cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Specimen Preparation on Post‐Excision and Post‐Fixation Dimensions, Translation, and Distortion of Canine Cadaver Skin‐Muscle‐Fascia Specimens

Objective To assess the effect of various tissue apposition techniques on specimens after formalin fixation, and to assess canine cadaveric composite skin-muscle-fascia specimen changes after excision without and with addition of a tumor model. Study Design Canine cadaveric study; unbalanced paired design. Animals: Fresh canine cadavers (n = 30) Methods Experiment 1: Paired 7 cm diameter, circular skin-muscle-fascia specimens were harvested bilaterally from three sites (thorax, abdomen, and thigh) on 10 cadavers. For each pair, the skin-to-fascia was sutured with a circumferential continuous pattern in one specimen and left unsutured in the other during excision. Specimen length and width were measured post-excision and post-fixation. Specimen rotation, translation, and distortion was measured post-fixation. Experiment 2: A subcutaneous tumor model was implanted at 2 sites (neck, thorax) on 20 cadavers and specimens were then excised with 2 cm lateral margins and a deep fascial plane. Three suturing techniques of the skin-to-fascia at both sites were performed during excision: unsutured versus circumferential continuous suture (10 pairs) or circumferential versus 4 interrupted quadrant sutures (10 pairs). Lateral margins were compared post-excision and post-fixation. Results Experiment 1: There was significant reduction in the length and width of the fascia and skin post-excision, but no further reduction after fixation. The circumferential suture decreased rotation and translation of the tissue layers but did not significantly affect specimen shrinkage or distortion compared with the unsutured specimen. Experiment 2: All 4 lateral margins decreased significantly post-excision and post-fixation compared with the planned pre-excision margins. No difference was found between any of the 4 lateral margins for any skin-to-fascia suture technique. Conclusion Canine skin-muscle-fascia specimens significantly decrease in size from gross pre-excision dimensions after removal. Suturing the specimen during surgery before excision will significantly improve alignment of tissue planes without creating distortion of the sample, but may alter the length, width, and lateral margins of the specimen.
Influence-driven model for time series prediction from partial observations

Applications in sustainability domains such as in energy, transportation, and natural resource and environment monitoring, increasingly use sensors for collecting data and sending it back to centrally located processing nodes. While data can usually be collected by the sensors at a very high speed, in many cases, it can not be sent back to central nodes at a frequency that is required for fast and real-time modeling and decision-making. This may be due to physical limitations of the transmission networks, or due to consumers limiting frequent transmission of data from sensors located at their premises for security and privacy concerns. We propose a novel solution to the problem of making short term predictions in absence of real-time data from sensors. A key implication of our work is that by using real-time data from only a small subset of influential sensors, we are able to make predictions for all sensors. We evaluated our approach with a large real-world electricity consumption data collected from smart meters in Los Angeles and the results show that between prediction horizons of 2 to 8 hours, despite lack of real time data, our influence model outperforms the baseline model that uses real-time data. Also, when using partial real-time data from only ≈ 7% influential smart meters, we witness prediction error increase by only ≈ 0.5% over the baseline, thus demonstrating the usefulness of our method for practical scenarios.
The Door-in-the-Face Influence Strategy: A Random-Effects Meta-Analytic Review

A random-effects meta-analysis of research concerning the door-in-the-face (DITF) influence strategy provides evidence supporting more confident generalizations about the role of several moderator variables than that provided by previous reviews. Variations in the identity of the requester, the identity of the beneficiary, the prosocialness of the requests, the medium of communication, and the time interval between requests all appear to influence the size of DITF effects; variations in concession size do not. DITF effects are small in absolute terms (with an overall mean r of .10), but not remarkably small in the context of other effect sizes concerning social influence. However, there is substantial variability in DITF effects, even under optimal conditions. The review’s findings are not easily reconciled with most proposed explanations of DITF effects, but appear consistent with a guilt-based account.
Arsenic Trioxide (Trisenox®) with/without Thalidomide in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Produces Hematologic Improvement (HI).

