cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Social Network Size and Composition on the Link Between Discrimination and Health Among Sexual Minorities.

Objectives: Previous research has examined the link between discrimination and health in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine if h...
Experience with Parent Follow-Up for Communication Outcomes after Newborn Screening Identifies Carrier Status.

Objective To conduct interviews with a multiyear sample of parents of infants found to have heterozygous status for sickle cell hemoglobinopathy or cystic fibrosis during newborn blood screening (NBS). Study design Interviewers with clinical backgrounds telephoned parents, and followed a structured script that blended follow-up and research purposes. Recruiting followed several steps to minimize recruiting bias as much as possible for a NBS study. Results Follow-up calls were conducted with parents of 426 infant carriers of sickle cell hemoglobinopathy, and 288 parents of cystic fibrosis carriers (34.8% and 49.6% of those eligible). Among these, 27.5% and 7.8% had no recollection of being informed of NBS results. Of those who recalled a provider explanation, 8.6% and 13.0% appraised the explanation negatively. Overall, 7.4% and 13.2% were dissatisfied with the experience of learning about the NSB result. Mean anxiety levels were low but higher in the sickle cell hemoglobinopathy group (P Conclusions Patient-centered public health follow-up can be effective after NBS identifies carrier status. Psychosocial complications were uncommon, but harms were substantial enough to justify mitigation.
Lidsky, Larissa. Prying, Spying, and Lying: Intrusive Newsgathering and What the Law Should Do About It, 73 Tul. L. Rev. 173 (1998)

If the law of invasion of privacy is the child of the seminal Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis law review article of 1890, 1 then the modern newsgathering and privacy law in Larissa Lidsky’s 1998 a...
Vaccine-Preventable Disease Outbreaks

Despite the effectiveness of vaccines in disease prevention, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases continue to occur. Primary and secondary vaccine failure may play a role in these outbreaks, particularly for pertussis or mumps infections, respectively. In addition, limited vaccine access and increasing vaccine concerns lead to lower vaccine uptake. Further, the ease of global travel makes the spread of infection possible to areas of the world where specific diseases may not be endemic, especially where vaccination rates are low. Interventions are needed to improve both vaccine access and vaccine confidence to fully protect the community from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Bioinspired material architectures from bighorn sheep horncore velar bone for impact loading applications

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep rams (Ovis canadensis canadensis) routinely conduct intraspecific combat where high energy cranial impacts are experienced. Previous studies have estimated cranial impact forces to be up to 3400 N during ramming, and prior finite element modeling studies showed the bony horncore stores 3 × more strain energy than the horn during impact. In the current study, the architecture of the porous bone within the horncore was quantified, mimicked, analyzed by finite element modeling, fabricated via additive manufacturing, and mechanically tested to determine the suitability of the novel bioinspired material architecture for use in running shoe midsoles. The iterative biomimicking design approach was able to tailor the mechanical behavior of the porous bone mimics. The approach produced 3D printed mimics that performed similarly to ethylene-vinyl acetate shoe materials in quasi-static loading. Furthermore, a quadratic relationship was discovered between impact force and stiffness in the porous bone mimics, which indicates a range of stiffness values that prevents impact force from becoming excessively high. These findings have implications for the design of novel bioinspired material architectures for minimizing impact force.
Remote Physical Frailty Monitoring– The Application of Deep Learning-Based Image Processing in Tele-Health

Remote screening physical frailty (PF) may assist in triaging patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are in clinical priorities to visit a clinical center for preventive care. Conventional PF assessment tools have however limited feasibility for remote patient monitoring applications. To improve the safety of PF assessment, we previously developed and validated a quick and safe PF screening tool called Frailty Meter (FM). FM works by quantifying weakness, slowness, rigidity, and exhaustion during a 20-second repetitive elbow flexion/extension task using a wrist-worn sensor and generates a frailty index (FI) ranging from zero to one; higher values indicate progressively greater severity of frailty. However, the use of wrist-sensor limits its applications in telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. In this study, we developed a sensor-less FM based on deep learning-based image processing, which can be easily integrated into mobile health and enables remote assessment of physical frailty. The sensor-less FM extracts kinematic features of the forearm motion from the video of 20-second elbow flexion and extension recorded by a tablet camera, and then calculates frailty phenotypes and FI. To test the validity of sensor-less FM, 11 COPD patients admitted to a Telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation clinic and 10 healthy young volunteers (controls) were recruited. All participants completed the test indicating high feasibility. Strong correlations (0.72 < r < 0.99) were observed between the sensor-based FM and sensor-less FM to extract all frailty phenotypes and FI. After adjusting with age and body mass index(BMI), sensor-less FM enables distinguishing COPD group from controls (p < 0.050) with the largest effect sizes observed for weakness (Cohen’s effect size d=2.24), frailty index (d=1.70), and slowness (d=1.70). These pilot findings suggest feasibility and proof of concept validity of this sensor-less FM toward remote assessment of PF in COPD patients.
Was the Fairness Doctrine a 'Chilling Effect'?: Evidence from the Post-Deregulation Radio Market

