importance of stress-dependence in the rheology of the mantle. For viscosity parameters which are consistent with the pre-rift temperature structure small-scale convection can produce uplift at least twice as great as would be produced by lateral conduction alone.
Antimalarial effects in mice of orally administered peptidyl cysteine protease inhibitors

The Plasmodium falciparum cysteine protease falcipain is required for the degradation of hemoglobin by erythrocytic malaria parasites. In prior studies, peptidyl inhibitors of falcipain blocked hemoglobin degradation and development by cultured parasites and one of these compounds, when administered parenterally, cured Plasmodium vinckei-infected mice. We now report an evaluation of orally administered peptidyl inhibitors of falcipain in a mouse malaria model. In studies with a fluoromethyl ketone, orally administered morpholine urea-phenylalanine-homophenylalanine-fluoromethyl ketone delayed the progression of murine malaria. In studies of a new series of vinyl sulfones, a set of related compounds demonstrated marked inhibition of falcipain and of parasite biological activities in vitro. One of these compounds, N-methyl piperazine urea-leucine-homophenylalanine-2-naphthalene vinyl sulfone, cured about 40% of mice when administered orally twice-a-day for four days. Our results suggest that peptidyl inhibitors of falcipain have promise as antimalarial chemotherapeutic agents.
Endometrial cancer: Factors influencing the choice of treatment

Abstract Patients at high risk for the development of endometrial carcinoma are identified. The spectrum of endometrial cancer precursors is defined. Proof of adenomatous hyperplasia as a cancer precursor is offered. A therapeutic guide is proposed which considers the patient's age, her fertility status, the severity of her cancer precursor, or the virulence of her established cancer. By individualized planning, the patient can be treated optimally, receiving adequate therapy for cure and avoiding therapeutic penalties when unnecessary.
Heat Transfer Characteristics of Arrays of Free-Surface Liquid Jets

In this study, local heat transfer data under arrays of free-surface liquid jets are measured with a two-dimensional infrared radiometer. Experimental measurements were made for three nozzle diameters using a seven-jet staggered and a nine-jet inline geometric array configuration. Nozzle-to-plate spacings of two and five nozzle diameters were investigated for four jet center-to-center spacings ranging from two to eight diameters in the jet Reynolds number range of 5000 to 20,000. Results show that the stagnation Nusselt number under the central jet is independent of array configuration and jet-to-jet spacing. The different inter jet flow interaction, as represented by different jet array configurations (the in-line array and the staggered array with different nozzle-to-nozzle spacings), shows negligible influence on local heat transfer under the central jet. Differences in the heat transfer characteristics for the two nozzle-to-plate spacings investigated were the result of an observed transition from confined submerged central jet flow to free-surface jet flow as the nozzle-to-plate spacing was increased. Secondary maxima in the Nusselt number were observed between the adjacent jets, being a direct consequence of the radial flow interaction between jets. A correlation for average heat transfer is presented.
Linear solvation energy relationships of mixed micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate and decanol: towards a better model of octanol/water partitioning

We show that we can alter the mechanism of micelle/water partitioning by the addition of decanol as a co-surfactant to an SDS micellar solution. Linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) studies indicate that as we increase the amount of decanol added to sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, the hydrogen bond donating ability of the aqueous phase increases and the cavity term of the micellar phase increases. We obtain a better correlation with octanol/water partitioning using the mixed micelle system compared to normal micelle solution. Choosing the appropriate micelle marker is very important. Significant changes in the LSER equations can occur if a different compound is used as the micelle marker.
Clinical trials: is the Bayesian approach ready for prime time? Yes!

The defining characteristic of any statistical approach is how it deals with uncertainty. In the Bayesian approach, all uncertainty is measured by probability. Anything unknown has a probability, including future results in a clinical trial (based on current results). Frequentists also use probabilities, but in a restricted sense. Bayesian conclusions depend on results actually observed. Because their use of probability is limited, frequentists go through contortions to draw conclusions. In particular, conclusions depend on more than just observed results. For example, frequentist p-values include probabilities of results more extreme than observed, in which probability calculations depend on the trial’s design. Both aspects are scientifically questionable. “More extreme results” were not observed and should not matter at all. Small p-values are taken to be evidence against the null hypothesis, so one may reject a hypothesis because it assigns little probability to unobserved results, and—for the same data—accept one because it assigns greater probability to unobserved results. The other questionable aspect is the strong dependence of conclusions on design. Because the same data but different intentions of the investigator had something happened that did not happen,1 the p-value may …
Epigenetic responses following maternal dietary exposure to physiologically relevant levels of bisphenol A

