cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Test of the Effect of Scattering on the f Factor Used in the IEC Method

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a test of the effect of scattering on the f factor used in the internal-external conversion (IEC) method. Several investigators utilizing the IEC method for conversion coefficient determinations have questioned the possible effect of photoelectron scattering on the f factor employed in this procedure. The f factor is related to the photoelectron distribution from an external converter and a scattering distortion in this distribution for low energies and thick converters is expected. The chapter illustrates the dependence of the calculated, scatter-corrected f factors on converter thickness for the particular source-converter configuration used and for a photon energy of 300 keV. The trend exhibited by the experimental results disagrees with that of the theoretical scatter-corrected f factors. Because of the general applicability of the IEC method, it is important that more experimental and theoretical work be done to resolve this contradiction.
Retinal Amacrine Cells

Amacrine cells form a heterogeneous group of retinal interneuron that is positioned to modify the output signals carried by the postsynaptic ganglion cells. Despite the large diversity of amacrine cell morphology found in the retina, no one subtype dominates, suggesting that each plays a separate, but equally important, role in visual processing. This idea is supported by the extraordinary variety of physiological response properties displayed by amacrine cells as well as the complex circuits they subserve. Taken together, these data indicate that the amacrine cells play diverse yet specific roles in the integration of visual signals as they pass through the retina.
Open hole and filled hole progressive damage and failure analysis of composite laminates with a countersunk hole

Abstract Countersunk holes are used in bolted joints for creating non-protruding smooth surfaces. As a first step towards a detailed progressive damage and failure analysis of bolted joint configurations, a new model referred to as the Intra-inter crack band model (I2CBM) is used to study open hole tensile/compressive and filled hole tensile/compressive progressive damage and failure. The I2CBM is a unified approach for modeling intralaminar and interlaminar progressive damage and failure in polymer matrix composites. 3D finite elements in the I2CBM formulation can be adapted for modeling individual lamina elements or to model interface delamination elements. A path for communication between the intralaminar and interlaminar failure mechanisms is enabled in the model to overcome limitations associated with homogenized element modeling and to capture complex interactions in a physically correct manner. A non-local crack spacing method is implemented for tracking matrix cracks. Comparisons between test results and I2CBM predictions for the open hole tensile/compressive and filled hole tensile/compressive cases with a countersunk hole configuration are discussed. The effect of bolt pretension on the filled hole failure analysis case is also presented and the failure mechanisms are discussed.
Who are the early adopters of fuel cell vehicles

Abstract All new technologies, including automotive technologies, are first purchased by early adopters. These consumers are currently posed with the choice of purchasing a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) or a variety of other alternatively fueled vehicles, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs). For FCVs to be commercially successful they need to carve out their own niche in the automotive market, something which may prove challenging in the face of strong BEV market growth. The results in this paper come from a questionnaire survey of 470 FCV owners and 1550 BEV owners. The paper explores the socio-economic profile, travel patterns, and attitudes of FCV buyers and compares them to the buyers of BEVs. The result suggests that the adopters of BEVs and FCV are similar in gender, level of education, household income, and have similar travel patterns. They have differences in age, ownership of previous alternative fuel vehicles, attitudes towards sustainability, and more FCV owners live in rented homes and apartment buildings. The results of the study suggest that FCVs may appeal to consumers who live in homes where they cannot recharge a BEV or install their own charger. FCVs still have several challenges to overcome, including the lack of hydrogen refueling stations and a lack of FCV models to choose from.
El yin y el yang de los entremeses cervantinos (Miguel de Cervantes, «Dos nuevos entremeses, “nunca representados”», Dir. Ernesto Arias, Teatro La Abadía, Madrid, diciembre del 2017)

El yin y el yang de los entremeses cervantinos (Miguel de Cervantes, Dos nuevos entremeses , « nunca representados », Dir. Ernesto Arias, Teatro La Abadia, Madrid, diciembre del 2017)
CHAPTER 24 – Immunologic Aspects of Menopause

Menopause in women results from a sharp decline in ovarian function that normally occurs during the fourth or fifth decade of life. Postmenopausal women experience markedly decreased ovarian production of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and inhibin, and increased pituitary production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). There is also evidence that many postmenopausal women experience reduced adrenal endocrine function, evidenced by lower circulating concentrations of cortisol and androstenedione. In postmenopausal women, natural immunoregulatory effects of endogenous ovarian and adrenal steroids may be reduced, whereas exogenous estrogen and progestins administered in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may restore, suppress, or amplify some of these effects. More clinical studies are needed on the effects of menopause, with or without HRT, on general immunological functions and clinical disorders arising from or exacerbated by chronic immunosuppression or shifts in immunoregulation, including autoimmunity, neoplasia, and infectious diseases. Special attention should be given to neoplastic and infectious diseases of the genital tract, because immune defense functions at this site are clearly affected by ovarian steroid hormones.
Does the STarT Back screening tool correlate with the focus on therapeutic outcomes functional scale in patients with low back pain

