cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Children's Use of a Social Speech Register: Age and Sex Differences

The purpose of this study was to trace the changes in a social speech register, talking to an animal, as used by children between the ages of five and 12 years. Each child's speech was recorded while she/he played alone with a rabbit. There were no changes in the nature of such speech between the age groups. However, boys and girls spoke differently to the rabbit. Boys used simpler speech, more imperatives and more annoyed utterances. Girls were more affectionate and asked more questions. Girls were less self conscious during the task. Girls' intonations were more expressive as measured by ratings and by the variability of the fundamental frequencies of their voices. A comparison of results on baby-talk with the characteristics of animal-talk indicated that the two registers are similar.
Continuum Approximation of the General Inverse‐Power Lattice Sums in Cubic Crystals

The continuum approximation of Born and his collaborators for the calculation of simple lattice sums in cubic crystals is extended to the case of general lattice sums. The results show excellent agreement with the exact values across the board, thus providing a ground for further applications of the continuum model. Die Kontinuumsnaherung von Born und Mitarbeitern fur die Berechnung von einfachen Gittersummen in kubischen Kristallen wird auf den Fall allgemeiner Gittersummen erweitert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen exzellente Ubereinstimmung mit den exakten Werten und liefern so eine Grundlage fur weitere Anwendungen des Kontinuumsmodells.
NOD2 Pathway Activation by MDP or Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection Involves the Stable Polyubiquitination of Rip2

The Rip2 kinase contains a caspase recruitment domain and has been implicated in the activation of the transcriptional factor NF-κB downstream of Toll-like receptors, Nod-like receptors, and the T cell receptor. Although Rip2 has been linked to Nod signaling, how Nod-Rip2 proteins mediate NF-κB activation has remained unclear. We find Rip2 required for Nod2-mediated NF-κB activation and to a lesser extent mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. We demonstrate that Rip2 and IκB kinase-γ become stably polyubiquitinated upon treatment of cells with the NOD2 ligand, muramyl dipeptide. We also demonstrate a requirement for the E2-conjugating enzyme Ubc13, the E3 ubiquitin ligase Traf6, and the ubiquitin-activated kinase Tak1 in Nod2-mediated NF-κB activation. Rip2 polyubiquitination is also stimulated when macrophages are infected with live Mycobacterium tuberculosis but not when infected with heat-killed bacteria. Consistent with our data linking Rip2 to NOD and not Toll-like receptor signaling, M. tuberculosis-induced Rip2 polyubiquitination appears MyD88-independent. Collectively, these data reveal that the NOD2 pathway is ubiquitin-regulated and that Rip2 employs a ubiquitin-dependent mechanism to achieve NF-κB activation.
Response of 'Comice' pear trees to a postharvest urea spray.

A single postharvest urea spray at 5 and 10% increased nitrogen (N) content in one year old bark and wood and in the flower buds and blossoms in 1987. In 1988, there was also an increase in N in one year old bark and wood but not in the N content of flower buds and blossoms. Fruit set was not significantly increased in either year. Control trees were much taller in N in 1988 than they were in 1987 since additional soil N was applied. Urea labelled with 15N was applied to branches and individual spurs immediately after harvest. When the l5N-urea was applied to branches, the next season’s flower buds had 12% of their N derived from the fertilizer (NFF), but when urea was applied to individual spurs only 8% NFF was detected. Remobilization of labelled N from treated to adjacent spurs resulted in less NFF than would occur if all spurs on the same branch received labelled N. Flower clusters distal and basal to the spurs treated with labelled l5N showed considerable amounts (>60% of sprayed spur) of N from the ...
Clinical Master Teacher Program: Teachers' and Interns' Perceptions of Supervision with Limited University Intervention

Abstract Teacher education units are involving classroom teachers more and more in the education of aspiring teachers. The Clinical Master Teacher program has been a school-university partnership in this endeavor since 1991. This program has empowered the classroom teacher to be the main supervisor during the final internship. This study provided information about teachers' and interns' perceived strengths and weaknesses of the existing program through the use of surveys and interviews. Overall, the program has been perceived as successful and has encouraged teachers to function together more cohesively.
Analytical Model of Raman Enhancement by Metal Nanoparticles

