cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The use of nanoindentation for characterizing the properties of mineralized hard tissues: state-of-the art review

The use of nanoindentation to determine nanomechanical properties of mineralized tissues has been investigated extensively. A detailed, critical, and comprehensive review of this literature is the subject of the present work. After stating the motivation for the review, a succinct presentation of the challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of the various quasi-static nanoindentation test methods (to obtain elastic modulus, E, and hardness, H) and dynamic test methods (to obtain storage and loss moduli and/or loss/damping factor) is given in the form of a primer. Explicative summaries of literature reports on various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that significantly influence E and H, followed by 15 suggested topics for future research, are included additionally. This review is designed to present a compact guide to the principles of the nanoindentation technique and to emphasize considerations when determining material properties of mineralized tissues.
Efficient mining of correlated sequential patterns based on null hypothesis

Frequent pattern mining has been a widely studied topic in the research area of data mining for more than a decade. However, pattern mining with real data sets is complicated - a huge number of co-occurrence patterns are usually generated, a majority of which are either redundant or uninformative. The true correlation relationships among data objects are buried deep among a large pile of useless information. To overcome this difficulty, mining correlations has been recognized as an important data mining task for its many advantages over mining frequent patterns.In this paper, we formally propose and define the task of mining frequent correlated sequential patterns from a sequential database. With this aim in mind, we re-examine various interestingness measures to select the appropriate one(s), which can disclose succinct relationships of sequential patterns. We then propose PSBSpan, an efficient mining algorithm based on the framework of the pattern-growth methodology which mines frequent correlated sequential patterns. Our experimental study on real datasets shows that our algorithm has outstanding performance in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness.
Design of Energy-Efficient High-Speed Links via Forward Error Correction

In this brief, we show that forward error correction (FEC) can reduce power in high-speed serial links. This is achieved by trading off the FEC coding gain with specifications on transmit swing, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) precision, jitter tolerance, receive amplification, and by enabling higher signal constellations. For a 20-in FR4 link carrying 10-Gb/s data, we demonstrate: 1) an 18-mW/Gb/s savings in the ADC; 2) a 1-mW/Gb/s reduction in transmit driver power; 3) up to 6× improvement in transmit jitter tolerance; and 4) a 25- to 40-mV improvement in comparator offset tolerance with 3× smaller swing.
The Role of Magnetic Reconnection Phenomena in the Reversed‐Field Pinch

The reversed-field pinch (RFP), an axisymmetric toroidal magnetic confinement experiment, has physics rich in the area commonly called field line reconnection or merging. This paper reviews the topics where reconnection plays a vital role: (a) RFP formation and the phenomenon of self-reversal, (b) RFP sustainment in which the RFP configuration has been shown to be capable of maintaining itself for times much longer than earlier predictions from classical resistive MHD theory, (c) steady state current drive in which dynamo action and associated reconnection processes give rise to the possibility of sustaining the configuration indefinitely by means of low frequency ac modulation of the toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields, (d) the effects of reconnection on the formation and evolution of the magnetic surfaces which are intimately related to the plasma containment properties. It appears that all phases of the RFP operation are intimately related to the reconnection and field regeneration processes similar to those encountered in space and astrophysics.
The Trouble with Amnesia: Collective Memory and Colonial Injustice in the United States

This essay will show how important collective memory is to the contemporary politics of historic injustices, to state-building, and to the production of nationhood, all of which involve placing politics in and out of time. To this end, the first section of the essay challenges the popular notion that the failure to address prevailing injustices is a result of collective amnesia, of a forgetting of the past. Instead, I argue that the persistence of colonialist and racial injustices is a consequence of collective disavowal and as such a particular production and presence of memory, rather than a lack of memory. To explore the politics of collective memory at greater length, the rest of the essay focuses on the calendar. I see calendars as forms of evidence for understanding politics because they are products of the mutually constitutive relationship between collective memory and the production of political temporality. Calendars thus have epistemological value as public documents of state-building, of nationhood, and of resistances to both. The second section of the essay looks at the politics of calendars in theoretical and historical terms, setting out their importance for state-building, nationhood, resistance, and revolution. The final section of the essay then considers the contemporary U.S. context, looking at examples of political resistance and elite consolidation that take as their target the mnemonics of the calendar. I turn first to address what I call the mis-diagnosis of collective amnesia.
Excretion of formiminoglutamic acid as an index of vitamin B12, folic acid, and methionine deficiencies.