In a previous clinical trial, we have shown that 7/28 MDS patients, belonging to IPSS intermediate and high risk categories, responded to a combination of Trisenox® and thalidomide including a complete hematologic and cytogenetic remission. Two trilineage responses were seen in patients with inv(3) abnormality. It was not clear whether the responses were due to the combination or to either drug alone. In the present study, we treated 30 MDS patients with Trisenox® (5 days of loading dose at 0.25mg/kg IV over 2 hours followed by twice weekly dose) for 6 months followed by the addition of thalidomide (100mg po qday x 3 months). The Median age was 71 years (19 males, 11 females). FAB types: RA 3 patients, RARS 2, RAEB 14, RAEB-t 8, CMMoL 2, Unclassified 1. IPSS: Low 0 patients, Int-1 10, Int-2 7, High 13. Two, 1,1 and 4 patients had abnormalities affecting chromosomes 5, 7, 8, and 20, while 12 patients showed a complex karyotype. Therapy was fairly well tolerated and median number of cycles was 3. Five patients showed a variety of hematologic responses as judged by the IWG criteria (1 trilineage, 1 cytogenetic and change in FAB type due to decrease in blasts, 1 ANC and reduction in blasts, and 2 with 50% reduction in blasts). Among the responders, 1 had 47 XX, +8(16 metaphases), del(X)(q22q25),del(3)(q25q27)(4 metaphases), 3 had a normal karyotype, and 1 had del(20q). Three of the partial responders were started on thalidomide, but all stopped within 2 months. Following response, the first patient showed disappearance of the clone bearing the chromosome 3 abnormality, confirming the sensitivity of these cells to Trisenox® as reported in our previous trial. Interestingly, 3/5 responders showed an increase in WBC/ANC and 1 in platelets as well (12, 22 and 90,000/ul), without any evidence of a differentiation syndrome. One also had an increase in platelets from ~50,000/ul to 966,000/ul. Blasts were 11, 24 and 28% in these 3 patients prior to therapy and decreased to 4, 6 and 24% respectively after treatment. It was concluded that the twice-daily dose of arsenic trioxide was well tolerated, and some patients converted their disease to a more myeloproliferative type picture.
Preparing for International Travel and Global Medical Care

Thorough pretravel preparation and medical consultation can mitigate avoidable health and safety risks. A comprehensive pretravel medical consultation should include an individualized risk assessment, immunization review, and discussion of arthropod protective measures, malaria prophylaxis, traveler's diarrhea, and injury prevention. Travel with children and jet lag reduction require additional planning and prevention strategies; travel and evacuation insurance may prove essential when traveling to less resourced countries. Consideration should also be given to other high-risk travel scenarios, including the provision of health care overseas, adventure and extreme sports, water environments and diving, high altitude, and terrorism/unstable political situations.
Outer membrane cytochromes/flavin interactions in Shewanella spp.-A molecular perspective.

Extracellular electron transfer (EET) is intrinsically associated with the core phenomena of energy harvesting/energy conversion in natural ecosystems and biotechnology applications. However, the mechanisms associated with EET are complex and involve molecular interactions that take place at the “bionano interface” where biotic/abiotic interactions are usually explored. This work provides molecular perspective on the electron transfer mechanism(s) employed by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Molecular docking simulations were used to explain the interfacial relationships between two outer-membrane cytochromes (OMC) OmcA and MtrC and riboflavin (RF) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN), respectively. OMC-flavin interactions were analyzed by studying the electrostatic potential, the hydrophilic/hydrophobic surface properties, and the van der Waals surface of the OMC proteins. As a result, it was proposed that the interactions between flavins and OMCs are based on geometrical recognition event. The possible docking po...
Application of the dissipation theorem to turbulent flow and mass transfer in a pipe

The dissipation theorem is applied to turbulent pipe flow. The eddy-viscosity profiles can be made to agree with some in the literature in the sense that the eddy viscosity starts at zero on the solid pipe wall, rises to a maximum, and declines again toward the center line. A relationship between the volumetric dissipation and the eddy viscosity is derived by means of an energy balance on a core of fluid of radius r. The question of what exponent to use on the radius in another governing equation is clarified, thereby giving better agreement with experimental data than other values tried. Negative values of the eddy viscosity can be obtained in some regions of the flow field, such as near the center line, and it is suggested that these can be eliminated by slight modification of the decay term. Better agreement with the shapes of friction-factor and mass-transfer curves could be achieved by further (empirical) modification of the stress dependence of parameters in the model.
Abstract 15290: Predictors of 30-Day Readmission and In-Hospital Mortality of Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A National Population-Based Cohort Study

Background: Rising prevalence of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) and limited data on outcomes such as 30 day readmissions and short term mortality is concerning. Methods: We ...
Heterogeneity of Tumor Exosomes – Role in Precision Medicine

Abstract Cancer liquid biopsies have traditionally involved the use of cell free DNA or circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to characterize the molecular underpinnings of the underlying tumor. Recently extracellular microvesicles known as exosomes have emerged as an important “third rail” of the cancer liquid biopsy, with demonstration of highly preserved cancer-derived DNA and RNA within the exosomal cargo. Paired with ultrasensitive next generation sequencing (NGS) or droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) approaches, profiling exosomal nucleic acids provides an opportunity for early detection, therapeutic stratification and monitoring of cancer patients during therapy. Exosomes have emerged as a key tool in the precision medicine armamentarium, prime for clinical application in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics.
Aging and the effects of facial and prosodic cues on emotional intensity ratings and memory reconstructions.