Study Design: Cross-sectional correlational. Objectives: Examine the relationship between the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST) and the Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes (FOTO) functional status questionnaire in patients with low back pain (LBP). Background: LBP is one of the most common and costly orthopedic conditions in the health-care system, but the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment are unclear and uncertain. Tools such as the SBST and FOTO have been developed as a way to subclassify individuals with LBP to determine prognosis and stratify care. Methods: The SBST and FOTO questionnaires were administered during the initial consultation with a physical therapist for a chief complaint of LBP. Kendall's tau-c coefficient was calculated for correlation between the SBST risk stratification and FOTO functional staging. Kappa coefficient was calculated for correlation between the dichotomized SBST psychosocial subscale and the dichotomous fear avoidance level derived from the FOTO questionnaire. Results: A total of 65 patients were included in the final analysis ranging in age from 18 to 89 years. The correlation between SBST risk level and FOTO functional staging was poor (Kendall's tau-c = 0.406, P Conclusion: The poor inverse relationship between the SBST and FOTO demonstrates that both tools should be used concurrently to complement each other to effectively subclassify patients with LBP. Future efforts may want to focus on integrating constructs from the SBST into the FOTO computerized adaptive test to improve risk stratification. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge, Patient care, Practice-based learning and improvement.
Distributed Wideband Sensing for Faded Dynamic Spectrum Access with Changing Occupancy

We propose a distributed compressive sampling technique for cooperative wideband spectrum sensing that requires lesser numbers of measurements while overcoming time-variability of spectrum occupancy and the hidden terminal problem. First, we prove that the wideband spectrum occupancy information can almost surely be recovered with a reduced number of spectrum measurements. Second, we propose nonuniform sensing matrix design that exploits the heterogeneity in the wideband spectrum access to further improve the spectrum sensing recovery accuracy. Using simulations, we con&#64257;rm our theoretic results and show that cooperation leads to high detection probability, even with each secondary user taking only a small number of measurements. We also show that it is suf&#64257;cient to consider a subset of close-by secondary users to obtain comparable performances.
Assessment of current methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening protocols and outcomes at an academic medical center

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for many hospital-associated infections. Both MRSA-colonized and MRSA-infected patients must be isolated on contact precautions per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. This study evaluates the current practice for removing MRSA-colonized patients from contact precautions and proposes a new protocol to decrease inconsistencies with screening methodologies. Methods This was a retrospective chart review of MRSA screening swabs collected at an academic medical center between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017. Of those patients with MRSA screening swabs, extra-nasal cultures were also evaluated for MRSA infection. Screening swabs were analyzed for appropriateness of order and timing between swabs and active infections. Analysis of variance and the χ² tests were used to determine significance between groups. Results This study included 8,310 patients with a combined total of 11,601 nasal swabs. Significantly more (P = .0159) patients with 2 negative nasal swabs returned with a recurrent MRSA infection or colonization than those who had 3 consecutive negative nasal swabs (27.8% vs 17.0%, respectively). Additionally, 47.8% of patients only had 1 appropriately ordered negative nasal swab, indicating that a nurse-driven protocol may be more effective in obtaining the full series of samples required to remove contact precautions. Conclusions The current practice for removing a patient from contact precautions for MRSA is insufficient. The number of negative nasal swabs required should be increased from 2 to 3 and a decolonization protocol should be implemented.
Legal Regulation of Internet Domain Names in North America

In the early days of the Internet domain name system, there was little to no regulation in North America (or indeed any common law countries) specifically to address disputes that rapidly arose between trademark holders and domain name registrants. The earliest disputes, in the mid to late 1990s, typically involved domain name registrants who registered domain names corresponding with others’ trademarks in the hopes of either extorting money to sell the names (to the markholder or a competitor) or of using the domain to host a criticism, commentary or gripe site. Other uses also rapidly developed, including unauthorized fansites and political commentary sites. Without a clear set of regulatory principles to deal with these scenarios, it fell to trademark law to operate as the main regulatory matrix for resolving these online disputes. In some senses traditional trademark actions (for trademark infringement and dilution) were an obvious and well-suited regulatory avenue because the aim of trademark law is to protect valuable marks against activities likely to cause consumer confusion (infringement) or to blur or tarnish the mark (dilution). However, trademark law was not necessarily well suited to all types of domain name disputes, including situations where the domain name was not, strictly speaking, a trademark. Cases involving personal names and culturally/geographically significant terms were obvious examples. In 1999, the U.S. Congress enacted the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (the ACPA), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) adopted the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) to deal with cases of cybersquatting—registering a domain name corresponding with another’s trademark with a bad faith intent to profit. However, like trademark law, both of these initiatives were premised on the existence of a valid trademark as the basis of a complaint. Thus, the law of domain names in North America, as at the ICANN level, is really more or less traditional trademark law with the addition of sui generis anti-cybersquatting provisions, also, for the most part, premised on the protection of trademarks. This chapter outlines these regulations and identifies particular kinds of domain name disputes which are not particularly effectively addressed under the current regulatory paradigm.
Reality Considerations in Guidance Program Evaluation