Animal studies have linked perinatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure to altered DNA methylation, but little attention is given to analyzing multiple physiologically relevant doses. Utilizing the viable yellow agouti (A(vy)) mouse, we examine the effects of developmental exposure through maternal diet to 50 ng BPA/kg (n = 14 litters), 50 μg BPA/kg (n = 9 litters), or 50 mg BPA/kg (n = 13 litters) on global and candidate gene methylation at postnatal day 22. Global methylation analysis reveals hypermethylation in tail tissue of a/a and A(vy)/a offspring across all dose groups compared with controls (n = 11 litters; P < 0.02). Analysis of coat color phenotype replicates previous work showing that the distribution of 50 mg BPA/kg A(vy)/a offspring shifts toward yellow (P = 0.006) by decreasing DNA methylation in the retrotransposon upstream of the Agouti gene (P = 0.03). Maternal exposure to 50 μg or 50 ng BPA/kg, however, results in altered coat color distributions in comparison with control (P = 0.04 and 0.02), but no DNA methylation effects at the Agouti gene are noted. DNA methylation at the CDK5 activator-binding protein (Cabp(IAP)) metastable epiallele shows hypermethylation in the 50 μg BPA/kg offspring, compared with controls (P = 0.02). Comparison of exposed mouse liver BPA levels to human fetal liver BPA levels indicates that the three experimental exposures are physiologically relevant. Thus, perinatal BPA exposure affects offspring phenotype and epigenetic regulation across multiple doses, indicating the need to evaluate dose effects in human clinical and population studies.
Synthesis of 4,5-Dimethoxykynuramine and Its In Vivo Conversion to 6,7-Dimethoxy-4-quinolinol

4,5-Dimethoxykynuramine was synthesized in a three-step sequence originating with veratrole. Indirect evidence indicates that the drug was converted in vivo to the hypotensive agent 6,7-dimethoxy-4-quinolinol by the action of monoamine oxidase.
Plasma sprayed Mo-Mo oxide nanocomposites : Synthesis and characterization

Abstract Atmospheric plasma spray has been employed to deposit Mo/Mo oxide coatings on a steel substrate held at 190 and 440°C. The deposits have been characterized primarily by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Different forms of Mo-oxide, including MoO2, Mo4O11, Mo8O23 and MoO3 have been observed along with Mo as a primary phase. MoO2 particles with a size range of 5–10 nm have been observed to be embedded in the Mo deposit. These nano-particles show a definite orientation with respect to Mo. It is concluded from our study that the liquid-Mo particles pick up oxygen, primarily in-flight, and solidify having various oxide stoichiometries.
The use of trained patient instructors for teaching and assessing rheumatologic care

The training of professionals in rheumatologic care requires review and study. To improve teaching methods, 6 patients with stable rheumatic disease were trained to evaluate and teach medical students by using themselves as models for musculoskeletal examinations. Checklists for scoring performance and content were developed. Criteria established to give evidence of the validity of the checklists and of the reliability of the patient instructors in their scoring were met or exceeded. The patient instructors are now an integral part of the Preparation for Clinical Medicine curriculum at our institution and serve as resources for evaluation and teaching in the continuing education of practicing professionals.
Molecular Dynamics simulations of mixture of POPC and PIP2 bilayer

PI(4,5)P2 is a phospholipid that plays a role in a wide variety of cellular signaling processes. We have developed force field parameters for the molecular dynamics simulations of PI(4,5)P2 that are consistent with the modified GROMACS parameters 43A1-S3. Furthermore, we performed a long time simulation of hydrated bilayers of mixtures of POPC and 5 mol% PIP2 lipids. The simulated system consists of 800 POPC molecules. This is system is large enough to demonstrate the effect of small quantities of PIP2 and yet small enough to be trackable for molecular dynamics techniques. In this simulation we study the structural properties of poly-unsaturated chains of PIP2 molecules and electrostatic interactions at the bilayer-water interface that enable PIP2 to play significant roles in singling processes.
Recurrent eruption and subsidence at the Platoro caldera complex, southeastern San Juan volcanic field, Colorado: New tales from old tuffs

