cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Delivery of Tobacco-Cessation Services

Background Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care is an important national goal. Racial and ethnic differences in the delivery of tobacco-cessation services were examined in the course of visits to primary care physicians. Methods In 2007, data about tobacco screening were analyzed from 29,470 visits by adult patients to 2153 physicians in the 2001–2005 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a cross-sectional survey. Counseling was examined for visits by patients with known current tobacco use. Logistic regression models included age, gender, visit diagnoses, expected payment source, and past-year visits to the provider. Results The respective percentages of visits with tobacco screening and counseling were 79.2% and 28.8% for non-Hispanic white patients, 79.3% and 29.2% for non-Hispanic black patients, 80.2% and 30.6% for non-Hispanic Asian patients, and 68.2% and 21.4% for Hispanic patients. In multivariable models, the adjusted difference between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in the percentage of visits with screening was −7.9 (95% CI=−15.5, −0.3) and of visits with counseling was −7.6 (95% CI=−15.2, 0.0). Conclusions Tobacco screening and counseling were less common at visits made by Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites. Traditional barriers to care among Hispanic patients, such as lack of insurance and more new-patient visits, did not explain the observed differences.
Internet-mediated distance-learning education in China as an alternative to traditional paradigms of market entry

Globalization and technology are two power forces that have shaped trade, investment, industrial development and people in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Faced with these forces, universities, on the one hand, internationalized their curriculums, students and faculty and, on the other hand, enhanced their technological base, such as the use of computers, internet infrastructure, and technology-based instructional capabilities. These two efforts have largely been mutually exclusive with little intersection between the two. This article analyzes the cross-over between a university’s potential to internationalize with respect to China, the most populous country with the second largest Purchasing Power Parity Gross Domestic Product (PPP GDP) in the world, and to use its technological capabilities to extend its educational outreach. Indirect presence in the Chinese market through Internet-mediated distance-learning education is thus proposed because of its attractiveness from effectiveness and efficiency perspectives, and because China has experienced an increase in its technological and infrastructural environments that enable this mode of entry. Distance learning education via e-commerce in China can be economically viable, consistently scalable, politically feasible, and expediently realizable.
SERUM CA AND MG DECLINE DURING ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TESTING (OGTT) IN PRE-CLINICAL DIABETES MELLITUS (DM) IS LESS THAN IN NORMALS

Changes in serum [Ca], [Mg] and [P] during 4 hr OGTT in 54 normal children and adolescents (N) were compared to borderline (B), chemical diabetes (C) and normal (AN) tests in 69 youngsters who had had at least one abnormal test. 38 of the pts. had siblings with overt DM and the rest were ascertained through the finding of glucosuria or hyperglycemia. Mean maximal % decline in [Ca] in 49 AN tests (7.4 ± .7 SEM), 28 B tests (7.2 ± .8) and 53 C tests (6.3 ± .6) differed at the <.005 level from N (12.9 ± 1.02). [Mg] average % maximal decline was similar to that of Ca for each group (N-11.8 ± 1.2, AN-7.1 ± 1.0, B-6.7 ± 1.0, C-5.3 ± .6). There were no significant differences in maximum [P] decreases (N-17.1% ± 1.4, AN-16.4 ± 1.2, B-15.9 ± 1.9, C-17.8 ± 1.5). Analysis of average % decline at each sampling time in the OGTT also revealed significantly less decline for Ca and Mg at all points after glucose intake, except 4 hr for Mg, during AN, B and C tests. [P] declined to a significantly greater degree at ½ hour in B and C tests and at 3 and 4 hours in C tests than N, consistent with known inverse relationship between glycemia and phosphatemia. None of these differences could be attributed to initial Ca, Mg and P levels, which were significantly low only in C tests. Marked diminution in hypocalcemic and hypomagnesemic effect of normal OGTT in persons presumed to have preclinical diabetes implies a metabolic derangement that precedes inappropriate maintenance of glycemia in DM.
Subcutaneous translocation of canine liver: a technique for repeated biopsies.

Abstract A technique for relocating the left lobe of liver to a subcutaneous position in the dog is described. This provides painless and essentially bloodless access to the liver for subsequent serial large volume biopsy specimens (1–2 cm 3 ) without the need for general anesthesia. Histologic examination indicated approximately 85–90% of the biopsy specimen was normal hepatic tissue.
Comparison of dopamine uptake and release in vitro in sheep and rat striatum

Cocaine inhibits tritium-labeled dopamine ([3H]DA) uptake in rat (IC50≈400 nM) and sheep (IC50≈1 μM) striatum. GBR 12909, a selective DA uptake inhibitor, potently inhibits [3H]DA uptake in rat (IC50<10 nM), but is less effective (only 60% of the uptake is inhibited at a concentration of 10 μM) and less potent (IC50≈300 nM) in sheep. [3H]DA release from slices of rat or sheep striatum is stimulated by potassium (15–50 mM). In the presence of nomifensine (10 μM), cocaine (10 μM) had no effect on potassium-stimulated [3H]DA release in either species. [3H]DA release in increased by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) (10–1000 μM) in rat striatum but NMDA did not stimulate [3H]DA release in sheep striatum. These findings suggest that NMDA receptors either are absent from or do not regulate release of preloaded [3H]DA in sheep striatum.
Biomimetic robotic Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) made with ionic polymer metal composites.