Young (M = 23 years) and older (M = 77 years) adults' interpretation and memory for the emotional content of spoken discourse was examined in an experiment using short, videotaped scenes of two young actresses talking to each other about emotionally-laden events. Emotional nonverbal information (prosody or facial expressions) was conveyed at the end of each scene at low, medium, and high intensities. Nonverbal information indicating anger, happiness, or fear, conflicted with the verbal information. Older adults' ability to differentiate levels of emotional intensity was not as strong (for happiness and anger) compared to younger adults. An incidental memory task revealed that older adults, more often than younger adults, reconstruct what people state verbally to coincide with the meaning of the nonverbal content, if the nonverbal content is conveyed through facial expressions. A second experiment with older participants showed that the high level of memory reconstructions favoring the nonverbal interpretation was maintained when the ages of the participants and actresses were matched, and when the nonverbal content was conveyed both through prosody and facial expressions.
MAN PROTECTION DURING LANDING IMPACT OF AEROSPACE VEHICLES

Abstract Principles and methods of impact attenuation and protection are currently being studied in a multiphase research effort utilizing the capabilities of the WADD Inclined Test Facility. Eighty human-subject experiments have been conducted to date. The first phase of this program, which consisted of forty-eight experiments, studied human response and protection during impact when the force was applied to the seated subject parallel to the vertebral column. The second phase of research has included thirty-two human-subject experiments to date at impact velocities ranging from ten to thirty feet per second. The subjects have been tested in a semi-supine position with a 12° forward inclination of the head and torso in relation to the initial impact force. As in the first phase of this program, each level of experimentation has been preceded by control tests utilizing fully articulated anthropomorphic dummies. Various configurations of paper honeycomb have been used as the prime mode of impact attenuation. Two couch designs and a number of restraint modifications have been used in an effort to provide optimum body support and restraint. Data gathering processes have consisted of: recordings of accelerometers mounted on the subject and test vehicle, analysis of photometric data, pre-and post-medical examination, and continuous electrocardiographic survey throughout the duration of the experiment. The maximum acceleration recorded to date on the couch was 36.5 g's and the highest rate of onset was 11,200 g's per second. The highest acceleration recorded on any subject was 54.5 g's at an onset rate of 17,300 g's per second. The research accomplished to date has been concentrated on an ideal one-degree-of-freedom circumstance; i.e., the effects of vertical velocities only have been emphasized. The results of these investigations have provided increased understanding of principles and methods of man protection but further efforts must consider the biomechanical problems imposed by the combination of conditions of landing and the resultant effect on man and equipment requirements. Specifically, such factors as horizontal and oscillatory velocities are potential conditions of landing which probe unknown areas of human tolerance limitations. The design of protective equipment for future manned aerospace vehicles hinges on the availability of this data.
The James Webb Space telescope: observatory status and preparations for launch (Conference Presentation)

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a NASA flagship mission that will address multiple science themes including our Universe’s first light, the assembly of galaxies, the birth of stars and planetary systems, and planets and the origins of life. The JWST is a large (6.5 m) segmented aperture telescope equipped with near- and mid-infrared instruments (0.6-28 microns), all of which are passively cooled to ~40 K by a 5-layer sunshield while the mid-infrared instrument is actively cooled to 7 K. The JWST will be launched to an L2 orbit aboard a European Space Agency (ESA) supplied Ariane 5 rocket, whose payload volume constraints require that the JWST structure is stowed for launch. The JWST telescope recently completed its cryogenic test program and the sunshield has been fully integrated and deployed. JWST is currently in the final stages of the test program at the Observatory level. The current estimated JWST performance metrics will be presented, such as the image quality, pointing stability, sensitivity, and stray light backgrounds. The JWST development status and future plans will be described for the final testing, launch, and commissioning. JWST is an international project with contributions from NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems is the prime contractor for the JWST, and the Space Telescope Science Institute will serve as the science operations center.
Microscale trait-environment associations in two closely-related South African shrubs.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Plant traits are often associated with the environments in which they occur, but these associations often differ across spatial and phylogenetic scales. Here we study the relationship between microenvironment, microgeographical location, and traits within populations using co-occurring populations of two closely related evergreen shrubs in the genus Protea. METHODS We measured a suite of functional traits on 147 plants along a single steep mountainside where both species occur, and we used data-loggers and soil analyses to characterize the environment at 10 microsites spanning the elevational gradient. We used Bayesian path analyses to detect trait-environment relationships in the field for each species. We used complementary data from greenhouse grown seedlings derived from wild collected seed to determine whether associations detected in the field are the result of genetic differentiation. KEY RESULTS Microenvironmental variables differed substantially across our study site. We found strong evidence for six trait-environment associations, although these differed between species. We were unable to detect similar associations in greenhouse-grown seedlings. CONCLUSIONS Several leaf traits were associated with temperature and soil variation in the field, but the inability to detect these in the greenhouse suggests that differences in the field are not the result of genetic differentiation.
Adsorption of Formic Acid on CH3NH3PbI3 Lead–Halide Organic–Inorganic Perovskites