SummaryDay old chicks were fed a diet borderline in methionine for 3 to 4 weeks. They excreted large amounts of formiminoglutamic acid (FGA). a metabolite of histidine, when either folic acid or Vit. B12 was omitted from the diet. FGA was excreted in very small amounts by control chicks fed the complete diet. Incorporation of supplemental methionine at 1% of the diet caused a marked reduction in FGA excretion of Vit. B12 deficient chicks and a moderate reduction in the folic acid deficient chicks. Further elevation of dietary histidine and continuation of the supplemental methionine resulted in increased FGA excretion which was relatively greater in the folic acid deficient than in the Vit. B12 deficient group. Only on the last day of the experiment was the excretion elevated for the control group. Chicks fed diets severely deficient in methionine did not excrete large amounts of FGA until Vit. B12 was omitted.
Kinetic Profiling of Prolinate-Catalyzed α-Amination of Aldehydes

Deconvolution of the role of off-cycle species from the desired catalytic cycle leads to an optimized protocol for the prolinate-catalyzed amination of aldehydes. The scope of complex reaction networks will be greatly broadened by understanding ancillary rate processes that influence the productive catalytic pathway.
Factors Affecting the Attitudes of Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners Regarding Carbon Sequestration and Trading

ing carbon sequestration and trading opportunities by establishing a series of research questions (RQs) that aim to examine the effects of the following on attitudinal clusters (respondent groups defined by positive or negative attitudes): 1. Land characteristics (acreage size, forest cover, ownership tenure, absentee ownership, and certification). 2. Land-Use Planning (plans to harvest timber, sell land, and bequeath land to
Approximate diffraction theories: Efficient modeling of diffractive optical elements

A new formulation of the generalized Kirchhoff approximation is presented which provides improved accuracy and a higher flexibility to model surface relief structures. The predicted diffraction amplitude is compared with rigorous coupled wave theory.
Monitoring Mass Rearing of the Codling Moth

Stages of Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) from the massreared colony were examined for 83 consecutive weeks. Females taken from oviposition cages were dissected and found to contain an average of 2.3 spermatophores per female, 91.7% had mated one or more times, and about 7% were damaged because of excessive mating which had caused early mortality. Average oviposition and average egg hatch were 92 eggs and 53% hatch on waxed paper and 111 eggs and 67% hatch on plastic pellets. The highest production of eggs (number laid per week per female) occurred in August; the lowest occurred in January. An average of 6 eggs was required to produce 1 moth, and each apple produced an average of 1.3 moths, although 17% produced no moths. Each female codling moth produced an average 16 normal moths.
Using Contemporary Leadership Skills in Medication Safety Programs

The discipline of studying medication errors and implementing medication safety programs in hospitals dates to the 1970s. These initial programs to prevent errors focused only on pharmacy operation changes - and not the broad medication use system. In the late 1990s, research showed that faulty systems, and not faulty people, are responsible for errors and require a multidisciplinary approach. The 2013 ASHP Statement on the Role of the Medication Safety Leader recommended that medication safety leaders be integrated team members rather than a single point of contact. Successful medication safety programs must employ a new approach - one that embraces the skills of all health care team members and positions many leaders to improve safety. This approach requires a new set of leadership skills based on contemporary management principles, including followership, team-building, tracking and assessing progress, storytelling and communication, and cultivating innovation, all of which promote transformational change. The application of these skills in developing or changing a medication safety program is reviewed in this article.
The relationships between temperature gradient and wind during cold frontal passages in the eastern United States: a numerical modeling study

Cold frontal passages are a common occurrence throughout the eastern United States. Previous observational research showed the surprising result that there is only a very weak, statistically nonsignificant relationship between a cold front's maximum 2-min sustained wind and the across-front temperature gradient. By using the WRF-ARW model to simulate eight cold fronts, we re-examine the relationship between temperature gradient and wind near the surface, and provide additional analysis. Results confirm previous observational research that found no relationship between wind speed and cross-frontal temperature gradient. The agreement between studies suggests that the lack of relationship may be physical and not a result of undersampling.
ID: 66: HENOCH-SCHONLEIN PURPURA (HSP) PRESENTING AS A LARGE PERICARDIAL EFFUSION IN AN ADULT

Introduction Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) is the most common form of systemic vasculitis in children. It is characterized by a tetrad of palpable purpura, arthralgia, abdominal pain and renal disease. It rarely presents with significant pericardial disease, especially in adults, and is a rare entity with only a few reported cases. Case Description A 49 year old Male presented with a two month history of progressive dyspnea, polyarthralgia, fatigue, and skin rash. Physical exam showed cardiac dullness beyond the apical point of maximal impulse, elbow joints with limited range of motion and swelling, periungal erythema and palpable purpura over his extremities. He was found to have a large pericardial effusion on an echocardiogram with respiratory variation requiring drainage. Laboratory evaluation revealed markedly elevated C-Reactive Protein of 225. Biopsy of the skin purpura was consistent with IgA leukocytoclastic vasculitis with intense deposition of IgA within the superficial dermal blood vessel walls. Pericardial fluid was consistent with acute inflammation with several neutrophils but no growth on culture. The patient was started on high dose steroids with marked improvement in his symptoms including a decreased pericardial effusion. A repeat echocardiogram was obtained which showed only trivial pericardial effusion with no signs of tamponande. Discussion HSP is a rather common disease in children with systemic hypersensitivity vasculitis in the skin and other organs including the kidneys. It rarely involves the myocardium or pericardium and is even rarer to present as a large pericardial effusion, especially in an adult. HSP presenting as pericardial disease has only been reported in a few cases. Although the pericardial involvement of Henoch-Schonlein Purpura seen in this patient is rare, any collagen vascular disease can present with pericardial effusion and might respond to appropriate anti-inflammatory therapies including steroids if recognized promptly.
An antegrade technique for ablation of posterior urethral valves.