The work described in this paper is a novel design of a robotic Venus flytrap (VFT) (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) by means of ionic polymeric metal composite (IPMC) artificial muscles as distributed nanosensors and nanoactuators. Rapid muscular movements in carnivorous plants, such as VFT, which are triggered by antenna-like sensors (trigger hair), present a golden key to study distributed biomolecular motors. Carnivorous plants, such as VFT, possess built-in intelligence (trigger hairs), as a strategy to capture prey, that can be turned on in a controlled manner. In the case of the VFT, the prey that is lured by the sweet nectar in the VFT pair of jaw-like lobes has to flip and move the trigger hairs, which are colorless, bristle-like and pointed. The dynamically moved trigger hairs then electro-elastically send an electric signal to the internal ions in the lobe to migrate outwardly for the jaw-like lobes to close rapidly to capture the prey. The manner in which the VFT lobes bend inward to capture the prey shows a remarkable similarity with typical IPMCs bending in an electric field. Furthermore, the mechano-electrical sensing characteristics of IPMCs also show a remarkable resemblance to mechano-electrical trigger hairs on the lobes of the VFT. The reader is referred to a number of papers in connection with sensing and actuation of IPMCs in particular. Thus, one can integrate IPMC lobes with a common electrode in the middle of one end of the lobes to act like a spine and use IPMC bristles as trigger finger to sense the intrusion of a fly or insect to send a sensing signal to a solid state relay which then triggers the actuation circuit of the IPMC lobes to rapidly bend toward each other and close. The two lobes, which form the trap, are attached to the midrib common electrode which is conveniently termed the spine. The upper surface of each lobe is dished, and spaced along the free margins of the lobes with some 15–20 prong-like teeth. These are tough and pointed, and are inclined at an inward angle so that when the trap is sprung shut they will interlock. We have been experimenting with the VFT closing of its jaw-like lobes that close in about 0.3 s and have gained a lot of knowledge to report on the ionic and electrical mechanisms involved in the operation of such intelligent distributed biomolecular motors.
Using binary stars to bound the mass of the graviton

Center for Backyard Astrophysics ~CBA!, 1 and are expected to be strong sources of monochromatic gravitational waves which should be easily visible to an instrument such as LISA with only a few minutes of signal integration. Simultaneous optical and gravitational wave observations will be useful in refining the current physical models used to describe these systems, and for testing relativistic theories of gravity in the radiative regime by comparing the propagation speeds of electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals. This paper examines how the comparison of the phase of the orbitally modulated electromagnetic signal ~the light curve! and a gravitational wave signal from an IBWD star system can be used to bound the mass of the graviton. If the mass of the graviton is assumed to be known by other measurements, then the observations may be used to determine the properties of the binary star system being monitored. Current conservative bounds on the graviton mass come from looking for violations of Newtonian gravity in surveys of planetary motions in the solar system. If gravity were described by a massive field, the Newtonian potential would have Yukawa modifications of the form V~ r!52 M r exp~2r/l g! ~1!
Retrofitting Precast Bridge Beams with Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Strips for Shear Capacity

Advancements in fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) have made this an attractive material for rehabilitation and strengthening of bridge superstructures. FRP has primarily been used with the intention of increasing the bending strength of bridge members. However, this paper investigates the use of externally placed FRP strips to increase shear capacity of short-span, 5.7 m (19 ft), precast concrete channel beam bridges. A statewide survey revealed that as many as 389 bridges in the state of Arkansas are comprised of these members. Notably, beams within these bridges were designed under provisions that did not require shear reinforcement. In this research, four sections were retrofitted using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips and load tested to failure to measure the repair effectiveness. The performance of the retrofitted sections far exceeded that of unretrofitted sections. It was concluded that the addition of the CFRP repair increased the deflection ductility at least 123%. In addition, beams retrofitted with the CFRP strips experienced at least 26% more deflection after the initiation of a shear crack; therefore reducing the risk of a catastrophic failure.
SEED-BANK COMPOSITION AND PREDICTIVE ABILITY OF FIELD VEGETATION IN PLAYA LAKES

We conducted an assessment of seed banks in 8 playa lakes on the Southern High Plains of Texas. The seedling-emergence technique was used to determine species composition in 2 environmental moisture regimes (drawdown and submerged). The Gleasonian model of van der Valk was used to predict field vegetation from floristic composition of the seed bank in each playa lake. Based on life-history characteristics of species found in the seed-bank, we predicted the composition of playa vegetation during May, June, and August for 2 years under 3 moisture regimes (dry, moist, flooded). Twenty-six of the 39 species found in the seed-bank were annuals that were able to exploit the rapidly changing moisture regime of playas. Although, seedling densities differed among playas, the model adequately predicted the composition of vegetation in the playas. As environmental variability increased (more annual wet-dry fluctuations), the model became less reliable. To improve the model for playas, we suggest inclusion of frequency, depth, and longevity of flooding in the model.
Reduction of essential fatty acid deficiency in rats fed a low iron fat free diet