The adsorption kinetics of formic acid (HCOOH) was studied under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) on lead–halide organic–inorganic perovskites (CH3NH3PbI3) supported on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO). The thin film samples were made at ambient pressure using the common liquid-phase synthesis, but samples were degassed under UHV. We studied real-world samples which do have some carbon impurities. Adsorption and decomposition kinetics were characterized with thermal desorption spectroscopy. Furthermore, samples’ composition (including impurities) were inspected under UHV with Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Accordingly, formic acid adsorbs molecularly at 100 K but decomposed above 600 K. On ITO or thermally decomposed perovskite samples, formic acid adsorbs only molecularly. The gas-phase species detected are consistent with a decomposition mechanism via the formation of formate (HCOO) and formyl (HCO) intermediates. The perovskite itself also decomposed thermally, but it is stabilized...
Volatile methanol and acetone additions increase labile soil carbon and inhibit nitrification

Recent efforts to understand the contribution of low-molecular weight compounds to carbon dynamics in soil ecosystems has resulted in a framework that suggests that low-molecular weight, labile carbon compounds can be directly assimilated by microbial biomass before being stabilized on soil colloids. However, this model primarily focuses on dissolved organic matter inputs and overlooks the potential importance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Here we determined the effects of two VOCs commonly emitted from soil and decomposing leaf litter (methanol, and acetone) on soil respiratory dynamics during a 28-day lab experiment. At the end of the experiment we quantified carbon and nitrogen concentrations in dissolved organic matter, microbial biomass, particulate organic matter, mineral associated organic matter, the labile carbon pool, and we quantified nitrifying microorganism abundance. Our results demonstrate that VOCs (i.e. methanol and acetone) increase soil respiration, contribute to labile soil C, and inhibit nitrification. Our VOC additions resulted in respiration spikes 4.1–5.5-fold greater than the control for acetone and methanol, respectively, though respiration returned back to control levels within 144 h after additions. Our VOC additions resulted in a 1.6–1.7-fold increase in labile soil carbon, suggesting that litter-derived VOCs could enter soil C pools following microbial metabolism. Additionally, soils exposed to VOCs contained ~ 2.25-fold less total dissolved nitrogen, and ~ 34–220-fold less nitrate. Ammonia oxidizing archaea were ~ 1.5 fold less abundant in VOC treated soils than in the control. After VOC additions were ceased, nitrate levels increased at approximately the same rate in all treatments, suggesting an inhibitory effect of methanol and acetone on nitrifying microorganisms. These results indicate that common decomposition derived VOCs play an important yet under-recognized role in driving the formation of soil organic matter as well as increasing the immobilization of nitrogen in soil ecosystems.
Minimum-error world map projections defined by polydimensional meshes

In order to transform the curved surface of the earth onto the planar surface of a map, some distortion must be introduced. Conventional map projections are defined by mathematical formulas, and ar...
Double Ring Stand Interference

Double-slit interference is a difficult phenomenon for students to grasp in an introductory physics course. A thorough understanding of constructive and destructive interference is critical, but even with such an understanding, visualizing exactly how an interference pattern is formed by light passing through two slits can still be a challenge for students. Here, we describe a simple demonstration that seems to have improved our students’ understanding of this phenomenon. The required materials are readily available in nearly any physics classroom or lab, and the demonstration can easily be constructed in 5 to 10 minutes.
Nup98-dependent transcriptional memory is established independently of transcription

Summary Cellular ability to mount an enhanced transcriptional response upon repeated exposure to external cues has been termed transcriptional memory, which can be maintained epigenetically through cell divisions. The majority of mechanistic knowledge on transcriptional memory has been derived from bulk molecular assays, and this phenomenon has been found to depend on a nuclear pore component Nup98 in multiple species. To gain an alternative perspective on the mechanism and on the contribution of Nup98, we set out to examine single-cell population dynamics of transcriptional memory by monitoring transcriptional behavior of individual Drosophila cells upon initial and subsequent exposures to steroid hormone ecdysone. To this end, we combined single-molecule RNA FISH with mathematical modeling, and found that upon hormone exposure, cells rapidly activate a low-level transcriptional response, but simultaneously, begin a slow transitioning into a specialized memory state, characterized by a high rate of expression. Strikingly, our modeling predicted that this transition between non-memory and memory states is independent of the transcription stemming from initial activation, and we were able to confirm this prediction experimentally by showing that inhibiting transcription during initial ecdysone exposure did not interfere with memory establishment. Together, our findings reveal that Nup98’s role in transcriptional memory is to stabilize the forward rate of conversion from low to high expressing state, and that induced genes engage in two separate behaviors – transcription itself and the establishment of epigenetically propagated transcriptional memory.
Strategies for data reduction in non-targeted screening analysis: The impact of sample variability for food safety applications.