Abstract Complications after transurethral ablation of posterior urethral valves frequently are iatrogenic because of urethral injury resulting in stricture or sphincteric incontinence. Smaller instrumentation and improved optics have made primary valve destruction safer and more reliable. The concept of early neonatal vesicostomy with delayed transurethral valve ablation allows maximal upper tract protection as well as somatic and urethral growth. This approach further reduces the possibility of urethral or sphincteric injury. We report our technique of antegrade incision of posterior urethral valves per vesicostomy, combining the advantages of early optimal neonatal vesicostomy drainage, avoidance of any anterior urethral instrumentation, and a technically easier, reliable and safe approach to posterior urethral valve destruction.
Abstract 2543: A family affair: Prostate cancer risk and family history of breast or prostate cancer

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA Background - There is suggestive evidence of familial clustering of breast and prostate cancer in first-degree relatives; women with a family history of prostate cancer are at increased risk of breast cancer. Few studies have investigated joint family history of breast and prostate cancer and prostate cancer risk, and no study to date has examined lethal prostate cancer. Methods - We studied 42,672 from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study between 1996 to 2012. During follow-up, 4,258 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed, of whom 380 were lethal disease. Men self-reported family history of breast and prostate cancer, including in siblings or parents. Using cause-specific hazards regression, we estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the association between family history and prostate cancer risk and progression. Results - About 8% of men had a family history of prostate cancer, 8.7% had a family history of breast cancer, and 1.4% of men had a family history of both breast and prostate cancer. A family history of prostate cancer was significantly associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (HR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.54-1.85). Increased risk was higher for men with a father diagnosed with prostate cancer (HR: 1.64 95% CI: 1.49-1.80) than for men with a diagnosis in a brother(s) (HR: 1.51 95% CI: 1.27-1.80). A positive family history of breast cancer was associated with a small, but significant 22% increased risk (HR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.11-1.35). Familial breast cancer in a sister (HR: 1.22 95% CI: 1.06-1.41) increased risk more than familial breast cancer in a mother (HR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.99-1.25). Men with a family history of both prostate and breast cancer had a 52% (HR: 1.52; 95%CI: 1.23-1.88) increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men with no family history of either cancer. Risk of lethal prostate cancer was also significantly increased for men with a positive family history of prostate cancer (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.20-2.24), as well as for men with a family history of breast cancer (HR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.07-2.01). Conclusions - These results support the findings of familial aggregation of breast and prostate cancer, and for the first time suggest an association between familial breast cancer and lethal prostate cancer. Data from this prospective study have translational relevance for family counseling of cancer patients. Citation Format: Lauren E. Barber, Travis A. Gerke, Sarah C. Markt, Giovanni Parmigiani, Lorelei A. Mucci. A family affair: Prostate cancer risk and family history of breast or prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2543.
Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute and Chronic Heart Failure: Evidence and Key Topics

Noninvasive ventilation, particularly continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), is a useful adjunct in the management of pulmonary edema with respiratory failure. Sleep-disordered breathing is common in heart failure and associated with a poor prognosis. CPAP is effective in obstructive sleep apnea and may have additional cardiovascular benefits. Adaptive servo-ventilation is a promising treatment for central sleep apnea, and results of randomized trials are awaited.
Love, Music, and Truth in the Albertine Story

Through experiences with music in his relationship with Albertine, the narrator constitutes himself as a listening subject by allowing music to play a role in constructing his subjectivity. The author is also training us as listening readers to be skeptical of any dogmatic pronouncements the narrator is led to make along the way of this record of his experiences. Such a reaction to music is possible only as a result of the shift in listening practices beginning in the nineteenth century; these involve heightened perception of music and a renewed consciousness of the subject as attentive to perceiving the music. As we become conscious of the way the text acts upon us, we begin to be skeptical of the narrator’s ever-growing confidence in his pronouncements, especially when he claims to have found truth.
Almost Periodic Waves

It is a well-known feature of the theory of partial differential equations that a unique solution is determined by prescribing additional conditions, usually initial conditions or boundary value conditions. Such conditions will appear in the subsequent discussion.
First-Principle Study of the Electronic Structure and Stability of Reconstructed AgInSe2 (112) Polar Surfaces