Instruments and procedures used and problems encountered in a recent evaluation of changes in a school guidance program are discussed. A systematic approach to guidance was developed, including sta...
Rhetorical Constellations and the Inventional/Intersectional Possibilities of #MeToo:

In this project, I analyze news coverage of the #MeToo movement to categorize how blame is assigned and what corrective actions are prescribed for the pervasive problem of sexual violence. Although...
Observational Overfitting in Reinforcement Learning

A major component of overfitting in model-free reinforcement learning (RL) involves the case where the agent may mistakenly correlate reward with certain spurious features from the observations generated by the Markov Decision Process (MDP). We provide a general framework for analyzing this scenario, which we use to design multiple synthetic benchmarks from only modifying the observation space of an MDP. When an agent overfits to different observation spaces even if the underlying MDP dynamics is fixed, we term this observational overfitting. Our experiments expose intriguing properties especially with regards to implicit regularization, and also corroborate results from previous works in RL generalization and supervised learning (SL).
Salmonella meningitis with thrombotic microangiopathy in an exclusively breast-fed infant: Case report

Salmonella species is now a leading cause of meningitis in the developing world. We report a 6-month-old fully vaccinated baby girl who presented with high-grade fever and seizures. Her CSF and blood cultures grew non-typable Salmonella strains. The child was treated with antibiotics and anti-epileptics and discharged home after 2 weeks of hospital stay.Children with salmonella meningitis may present with life-threatening manifestations in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms.
Tuning the porosity of biofabricated chitosan membranes in microfluidics with co-assembled nanoparticles as templates

Biopolymer membranes assembled in microfluidic devices offer many biological process- and analysis-related applications. One of the key characteristics of bio-fabricated membranes is their porosity, which regulates the transport of molecules, ions, or particles and contributes to their semi-permeability and selectivity. This study aims to tune the porosity of biofabricated chitosan membranes (CM) using incorporated nanoparticles as templates. CM with polystyrene nanoparticles (CM-np) were assembled by flow in microchannel networks. The membranes with incorporated nanoparticles were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and then the nanoparticles were dissolved with dimethyl sulfoxide. The in situ synthesized porous CM (pCM) were characterized with scanning electron microscopy and polarized light microscopy. Permeability tests confirmed the increased pore sizes of the pCM and enhanced permeability to macromolecules. Sharper static gradients in three-channel microfluidic devices were demonstrated with the pCM as compared to those with the original CM. The capability to customize the porosity of flow-assembled, freestanding and robust biopolymer membranes inside a microfluidic network is attractive and broadens the applications of these membranes in biomolecular and cellular studies.
A High Signal-to-Noise UV Spectrum of NGC 7469: New Support for Reprocessing of Continuum Radiation

From 1996 June 10 to 1996 July 29 the International AGN Watch monitored the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 using IUE, RXTE, and a network of ground-based observatories. On 1996 June 18, in the midst of this intensive monitoring period, we obtained a high signal-to-noise snapshot of the UV spectrum from 1150-3300 A using the FOS on HST. This spectrum allows us to disentangle the UV continuum more accurately from the broad wings of the emission lines, to identify clean continuum windows free of contaminating emission and absorption, and to deblend line complexes such as Lya+NV, CIV+HeII+OIII], SiIII]+CIII], and MgII+FeII. Using the FOS spectrum as a template, we have fit and extracted line and continuum fluxes from the IUE monitoring data. The cleaner continuum extractions confirm the discovery of time delays between the different UV continuum bands by Wanders et al. Our new measurements show delays increasing with wavelength for continuum bands centered at 1485 A, 1740 A and 1825 A relative to 1315 A with delays of 0.09, 0.28 and 0.36 days, respectively. Like many other Seyfert 1 galaxies, the UV spectrum of NGC 7469 shows intrinsic, blue-shifted absorption in Lya, NV and C IV. Soft X-ray absorption is also visible in archival ASCA X-ray spectra. The strength of the UV absorption, however, is not compatible with a single-zone model in which the same material absorbs both the UV and X-ray light. Similar to other Seyfert galaxies such as NGC 3516, the UV-absorbing gas in NGC 7469 has a lower ionization parameter and column density than the X-ray absorbing material. While the UV and X-ray absorption does not arise in the same material, the frequent occurrence of both associated UV absorption and X-ray warm absorbers in the same galaxies suggests that the gas supply for each has a common origin.
Social Media Use for Health Purposes by Chronic Disease Patients in the United States.