Young male rats were fed ad libitum for 8 weeks a low iron fat-free (FF-Fe) diet or a fat-free diet supplemented with iron (FF+Fe). The relative levels of 16:1 and 18:1 to 18:0 in the total fatty acids of liver and other tissues (plasma, erythrocytes and intestinal mucosa) were considerably decreased because of a lack of dietary iron. In rats fed the FF-Fe diet, the levels of essential fatty acids (18:2 omega 6 + 20:4 omega 6) in tissues were 2- to 3-fold greater than in the corresponding tissues of rats fed the FF+Fe diet. Eicosatrienoic acid (20:3 omega 9) levels in tissue lipids from rats fed the FF+Fe diet were high (8-16%), whereas they were low (2-5%) in the case of animals fed the FF-Fe diet. The proportion of 20:4 in total fatty acids of tissues was 2- to 3-fold greater in rats fed the FF-Fe diet than when they were fed the FF+Fe diet. Therefore, the relative levels of 20:3 omega 9/20:4 omega 6 varied from 1-2.9 in tissue lipids of rats fed the FF+Fe diet, while it varied only from 0.2-0.3 in animals fed the FF-Fe diet. These results suggest that a lack of dietary iron may reduce the synthesis of 16:1, 18:1, 20:3 and 20:4 and the metabolism of 20:4.
Experimental test-bed for studying ultrawideband wireless multiple-input single-output Time Reversal using optical delay lines

An experimental setup is designed to study Time-Reversal over ultrawideband wireless multiple-input single-output configurations. Implementation is based on using optical delay lines to apply appropriate time shifts to the output of an arbitrary waveform generator.
On-line nonmetal detection for argon supercritical fluid extraction using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy.

This paper describes the development of a solventless instrumental method for determining organic contaminants in soil by coupling argon supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) to inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). In this method, organic compounds are first extracted by Ar SFE, transferred to the ICP directly in the supercritical (SC) argon, fragmented in the plasma, and then determined via their nonmetal atomic emissions. Supercritical Ar is superior to SC CO2 for use in ICP-AES because it overcomes the disadvantages of plasma blowout, noisy baselines, and CO2 interference in the determination of carbon. All instruments employed were commercially available, and the interface between the SFE and the torch of the ICP consisted of a simple glass capillary tube. Four nonmetals, C, S, P, and Si, were selected for this preliminary study. The selectivities obtained for these nonmetals, referenced to carbon, were found to be 345, 38 000, and 1400 for sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon,...
Body size and male reproductive performance in the flesh fly, Neobellieria bullata

Abstract The number of sperm contained in virgin male flesh flies ( Neobellieria (= Sarcophaga ) bullata ) is strongly influenced by their size and age. Furthermore, the number of sperm transferred to females during copulation is positively correlated with male body weight. Sperm number in male flies is related to size by the equation: ln sperm number=9.24 + 0.675 ln male weight (mg). Virgin male flies held without access to females continue to produce sperm at a linear rate during the first 16 days of their lives. On average males produce 19,637 sperm per day, however, larger flies produce sperm at a greater rate than smaller flies; males ranging in size from 15 to 36 mg produced 17,800 ± 1899 sperm per day whereas males ranging in size from 50 to 76 mg produce 27,036 ± 2803 sperm per day. Males transfer an average of 6965 ± 712 sperm in copulations lasting 165 ± 15 min. The number of sperm transferred was significantly correlated with body size whereas mating duration was not. These results clearly document the relationship between body size and male reproductive performance and complement a large body of work relating body size to reproductive performance in females.
Spectroscopic constants and potential energy curves of SnF

Abstract Spectroscopic constants and potential energy curves of 20 electronic states of SnF arising from valence dissociation limits are computed using the complete active space MCSCF (CASSCF) followed by first- and second-order configuration interaction (FOCI, SOCI) methods, which included up to one million configurations. Our computed spectroscopic constants of five electronic states fit well with the experimentally observed X, A, a, and C states. The dipole moments and other yet to be observed properties of several electronic states are reported.
Trends in the Covariance Structure of Earnings in the U.S.: 1969-1987.