Chalcopyrite AgInSe2 (AIS) is a candidate material for alloying with Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) to increase the band gap and potentially enhance the efficiency of CIGS thin-film photovoltaic materials. As Cu depletion at the heterojunction of CIGS photovoltaic cells plays an important role in its high efficiency, the stoichiometry, stability, and electronic structure of AIS surfaces are a matter of interest. In this work, hybrid density functional theory was implemented to study the (112) polar surface of AIS. We found that, similar to the corresponding CIS surface, as-cleaved AIS (112) surfaces are reconstructed by Ag vacancies or Ag-on-In antisites depending on the thermodynamic environment. The former is found to be more favorable under most typical growth conditions. Moreover, unlike CIS, the fluctuations in the position of the AIS valence band are small for the Ag vacancy reconstruction, but can increase if antisite reconstructions are present. Simulated scanning tunneling microscopy topographs are compared to those obtained from the experiment. Our findings suggest that alloying Ag into CIGS can potentially reduce electron–hole recombination at defects, leading to improved device performance.
Development of the Nonverbal Cues of Interpersonal Violence Inventory: Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions of Nonverbal Behavior and Violence:

Across two studies, we investigated nonverbal behaviors perceived to precede imminent interpersonal violence. Study 1 identified the six-factor structure of the Nonverbal Cues of Interpersonal Viol...
Animal Sexual Abuse Investigations

This chapter will introduce the pathologist to animal sexual abuse. The focus of this chapter will be on the sexual assault examination of an animal including the perianal, vaginal, and penile examination. Ancillary tests such as alternate light source examination and collection of samples that may contain biological evidence such as semen will be discussed.
Effect of carbohydrate restriction-induced weight loss on aortic pulse wave velocity in overweight men and women.

Increased aortic stiffness, measured by carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease, and past data have shown that low-fat and low-energy die...
Choroid plexus, ependyma and arachnoidea express receptors for vitamin D: differences between "seasonal" and "non-seasonal" breeders.

Autoradiographic studies with [3H] 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 demonstrated nuclear high affinity binding sites (receptors) in epithelial cells of choroid plexus, ependyma and arachnoid in “seasonal” breeders of various vertebrate phyla, namely Xiphophorus helleri, Hyla crucifer, Xenopus laevis, Bufo woodhousei, Chrysemys scripta, Anolis carolinensis, Nerodia sipedon and Phodopus sungorus, but vitamin D receptors were undetectable in these tissues in non-seasonal breeders, such as zebra finch, laboratory mice and rats. Both “seasonal” and “non-seasonal” species, however, exhibited nuclear binding in distinct nuclei of CNS. The data suggest that vitamin D is involved in the regulation of certain functions at the level of the blood-brain barrier in species strongly affected by seasonal changes.
The Physiology and Biochemistry of Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Factor and Follicle Stimulating Hormone-Releasing Factor

Hypothalamic control over the secretion of the anterior pituitary gland has become almost universally accepted and attention has shifted to attempts to clarify the mechanism by which the hypothalamus influences the gland. A great deal of indirect evidence has supported the concept that this control is exerted by a neurohumoral pathway via the hypophysial portal vessels. The following discussion will summarize the evidence obtained in our laboratory for the existence, physiological significance, chemical nature, and mode of action of two neurohumoral agents which appear to regulate the output of gonadotrophins. The first of these to be discovered was a luteinizing hormone-releasing factor (LRF), the second a follicle stimulating hormone-releasing factor (FRF). Each of these substances appears to regulate the output of the respective pituitary trophic hormone.
Selective purging of human multiple myeloma cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells: a preliminary study

Background High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation are standards of therapy for patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The purging process to remove contaminating residual myeloma cells could improve patient outcomes. In this study, a purging method of human multiple myeloma cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells was evaluated. Materials and methods The human myeloma cell line RPMI-8226 (Seoul, Korea) was treated with bortezomib (Selleck Chemicals, Houston, TX, USA) or lenalidomide (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). The mixture of the human peripheral blood mononuclear cell line PCS-800-011 (ATCC, USA) and RPMI-8226 was treated with bortezomib or lenalidomide for 24 hours. The efficacy of purging myeloma cells was evaluated by 8-color flow cytometric analysis. Results The cytotoxicity of bortezomib (10-160 nmol/L) and lenalidomide (200-3,200 nmol/L) was investigated on RPMI-8226 myeloma cell line. A 24-hour incubation with bortezomib at 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 nmol/L induced 5.45%±0.07%, 47.15%±1.20%, 57.15%±0.21%, 72.35%±0.07%, and 84.75%±0.49% growth inhibition in RPMI-8226 cells, respectively. A 24-hour incubation with lenalidomide at 200, 400, 800, 1,600, and 3,200 nmol/L induced 5.45%±0.07%, 7.55%±0.07%, 9.75%±0.35%, 18.25%±0.21%, and 39.75%±0.78% growth inhibition in RPMI-8226 cells, respectively. Bortezomib (40 nmol/L, 24 hours) and lenalidomide (3,200 nmol/L, 24 hours) effectively removed CD38+CD138+ cells from peripheral mononuclear cells. RPMI-8226 cells showed abberant phenotype CD56+/CD45-. Conclusion The results of the present study demonstrated that the bortezomib and lenalidomide treatment in RPMI-8226 multiple myeloma cells effectively removed the contaminated plasma cells.
Optical klystron enhancement to self-amplified spontaneous emission free electron lasers