Abstract While analytical methods targeting specific compounds are critical for food safety, analytes excluded from the targeted list will not be identified. Non-targeted analyses (NTA) using LC/HR-MS complement these approaches by producing information-rich data sets where molecular formula can be generated for each detected compound; however, data mining can be labor intensive. Thus, we examined different NTA approaches to reduce the number of compounds needing further investigation, without relying on a suspect list or MS/MS database, both in single ingredient foods (i.e., oats) and more complex, oat-containing samples. We investigated inherent sample variability and utilized this information to build in-house databases for removing food compounds from sample data. While food databases were useful for data reduction, differential analysis was the most promising approach for single ingredient foods because it substantially reduced the number of features while retaining spiked QC compounds; however, a combination of approaches was necessary with greater sample complexity.
The Nabataean Urban Experiment and Dental Disease and Childhood Stress

Petra served as the economic, political, and religious center of the Nabataean kingdom from approximately the third century BC until Rome annexed the kingdom in AD 106. The city’s location in a large basin with no natural springs or other immediate groundwater sources meant its success hinged on Nabataean technological inspiration that enabled Petra to function and support a population estimated at 30,000 at its height. This chapter explores how the diverse urban environment at Petra variably impacted dental disease and childhood stress among three different communities, two of which were buried in elaborate facade tombs and one within shaft chamber tombs. The individuals in the facade tombs had higher frequencies of linear enamel hypoplasias and dental calculus than those in the shaft chamber tombs, perhaps suggesting that differences in size and elaboration of tomb architecture parallels differences in childhood frailty, diet, and intrinsic host factors that led to the development of calculus. While evidence suggest that the “elite” facade tomb individuals survived multiple bouts of childhood stress, as adults they were more susceptible to chronic and infectious conditions linked to calculus than the “non-elites” in the shaft chamber tombs.
Probabilistic Polynomial-Time Process Calculus and Security Protocol Analysis

We propose a formal framework for analyzing security protocols. This framework, which differs from previous logical methods based on the Dolev-Yao model, is based on a process calculus that captures probabilistic polynomial time. Protocols are written in a restricted form of π-calculus and security is expressed as a form or observational equivalence, a standard relation from programming language theory that involves quantifying over possible additional processes that might interact with the protocol. Using an asymptotic notion of probabilistic equivalence, we may relate observational equivalence to polynomial-time statistical tests. Several example protocols have been analyzed. We believe that this framework offers the potential to codify and automate realistic forms of protocol analysis. In addition, our work raises some foundational problems for reasoning about probabilistic programs and systems.
DNN Analysis through Synthetic Data Variation

This contribution discusses the use of variational data synthesis as a tool to analyze and understand limitations of performance of DNNs (deep neural networks) in perception tasks. To date, no universally accepted methodologies for validating ML (Machine Learning) -based perception exist. Instead of aiming for the randomized acquisition of huge amounts of validation data, either from real world capture or from simulation, we propose a guided concept to analyze perception performance using systematic parameter variations. The concept is based on parameterized, generative content used for data synthesis in our validation engine. The latter is composed of the actual data synthesis module, automated execution and evaluation of the perception function under test and a control module, which allows specification of parameter variation towards a validation goal. Further we investigate the use of physical parameters, like object occlusion rates and pixel area for the identification of critical cases for perception. We present experiments for semantic segmentation of pedestrians in an urban environment using two different DNN algorithms.
Investigation of the prevalence and catalytic activity of rubredoxin-fused alkane monooxygenases (AlkBs).