Background: Social media can be a cost-effective instant tool for exchanging health information among those with chronic diseases. However, few studies have analyzed the nexus between chronic disease and patients' use of the internet for health-related purposes. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine if chronic disease patients in the United States use social media platforms to share health information and/or join groups of similar condition. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted a secondary analysis of the Health Information Trends Survey dataset 5 (cycle 1 of 2017 and cycle 2 of 2018) (N = 6650), which is nationally representative of American adults. A series of chi-square tests was carried to examine the association between using social media by chronic disease patients and (a) sharing health information and (b) participating in relevant health groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine significant findings. Results: In terms of sharing health information on social media sites, those who were aged 18–49 years (P Conclusion: Individuals with chronic conditions, except depression or anxiety disorder, were not likely to participate in social media support groups. Future studies should explore how social media can be used to effectively engage those with chronic diseases, which may assist in disease management.
Fun Shopping: A Randomized Field Experiment on Gamification

Gamification utilizes game-like features to engage participants, widely implemented in a variety of contexts. Such an IT-enabled engagement strategy serves as a marketing device to boost sales and customer loyalty. This study focuses on two significant game elements (i.e., badges and leaderboards) that promote consumer motivations and social comparisons. To qualify the impacts, we conduct a randomized field experiment at one of the largest shopping malls in Asia. In the experiment, we contrast the two elements against coupons regarding various shopping outcomes. A two-period design (consisting of the treatment and post-treatment periods) identifies the long-term behavior changes after the treatment removals. The main results suggest that badging and leaderboarding promote sales by 21.5% and 22.5% in the treatment period, respectively, while couponing delivers a more potent effect of 31.7%. In the post-treatment period, the gamification impacts remain significant compared with the baseline, whereas the influence of couponing fades out. Besides, the additional analyses document the salient heterogeneous treatment effects across demographics. We further discover the substantial differences in the within-group heterogeneity across the treatments. Specifically, badging is a balanced tool for attracting the general public, whereas leaderboarding is a double-edged sword that could encourage self-reinforcing or self-banishing. Last, gamification brings more explorations that lead to additional sales and engagements. Overall, the robust results can be translated into actionable strategies to utilize gamification proactively.
Effect of anion identity on ion association and dynamics of sodium ions in non-aqueous glyme based electrolytes—OTf vs TFSI

Sodium-based rechargeable battery technologies are being pursued as an alternative to lithium, in part due to the relative abundance of sodium compared to lithium. Despite their low dielectric constant, glyme-based electrolytes are particularly attractive for these sodium-based batteries due to their ability to chelate with the sodium ion and their high electrochemical stability. While the glyme chain length is a parameter that can be tuned to modify solvation properties, charge transport behavior, reactivity, and ultimately battery performance, anion identity provides another tunable variable. Trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate/OTf) and bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide (TFSI) are chemically similar anions, which are often used in battery electrolytes for lithium-based batteries. In this paper, molecular simulations are used to examine the differences in ion association and charge transport between sodium salts of these two anions at different salt concentrations in glymes with the increasing chain length. The use of the modified force field developed for NaOTf in glymes for the NaTFSI electrolytes was validated by comparing the TFSI–sodium ion radial distribution functions to the results from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations on 1.5 M NaTFSI in diglyme. While the ion association behavior as a function of salt concentration showed similar trends for both NaOTf and NaTFSI in tetraglyme and triglyme electrolytes, the dominant solvation structures for the two sets of electrolytes are distinctly different in the monoglyme and diglyme cases. The conductivity is impacted by both the ion association behavior in these electrolytes and the non-vehicular or hopping transport of the anions in these systems.
Polygenic Risk Scores

As genome-wide association studies have continued to identify loci associated with complex traits, the implications of and necessity for proper use of these findings, including prediction of disease risk, have become apparent. Many complex diseases have numerous associated loci with detectable effects implicating risk for or protection from disease. A common contemporary approach to using this information for disease prediction is through the application of genetic risk scores. These scores estimate an individual's liability for a specific outcome by aggregating the effects of associated loci into a single measure as described in the previous version of this article. Although genetic risk scores have traditionally included variants that meet criteria for genome-wide significance, an extension known as the polygenic risk score has been developed to include the effects of more variants across the entire genome. Here, we describe common methods and software packages for calculating and interpreting polygenic risk scores. In this revised version of the article, we detail information that is needed to perform a polygenic risk score analysis, considerations for planning the analysis and interpreting results, as well as discussion of the limitations based on the choices made. We also provide simulated sample data and a walkthrough for four different polygenic risk score software. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Research on the Improvement of SI Performance of High Bandwidth Memory Interface by New 2.5D Silicon Interposer Structure