The optical klystron enhancement to self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free electron lasers (FELs) is studied in theory and in simulations. In contrast to a seeded FEL, the optical klystron gain in a SASE FEL is not sensitive to any phase mismatch between the radiation and the microbunched electron beam. The FEL performance with the addition of four optical klystrons located at the undulator long breaks in the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) shows significant improvement if the uncorrelated energy spread at the undulator entrance can be controlled to a very small level. In addition, FEL saturation at shorter x-ray wavelengths (around $1.0\text{ }\AA{}$) within the LCLS undulator length becomes possible. We also discuss the application of the optical klystron in a compact x-ray FEL design that employs relatively low electron beam energy together with a shorter-period undulator.
Around the world: International parks are distinctly Disney

The United States is the epicenter of the Disney parksmDisneyland in Anaheim, California, is the original and the heartbeat, while Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is a behemoth that attracts tens of millions of visitors a year. Walt may have spent his formative years in the American Midwest, but his imagination spread to all corners of the world. In addition to the U.S.-based destinations, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo also host a variety of parks that showcase classic attractions as well as park exclusives. These resorts capture the Disney aesthetic, but each presents unique challenges and cultural sensitivities.
Dysbiosis in a canine model of human fistulizing Crohn’s disease

ABSTRACT Background Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory condition caused by the loss of mucosal tolerance towards the commensal microbiota. Approximately 70% of CD patients experience perianal complications. Perianal fistulizing is a predictor of poor long-term outcomes. Animal models of gut inflammation have failed to fully recapitulate the human manifestations of fistulizing CD. Here, we evaluated dogs with spontaneous canine anal furunculosis (CAF), a disease with clinical similarities to fistulizing CD, as a surrogate model for human fistulizing CD. Results By comparing the gut microbiomes between dogs suffering from CAF (CAF dogs) and healthy dogs, we show that similar to microbiome population trends in CD humans, CAF dogs microbiomes are either very dissimilar (dysbiotic) or similar, yet unique, to healthy dog’s microbiomes. Compared to healthy or healthy-like CAF microbiomes, dysbiotic CAF microbiomes showed an increased abundance of Bacteroides vulgatus and Escherichia coli and a decreased abundance of Megamonas species and Prevotella copri. These same determinant bacteria are associated with human CD. Conclusions Our results highlight the similarities in microbiome community patterns between CAF dogs and CD humans, including overlapping determinant bacterial taxa, and support the use of CAF dogs as a surrogate model to study human fistulizing CD.
Dental care during pregnancy based on the pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system in Utah

Although receiving dental care is recommended for women during pregnancy, getting such care remains low. This study will identify the level of dental care received during pregnancy and factors associated with care for a group of pregnant women in Utah. Analyses were based on 2793 pregnant women completing the 2014–2015 Utah PRAMS survey. Descriptive and bivariate techniques were used. Approximately 91.2% knew it was important to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy, yet only 58.8% had their teeth cleaned during pregnancy. Those who knew such care was important were 1.4 (95% CI 1.1–2.0) times more likely to have their teeth cleaned during pregnancy. Although 18.8% needed to see a dentist for a problem, only 74.5% of them received treatment for the problem during pregnancy. Approximately 76.0% had dental insurance during pregnancy. Those with dental insurance were 1.9 (95% CI 1.5–2.4) times more likely to have their teeth cleaned and 1.6 (95% CI 1.2–2.2) times more likely to go to a dentist for needed treatment during pregnancy. Approximately 51.4% had a dental/health care worker talk with them about how to care for their teeth and gums. These women were more likely to know it was important to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy (97.4% vs 87.6%, p < 0.0001). For women who received care for a problem during pregnancy, 70.0% had a dental/health care worker talk with them about how to care for their teeth and gums. These women were more likely to know it was important to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy (95.2% vs 82.8%, p < 0.0001). Women who had their teeth cleaned the year prior to pregnancy were more likely to have their teeth cleaned during pregnancy (78.5% vs 21.5%, p < 0.0001). A large proportion of women knowing of the importance of dental care during pregnancy did not receive care. Knowledge of its importance during pregnancy, having a dental/health care worker talk with them about how to care for their teeth and gums, and having dental insurance during pregnancy are positively associated with dental care during pregnancy.
Poroelastic effects on steady state crack growth in polymer gels under plane stress