The stated rationale for the Fairness Doctrine was to encourage more information to be aired by radio and TV stations, on the theory that private broadcasters would tend to underprovide a public good - news about important social issues. Yet, the danger has been seen, at the U.S. Supreme Court, the FCC, and elsewhere, that there exists a potentially unconstitutional "chilling effect": The prospect of having to award equal (unpaid) time to dissenting points of view constitutes a tax on controversial speech. After a brief review of the history of the Fairness Doctrine, we develop a model for the supply of informational programming in radio. In that the Doctrine was abolished in 1987, the radio market now allows us to observe licensees' unregulated choices in selecting the profit-maximizing quantity of informational programming. Industry data show a clear break in the trend around 1987, when informational formats began rising relative to others - evidence suggesting just the "chilling effect" feared by the Supreme Court.
A population-based analysis of risk factors and outcomes of prostatic abscess

Prostate abscess is a severe complication of acute bacterial prostatitis. To date, a population-based analysis of risk factors and outcomes of prostatic abscess has not been performed. Using the National Inpatient Sample from 2010 to 2015, we identified rates of prostatic abscess among non-elective hospitalizations for acute prostatitis. Significant Elixhauser comorbidities and risk factors were analyzed using survey-weighted logistic regression. Additional survey-weighted regression models were constructed to analyze sepsis, in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS), and total hospital charges. A weighted total of 126,103 hospitalizations for acute prostatitis was identified, with 6,775 (5.4%) hospitalizations with prostatic abscess. Numerous risk factors for prostatic abscess were identified, with a history of prostate biopsy (adjusted OR: 5.7; p < 0.001), complicated diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR: 3.23, p < 0.001), and urethral stricture (adjusted OR: 3.15; p < 0.001) having the greatest magnitude of developing abscess. Moreover, those diagnosed with prostatic abscess had increased odds of sepsis (adjusted OR: 1.71, p < 0.001), in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR: 2.73, p < 0.001), LOS (adjusted Incidence Rate Ratio: 1.86, p < 0.001), and total hospital charges (adjusted Ratio: 2.06, p < 0.001). Numerous risk factors were associated with the development of prostatic abscess, with those diagnosed experiencing greater odds of sepsis, in-hospital mortality, longer LOS, and greater hospital charges. Ultimately, better understanding of risk factors associated with this condition will enable clinicians to identify patients at high risk, thereby expediting and tailoring management.
Bean Bag Projectile Causing Ocular Compartment Syndrome, Intracranial Hemorrhage, and Facial Fractures

Abstract Background Bean bag rounds are a commonly used nonlethal projectile. Although they are generally reported to cause mild to moderate soft tissue injury, the potential for more serious injuries is only partially explored and may even be underappreciated. Injuries to the face, eyes, and head and their potential to inflict serious consequences, or even fatalities, are not well established. Case Report We present a case of severe head trauma caused by a bean bag round. Injuries included ocular compartment syndrome, intracranial hemorrhage, depressed skull fracture, and multiple facial fractures. Emergency department management of this patient required lateral canthotomy, intubation for airway protection, and management of suspected elevated intracranial pressure. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Although typically not regarded as serious, injuries caused by bean bag rounds have the potential to threaten life, limb, and vision. Emergency physicians should be aware of these possibilities, especially when the head is impacted, and should be prepared to perform critical actions and emergent procedures as needed. In addition, if not at a major trauma center, the emergency physician needs to be aware of the time-sensitive interventions required prior to transfer.
Protecting Victims of Bullying: The Protective Roles Self-Esteem and Self-Forgiveness Play between past Victimization and Current Depressive Symptoms

Prior research has linked victimization to mental health outcomes, but more work is needed to understand factors that may serve a protective role. In the present study, in a sample of 290 undergrad...
Stable sodium-sulfur electrochemistry enabled by phosphorus-based complexation

A series of sodium phosphorothioate complexes are shown to have electrochemical properties attractive for sodium-sulfur battery applications across a wide operating temperature range. As cathode materials, they resolve a long-standing issue of cyclic liquid-solid phase transition that causes sluggish reaction kinetics and poor cycling stability in conventional, room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries. The cathode chemistry yields 80% cyclic retention after 400 cycles at room temperature and a superior low-temperature performance down to -60 °C. Coupled experimental characterization and density functional theory calculations revealed the complex structures and electrochemical reaction mechanisms. The desirable electrochemical properties are attributed to the ability of the complexes to prevent the formation of solid precipitates over a fairly wide range of voltage.
Citators: The Power Tools of Legal Research

Citators are essential legal research tools every law student quickly becomes familiar with. Written for Student Lawyer magazine, this column mentions the basics of citators and focuses on some tips to make citator use more effective.
Materials and Meaning in Contemporary Japanese Architecture: Tradition and Today