We examine the increasing variance of earnings of white men over the 1970s and 1980s by focusing on changes in the covariance structure of earnings. Using data from the Michigan PSID from 1969–1987, we find that about half of the increase has arisen from an increase in the variance of the permanent component of earnings and half from an increase in the variance of the transitory component, where the transitory component is composed of serially correlated shocks that die out within 3 years. We thus find that increases in the variability of earnings are of equal importance to increases in the dispersion of permanent earnings in explaining recent increases in earnings inequality.
Higher-Order Substitutions

The ??-calculus is a concrete ?-calculus of explicit substitutions, designed for reasoning about implementations of ?-calculi. Higher-order abstract syntax is an approach to metaprogramming that explicitly captures the variable-binding aspects of programming language constructs. A new calculus of explicit substitutions for higher-order abstract syntax is introduced, allowing a high-level description of variable binding in object languages while also providing substitutions as explicit programmer-manipulable data objects. The new calculus is termed the ??s0-calculus, since it makes essential use of an extension of s0-unification (described in another paper). Termination and confluence are verified for the ??s0-calculus similarly to that for the ??-calculus, and an efficient implementation is given in terms of first-order renaming substitutions. The verification of confluence makes use of a verified adaptation of Nipkow's higher-order critical pairs lemma to the forms of rewrite rules required for the statement of the ??s0-calculus.
B-cell Targeting Agents in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

The aims of this article are to discuss the potential role of B lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in the mechanisms of action of approved and emerging disease modifying therapies. Over the last few years, significant progress has been made in the introduction of novel pharmacologic treatments that reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations and radiological lesion formation in relapsing remitting MS. The mechanisms of action of a number of these disease modifying therapies (DMT) implicate B cells in the pathogenesis, as well as in the regulation, of MS. Further research into B-cell subset trafficking patterns, functional activities and interactions with other immune cells in the context of neuroinflammation is likely to inform the development of future generations of DMT.
Chromospheric plasma and the Farley-Buneman instability in solar magnetic regions

We study the plasma parameters in recent models of the observed magnetic features in the solar atmosphere and find that electrons are strongly magnetized in the chromosphere but protons are unmagnetized up to the transition region. Considering the magnetization and the classical Pedersen conductivity we find that magnetic diffusion is too small for effectively affecting propagating MHD waves of periods of a few minutes. However, the chromospheric-plasma parameters suggest a scenario in which upward-propagating fast-mode MHD waves of mHz frequencies would trigger the Farley-Buneman plasma instability at chromospheric layers where horizontal magnetic fields are present. We show that, because of the collisions between charged particles and neutral H atoms, the conditions in the chromosphere meet the instability criteria if the MHD wave velocity amplitude is lower but near the adiabatic sound speed. The instability growth is much faster than the wave frequency and the instability would quickly saturate. The electrostatic plasma waves resulting from the instability are expected to produce anomalous resistivity and wave energy dissipation that would heat the chromosphere as well as absorb the p-modes in magnetic regions.
Repeat migration and remittances as mechanisms for wealth inequality in 119 communities from the Mexican Migration Project data.

To evaluate the distributional impact of remittances in origin communities, prior research studied how migrants’ selectivity by wealth varies with migration prevalence in the community or prior migration experience of the individual. This study considers both patterns; it examines selectivity separately in low- and high-prevalence communities and for first-time and repeat migrants. Based on data from 18,042 household heads in 119 Mexican communities from the Mexican Migration Project, the analyses show that (1) first-time migrants in low-prevalence communities come from poor households, whereas repeat migrants in high-prevalence communities belong to wealthy households; and (2) higher amounts of remittances reach wealthy households. These results suggest that repeat migration and remittances may be mechanisms for wealth accumulation in the study communities. Descriptive analyses associate these mechanisms with increasing wealth disparities between households with and without migrants, especially in high-prevalence communities. The study, similar to prior findings, shows the importance of repeat migration trips, which, given sustained remittances, may amplify the wealth gap between migrants and nonmigrants in migrant-sending communities. The study also qualifies prior findings by differentiating between low- and high-prevalence communities and observing a growing wealth gap only in the latter.
A mid to late Holocene history of floodplain and terrace reworking along the middle Delaware River valley, USA

Abstract This study tests and refines the traditional floodplain development model for the partly confined middle Delaware River valley, which has shown that the main channel was relatively stable and flanked by a 6000–8000 year old, vertically accreting alluvial terrace. The Holocene alluvial processes and history presented here in 6 fluvial phases were reconstructed using morphostratigraphy, 36 profile descriptions, 332 grain size analyses, and 82 14 C ages from soil trenches, auger borings, and archaeological excavations. Fluvial phases I–III largely validate previous reconstructions showing a late Pleistocene (I: > 10.7 ka) braided stream transition into an early Holocene wandering stream with prolonged floodplain stability (II: 10.7–8 ka), followed by early–middle Holocene erosion and then deposition (III: 8–5 ka). The early and middle Holocene changes in alluvial stratigraphy and sedimentology broadly correlate with climatically derived Holocene subdivisions, suggesting climate change partly controls alluvial response along the middle Delaware River valley. This study documents for the first time a middle Holocene episode of channel incision occurring sometime between 6.0 and 5.0 ka. Although the results reconfirm that the majority of alluvial landforms are composed of vertical accretion deposits, we present here new evidence of oblique, abandoned channel, and lateral accretion deposits inset to similar landforms with different formation histories (i.e., polycyclic terrace development), depicting a river valley that has experienced floodplain and terrace reworking. The majority of floodplain and terrace reworking occurs during the late–middle and late Holocene phases IV–VI (5.5–0 ka), following the middle Holocene incision event. These phases demonstrate floodplain reworking processes in the form of channel abandonment, stripping, flood channeling, and convex bank erosion. The subsequent space filled rapidly with evidence of multistory soil formation, and eventually resulted in alluvial fill terraces with heights comparable to older surfaces. The most recent fluvial phase, VI (1.0–0 ka), shows markedly faster sedimentation rates and coarser flood deposits associated with peak prehistoric population and the onset of Euroamerican settlement. The results presented here contribute newly documented evidence of erosion and depict a river valley that has undergone middle Holocene incision and floodplain and terrace reworking since the late–middle Holocene. Stream modelers, fluvial geomorphologists and geoarchaeologists working in the NE USA should consider floodplain reworking processes when examining alluvial history and predicting changes in stream dynamics.
Sibling similarities and differences in time use: A pattern-analytic, within-family approach