Abstract Interest in understanding the environmental distribution of the alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) enzyme led to the identification of over 100 distinct alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) enzymes containing a covalently bound, or fused, rubredoxin. The rubredoxin-fused AlkB from Dietzia cinnamea was cloned as a full-length protein and as a truncated protein with the rubredoxin domain deleted. A point mutation (V91W) was introduced into the full-length protein, with the goal of assessing how steric bulk in the putative substrate channel might affect selectivity. Based on activity studies with alkane and alkene substrates, the rubredoxin-fused AlkB oxidizes a similar range of alkane substrates relative to its rubredoxin domain-deletion counterpart. Oxidation of terminal alkenes generated both an epoxide and a terminal aldehyde. The products of V91W-mutant-catalyzed oxidation of alkenes had a higher aldehyde-to-epoxide ratio than the products formed in the presence of the wild type protein. These results are consistent with this mutation causing a structural change impacting substrate positioning.
Did the use of bone flakes precede the use of knapped stone flakes in hominin meat processing and could this be detectable archaeologically

Abstract The means by which hominins invented lithic cutting technology is currently unknown. However, the origin of stone knapping is frequently associated with nut-cracking, whereupon hominins are assumed to have accidentally produced flakes and/or transferred a percussive motion to stone cobbles. Here, we consider whether bone flakes produced during marrow acquisition might have inadvertently produced the first ever cutting tools, and whether such a hypothesis is archaeologically testable. Bone and stone flakes were compared during an experimental butchery activity and an examination of resulting cut marks was undertaken. Use of bone flakes leaves visible cut marks, which are quantitatively and qualitatively distinct from those produced by stone flakes. Accordingly, hominins could have used the expediently manufactured bone flakes during butchery, possibly even utilizing bone flakes prior to the invention of stone flakes. Indeed, this scenario is more parsimonious compared with more commonly considered alternatives. Moreover, our results indicate this scenario is archaeologically testable.
Doubling and Resurrection Across the Henriad

Whenever a leading actor took on multiple roles within a play on the early modern stage, audiences undoubtedly would have taken note of the doubling, making connections, and drawing contrasts between the actor’s juxtaposed parts. Theatre historians, however, have been unable to come to any degree of consensus about how early modern doubling practices actually worked, which is especially unfortunate for those of us interested in reconstructing the phenomenology of early modern audience response. This chapter comes at the question of doubling from a new angle, by considering Elizabethan serial drama and the strategies that playing companies might have employed in deploying their leading actors across multi-part plays. In particular, it focuses on the plays in Shakespeare’s second tetralogy, looking for telltale signs in their dramaturgical design that might signal the “resurrection” of various characters in the series, instances where an actor dies in one role and returns in another.
Convertibility Risk: The Precautionary Demand for Foreign Currency in a Crisis

This paper presents theoretical work linking money demand to the perceptions of households about the risk that domestic currency may become inconvertible or that it may be devalued. An empirical investigation of the size of this effect is carried out using both cross section data and then monthly data for Korea to estimate an augmented demand for money equation. It is found that the fear of inconvertibility arising from the 1997 Korean currency crisis may have caused broad money demand to fall by 4-5 percentage points, equivalent to the loss of reserves of $6-7.5 billion (or about 30 percent of reserves as measured at end-November 1997).
Pulmonary stenosis

Balloon valvuloplasty provides optimal treatment for moderate and severe pulmonary valve stenosis. Dysplastic pulmonary valves may not respond to balloon dilation and frequently require surgical treatment. Balloon angioplasty with or without stenting is the preferred treatment of peripheral pulmonary stenosis.
The Complexities of Place Approach

Over the last decade, the community health science literature has gone through a series of shifts, moving from the study of composition to the complexities of place. This shift began in the early 1990s, when a growing network of researchers moved away from the traditional study of compositional variables to the independent contribution that socioeconomic context has on health.
Impact of aftershocks and uncertainties on the seismic evaluation of non-ductile reinforced concrete frame buildings

Abstract There is increasing interest in sophisticated seismic performance evaluation that encompasses the ability to incorporate aftershock hazard. This paper presents a methodology to examine the seismic performance of two non-ductile reinforced concrete frame buildings with consideration of the interaction between the aftershocks and various post-quake decisions. The assessment investigates the direct loss, downtime, fatalities, and total loss for each of the buildings. A total of 60 recorded mainshock–aftershocks sequences are utilized. The variations in results between the method with and without consideration of aftershocks are compared. The characteristics of mainshock–aftershock sequences which may be the cause of the difference are discussed and identified. Important uncertainty sources for the post-quake decisions are also investigated through a sensitivity study.
Metabolic Effects of Caloric Restriction

Caloric restriction (CR) is a dietary intervention that robustly extends lifespan in diverse species. In mammals CR extends the period in which the animal is fit and vigorous, and attenuates age-related disease vulnerability. Benefits of CR include reduced incidence of cancer, improved cardiovascular health, increased insulin sensitivity, and resistance to neurodegenerative diseases. The fact that CR extends not only average lifespan but also maximum lifespan has led to the consensus that an optimised CR diet slows the aging process itself. Here we outline the effects of CR on physiology and metabolism and where these may fit with current theories of aging. Theauthorsdescribefactorsthatarelikelytomediatethe physiological adaptations to CR, placing an emphasis on nutrient sensitive regulators of metabolism. A major incentive for research into the mechanisms of CR is the promise of novel treatments for age-related diseases and disorders that are relevant to human aging.
Multiplicative by nature: Logarithmic transformation in allometry