Part 1: Black Blood Red to Palest Pink 1. Neolithic Daddy 2. Lamune Hot Springs 3. Kengo Kuma: From PoMo to Paulownia 4. Murai Museum: Subtle Setting for a Shabby Studio 5. Outlandish Amateur, Polished Professional: Comparing the Approaches of Terunobu Fujimori and Kengo Kuma Part 2: Radical Reds 6. Looking Back at Japan's Radical Reds: Team Zoo Part 3: Reluctant Regionalists 7. Remaking the Landscape of Kotohira Shrine 8. Fumihiko Maki, Ancient Izumo and Oku 9. Jun Aoki's Aomori Museum of Art 10. Reluctant Reds Conclusion: The Red School: From Deepest Red to Palest Shades of Pink
Comparison of the relative mutagenicities of O-alkylthymines site-specifically incorporated into phi X174 DNA.

Abstract The relative mutagenicities of O-alkylthymine-DNA adducts were analyzed in vivo by site-specific mutagenesis. Purified DNA polymerases were used to incorporate O4-methyl (Me)-, O4-ethyl (Et)-, O4-isopropyl (iPr)-, or O2-Me-dTTP onto the 3' terminus of a synthetic oligonucleotide (15-mer) hybridized to phi X174 am3 DNA. The product oligonucleotides were further extended in the presence of unmodified dNTPs to yield 21-mers containing single O-alkylthymine adducts opposite the adenine residue of the bacteriophage amber codon. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and nearest-neighbor analyses confirmed the identities and nucleotide positions of the adducts. Transfection and replication of the site-specifically alkylated DNAs in ada- Escherichia coli (defective in the alkyltransferase capable of repairing O4-alkylthymine-DNA adducts) yielded mutant progeny phage with reversion frequencies of: O4-Me-dThd (19.5 X 10(-6) ) greater than O4-Et-dThd (7.5 X 10(-6) ) greater than O4-iPr-dThd (3.0 X 10(-6) ) greater than or equal to O2-Me-dThd (1.0 X 10(-6) ) approximately equal to dThd (2.0 X 10(-6) ). None of the adducts produced mutations above background following replication in ada+ E. coli. DNA sequence analyses of 40 independently isolated mutant phage derived from the O4-Me- or O4-Et-dThd-containing DNAs showed that all mutants contained guanine residues opposite the original site of the alkylthymines. These data are consistent with a mechanism of mutagenesis involving the formation of O4-alkyl-T.G base pairs during DNA replication in E. coli and suggest that the formation of A.T----G.C transition mutations is characteristic of mutagenesis by O4-Me- and O4-Et-dThds in vivo.
Isolated Chorea Associated with LGI1 Antibody

Background: Leucine‐rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody produces a syndrome of limbic encephalitis, hyponatremia, and facio‐brachial dystonic seizures that is non‐paraneoplastic and responsive to corticosteroids. Parkinsonism, tremor, and generalized chorea are rare manifestations of LGI1, but, when present, commonly accompany other signs of limbic encephalitis. Case Report: We present a case of LGI1‐related isolated chorea in a 53‐year‐old Japanese male. His chorea responded to high‐dose steroids, suggesting a potential role for this synaptic antibody in triggering chorea. Discussion: This case highlights a new treatable etiology of chorea. This article prompted a response letter : Vynogradova I, Savitski V, Heckmann JG. Hemichorea associated with CASPR2 antibody. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov. 2014; 4. doi: 10.7916/D8VM49C5 The authors' response to the letter : Ramdhani RA, Frucht SJ. Reply to: hemichorea associated with CASPR2 antibody. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov. 2014; 4. doi: 10.7916/D8QV3JM0
Once more nice equations for nice groups

In a previous paper, nice quintinomial equations were given for unramified coverings of the affine line in nonzero characteristic p with the projective symplectic isometry group PSp(2m, q) and the (vectorial) symplectic isometry group Sp(2m, q) as Galois groups where m > 2 is any integer and q > 1 is any power of p. Here we deform these equations to get nice quintinomial equations for unramified coverings of the once punctured affine line in characteristic p with the projective symplectic similitude group PGSp(2m, q) and the (vectorial) symplectic similitude group GSp(2m, q) as Galois groups.
Acid-sensitive dissociation between poly(lysine) and histamine-modified poly(glutamate) as a model for drug-releasing from carriers in endosomes.