Reinterpretation of a voluminous regional ash-flow sheet (Masonic Park Tuff) as two separate tuff sheets of similar phenocryst-rich dacite erupted from separate source calderas has important implications for evolution of the multicyclic Platoro caldera complex and for caldera-forming processes generally. Masonic Park Tuff in central parts of the San Juan field, including the type area, was erupted from a concealed source at 28.6 Ma, but widespread tuff previously mapped as Masonic Park Tuff in the southeastern San Juan Mountains is the product of the youngest large-volume eruption of the Platoro caldera complex at 28.4 Ma. This large unit, newly named the “Chiquito Peak Tuff,” is the last-erupted tuff of the Treasure Mountain Group, which consists of at least 20 separate ash-flow sheets of dacite to low-silica rhyolite erupted from the Platoro complex during a 1 m.y. interval (29.5−28.4 Ma). Two Treasure Mountain tuff sheets have volumes in excess of 1000 km 3 each, and five more have volumes of 50–150 km 3 . The total volume of ash-flow tuff exceeds 2500 km 3 , and caldera-related lavas of dominantly andesitic composition make up 250-500 km 3 more. A much greater volume of intermediate-composition magma must have solidified in subcaldera magma chambers. Most preserved features of the Platoro complex-including postcollapse asymmetrical trap-door resurgent uplift of the ponded intracaldera tuff and concurrent infilling by andesitic lava flows-postdate eruption of the Chiquito Peak Tuff. The numerous large-volume pre-Chiquito Peak ash-flow tuffs document multiple eruptions accompanied by recurrent subsidence; early-formed caldera walls nearly coincide with margins of the later Chiquito Peak collapse. Repeated syneruptive collapse at the Platoro complex requires cumulative subsidence of at least 10 km. The rapid regeneration of silicic magmas requires the sustained presence of an andesitic subcaldera magma reservoir, or its rapid replenishment, during the 1 m.y. life span of the Platoro complex. Either case implies large-scale stoping and assimilative recycling of the Tertiary section, including intracaldera tuffs.
Reduction of Systematic Uncertainty in DFT Redox Potentials of Transition-Metal Complexes

Reliable calculations of redox potentials could provide valuable insight into catalytic mechanisms of electrochemically active transition-metal complexes as well as guidelines for the design of new electrocatalysts. However, the correlation between theoretical and experimental data is often uncertain, since redox properties depend strongly on experimental conditions of electrochemical measurements, including the nature of the solvent, electrolyte, and working electrode. Here, we show that the use of internal references allows for quantitative theoretical predictions of redox potentials with standard deviations σ comparable to typical experimental errors of cyclic voltammetry measurements. Agreement for first-, second-, and third-row transition-metal complexes is demonstrated even at a rather modest level of density functional theory (σ = 64 mV for the UB3LYP/6-311G* level). This is shown for a series of benchmark redox couples, including ([MCp2]0/+ (Cp = η5-cyclopentadienyl), [MCp*2]0/+ (Cp* = η5-1,2,3,4,...
Frequency domain classification of cyclic and dihedral symmetries of finite 2-D patterns

This paper presents a very simple and effective algorithm for classifying cyclic and dihedral symmetries from images of finite two-dimensional patterns. It consists in an extension of a frequency domain algorithm proposed by the author for estimating two-dimensional rotation of rigid objects. Within this framework, the estimation of rotation is conveniently turned into the problem of detecting two orthogonal lines within the locus of the zero crossings of a certain function represented in orthogonal Cartesian coordinates. The main contribution of this paper is the use and interpretation of the ambiguities that arise in such a locus in the form of additional pairs of orthogonal lines when applied to symmetric patterns and the development of other algorithmic steps which allow a simple and fast discrimination between cyclic and dihedral symmetries. Unlike any other available method, this algorithm does not require any conversion from Cartesian to polar image representations. Besides classification reliability and consistency, observed through several dozen testing experiments, the nice features of this new method also include robustness to noise and ease of implementation with fast Fourier transform algorithms, which makes it amenable to almost real-time pattern classifications applications. Several examples, representative of the performance of the algorithm through extensive testing, are reported and discussed in the paper.
Risk of cerebrovascular accidents and ischemic heart disease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background & Aims Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolic disease. However, it is unclear whether IBD modifies the risk of arterial thromboembolic events, including cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies that reported incident cases of CVA and/or IHD in patients with IBD and a non-IBD control population (or compared with a standardized population). We calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results We analyzed data from 9 studies (2424 CVA events in 5 studies, 6478 IHD events in 6 studies). IBD was associated with a modest increase in the risk of CVA (5 studies; OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09–1.27), especially among women (4 studies; OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.17–1.41) compared with men (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.98–1.25), and in young patients ( Conclusions IBD is associated with a modest increase in the risk of cardiovascular morbidity (from CVA and IHD)—particularly in women. These patients should be counseled routinely on aggressive risk factor modification.
Reader variance in ROC studies-Generalizability to reader population at high and low performance levels