Similarities and differences in adolescent siblings' free time activities were investigated. Firstborns and second-borns from 181 predominantly White, working, and middle-class families reported on their time use and sibling relationships. Their parents reported on their socioeconomic status and neighborhood characteristics. Cluster analysis identified three groups of sibling dyads: Cluster 1 differentiated in leisure and time with friends, Cluster 2 differentiated in instrumental activities and time alone, and Cluster 3 did not differentiate in time use. Multinomial logistic regressions revealed that the longitudinal links between sibling relationship qualities and cluster membership were moderated by firstborns' sex. Findings highlight the importance of person-oriented analytic strategies for understanding sibling similarities and differences and of within-family variability in youth's time use.
How to Automatically and Accurately Sandbox Microsoft IIS

Comparing the system call sequence of a network application against a sandboxing policy is a popular approach to detecting control-hijacking attack, in which the attacker exploits such software vulnerabilities as buffer overflow to take over the control of a victim application and possibly the underlying machine. The long-standing technical barrier to the acceptance of this system call monitoring approach is how to derive accurate sandboxing policies for Windows applications whose source code is unavailable. In fact, many commercial computer security companies take advantage of this fact and fashion a business model in which their users have to pay a subscription fee to receive periodic updates on the application sandboxing policies, much like anti-virus signatures. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a sandboxing system called BASS1 that can automatically extract a highly accurate application-specific sandboxing policy from a Win32/X86 binary, and enforce the extracted policy at run time with low performance overhead. BASS is built on a binary interpretation and analysis infrastructure called BIRD, which can handle application binaries with dynamically linked libraries, exception handlers and multi-threading, and has been shown to work correctly for a large number of commercially distributed Windows-based network applications, including IIS and Apache. The throughput and latency penalty of BASS for all the applications we have tested except one is under 8%.
The Scientific Basis for Postoperative Respiratory Care

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are common and expensive. Costs, morbidity, and mortality are higher with PPCs than with cardiac or thromboembolic complications. Preventing and treating PPCs is a major focus of respiratory therapists, using a wide variety of techniques and devices, including incentive spirometry, CPAP, positive expiratory pressure, intrapulmonary percussive ventilation, and chest physical therapy. The scientific evidence for these techniques is lacking. CPAP has some evidence of benefit in high risk patients with hypoxemia. Incentive spirometry is used frequently, but the evidence suggests that incentive spirometry alone has no impact on PPC. Chest physical therapy, which includes mechanical clapping and postural drainage, appears to worsen atelectasis secondary to pain and splinting. As with many past respiratory therapy techniques, the profession needs to take a hard look at these techniques and work to provide only practices based on good evidence. The idea of a PPC bundle has merit and should be studied in larger, multicenter trials. Additionally, intraoperative ventilation may play a key role in the development of PPCs and should receive greater attention.
Protracted drug infusions in cancer treatment: an appraisal of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and platinums

Summary The feasibility to deliver chemotherapeutic agents by protracted i.v. infusion has greatly Increased in the recent past. Indwelling ports, longer lasting central venous catheters requiring less than daily maintenance ‘flushing’, surgical expertise in placement, use in analgesia and nutrition, and ‘smart’ pump technology have all contributed to their increasing popularity. Justification for use of infusions in cancer chemotherapy has been slow in appearing with few studies proceeding to the comparative stage. This review will focus on three drugs in common use in cancer treatment, with the purpose of appraising the role of such infusions in cancer therapeutics and of deriving some lessons that might be applicable to other drugs or to drug development in general. For fluorouracil and doxorubicin the rationale and clinical findings favoring further development of infusion regimens is particularly strong. In the case of platinum compounds, some toxicologic advantages have emerged, but other measures designed to protect against the toxicities of cisplatin compete with infusion regimens in this regard. The therapeutic potential for this form of drug delivery, therefore, appears still confined to a subset of patients. Stronger rationales for the use of protracted infusions may be forthcoming from pharmacodynamic findings as in the case of etoposide, combined modality therapy with radiation for FU and cisplatin, biochemical modulation for FU, and reversal of multidrug resistance and its modulation for doxorubicin. While awaiting research into these areas of clinical and pre-clinical investigations, the role of infusion appears most evident in the cardiotoxicity protection of anthracyclines, and in further efficacy exploration (through dose or modulation) of FU. Both mechanistic and pharmacologic considerations could also provide additional stimulus for development of new formulations such as long circulating liposomes, and drugs more suitable for oral administration.
Effect of δ22-5β-taurocholenic acid on hepatic cholesterol and fatty acid in gold thioglucose obese mice fed low- or high-fat diets