With the rise of AI, big data, 5G and other services, high bandwidth, low power consumption, and low latency have become the basic characteristics of the new generation of chip technology. HBM(High Bandwidth Memory) technology has become the first choice for high-end memory chips due to its ultra-high bandwidth and short-range chip interconnection. The HBM interface has now been developed to HBM2E, the signal rate has reached 3600Mbps, and HBM3 will also be available soon. The high speed and high density interconnection between dies has brought serious signal integrity (SI) problems. The traditional 2.5D silicon interposer process can no longer meet the application of HBM2E products. This article focuses on the establishment of the 2.5D silicon interposer SI simulation analysis process, and try to find the solutions to the SI issues of HBM2E and even HBM3 high-speed parallel interfaces.
Integrated watershed process model for evaluating mercury sources, transport, and future remediation scenarios in an industrially contaminated site

Abstract We used the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) as a framework to develop an empirical Hg flux model for Upper East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC), a Hg-contaminated watershed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. By integrating long-term Hg monitoring data with simulated flow and suspended solid loads in a site-specific empirical Hg transport model, we (1) quantified the spatial, temporal, and flow regime controls on daily Hg flux (adjusted R2 = 0.82) and (2) made predictions about Hg flux under future climate, land use, and management scenarios. We found that 62.79% of the average daily Hg flux in the watershed is currently driven by base flow, whereas variability in Hg flux is driven by storm and extreme flow. We estimate an average annual Hg flux of 28.82 g day-1 leaving the watershed under baseline precipitation, with an estimated 43.73% reduction in daily Hg flux under drought conditions and a 296% increase in daily Hg flux in extreme precipitation scenarios. We estimated that a new mercury treatment facility would result in a 24.7% reduction in Hg flux under baseline conditions and a 33.4% reduction under extreme precipitation scenarios. The study demonstrated the merit of this approach, which can be replicated for sites where information on flow, suspended solids, and Hg concentrations is available.
Physician-directed software design: the role of utilization statistics and user input in enhancing HELP results review capabilities.

The M.D. Rounds Report program was developed and implemented in June of 1992 as an adjunct to the HELP System at Rex Hospital. The program facilitates rapid access to information on allergies and current medications, laboratory results, radiology reports and therapist notes for a list of patients without physicians having to make additional menu or submenu selections. In planning for an upgrade of the program, utilization statistics and user feedback provided valuable information in terms of frequency of access, features used and unused, and the value of the program as a reporting tool in comparison to other online results reporting applications. A brief description of the functionality of the M.D. Rounds Report, evaluation of the program audit trail and user feedback, planned enhancements to the program, and a discussion of the prototyping and monitoring experience and the impact on future physician subsystem development will be presented.
Vehicle-Cycle Energy and Emission Effects of Conventional and Advanced Vehicles

A vehicle-cycle module of the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The fuel-cycle GREET model has been published extensively and contains data on fuelcycles and vehicle operation. The vehicle-cycle module evaluates the energy and emission effects of vehicle material recovery and production, vehicle component fabrication, vehicle assembly, and vehicle disposal/recycling. The addition of the vehiclecycle module to the GREET model provides a comprehensive lifecycle-based approach to compare energy use and emissions of conventional vehicle technologies and advanced vehicle technologies such as hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. Using the newly developed vehicle-cycle module, this paper evaluates on a vehicle-cycle basis the energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and selected air pollutant emissions of a mid-size passenger car with the following powertrain systems — internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine with hybrid configuration, and fuel cell with hybrid configuration. We found that the production of materials accounts for a majority of the vehicle-cycle energy use and emissions of all the vehicles examined. The energy use and greenhouse gas emissions increase for the advanced powertrain vehicles compared to the internal combustion engine vehicles, due to the use of energy-intensive materials in the fuel cell system of the fuel cell vehicle and the increased use of aluminum in both the hybrid electric vehicle and the fuel cell vehicle. In addition, the use of materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber composites increases the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of lightweight vehicles. Furthermore, in order to put vehicle-cycle results into a broad perspective, the fuel-cycle GREET model is used in conjunction with the vehicle-cycle module to estimate total energy-cycle results. Materials used to reduce the weight of a vehicle help improve fuel economy, and reduce the energy use and GHG emissions of the fuel-cycle and vehicle operation stages; however, production of lightweight materials is energy-intensive compared to production of conventional materials. However, when examining energy use and emissions on the total energy-cycle basis, our simulations show that in terms of reducing total energy use and emissions, there can be a significant net benefit from substituting lightweight materials.
Mass spectrometry in structural and stereochemical problems—CCXXXI

Abstract Ionized phenol and ionized cyclohexadienone can be distinguished on the basis of ion-molecule reactions of unlabeled and deuterium-labeled substrates. Application of these results to the C 6 H 6 O + ion from phenyl acetate shows that this ion possesses the phenol structure.
The administration of folic acid to institutionalized epileptic adults with phenytoin-induced gingival hyperplasia. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel study.