Abstract Histamine was coupled to poly( L -glutamate) (PLG) to a give a copolymer, poly(glutamylhistamineglutamate) (PGH), with approx. 40% of carboxyl groups in PLG being modified. Unlike either poly( L -histidine) (PLH) or PLG, PHG precipitated only in buffers with pH between 4 and 5. A complex was formed between PHG and poly( L -lysine) (PLL) at pH 7, but it was rapidly dissociated at pH 5 or lower. When PHG-linked transferrin (Tf-PHG) was used to deliver a PLL-conjugated [3H]methotrexate ([3H]MTX-PLL) in K562 leukemia cell cultures, an intracellullar accumulation of the radioactivity was observed. These results suggest that a copolymer with both imidazole and carboxyl groups can be useful in the design af acid-sensitive, carrier-mediated drug delivery systems.
A quantitative infrared spectral database of hazardous air pollutants

Open-path monitoring of the atmosphere using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry has recently become a useful real-time in situ analytical technique. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently formulating Method TO-16, a protocol for infrared remote sensing of the hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) identified in EPA’s Clean Air Act of 1990. To support infrared based sensing technologies, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is currently developing a standard quantitative spectral database of the HAPs based on gravimetrically prepared samples. This paper presents the protocol used to prepare the gravimetric mixtures and initial results.
EFFECTS OF GROWTH HORMONE THERAPY IN GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENT AND SHORT NON-DEFICIENT CHILDREN

EFFECTS OF GROWTH HORMONE THERAPY IN GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENT AND SHORT NON-DEFICIENT CHILDREN
Single drug therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection

TO THE EDITOR: Although de Boer et al. are to be commended for their efforts to simplify the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, the title of their recent report (1) is misleading. A "new monocapsule" can hardly be considered a "single drug," especially when it contains a bismuth compound, tetracycline, and metronidazole! The American Journal of Gastroenterology manuscript review committee members are certainly aware that a capsule can contain one or more drugs. By the authors' own conclusion, their treatment results were comparable to those previously reported using bismuth triple therapy. Perhaps a more appropriate title for their manuscript might have been "A new multidrug regimen delivery system for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: First results with a new bismuth triple drug monocapsule"?
Biopsychosocial and Physical Correlates of Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ Body Satisfaction

Boys (n = 629) and girls (n = 659) in grades 6 through 8 in the U.S. completed self-report measures of pubertal development, weight pressures, internalization, social appearance comparison, self-esteem, depression, and physical self-concept, and objective measures of cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI. Regression analyses revealed that gender moderated the strength of the relationships between the variables and body satisfaction (girls—Adj. R 2 = .49; boys—Adj. R 2 = .20), though BMI, pressures, physical self-concept, and self-esteem were related significantly for each gender. Girls were most affected by pressures related to weight loss, whereas gaining weight and musculature was most salient for boys. Future research needs to examine longitudinally how these variables contribute to the development of body satisfaction.
Oscillator with odd- symmetrical characteristics eliminates low-frequency noise sidebands

Low-frequency noise in an oscillator normally produces two LF noise sidebands around the center frequency f_{0} of the oscillator. It was shown experimentally that these noise sidebands can be eliminated by using an oscillator circuit with an odd-symmetrical characteristic. A simple theory based on the van der Pol approach to oscillators can explain the observed effects.
Effects of regionalization decisions on an O/E index for the US national assessment

AbstractWe examined the effects of different regionalization schemes on the performance of River InVertebrate Prediction and Classification System (RIVPACS)-type predictive models in assessing the biological conditions of streams of the US for the National Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA). Three regionalization schemes were considered: a single national predictive model (MOD1), separate predictive models for each of the 9 WSA aggregated Omernik level III ecoregions (MOD9), and 3 predictive models roughly corresponding to the western US, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Central and Coastal Plains (MOD3). The goal of the WSA was to assess stream condition at the national scale and at the scale of WSA aggregated ecoregions, so we compared the performance of the ratio of the observed number of taxa to the expected number of taxa (O/E) index estimated using different regionalization schemes at both of these spatial scales. We assessed model performance with a randomized resampling procedure, in which we set...
New Records of Onthophagus cavernicollis Howden and Cartwright (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Ozark Caves, with a Review of Scarabaeoids Reported from North American Caves

ABSTRACT Recent collecting in caves in the Ozark region of the USA produced a number of new scarab beetle records (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). We report our collections and review literature records of scarabs reported from caves in the USA and Canada. Most of these records are accidental occurrences, but a few represent widespread species with known associations to host vertebrates that may occupy a cave. Two species, Onthophagus cavernicollis Howden and Cartwright (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), and Stenotothorax gardneri (Gordon) (Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), appear closely tied to woodrat, Neotoma floridana (Ord) (Rodentia: Cricetidae), nests. We consider the cave association of these two species, categorizing them as troglophiles. The distribution of O. cavernicollis is mainly in the Ozark region, but this pattern may be due to inadequate sampling in other locations. Stenotothorax gardneri is known only from caves in the Ozark region. All available collection records from recent work, museum specimens an...
How Do We Understand Practice? A Qualitative Approach:

This article argues that qualitative research is relevant for evaluating practice. Several complimentary theoretical assumptions and methods of both areas - qualitative research and direct practice - are presented as illustrations of utilizing a qualitative approach to assessing practice. This approach is offered as an alternative to traditional quantitative research models.
Two-dimensional melting