Abstract We previously demonstrated that hyperglycemic-obese (obob) mice fed a 1% corn oil diet accumulated 10 times as much hepatic cholesterol as did their non-obese (+/?) littermates fed this diet because of difficulty in removal of cholesterol from the liver rather than from increased synthesis. Furthermore, feeding the bile acid analog Δ22-5β-taurocholenic acid completely prevented the accumulation of hepatic cholesterol in obob mice fed the 1% corn oil diet. The hypothesis to be tested in the current study is that these aspects of cholesterol metabolism in the obob mouse do not occur in the hyperinsulinemic and insulin-resistant gold thioglucose obese mouse. Gold thioglucose obese (gtgo) and non-obese (ngtgo) mice were fed diets containing either 1% corn oil or 40% lard each with or without added taurocholenic acid for 6 weeks and then given a 250 mg meal of [U-14C]-glucose with incorporation of label into hepatic cholesterol and fatty acid measured 2 hours later. Consistent with earlier results in the obob model, incorporation of labeled glucose was significantly increased in obese compared with non-obese mice fed 1% corn oil and significantly reduced either by feeding 40% lard or by adding taurocholenic acid to the diet. In addition, taurocholenic acid greatly increased incorporation of labeled glucose into hepatic cholesterol in obese or non-obese mice fed either diet. In contrast to obob mice, the percentage of fat in the liver of gtgo mice was increased only 50% compared with ngtgo mice. The comparable increase in obob mice was 480%. Hepatic cholesterol did not increase significantly in the liver of gtgo mice fed 1% corn oil when compared with the ngtgo controls. The comparable increase in obob mice fed 1% corn oil was 350%. Also in marked contrast to obob mice, feeding taurocholenic acid increased hepatic cholesterol compared with non-obese controls fed either diet. The results are discussed in the light of the presence of circulating leptin in gtgo but not in obob mice.
Air-Bearing Shear Force in the Head–Disk Interface of Hard Disk

The air-bearing shear force in the head–disk interface (HDI) of hard disk drives is a dominant factor determining the motion and instability of the lubricant layer, which plays an important role in drive reliability. In this communication, an analytical formula, which is applicable to the flow of an arbitrarily rarefied gas in the HDI and is more general than that based on the first-order slip theory, is presented based on the Boltzmann equation. When a hard sphere model is used for the air molecules, the formula reduces to that based on the first-order slip theory, and it thus validates previous studies based on the latter formula.
Crowdsourced stock clustering through equity analyst hypergraph partitioning

Use of industry classifications in the finance community is pervasive. They are critical to deriving a balanced portfolio of stocks and, more broadly, to risk management. Businesses, academics and government agencies have all researched and developed various schemes with mixed success. Recognizing major brokerages and research firms tend to assign their analysts to cover highly similar companies, we propose a scheme that makes use of stock analyst coverage assignments. Although creating coverage groups of highly similar stocks is not the direct goal of research firms, it may be imperative to their success because increasing similarity in coverage helps maximize synergy and derive the most value per analyst. To create our industry scheme, we construct a hypergraph where vertices represent stocks and hyperedges represent analyst coverage, connecting his/her similar companies. Using no additional information, we perform hypergraph partitioning to form clusters of stocks. Our scalable scheme can produce any number of clusters and can automatically update as research firms change analyst coverage as opposed to today's leading industry schemes which have only fixed numbers of industries and require periodic expert review. Can our crowdsourced scheme match the quality of stock groups from the expert-driven schemes? We make head-to-head comparisons to a leading academic and a leading commercial scheme using a methodology from the finance community that measures the coincidence of stock price movements. We also compare our scheme against a clusterer that creates groups based on past return correlations. Our results rival and often exceed all three schemes.
Torsional behavior of chromatin is modulated by rotational phasing of nucleosomes