Abstract Fracture experiments on polymer gels are often conducted with thin specimens, which are close to plane stress in two-dimensional models. However, many of the previous theoretical and numerical studies on fracture of polymer gels have assumed plane strain conditions. The subtle differences between the plane stress and plane strain conditions are elucidated in this paper based on a linear poroelastic formulation for polymer gels, including the asymptotic crack-tip fields and finite element simulations of steady-state crack growth in long strip specimens. Moreover, a poroelastic cohesive zone model is adopted to study the rate-dependent fracture process of polymer gels. It is found that, without the cohesive zone model, the normalized crack-tip energy release rate at the fast crack limit is greater than the slow crack limit, suggesting reduced poroelastic toughening for fast crack growth under plane stress conditions, while the two limits are identical under plane strain conditions. With a solvent-permeable cohesive zone for the case of immersed specimens, solvent diffusion within the cohesive zone enhances the poroelastic toughening significantly as the crack speed increases, leading to a rate-dependent traction-separation relation. On the other hand, with no solvent diffusion in the cohesive zone for the not-immersed case, the poroelastic toughening effect diminishes as the crack speed increases. Based on the present study, the intrinsic steady-state fracture toughness of a poroelastic gel can be determined using long-strip pure-shear specimens, which in general is smaller than the applied energy release rate.
Transcutaneous contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of the posttraumatic spinal cord

Study design Experimental animal study. Objective The current study aims to test whether the blood flow within the contused spinal cord can be assessed in a rodent model via the acoustic window of the laminectomy utilizing transcutaneous ultrasound. Setting Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle WA. Methods Long-Evans rats (n = 12) were subjected to a traumatic thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI). Three days and 10 weeks after injury, animals underwent imaging of the contused spinal cord using ultrafast contrast-enhanced ultrasound with a Vantage ultrasound research system in combination with a 15 MHz transducer. Lesion size and signal-to-noise ratios were estimated via transcutaneous, subcutaneous, or epidural ultrasound acquisition through the acoustic window created by the original laminectomy. Results Following laminectomy, transcutaneous and subcutaneous contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging allowed for assessment of perfusion and vascular flow in the contused rodent spinal cord. An average loss of 7.2 dB from transcutaneous to subcutaneous and the loss of 5.1 dB from subcutaneous to epidural imaging in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was observed. The hypoperfused injury center was measured transcutaneously, subcutaneously and epidurally (5.78 ± 0.86, 5.91 ± 0.53, 5.65 ± 1.07 mm2) at 3 days post injury. The same animals were reimaged again at 10 weeks following SCI, and the area of hypoperfusion had decreased significantly compared with the 3-day measurements detected via transcutaneous, subcutaneous, and epidural imaging respectively (0.69 ± 0.05, 1.09 ± 0.11, 0.95 ± 0.11 mm2, p Conclusions Transcutaneous ultrasound allows for measurements and longitudinal monitoring of local hemodynamic changes in a rodent SCI model.
Heat Stress in Hot Underground Mines: a Brief Literature Review

Interactions between human beings and their work environment require the body to regulate its temperature by balancing heat production and loss. Comfortable environmental conditions are crucial for keeping workers safe and healthy and to maintain a suitable level of productivity. However, achieving a proper core body temperature may become challenging under different conditions, especially in high heat-generating workplaces such as hot underground mines. Because hot underground mines have the potential to expose workers to heat stress, compliance with standardized and regulated indices and criteria is distinctly required. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the current research on heat stress and strain in hot underground mines, collected from published and specialized literature. General definitions, statistics of heat-related accidents in mining, overview of the indices, standards, and recommendations for heat stress are provided herein.
Chapter 3: Misogyny and Erotic Pleasure in Bollywood’s “Item Numbers”

“Item numbers” are controversial song and dance sequences that have gained popularity in Bollywood cinema in the last two decades. This chapter highlights the transformation of item numbers from being sensual to more pornographic today. Women play a central role in item numbers. They are objects of male gaze and sexually objectified. Sexual objectification of women takes place through women’s insignificant appearance in cameo roles, their placement at the center of a group of lusting and ogling men, revealing outfits, camera angles that focus on women’s body parts, exploitation of white bodies, and the use of natural elements such as mud, water, fire on or surrounding women’s bodies.
Reforming Revolution: Cultural Translation in the Propaganda Campaign