Twenty severely retarded institutionalized epileptic adults with phenytoin-induced gingival hyperplasia were divided into two groups and received a daily 3 mg capsule of either folic acid or lactose for 16 weeks in a randomized, double-blind, parallel study. Serum folate and phenytoin levels were recorded at baseline and on completion of the study. Twelve areas of the gingiva on each patient were graded at 4-week intervals for 16 weeks with respect to the three indexes: hyperplasia, gingival health, and plaque index. There were no significant differences between treatment groups for any of the three indexes over time. The poststudy serum folate levels were three times baseline levels for the active drug group (p < 0.001) but unchanged in the placebo group. Phenytoin blood levels that began within the therapeutic window (10 to 20 μg/ml) tended to remain within the therapeutic window for both groups, with no reported seizure activity. A single daily oral 3 mg capsule of folic acid did not show efficacy as the sole therapeutic agent in the reduction of phenytoin-induced gingival hyperplasia.
Implementing an Action Plan

Abstract A university library implemented a three-pronged marketing action plan to increase library visibility on campus. The plan included a publicity campaign, a formalized liaison program, and a user satisfaction survey. The year-long effort did return library instruction statistics to earlier levels but did not increase reference usage. Several factors are identified as potential causes for its limited success.
Calibration‐free quantitation in microchip zone electrophoresis with conductivity detection

The relationship between electrophoretic mobility and molar conductivity has previously led to speculation on achieving quantitation in zone electrophoresis without calibration curves when using conductivity detection. However, little work in this area has been pursued, possibly because of the breakdown of simple sensitivity-mobility relationships when working with partially protonated species. This topic is revisited with the aid of electrophoretic simulation software that produces facile predictions of analyte sensitivity relative to an internal standard. Calibration curve slopes for over 50 analyte/internal standard/BGE combinations were measured with both unbiased and electrokinetically biased injections using microchip electrophoresis with conductivity detection. The results were compared to theoretical expectations as computed with PeakMaster software. Good agreement was observed, with some systems being predicted with quantitative accuracy while others showed significant deviations. Some mechanisms that can lead to deviations from theory are demonstrated, but the causes for some discrepancies are still not understood. Overall, this work exhibits another useful application for simulation software, particularly for disposable devices where device-specific calibration curves cannot be collected. It also serves as quantitative validation for some outputs of PeakMaster simulation software.
Genome Scans of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus affects approximately 5–8% of the industrial world. Although a genetic basis to the disease is widely accepted, identification of the specific mutations involved is difficult because of the heterogeneous and multifactorial nature of the disease. With the availability of large-scale genotyping techniques, genome-wide linkage approaches are now commonly used to localize regions along the chromosome likely to harbor diabetes susceptibility genes. This chapter presents an overview of the genome scan approach and a summary of linkage results reported from a variety of populations. Keywords: genetic; linkage; diabetes; genome scan
Remission of recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding after septal reduction therapy in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy-associated acquired von willebrand syndrome