Torsionally stressed DNA plays a critical role in genome organization and regulation. While the effects of torsional stresses on naked DNA have been well studied, little is known about how these stresses propagate within chromatin and affect its organization. Here we investigate the torsional behavior of nucleosome arrays by means of Brownian dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model of chromatin. Our simulations reveal a strong dependence of the torsional response on the rotational phase angle Ψ 0 between adjacent nucleosomes. Extreme values of Ψ 0 lead to asymmetric, bell-shaped extensionrotation profiles with sharp maxima shifted toward positive or negative rotations, depending on the sign of Ψ 0, and to fast, irregular propagation of DNA twist. In contrast, moderate Ψ 0 yield more symmetric profiles with broad maxima and slow, uniform propagation of twist. The observed behavior is shown to arise from an interplay between nucleosomal transitions into states with crossed and open linker DNAs and global supercoiling of arrays into left- and righthanded coils, where Ψ 0 serves to modulate the energy landscape of nucleosomal states. Our results also explain the torsional resilience of chromatin, reconcile differences between experimentally measured extension-rotation profiles, and suggest a role of torsional stresses in regulating chromatin assembly and organization.
Mitochondrial biogenesis in early mouse embryos: Expression of the mRNAs for subunits IV, Vb, and VIIc of cytochrome c oxidase and subunit 9 (P1) of H+-ATP synthase

The mouse egg contains about 90,000 mitochondria which undergo a buildup of mitochondrial cristae and increase in respiratory activity during cleavage. The mitochondrial DNA does not replicate during preimplantation development but is transcribed actively from the two-cell stage onward (Piko and Taylor, 1987: Dev Biol 123:364-374). To gain further insight into mitochondrial biogenesis, we have now determined the steady state amounts of the mRNAs for the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) subunits IV, Vb and VIIc and the H(+)-ATPase subunit 9 (P1) (all encoded by nuclear genes) in slot hybridization experiments of total RNA from oocytes and early embryos. All four mRNAs showed a similar developmental pattern of prevalence, characterized by a steady decline in mRNA copy numbers from the late growth-phase oocyte through the two-cell embryo, and an about 30-fold rise during cleavage through the blastocyst stage. However, the ATPase subunit 9 (P1) mRNA was about three times more prevalent in cleavage-stage embryos than the COX mRNAs. A similar pattern was obtained previously for the mitochondrial-encoded COX I and II mRNAs, but the latter accumulate at a 30-50-fold excess over the nuclear-encoded COX subunit mRNAs during the cleavage stages. The results suggest a coordinated activation and transcription of the mitochondrial and nuclear genes for the components of the respiratory apparatus beginning with the two-cell stage. It is estimated that new respiratory chains are produced at a rate of 50-100 chains hr-1/mitochondrion in the early blastocyst, accounting for 3.5-7% of the total protein synthetic activity at this stage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Psychopathic traits moderate the interaction between cognitive and affective processing

Cognitive-attentional factors may moderate emotion deficits associated with psychopathy (Newman & Lorenz, 2003). This study examined the role of these factors in moderating fear-potentiated startle (FPS) as a function of Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality-personality dimensions with links to psychopathy. University students performed a task that required them to focus on a (1) threat dimension under low working memory load, (2) threat-irrelevant dimension under low load, or (3) threat-irrelevant dimension under high load. Attentional focus, but not working memory load, moderated the relationship between Fearless Dominance and FPS. Fearless Dominance was negatively correlated with FPS only when attention was directed away from the threat. There were no significant findings for Impulsive Antisociality. Results provide evidence that reduced fear response associated with psychopathy may result from an attentional mechanism.
Differential binding of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins to mRNA precursors prior to spliceosome assembly in vitro.

Abstract We have investigated the composition of the earliest detectable complex (H) assembled on pre-mRNA during the in vitro splicing reaction. We show that most of the proteins in this complex correspond to heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNP), a set of abundant RNA-binding proteins that bind nascent RNA polymerase II transcripts in vivo. Thus, these studies establish a direct parallel between the initial events of RNA processing in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to previous studies, in which total hnRNP particles were isolated from mammalian nuclei, we determined the hnRNP composition of complexes assembled on individual RNAs of defined sequence. We found that a unique combination of hnRNP proteins is associated with each RNA. Thus, our data provide direct evidence for transcript-dependent assembly of pre-mRNA in hnRNP complexes. The observation that pre-mRNA is differentially bound by hnRNP proteins prior to spliceosome assembly suggests the possibility that RNA packaging could play a central role in the mechanism of splice site selection, as well as other posttranscriptional events.
Why walkers slip: shine is not a reliable cue for slippery ground.

In a series of four studies, we investigated the visual cues that walkers use to predict slippery ground surfaces and tested whether visual information is reliable for specifying low-friction conditions. In Study 1, 91% of participants surveyed responded that they would use shine to identify upcoming slippery ground. Studies 2–4 confirmed participants’ reliance on shine to predict slip. Participants viewed ground surfaces varying in gloss, paint color, and viewing distance under indoor and outdoor lighting conditions. Shine and slip ratings and functional walking judgments were related to surface gloss level and to surface coefficient of friction (COF). However, judgments were strongly affected by surface color, viewing distance, and lighting conditions—extraneous factors that do not change the surface COF. Results suggest that, although walkers rely on shine to predict slippery ground, shine is not a reliable visual cue for friction. Poor visual information for friction may underlie the high prevalence of friction-related slips and falls.
Between Tradition and Revolution: Fan Wenlan and the Origins of the Marxist Historiography of Modern China