Rationale and Objectives To investigate the variability between discriminative performances of readers as a function of average performance levels during receiver operating characteristic (ROC) studies. Materials and Methods Four subsets of cases from previously ascertained ROC rating data by 12 observers when detecting interstitial disease and pneumothorax on posteroanterior chest films were selected for each abnormality and reanalyzed to assess changes in “reader” variance component. The subsets were selected based on a prestudy subjective assessment of the subtleness of depicted abnormality (positive cases) and the difficulty in determining its absence (negative cases). Reader variance component was estimated using a bootstrap approach for each subset and the results were used to assess a general relationship between variability and average performance level. Results The reader variance component decreased substantially (from 0.007704 to 0.000426), as expected, when the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) for detecting pneumothoraces increased from 84% to 97%. On the other hand, reader variance component increased substantially (from 0.000890 to 0.005181) when AUC for detecting interstitial disease increased from 59% to 87%. The large magnitude of and changes in the reader variance component resulted in a consistent nonmonotone relationship as a function of AUC when other related variance components were included in additon to the reader component. Conclusion Among several factors affecting generalizability of ROC results to the population of readers, the reader variance component depended nonmonotonically on the average diagnostic performance and is lowest at both very high and very low levels of performance.
The Nature of Contemporary Political Science: A Roundtable Discussion

What is the nature of contemporary political science? What shared concerns bind us together as a discipline, providing a common definition and direction to our intellectual enterprise? These questions were on my mind as I organized the section on formal and normative political theory for the 1989 APSA meetings. Initially, I had wanted to sponsor a panel to address the nature of formal and normative theory. I knew I was a bit uncertain about the precise nature of these fields and sensed that other scholars shared my desire for greater clarity. Then I read Gabriel Almond's "Separate Tables" (PS: Political Science and Politics, 1988). The surprisingly diverse and intense reaction this article generated in the profession suggested the confusion extended beyond my own subfield and into the discipline as a whole. All of this provided the impetus for the round table whose discussion is summarized below. Since Almond's article argues there is a methodological separateness that limits us as a discipline, I tried to choose panel discussants to reflect the disparate parts of political science. I spoke with each panelist in advance and, drawing on their suggestions, I constructed and circulated a few key questions around which our discussion would be organized. As is obvious in the following remarks, panelists expressed quite different views, but each participant touched on the following questions in some way: Is there a core to contemporary political science? If so, what is it? If not, does its absence matter? Should there be a core? And how important is communication among the different branches of political science? Each panelist made a brief statement on this topic, focusing on these particular questions. Their remarks are reprinted below, with their per-
Utilizing Quantum Dots to Enhance Solar Spectrum Conversion Efficiencies for Photovoltaics

Silicon-based photovoltaics typically convert less than 30% of the solar spectrum into usable electric power. This study explores the utilization of CdSe based quantum dots as spectral converters that absorb the under utilized UV portion of the solar spectrum and fluoresce at wavelengths near the band-gap of silicon-based solar cells. A flexible 1 mm thick thin-film structure that contains an array of microfluidic channels is designed and fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using soft-lithographic techniques. The channels are approximately 85 microns wide by 37 microns tall and are filled with a solution containing the quantum dots. The thin-film structure can easily be attached to the surface of a single-junction solar cell. As a result, solar energy striking the coated solar cell with wavelengths less than 450 nm, which would normally experience low conversion efficiency, are absorbed by the quantum dots which fluoresce at 620nm. The high energy photons are converted to photons near the band-gap which increase the overall conversion efficiency of the solar cell. The quantum dots employed in this study are fabricated with a CdSe core (5.2 nm) and a ZnS outer shell and they exhibit a 25 nm hydrodynamic diameter. The UV-VIS spectral transmission properties of PDMS, along with its refractive index, are determined in order to characterize the spectral conversion efficiency of the thin-film structure. A model is developed to predict the optimum path length and concentration of quantum dots required to improve the power output of an amorphous silicon solar cell by 10%.
Extraction of microsaccade-related signal from single-trial local field potential by ICA with reference

During visual fixation, we unconsciously make tiny, involuntary eye movements or ‘microsaccades’, which have been shown to have a crucial influence on analysis and perception of our visual environment. Given the small size and high irregularity of microsaccades, it is a significant challenge to detect and extract the microsaccade-related neural activities. In this work, we present a novel application of the independent component analysis with reference algorithm to extract microsaccade-related neural activity from single-trial local field potential (LFP). We showed via extensive computer simulations that our approach can be used to reliably extract microsaccade-related activity. We then applied our method to real cortical LFP data collected from multiple visual areas of monkeys performing a generalized flash suppression task and demonstrated that our approach has excellent performance in extracting microsaccade-related signal from single-trial LFP data.