The traditional allometric method, which is at the heart of research paradigms used by comparative biologists around the world, entails fitting a straight line to logarithmic transformations of the original bivariate data and then back-transforming the resulting equation to form a two-parameter power function in the arithmetic scale. The method has the dual advantages of enabling investigators to fit statistical models that describe multiplicative growth while simultaneously addressing the multiplicative nature of residual variation in response variables (heteroscedasticity). However, important assumptions of the traditional method seldom are assessed in contemporary practice. When the assumptions are not met, mean functions may fail to capture the dominant pattern in the original data and incorrect form for error may be imposed upon the fitted model. A worked example from metabolic allometry in doves and pigeons illustrates both the power of newer statistical procedures and limitations of the traditional allometric method.
Molecular mechanisms of nociception

The sensation of pain alerts us to real or impending injury and triggers appropriate protective responses. Unfortunately, pain often outlives its usefulness as a warning system and instead becomes chronic and debilitating. This transition to a chronic phase involves changes within the spinal cord and brain, but there is also remarkable modulation where pain messages are initiated - at the level of the primary sensory neuron. Efforts to determine how these neurons detect pain-producing stimuli of a thermal, mechanical or chemical nature have revealed new signalling mechanisms and brought us closer to understanding the molecular events that facilitate transitions from acute to persistent pain.
Transnational Class Actions and the Illusory Search for Res Judicata

The transnational class action – a class action in which a portion of the class consists of non-U.S. claimants – is here to stay. Defendants typically resist the certification of transnational class actions on the basis that such actions provide no assurance of finality for a defendant, as it will always be possible for a non-U.S. class member to initiate subsequent proceedings in a foreign court. In response to this concern, many U.S. courts will analyze whether the “home” courts of the foreign class members would accord res judicata effect to an eventual U.S. judgment prior to certifying a U.S. class action containing foreign class members. The more likely the foreign court is to recognize a U.S. class judgment, the more likely that an American court will include those foreigners in the U.S. class action. Current scholarship accepts propriety of the res judicata analysis, but questions the manner in which the analysis is carried out. This Article breaks from the existing literature by arguing that the dynamics of class litigation render the res judicata effect of an eventual U.S. class judgment inherently unknowable to a U.S. court ex ante. In particular, I argue that certain “litigation dynamics” – specifically the process of proving foreign law via experts, the principle of party prosecution, and the litigation posture of the action – complicate the transnational class action landscape and prevent a court from accurately analyzing the res judicata issues at play. This is exacerbated by the “structural dynamics” of class litigation: the complexity of foreign law on the recognition and enforcement of judgments; the newness of class action law in most foreign countries; and the distinction between general and fact-specific grounds for non-enforcement of a U.S. class judgment. Accordingly, I argue that U.S. courts should abandon their illusory search for res judicata. Instead, courts should avoid the res judicata problem altogether by employing an opt-in mechanism for foreign class plaintiffs, whereby such plaintiffs are not bound unless they affirmatively undertake to be bound by U.S. class judgment. An opt-in mechanism for foreign plaintiffs also provides several advantages over the current opt-out mechanism: it allows all foreign claimants to participate in U.S. litigation if they so choose; it provides additional protections for absent foreign claimants; it respects international comity; and it sufficiently deters defendant misconduct.
Development and Validation of the Scientific Reasoning Scale

Scientific findings and innovations play an important role in a range of decisions faced by nonscientists, yet little is known about the skills that nonscientists need in order to read and evaluate scientific evidence. Drawing on research in public understanding of science, cognitive developmental psychology, and behavioral decision research, we develop an individual difference measure of scientific reasoning skills, defined as the skills needed to evaluate scientific findings in terms of the factors that determine their quality. We present the results of three studies assessing its psychometric validity. Our results indicate that the Scientific Reasoning Scale (SRS) is internally consistent and distinct from extant measures of scientific literacy. Participants with higher SRS scores are more likely to have beliefs consistent with the scientific consensus on potentially contentious issues, above and beyond education, political and religious beliefs, and scores on two widely used measures of scientific literacy. Participants with higher SRS scores also had better performance on a task requiring them to analyze scientific information. Our results suggest that the SRS provides a theoretically informed contribution to decoding lay responses to scientific results and controversies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maternalism, professionalism and industrial welfare supervisors in World War I Britain