Abstract Recent theoretical work1) on the Kosterlitz-Thouless2) model of dislocation-mediated melting in two dimensions suggests the existence of a new “hexatic” phase of matter, intermediate between a solid and a liquid. Basic theoretical ideas are reviewed, together with experiments and computer simulations capable of testing these results. We also discuss the dynamics of two-dimensional melting3), phase transitions in smectic liquid crystal films4), anisotropic melting5), and melting of layered materials like smectics, cholesterics, and the Rayleigh-Benard convection cells6). Reviews of the material covered in this talk may be found in refs. 7 and 8 below.
The Effect of Color Enhancement on Knowledge Map Processing

Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effect of knowledge maps and color enhancement on the recall of text information. Although researchers have found both methods to be effective for increasing acquisition of materials, the two methods have not been combined. College students studied a 1,500-word text passage on the autonomic nervous system in the form of a knowledge map or traditional text. Within each of these groups, half of the students studied color-enhanced material and half studied black-and-white materials. Although those in the map group recalled more than their traditional text counterparts did for both color-enhanced and black-and-white materials, the effect was not significant. This finding, which is inconsistent with previous research, may have been due to subject matter or structural differences in the maps or to the overwhelming effect of color enhancement. On the other hand, consistent with expectations and past research, those who studied color-enhanced materials re...
Efficient flow control of jobs in assembly lines

Abstract This paper addresses the issues of efficient flow control techniques for jobs in assembly lines. We propose a queuing theoretic approach for efficient flow control of jobs. An assembly line performance measure (ALPM) is used as the measure of performance for each assembly line and is denned as the ratio of throughput to total average delay of an assembly line (AL). A performance product criterion (PPC) is used as the performance measure of a cluster of ALs. It is shown that the performance product criterion has a unique maximum in throughput space. Two algorithms are presented to find the maximum of the performance product criterion in two different cases of assembly line environment. In the first algorithm, we attempt to maximize the performance product criterion with respect to the throughputs of the assembly lines in the entire throughput space. The second algorithm maximizes the performance product criterion when the sum of the throughputs of the ALs is fixed. Numerical examples are given as ...
A new myosin fragment: visualization of the regulatory domain

Many of the functional domains of the myosin molecule have been defined by the use of proteolytic enzymes. Major fragments that retain enzymatic or assembly properties have been prepared by cleavage in the rod to form heavy meromyosin (HMM) and light meromyosin (LMM)1 or at the head–rod junction to form S-1 and rod2,3. Limited tryptic digestion of vertebrate skeletal myosin S-14 indicates that the head contains three major regions: an ammo-terminal nucleotide binding domain of molecular weight (MW) 25,0005,6, a central domain of MW 50,000 and a carboxyl domain MW 20,000; the latter two are both able to bind to actin7,8. Tryptic digestion of scallop S-1 has also been used to isolate a head fragment MW 14,000 associated with both types of scallop light chains9. Here we report that myosin from vertebrate (chicken and rabbit skeletal) and molluscan (scallop adductor) striated muscles is cleaved in an unusual way with an enzyme from Pseudomonas aeruginosa10–12. This bacterial protease (designated Ps-1) does not cleave myosin at the head–rod junction or in the rod; instead, Ps-1 splits the myosin heavy chain within the head, yielding a complete rod joined to the 20,000-MW head domains. The scallop regulatory and essential light chains remain associated with this fragment. We examined this new fragment by electron microscopy; the rods bear two ‘nubs’ about 100 A long, which appear to correspond morphologically to the neck region of the myosin molecule13,14.
Pathway of biogenesis of apolipoprotein E-containing HDL in vivo with the participation of ABCA1 and LCAT

We have investigated the ability of apoE (apolipoprotein E) to participate in the biogenesis of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) particles in vivo using adenovirus-mediated gene transfer in apoA-I-/- (apolipoprotein A-I) or ABCA1-/- (ATP-binding cassette A1) mice. Infection of apoA-I-/- mice with 2x10(9) pfu (plaque-forming units) of an apoE4-expressing adenovirus increased both HDL and the triacylglycerol-rich VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein)/IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein)/LDL (low-density lipoprotein) fraction and generated discoidal HDL particles. ABCA1-/- mice treated similarly failed to form HDL particles, suggesting that ABCA1 is essential for the generation of apoE-containing HDL. Combined infection of apoA-I-/- mice with a mixture of adenoviruses expressing both apoE4 (2x10(9) pfu) and human LCAT (lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase) (5x10(8) pfu) cleared the triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins, increased HDL and converted the discoidal HDL into spherical HDL. Similarly, co-infection of apoE-/- mice with apoE4 and human LCAT corrected the hypercholesterolaemia and generated spherical particles, suggesting that LCAT is essential for the maturation of apoE-containing HDL. Overall, the findings indicate that apoE has a dual functionality. In addition to its documented functions in the clearance of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins, it participates in the biogenesis of HDL-sized apoE-containing particles. HDL particles generated by this pathway may account at least for some of the atheroprotective functions of apoE.
Detecting rare variant associations by identity-by-descent mapping in case-control studies