Focusing on the writings of Fan Wenlan, a leading historian in post-1949 China, this article examines the origins of the “revolutionary narrative” in the Marxist historiography of modern China in the context of political and intellectual struggles between the Nationalists and Communists and within the Communist Party in the 1930s and 1940s. The author argues that Fan’s new account of modern China emerged primarily as a product of the Communists’ resistance to the “modernization narrative” in Nationalist historiography. It was also a product of the Chinese Communists’ challenge to the “orthodox” Marxist interpretation of modern Chinese history prevailing in Russia and among Chinese Marxists in the 1920s and 1930s. But Fan’s background as a philologist, his poor training in Marxism, and his nationalist commitment greatly weakened his analysis of history from a Marxist perspective.
Biologically motivated servomechanism kinematic models

Forward and inverse kinematic models for a human like (HL) robot joint are developed and used to simulate the behavior of the joint. The forward kinematic model of the HL joint is found simply to consist of two rotational motions about fixed coordinate frames. The inverse tangent (atan2) function technique is used to develop an inverse kinematic model of the HL joint. This technique also prevents singular values from occurring in the calculations. Simulation results of the forward kinematic model are presented.
Using cryo-electron microscopy to determine thermodynamic and elastic properties of membranes

Both cryo transmission electron and freeze-fracture microscopy provide the high resolution images necessary to elucidate the structures and size distributions of spontaneous vesicles formed from cationic and anionic surfactant mixtures, lipid and polymer mixtures, and mixed lipid and protein mixtures. From the size distributions and structures, estimates of the elastic and thermodynamic properties of the membrane can be determined to begin to relate molecular properties to bilayer parameters.
Energetics of vertical kilometer foot races; is steeper cheaper?

Vertical kilometer foot races consist of a 1,000-m elevation gain in <5,000 m of overall distance, and the inclines of the fastest courses are ∼30°. Previous uphill locomotion studies have focused ...
Basic Concepts from Probability Theory

Probability theory provides a mathematical model for the study of randomness and uncertainty. The concept of probability occupies an important role in the decision-making process, whether the problem is one faced in business, in engineering, in government, in sciences, or just in one’s own everyday life. Most decisions are made in the face of uncertainty. The mathematical models of probability theory enable us to make predictions about certain mass phenomena from the necessarily incomplete information derived from sampling techniques. It is the probability theory that enables one to proceed from descriptive statistics to inferential statistics. In fact, probability theory is the most important tool in statistical inference.
Leaching of Pollutants from Wood-Chip Slurry

An investigation was made to evaluate pollutional characteristics of wood-chip carrier water to identify problems of effluent reuse or disposal, or both, and to determine potential pipeline corrosion in the simulated hydraulic pipelines.
A Whole-Mount Approach for Accurate Quantitative and Spatial Assessment of Fetal Oocyte Dynamics in Mice

Depletion of oocytes from the embryonic ovary is a key feature of mammalian oogenesis; however, the rational and molecular bases for this phenomenon remain poorly understood. Presently in the field, the most systematic analysis used to understand the effect of a given molecular pathway on fetal oocyte attrition is to count the number of oocytes in ovaries at different stages of development. This analysis is commonly done using a sampling method based on sectioning of the ovary, a technique that includes many laborious steps culminating in an inaccurate estimate of oocyte number contained within that ovary. This inability to generate data that are directly comparable between labs hinders the field and raises questions about the timing and rate of oocyte depletion. Therefore, we set out to implement a robust method that can be easily used by most research laboratories to study the dynamics of oogenesis during fetal mouse ovary development in both normal and experimental conditions. Here we describe an approach to accurately count the total number of oocytes in embryonic ovaries. This method is based on whole-mount immunofluorescence, tissue clearing with sucrose and ScaleA2 reagent, and automatic detection and counting of germ cells in intact ovaries using confocal microscopy and three-dimensional software analyses. We demonstrate the power of the method by assessing variation of fetal oocyte numbers between left and right ovaries and between litters of mice. Finally, we anticipate that the method could be adopted to the analysis of substages of meiotic prophase I and ovarian somatic cells.
Chemical Information Literacy at a Liberal Arts College

Chemistry majors at Goucher College are now required to take a 1-credit course in their sophomore year entitled Chemical Information Literacy. Students in the course learn the structure and organization of the chemical literature, and how to carry out searches of various databases for topic, author, chemical compound, or structure. They learn related skills such as how to use a citation manager to organize citations, and how to use a structure-drawing program. Students are also exposed to the patent literature, and databases of molecular properties. A highlight of the course is a unit on current events in which students learn how to read a paper for general content even if they do not understand every word of it. The course culminates in students choosing a topic of interest to them, and preparing an annotated bibliography that can be used for writing a review article in a subsequent course. As a result of this course, students learn the skills required to be productive researchers, and develop an appreci...