Summary Background Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is considered to be a severe complication of von Willebrand disease. The optimal therapy for acquired von Willebrand syndrome and severe gastrointestinal bleeding with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is undefined. Patients/Methods Seventy-seven patients (median age, 67 years; interquartile range [IQR], 56–75 years; 49% women) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy underwent von Willebrand factor multimer testing and acquisition of bleeding history. Bleeding was detected in 27 (36%) (median age, 74 years; IQR 66–76 years; 74% women), 20 with gastrointestinal bleeding, including 11 women with transfusion dependence. In these 11 women, the median duration of transfusion dependency was 36 months (IQR 18–44 months), and the median number of transfusions required was 25 (IQR 20–38). Two patients had undergone bowel resection for bleeding, one of them twice. Seven patients showed angiodysplasia, and the remainder had no endoscopic lesion. Bleeding recurred after bowel surgery or endoscopic intervention and medical therapy for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 10 of 11 patients. Two patients had septal myectomy, and six patients underwent alcohol septal ablation. With the exception of one patient in whom a significant gradient persisted after septal ablation, after the periprocedural period, patients after septal reduction therapy remained free of recurrent bleeding and need for transfusions. Conclusion Acquired von Willebrand syndrome is common in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Gastrointestinal bleeding often recurs after endoscopic therapy, but may be relieved by structural cardiac repair.
Abstract 3259: TGFβ signaling is frequently attenuated in hepatocellular carcinomas but is retained for malignant phenotypes in some hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. Its development and progression have been shown to be regulated by various cytokines including TGFβ. However, the role of TGFβ signaling in the progression of HCC remains controversial. In the current study, we examined the expression levels of TGFβ pathway components and the activation status of Smad2/3 proteins as reflected by phospho-Smad2/3 levels in human and mouse HCC tissues and human HCC cell lines. We also investigated whether abrogation of TGFβ signaling in HCC cell lines that are responsive to TGFβ affects the growth and metastasis of transplanted HCC cells in nude mice. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western immune blotting analyses reveal widespread down-regulation of TGFβ signaling pathway components including Smad2/3 and TGFβ type I and II receptors in HCC tissues of patients and mice in comparison to adjacent normal tissues. Treatment of our HCC cell lines (SNU398, SNU423, HepG2, and Sk-Hep-1) with TGFβ1 revealed that the SNU398 cell line was refractory whereas the other three cell lines were sensitive to TGFβ as determined with a number of in vitro assays including Smad phosphorylation, gene transcription, and growth inhibition assays. Knockdown of TGFβ type II receptor with shRNA significantly reduced TGFβ signaling activity in the Sk-Hep-1 cell line resulting in suppressed growth of its subcutaneous tumors and reduced metastasis potential when the cells were inoculated through tail vein injection. Our results suggest that TGFβ signaling may play a suppressive role in early stage of HCC development, but a promoting role in advanced stage, which is represented by the Sk-Hep-1 cell model. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3259. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3259
SLC7 amino acid transporters of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti and their role in fat body TOR signaling and reproduction

Background An important function of the fat body in adult female mosquitoes is the conversion of blood meal derived amino acids (AA) into massive amounts of yolk protein precursors. A highly efficient transport mechanism for AAs across the plasma membrane of the fat body trophocytes is essential in order to deliver building blocks for the rapid synthesis of large amounts of these proteins. This mechanism consists in part of AA transporter proteins from the solute carrier family. These transporters have dual function; they function as transporters and participate in the nutrient signal transduction pathway that is activated in the fat body after a blood meal. In this study we focused on the solute carrier 7 family (SLC7), a family of AA transporters present in all metazoans that includes members with strong substrate specificity for cationic AAs.
Type II strained layer superlattice: A potential future IR solution

Abstract Type II strained layer superlattice (SLS) has been making tremendous progress in the past few years funded by the Missile Defense Agency Advanced Technology Directorate (MDA/DV) under the Passive EO/IR Program. SLS has shown great potential as a future solution for infrared military systems. In this presentation, the most recent progress in SLS development will be presented. The presentation will also discuss the comparison of SLS with mercury–cadmium–telluride (HgCdTe) using Rule 07, SLS minority carrier lifetime issues, and future directions.
Nhân Văn–Giai Phẩm and Vietnamese "Reform Communism" in the 1950s: A Revisionist Interpretation

This article reexamines Nhân Van–Giai Phẩm (NVGP), a political protest movement led by intellectuals that coalesced in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1956. The article reassesses the development of the movement and the internal composition of its leadership. Through a close reading of the major publications produced by NVGP, the article takes issue with the conventional view, which characterizes the movement as a robust grouping of political dissidents against the party-state. The article shows that NVGP should in fact be seen as a relatively timid strain of the “revisionist” or “reform Communist” movements that emerged throughout the Communist world in the wake of Iosif Stalin's death.
Dopaminergic modulation of aldosterone responsiveness to angiotensin II with changes in sodium intake.

The aldosterone response to infused angiotensin II (All) is blunted by sodium (Na) loading. Since dopamine levels increase on a high Na diet and dopamine can inhibit aldosterone secretion, it is possible that dopamine mediates the blunted aldosterone secretion in this setting. To test this hypothesis, we assessed whether the dopamine antagonist, metoclopramide (MCP) would enhance the aldosterone response to infused AIL Six normal subjects received graded infusions of All when they were in metabolic balance on diets containing both 10 and 200 meq Na/day (control infusions). The infusions were then repeated (on the same diets) during the administration of MCP (0.1 mg/kg iv bolus, then 0.05 mg/kg-h). During the control All infusions, the aldosterone response to the highest dose of All was significantly less on the 200 meq Na intake than on 10 meq (plasma aldosterone levels increased 17 ± 5 us. 30 ± 8 ng/dl respectively; P < 0.01). However, MCP administration eliminated this difference in aldosterone responsi...
Conceptualizing skills that are most critical in diagnosing autism