Identity-by-descent (IBD) mapping tests whether cases share more segments of IBD around a putative causal variant than do controls. These segments of IBD can be accurately detected from genome-wide SNP data. We investigate the power of IBD mapping relative to that of SNP association testing for genome-wide case-control SNP data. Our focus is particularly on rare variants, as these tend to be more recent and hence more likely to have recent shared ancestry. We simulate data from both large and small populations and find that the relative performance of IBD mapping and SNP association testing depends on population demographic history and the strength of selection against causal variants. We also present an IBD mapping analysis of a type 1 diabetes data set. In those data we find that we can detect association only with the HLA region using IBD mapping. Overall, our results suggest that IBD mapping may have higher power than association analysis of SNP data when multiple rare causal variants are clustered within a gene. However, for outbred populations, very large sample sizes may be required for genome-wide significance unless the causal variants have strong effects.
Barriers to Quantitative Electron Probe X-Ray Microanalysis for Low Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy

Low voltage x-ray microanalysis, defined as being performed with an incident beam energy ≤5 keV, can achieve spatial resolution, laterally and in depth, of 100 nm or less, depending on the exact selection of beam energy and the composition of the target. The shallow depth of beam penetration, with the consequent short path length for x-ray absorption, and the low overvoltage, the ratio of beam energy to the critical ionization energy, both contribute to minimizing the matrix effects in quantitative x-ray microanalysis when the unknown is compared to pure element standards. The low beam energy restricts the energy of the atomic shells that can be excited, forcing the analyst to choose unfamiliar shells/characteristic peaks. The low photon energy shells are subject to low fluorescence yield, so that the peak-to-continuum background is reduced, severely limiting detectability. The limited resolution of semiconductor energy dispersive spectrometry results in frequent peak interference situations and further exacerbates detection limits. Future improvements to the x-ray spectrometry limitations are possible with x-ray optics-augmented wavelength dispersive spectrometry and microcalorimeter energy dispersive spectrometry.
Surface heat flux determination using an integral method

Abstract A family of methods is presented for calculating the surface heat flux from the transient temperature history measured at an interior position in a heat-conducting solid possessing constant thermal properties. These methods involve the numerical inversion of a convolution integral; i.e., the solution of a Volterra equation of the first kind. Each of the new methods employs a least-squares procedure. A comparison is given of the simplest formulation of the new methods with an older numerical inversion procedure similar to that employed by Stolz. In this comparison it is shown that the new method is stable with time steps as small as one sixth of the minimum allowable time step in the Stolz method. Analyses of the stability are given for several formulations which have even more desirable characteristics.
Hydrogen permeation behavior in polycrystalline nickel implanted with helium, argon, nickel, yttrium and platinum

Abstract The entry and transport of hydrogen in helium-, argon-, nickel-, yttrium- and platinum-implanted polycrystalline nickel specimens with a fluence range 1 × 10 14 -2 × 10 17 ions cm −2 have been investigated using an electrochemical permeation technique. It was found that the effective diffusion coefficient of hydrogen was lower and the effective solubility was larger in nickel-, yttrium- and platinum-implanted nickel with a fluence of more than 1 × 10 15 ions cm −2 than in unimplanted nickel. Increased solubility caused the steady state permeation current in nickel- and platinum-implanted nickel to increase. The steady state permeation current and the effective hydrogen solubility of nickel-implanted nickel with a fluence of 1 × 10 14 ions cm −2 were small compared with the corresponding values for unimplanted nickel, and those of helium- and argon-implanted nickel decreased with increasing fluence. Furthermore, the permeation current of platinum-implanted nickel treated with aqueous 0.2% HF decreased by a factor of 2 from that of platinum-implanted nickel. The resylts are explained by considering the presence of gas bubbles, compressive stress, shallow and deep hydrogen traps and the elecfrocatalytic properties of the implanted element.
The Guinea Pig: Healing, Food, and Ritual in the Andes

The guinea pig pervades nearly every aspect of Andean life. Traditionally important in folk medicine, native religion, and as a food source, guinea pig use continues to proliferate. Once a woman's domestic chore, raising guinea pigs is today a profitable commercial practice in Latin America. This once-sacred animal is now exploited as a source of cash income. As the drive to integrate indigenous peoples into the modern global market economy becomes a priority with Latin American governments, the implementation of new economic policies regulating guinea pig husbandry is aggressively changing traditions and values in the Andes. Edmundo Morales traveled back to his homeland in the Andes to capture in words and pictures the changes and continuities in traditional uses of the guinea pig in his culture. Morales, a native speaker of Spanish and Quechua, easily ventured into many isolated communities and examined social customs centered upon the guinea pig. Although the guinea pig lives in the Andean home as a domestic animal, it is also enjoyed as a culinary delicacy. Folk doctors employ the black guinea pig to determine the cause of illness - pressed against an ailing body, the animal reportedly squeals when it finds the source of disease. These are only some of the uses for the guinea pig in the Andean cultures of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. A study of cultural traditions and changes, The Guinea Pig: Healing, Food, and Ritual in the Andes will be useful for social scientists, humanists, and policymakers, as well as for general readers interested in this unique aspect of Andean culture. The book records the cultural traditions of an indigenous people while demonstrating howparticipation in the global market economy can alter a way of life.
Birefringence dependent multiple quantum well light valves/modulators and logic devices