Abstract During World War I industrial welfare work was firmly established as an occupation, especially in munitions factories under the Ministry of Munitions. This article explores the significance of the fact that the majority of the welfare supervisors employed during the war were women. Welfare supervisors are one example of the ways in which middle-class women grasped career opportunities offered by the war. Much of their work epitomized contemporary concepts of ‘womanly' duties and was designed to protect women workers as mothers of the race. Women welfare supervisors were caught between the proto-welfare state's espousal of the ideology of maternalism, and their aspirations to professionalism. To claim the status of professionals meant, not only proving their abilities, but also conforming to masculine norms of efficiency, rationality, expertise, organisation and status. By the end of the war, women welfare supervisors who sought to stay in the field had built a strong central organisation which pr...
Life at the edge, cooperation in Antarctica

In a current article in the Journal of Vegetation Science, Molina-Montenegro and colleagues extend the study of plant–plant interactions on stress gradients to extremes – the moss and lichen-dominated communities of Antarctica. They found that the importance of facilitation at this extreme end of a ‘cold–harsh continuum’ was similar to that reported at the extreme ends of alpine gradients around the world. In other words, in contrast to recent theory and case studies in other systems, facilitative effects did not wane in extremely stressful conditions.
The spatial dynamics of japanese manufacturing productivity: An empirical analysis by expanded verdoorn equations

This study investigates the parametric drift of a Verdoorn-type relationship across Japan's center-periphery continuum, using prefecture-level data for the 1965–75 time horizon. Our results indicate that in and around Japan's core neutral technological progress and capital deepening tend to be higher, whereas scale and external economies tend to be lower. This spatial variation is consistent with product cycle and regional dynamics theories. The study implements the expansion method techniques and research philosophy.
An HPLC and RIA analysis of the cholecystokinin peptides in rat brain

Abstract Methanol and boiling water extracts of rat brain were chromatographed on two HPLC columns and the major cholecystokinin (CCK) peptides that eluted were detected by radioimmunoassay. The major CCK-like substance in both extracts co-chromatographed with CCK octapeptide sulfate on both columns, in agreement with previous reports of gel filtration chromatography of extracts of rat (1), porcine (2), human (2), and guinea pig brain (3). Minor immunoreactive components were detected in both extracts which chromatographed with CCK8 desulfate, CCK4 or 5, and variable amounts of partially or completely oxidized CCK8 sulfate and desulfate. Little or no immunoreactivity comigrated with sulfated or desulfated gastrin 17. In boiling water extracts, two additional peaks of immunoreactivity were detected, one which co-elutes with CCK33 and one which precedes CCK33 and has an apparent molecular weight of 40,000–50,000. This “pro-CCK” is not dissociated by treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate and is considerably less hydrophobic than CCK8 or CCK4. It may be the same as the putative CCK precursor reported by Rehfeld to incorporate 35S methionine in rat cortex (4) which yields CCK8 upon trypsinization (5).
Dynamic Real-Time Task Scheduling on Hypercubes

Multiprocesssor systems have emerged as an important computing means for real-time applications and have received increasing attention. However, until now, little research has been done on the problem of on-line scheduling of parallel tasks with deadlines in partitionable multiprocessor systems. Meshes and hypercubes belong to this class of multiprocessors. In this paper, we propose a new on-line scheduling algorithm for hypercube systems called Deferred Earliest Deadline First (DEDF). The main idea of the DEDF algorithm is to defer the scheduling as long as possible, so that a set of jobs is scheduled at once instead of one at a time. For processor allocation using DEDF, we have introduced a new concept?available time window (ATW). By using ATW, the system utilization can be improved and thereby the deadlines of more of tasks can be met. Simulation results indicate that the DEDF algorithm performs significantly better than the earlier proposed Buddy/RT and Stacking algorithms for a wide range of workloads.
Chelated mineral supplementation in the barren mare: a preliminary trial.

Summary Twenty-four Thoroughbred mares with breeding histories of having been barren for at least the previous 12 months were evaluated in a double-blind feeding trial to determine the effects of chelated mineral supplementation upon subsequent breeding performance. At the start of the trial (Day 0), mares were split into three dietary treatment groups of eight mares each and fed: (a) control diet with macro- and microminerals fed at NRC recommended levels for maintenance of the mature horse, (b) chelated minerals supplementation and (c) inorganic minerals supplementation at levels equal to Group B. Sixty days after initiation of the trial, there were no differences (P>0.05) between age, endometrial biopsy classification, calculated body weight and body condition score for mares between dietary treatment groups. A breeding performance trial was initiated at this time (Day 60). The number of first cycle and cumulative (i.e. over 3 estrous cycles) conceptions, number of first cycle and cumulative pregnancies and the number of total embryonic losses were not different (P>0.05) between the control and either the chelated mineral or the inorganic mineral groups. There were no harmful effects observed from feeding the chelated minerals 60 days prior to, and during, this breeding trial.