This chapter analyzes how British-Italian women utilized their transnational identities and understanding of British anti-Catholicism to skillfully repackage the Risorgimento for British audiences and play a pivotal role in its propaganda campaign. The first section examines their transnational identities and advantageous understanding of both Italian patriots and the British public. The second and third sections discuss their work selecting, translating, and facilitating the publication of newspapers and other printed media, while the fourth section provides an overview of Jessie White Mario’s career as a public lecturer. To conclude, the chapter discusses how women like Julia Salis Schwabe managed the Risorgimento, its key patriots, and influential supporters on a more personal level. Throughout, it shows how these women appealed to more moderate anti-Catholic British audiences while continually challenging what constituted appropriate behavior for women; they participated not only in foreign politics but also in the growing sphere of mass media.
Staphylococcus aureus Leukocidin A/B (LukAB) Kills Human Monocytes via Host NLRP3 and ASC when Extracellular, but Not Intracellular.

Staphylococcus aureus infections are a growing health burden worldwide, and paramount to this bacterium’s pathogenesis is the production of virulence factors, including pore-forming leukotoxins. Leukocidin A/B (LukAB) is a recently discovered toxin that kills primary human phagocytes, though the underlying mechanism of cell death is not understood. We demonstrate here that LukAB is a major contributor to the death of human monocytes. Using a variety of in vitro and ex vivo intoxication and infection models, we found that LukAB activates Caspase 1, promotes IL-1β secretion and induces necrosis in human monocytes. Using THP1 cells as a model for human monocytes, we found that the inflammasome components NLRP3 and ASC are required for LukAB-mediated IL-1β secretion and necrotic cell death. S. aureus was shown to kill human monocytes in a LukAB dependent manner under both extracellular and intracellular ex vivo infection models. Although LukAB-mediated killing of THP1 monocytes from extracellular S. aureus requires ASC, NLRP3 and the LukAB-receptor CD11b, LukAB-mediated killing from phagocytosed S. aureus is independent of ASC or NLRP3, but dependent on CD11b. Altogether, this study provides insight into the nature of LukAB-mediated killing of human monocytes. The discovery that S. aureus LukAB provokes differential host responses in a manner dependent on the cellular contact site is critical for the development of anti-infective/anti-inflammatory therapies that target the NLRP3 inflammasome.
The Importance of Being Discrete: Learning Classes of Actions and Outcomes through Interaction

A robotic agent experiences a world of continuous multivariate sensations and chooses its actions from continuous action spaces. Unless the agent is able to successfully partition these into functionally similar classes, its ability to interact with the world will be extremely limited. We present a method whereby an unsupervised robotic agent learns to discriminate discrete actions out of its continuous action parameters. These actions are discriminated because they lead to qualitatively distinct outcomes in the robot's sensor space. Once found, these actions can be used by the robot as primitives for further exploration of its world. We present results gathered using a Pioneer 1 mobile robot.
Abstract 17986: Molecular Beacon-based Purification of Ventricular Cardiomyocytes From Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells by Targeting Intracellular Mrna

Background: Ventricular cardiomyocytes (CMs) are an ideal cell type for cardiac cell therapy since they are the main cells generating cardiac forces. However, isolating them from differentiating pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has been challenging due to the lack of specific surface markers. Here we show that ventricular CMs can be purified from differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) using molecular beacons (MBs) targeting specific intracellular mRNAs. MBs are dual-labeled oligonucleotide hairpin probes that emit a fluorescence signal when hybridized to target mRNAs, allowing isolation of specific target cells by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) with high specificity and sensitivity. Methods and Results: We generated three different MBs (IRX4-1, -2, -3) designed to target specific regions of mRNAs of iroquois homeobox protein 4 (Irx4), a specific transcription factor for ventricular CMs. Among three IRX4 MBs, IRX4-2 MB demonstrated the highest sensitivity and specificity, thus IRX4-2 M...
A Note on 'Third-Degree Price Discrimination with Interdependent Demands.'

'By incorporating symmetric interdependency into linear demands, this note shows that monopolistic third-degree price discrimination can improve social welfare even if total output remains the same, a result that counters one of the main results presented in Layson (this Journal, 1998). It is also shown that this positive change in social welfare benefits the monopoly side but that consumers' surplus decreases as a whole.'
Regulation by Litigation

Federal and state regulatory agencies are increasingly making use of litigation as a means of regulation. In this book, three experts in regulatory law and theory offer a systematic analysis of the use of litigation to impose substantive regulatory measures, including a public choice-based analysis of why agencies choose to litigate in some circumstances. The book examines three major cases in which litigation was used to achieve regulatory ends: the EPA's suit against heavy duty diesel engine manufacturers; asbestos and silica dust litigation by private attorneys; and private and state lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers. The authors argue that litigation is an inappropriate means for establishing substantive regulatory provisions, and they conclude by suggesting a variety of reforms to help curb today's growing reliance on such practice.
State Government Expenditure Determinants and Tax Revenue Determinants Revisited