I.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Familial autoimmunity in pedigrees of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy patients suggests common genetic risk factors for many autoimmune diseases

Objective To test the hypothesis that many autoimmune diseases share common genetic risk factors and to define the frequency and distribution of autoimmune diseases in relatives of patients with very rare disorders, the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Methods We evaluated, in a prospective case-control study, consecutive patients with IIM who were referred to our center and ascertained without regard to family history or known risk factors for autoimmunity, and all available family members. We used a standardized assessment to determine the presence and type of autoimmune disease in each subject. A matched comparison group of control subjects without autoimmune disease who were referred to our center and their families were similarly assessed. Results Autoimmune diseases were significantly increased in prevalence (21.9%) in the 151 first-degree relatives of the 21 IIM probands compared with the prevalence (4.9%) in the 143 relatives of the 21 control probands (odds ratio [OR] by regression analysis 7.9, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.9-21.9, P < 0.001). Women had more autoimmune disease than men (OR by regression analysis 4.6, 95% CI 2.3-9.0) and the odds ratio for autoimmune disease increased 0.02 per year of age. These disorders tended to follow the frequency distribution of autoimmune diseases in the general population. Genetic modeling studies showed that a non-Mendelian polygenic inheritance pattern for autoimmune disease was most consistent with these data. Conclusion Autoimmune diseases are significantly increased in frequency in first-degree relatives of IIM patients, affect more women than men, increase with age, and are distributed in a pattern similar to that in the general population. Many autoimmune disorders share genes that together act as polygenic risk factors for autoimmunity.
An Interphasic Region between Nitrocellulose and Nitroguanidine in triple base propellant

Evidence for the existence of an interphasic region in the nitroglycerin-nitrocellulose matrix immediately surrounding the crystalline nitroguanidine filler in triple base propellant is presented for the first time. This interphasic region displays anomalous thermal expansion and mechanical relaxation behaviour compared to the bulk nitroglycerin-nitrocellulose matrix in the propellant. The interphasic region accounts for the highly unusual thermal expansion behaviour of triple base propellants containing long needlelike nitroguanidine crystals. An interphasic region does not occur in similar propellant when the nitroguanidine filler is replaced by crystalline RDX. Thus the interphase region is thought to be a manifestation of a significant bindernitroguanidine interaction. Implications for munition survivability stemming from the existence of a separate polymeric interphase are discussed in terms of the thermal and relaxation behaviour of the interphasic binder-crystalline filler interface.
An Alternative to the Hick-Hyman's and Sternberg's Laws

A new law of choice-reaction time is proposed as an alternative to the classical Hick-Hyman's law and the Sternberg's law. A reanalysis of some experimental data, including those by Hick and Hyman,...
Improved survival for stenting vs. balloon angioplasty for the treatment of coronary artery disease in patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction.

While earlier studies of balloon angioplasty (BA) in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction suggested high late mortality, a study directly comparing coronary stenting and BA has not been performed. Since stenting provides a more durable revascularization, we sought to compare long-term survival in patients undergoing stenting vs BA in patients with decreased left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF). We evaluated consecutive patient procedures performed in our institution from 1996 through 1999. Patients were considered part of the stent group if they received at least one stent. To be included, patients had to have a technically adequate angiographic LV gram with a calculated LVEF ≤ 50%. Patients with prior CABG were excluded. Mortality data was retrieved using the United States Social Security Death Index. Follow-up ranged from 3.5 to 6.5 years. Statistical analysis was performed and tests were significant with a P-value < 0.05. A total of 238 patients fulfilled our criteria. Mean age was 57.5 ± 12 years, mean LVEF was 39 ± 10%, 67% were males, 71.5% received stents, 62% had a recent MI, and 19% died during follow-up. Overall 5-year survival was 84% for stenting and 77% for BA (P = NS). Patients with an LVEF ≤40% (n = 110) had better survival at 5 years if they received a stent compared with BA alone (76% for stents vs. 53% for BA; P < 0.05). Stenting was found to be significant predictor of late survival on Cox Hazard Regression analysis in patients with an LVEF ≤ 50% and LVEF ≤ 40%. This study demonstrates improved 5-year survival for patients undergoing stenting compared with balloon angioplasty in patients with LVEF ≤ 40%. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Heinrich Klüver's "divine" plant.