Abstract Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) consist of a broad but heterogeneous group of symptoms. This factor has resulted in a debate as to whether the disorder is a unitary construct or a group of related disorders with a similar symptom presentation. Additionally, some core symptoms are seen in other developmental disabilities such as intellectual disability. This review covers these and related issues in the context of what symptoms are most critical for diagnosing ASD and distinguishing it from other developmental disabilities.
Extraction of Morphine Enhanced by Addition of N-Methyl-3-piperidyl-(N′N′)-diphenylcarbamate

The extractibility of morphine (N-14CH3) into chloroform from aqueous solution was enhanced to completeness by adding N-methyl-3-piperidyl-(N′N′)-diphenylcarbamate under the following conditions: ratio of N-methyl-3-piperidyl-(N′N′)-diphenylcarbamate-morphine between 40:1 and 200:1, with morphine concentration no greater than 30 mcg./ml.and the pH between 6.8 and 10.This high extractibility was decreased by concentration of morphine greater than 30 mcg./ml.and by addition of dihydromorphinone, apomorphine, nalorphine, cyclazocine, and naloxone.Thebaine, codeine, methadone, meperidine, levorphanol, dextrophan, and levallorphan did not affect the extractibility.The same qualitative relationships were obtained by using carbon tetrachloride instead of chloroform as the solvent.
Patterns of protein synthesis in individual, identified molluscan neurons.

Summary An attempt has been made to characterize the rates of incorporation of isotopic leucine into proteins of 5 individual, identified neurons in the brain of a mollusc,Otala lactea, and to determine whether there were different patterns of protein synthesis in these neurons. Incorporation rates appeared to bear an inverse relationship to the spontaneous electrical activity of the cells in the isolated preparation. Individual neurons showed distinct molecular weight distributions of proteins synthesized, and one neuron (cell 11) synthesized low molecular weight proteins (5,000 daltons) not synthesized by the other 4 neurons. This unique protein species may be related to the neurosecretory function of the cell.
Small-polaron theory of phonon-assisted defect tunneling with quadratic defect-lattice coupling: An exact result

Two earlier papers by D. Tonks and B. G. Dick presented an extension of the usual polaronlike treatment of phonon-assisted tunneling of substitutional lattice defects to include defect-lattice coupling terms quadratic in atomic displacements and momenta. The formal results treating the defect-lattice interaction to all orders in perturbation theory were given in the form of a diagrammatic series. But the series was not summed exactly, it was approximated. Here, we exactly sum the diagrammatic series by solving an integral equation and use the solution to shed light on the one-phonon $F$ approximation made of the series in the earlier papers. The diagrammatic summation exactly includes both changes in vibrational normal modes and changes in atomic equilibrium positions with a change in defect site.
Rees quotients of n-semigroups

Presentation de conditions necessaires et suffisantes pour que des semi-groupes de zeros (pas necessairement finis) soient des quotients de Rees de η semi-groupes
Three dimensional particle simulation of high altitude rocket plumes

The interaction of two nozzles exhausting into vacuum generates a complex three-dimensional shock structure. The shock structure and resulting plume flowfield is characterized by the nozzle separation distance. For the appropriate range of penetration Knudsen numbers, the analysis of this shock structure can be suitably accomplished through a Monte Carlo simulation. This paper describes the application of a general three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation on the Connection Machine CM-2 to the analysis of the plume self-interaction shock in the near field. Results are presented for two cases, corresponding to a small and a large nozzle separation distance. The results correctly reproduce the expected flow features and demonstrate the ability of this method to properly simulate the start of the plume self-interaction shock. This has significance not only for allowing analysis of the self-interacting plume in the near field, but also for allowing the subsequent simulation of the far field flow through the use of a continuation downstream exit boundary.
A partial cDNA clone for human apolipoprotein B.

Abstract A human liver cDNA library was screened for sequences coding for apolipoprotein B (apo B), the major protein of human low density lipoproteins. A mixture of synthetic oligonucleotides (26 bases long) coding for an amino acid sequence known to exist in apo B was used as a hybridization probe. A clone was identified that had a cDNA insert of 593 base pairs and that contained sequences coding for a peptide of 24 residues that had earlier been isolated from apo B by limited proteolysis. The entire nucleotide sequence of the cDNA insert consists of one open reading frame coding for 197 amino acids. Apo B-related RNAs were found in human liver, baboon liver, and the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. None were detected in placenta, simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed fibroblasts, and a lymphoblastoid cell line. The length of the mature apo B mRNA was estimated to be 18 kb, enough to code for a protein with a molecular weight in the neighborhood of 500,000.