The primary aim of the research was to test the general hypothesis that many institutional and political variables affect fiscal outcomes; that the preferences of public officials, and the decision processes used to act on those preferences, matter. State government data (state only, not state and local) from 1980, 1985, and 1990 were used to specify state tax revenue and expenditure models. A previous (Merrifield, 1991) state tax revenue model identified many significant institutional and political variables, but it was based only on 1985 data (49 observations). The larger data set (147 observations), including better data for some of the variables, indicated that most of Merrifield's (1991) findings are robust. The state expenditure models facilitated a second test of the general institutional and political variable hypothesis, as well as the hypotheses about specific variables. The expenditure model also facilitated comparisons of expenditure and tax determinants, and comparisons with results published in the literature. Though there are some noteworthy differences between the expenditure and tax models, the expenditure models also supported many of the institutional and political variable hypotheses.
Supervised and free-living physical activity: no differences in former athletes and nonathletes.

The association of past participation in school sports with present physical activity was studied in 265 Caucasian men who represented a broad spectrum of cardiovascular health. In cross-sectional and prospective analyses of free-living and supervised settings, no differences in contemporary adult activity were observed between former athletes and nonathletes (p > .05). Statistical control for selection bias effects by age, body mass index, sum of skin folds, exercise tolerance, and coronary health status did not alter the results. Recall of free-living physical activity was verified by significant (p
Graev: Conditional Facade Easement

In Graev v. Commissioner, the Tax Court decided whether the taxpayers’ donations of a facade easement and cash contributions were conditional gifts and therefore disallowable as charitable deductions under the requirements of the regulations. The court reviewed the facts to determine whether the condition was allowed because it was “so remote as to be negligible.” The taxpayers argued that case law at the time of the donation allowed for a donation of between 10 and 15 percent of the value of the property, and that they had deducted a value constituting 11 percent of the property’s appraised value; that the example provided in Notice 2004-41 did not apply to the specific transaction at issue; that there was no possibility that the charity would return the property; that when the easement deed was recorded, the doctrine of merger extinguished the charity’s refund letter; and that the letter was a nullity under Commissioner v. Procter.
The Law: Executive Privilege: Definition and Standards of Application

Executive privilege is the right of the president and high-level executive branch officials to with hold information from those with compulsory power?Congress and the courts (and, therefore, ulti mately the public). Because it is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution and also due to the occasional abuses of that power, executive privilege is controversial. Although few today question the constitu tionality of executive privilege, there is considerable debate about its proper scope and limits. This arti cle traces the historical development of the meaning and standards of executive privilege. The purpose is to show that disputes over executive privilege are best resolved through the normal ebb and flow of our separation of powers system and not through some statutory definition or precise court clarifica tion of that power. A core issue in the scandal that led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton was the presi dent's elaborate use of executive privilege. Although nowhere mentioned in the Constitu tion, executive privilege has a long history in presidential politics. Presidents since George Washington have claimed the right to withhold information from the legislative, judicial, and, ultimately, the public. Despite this long history and the many precedents for its exer cise, executive privilege remains a controversial power.
Evidence that alterations in small molecule permeability are involved in the Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin-induced inhibition of macromolecular synthesis in Vero cells.

The mechanism by which Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) simultaneously inhibits RNA, DNA, and protein synthesis is unknown. In the current study the possible involvement of small molecule permeability alterations in CPE-induced inhibition of macromolecular synthesis was examined. Vero cells CPE-treated in minimal essential medium (MEM) completely ceased net precursor incorporation into RNA and protein within 15 minutes of CPE treatment. However, RNA and protein synthesis continued for at least 30 minutes in Vero cells CPE-treated in buffer (ICIB) approximating intracellular concentrations of most ions. Addition of intracellular concentrations of amino acids to ICIB (ICIB-AA) caused a further small but detectable increase in protein synthesis in CPE-treated cells. ICIB did not affect CPE-specific binding levels or rates. Similar small molecule permeability changes (i.e., 86Rb-release) were observed in cells CPE-treated in either ICIB or in Hanks' balanced salt solution. Collectively these findings suggest that CPE-treatment of cells in ICIB-AA ameliorates CPE-induced changes in intracellular concentrations of ions and amino acids and permits the continuation of RNA and protein synthesis. These results are consistent with and support the hypothesis that permeability alterations for small molecules are involved in the CPE-induced inhibition of precursor incorporation into macromolecules in Vero cells.
Possible spin-density wave in wide parabolic quantum wells

Abstract We use a Hartree-Fock approximation with a short range screened exchange interaction to calculate the onset of a spin-density wave instability for a remotely-doped wide parabolic quantum well, with a strong in-plane magnetic field. Results support the possibility of observing this effect in realistic AlGaAs structures.