Heinrich Kluver (1897–1979) was one of the twentieth century's most widely influential scientists, a pioneer in the fields of psychology, neuroanatomy, and psychochemistry. Kluver is perhaps best k...
Influence of corn on stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in subsequent crops.

ABSTRACT In southeastern United States farmscapes, corn, Zea mays L., is often closely associated with peanut, (Arachis hypogaea L.), cotton, (Gossypium hirsutum L.), or both. The objective of this 3-yr on-farm study was to examine the influence of corn on stink bugs (Hetcroptera: Pentatomidae), Nezara viridula (L.), and Euschistus servus (Say), in subsequent crops in these farmscapes. Adults of both stink bug species entered corn first, and seasonal occurrence of stink bug eggs, nymphs, and adults indicated that corn was a suitable host plant for adult survival and nymphal development to adults. Stink bug females generally oviposited on cotton or peanut near the interface, or common boundary, of the farmscape before senescence of corn, availability of a new food, or both. Adult stink bugs dispersed from crop to crop at the interface of a farmscape in response to senescence of corn, availability of new food, or both. In corn—cotton farmscapes, adult stink bugs dispersed from senescing corn into cotton to ...
Logic Semantics with the Potential Infinite

A form of quantification logic referred to by the author in earlier papers as being ‘ontologically neutral’ still made use of the actual infinite in its semantics. Here it is shown that one can have, if one desires, a formal logic that refers in its semantics only to the potential infinite. Included are two new quantifiers generalizing the sentential connectives, equivalence and non-equivalence. There are thus new avenues opening up for exploration in both quantification logic and semantics of the infinite.
An investigation into the acceptability of workplace behaviors of a dubious ethical nature

Jones (1990) described ten workplace behaviors of a dubious ethical nature and determined that the hierarchical position adopted by respondents influenced the perceived acceptability of these behaviors. This measure seems promising, and therefore the purpose of this investigation is two-fold: (1) to explore further the psychometric properties of these ten items; and (2) to examine the role of individual difference variables as correlates of perceived acceptability. In two samples of working people, the Jones items were found to be internally consistent, not obviously subject to range restriction, modestly related to social desirability, largely orthogonal to age and managerial status, but clearly linked with Machiavellianism. The nature of the linkage between perceived acceptability and both sex and the Protestant work ethic differed across the two studies, which underscores the need for future research. Two additional variables worth investigating in such research may be locus of control and equity sensitivity.
Empirical and semi‐analytical chlorophyll algorithms in the south‐western Atlantic coastal region (25–40°S and 60–45°W)

Global ocean colour algorithms, used to extract chlorophyll concentration in the ocean surface, normally overestimate pigment values in coastal regions, due to optical interference of water components. The objective of the present investigation was to test the performance of both empirical (SeaWiFS OC4v4) and semi‐analytical (GSM01 and CARDER) algorithms in the south‐western Atlantic. In situ pigment and optical data have been collected in waters influenced by continental discharge from La Plata River and Patos Lagoon. The data was used to develop a regional version of the empirical SeaWiFS OC2v4 algorithm (termed OC2‐LP). The relative percentage difference (RPD) between in situ and algorithm‐derived chlorophyll was 11% in the regional version as compared to the global OC4v4 (RPD = 27%). The GSM01 and CARDER showed RPD of 14% and 31%, respectively. We have also tested the accuracy of the four algorithms (OC4v4, OC2‐LP, GSM01 and CARDER) on SeaWiFS images taken over two cruise periods in the study region (...
Eager Hands: Labor for Southern Textiles, 1850–1860

Was there an ample supply of low-skilled, free labor in the antebellum Southeast to develop a textile industry producing coarser goods? Using county-level data from the 1850 and 1860 manuscript censuses and other historical sources, we found there was a surplus of low-skilled, free (mostly white) labor in Edgefield County, South Carolina, where the textile industry was firmly established before the Civil War. If Edgefield County was not a unique case, then potential investors in southern textiles were probably not restrained by an inadequate labor force. Moreover, our Edgefield study reinforces other analyses which indicate that many whites hovered on the margins of southern society even in its most prosperous decade before the Civil War.
Trajectories of the mount st. Helens eruption plume.

The plume of the major eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980 penetrated 10 to 11 km into the stratosphere, attaining heights of 22 to 23 km. Wind shears rapidly converted the plume from an expanding vertical cone to a thin, slightly inclined lamina. The lamina was extruded zonally in the stratosphere as the lower part moved eastward at jet stream velocities, while the upper part slowly moved westward in the region of nonsteady transition from the westerlies to the summer stratospheric easterlies. Trajectories computed to position the NASA U-2 aircraft for sampling in the plume are described. Plume volume after 8 hours of strong volcanic emission is estimated at 2,000,000 cu km. Only about 1% of this volume is attributed to the volcano; the rest was entrained from the environment.