We present an analytical model for the enhancement of molecular Raman process by metal nanoparticles. The result is compared with that of a PL process. Although both processes are similar in the sense that they are both a two-photon process in which one photon is absorbed and another photon at a different frequency is emitted, the SP enhancement mechanisms for these two processes have some rather distinct features. In addition to stronger enhancement, the Raman process shows no sign of quenching ever taking place even when the molecule is placed right at the surface of the metal nanoparticle – a situation that will lead to strong quenching effect in PL measurement. Significant advantages of our analytical approach include not just predications that are consistent with experimental observations, but rather a clear insight for the actual physical process at work.
Niels Bohr: spurned prophet of arms control

The Danish physicist's early agenda for the arms control movement could have set superpower relations on a fundamentally different course. But his efforts to involve the Soviets were rejected by Roosevelt and Churchill.
Is Fifty Really the New Thirty? The Stigma of Age as a Form of Strain and its Role in Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Dependence by Women

ABSTRACTAging bodies stigmatize women. The effects of stigma, health issues, goal disappointment, and a combination of age and minority group status, overwhelm older women’s coping strategies, leading to maladaptive behaviors. General strain theory posits a relationship between negative stimuli and deviant behavior. Advancing age and age-related stigma reflect this strain. This study explores the relationship between strain and substance abuse or dependence, comparing subsamples of middle age (35- to 49-year-old women) and older middle age (50- to 64-year-old) women. Data suggest that minority age status coupled with acute or mental health issues increase substance abuse or dependence by older women.
Motion artifact control in body MR imaging.

SUMMARY The mechanisms involved in the generation of motion artifacts in MR imaging are complex and depend both on the type and direction of motion as well as on the parameters of the imaging sequence chosen. The methods used to control or reduce motion artifacts are multiple and the appropriate method for use with any given clinical situation will depend on the particular hardware and software of the MR imaging unit, the patient's clinical status, and the specific organ or disease state to be imaged. Some general guidelines for clinical use that are applicable in most scenarios can be defined, although preferences for the different techniques vary. Appropriate T1-weighted images of the upper abdomen and liver can be obtained with breath-hold T1-weighted gradient echo. These images should be acquired with inferior–superior spatial presaturation pulses to reduce vascular pulsation artifact and ghosting. The application of GMN will depend on the individual MR imaging system. If sufficient coverage cannot be obtained with gradientecho imaging, then conventional T1-weighted images with phase-encoding reordering is suggested. The addition of spatial presaturation pulses (inferior-superior) may be valuable. The use of fat suppression will further improve image quality by reducing ghost artefact and improving CNR, although SNR will decrease. T2-weighted imaging of the upper abdomen will depend greatly on the hardware and software of the MR imaging unit. Recent techniques of breath-hold T2-weighted imaging require faster and stronger gradients, and may not be universally available. If available, these techniques provide excellent anatomic detail, although image contrast (e.g., liver to spleen) may decrease. Respiratory-triggered FSE techniques are the preferred method of imaging in most centers, because the imaging time is considerably less than conventional T2-weighted imaging whereas the image quality is improved. Liver lesion detection capability of the various techniques is still under study. The addition of fat suppression appears to improve image quality further with an increase in lesion detection. By understanding the principles underlying motion artifacts, one can choose the appropriate method of artifact control tailored for the individual clinical situation. In addition, the recognition of the variable appearances of motion artifacts will prevent interpretive errors and misdiagnoses. Careful attention to motion artifact reduction techniques can greatly improve patient care.
Insights into the transcriptional and translational mechanisms of linear organellar chromosomes in the box jellyfish Alatina alata (Cnidaria: Medusozoa: Cubozoa)

ABSTRACTBackground: In most animals, the mitochondrial genome is characterized by its small size, organization into a single circular molecule, and a relative conservation of the number of encoded genes. In box jellyfish (Cubozoa, Cnidaria), the mitochondrial genome is organized into 8 linear mito-chromosomes harboring between one and 4 genes each, including 2 extra protein-coding genes: mt-polB and orf314. Such an organization challenges the traditional view of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) expression in animals. In this study, we investigate the pattern of mitochondrial gene expression in the box jellyfish Alatina alata, as well as several key nuclear-encoded molecular pathways involved in the processing of mitochondrial gene transcription. Results: Read coverage of DNA-seq data is relatively uniform for all 8 mito-chromosomes, suggesting that each mito-chromosome is present in equimolar proportion in the mitochondrion. Comparison of DNA and RNA-seq based assemblies indicates that mito-chromosomes are trans...
Structural damage assessment in fiber reinforced composites using image decomposition

Image decomposition techniques such as geometric moment descriptors, Fourier descriptors, wavelet descriptors etc. have been used commercially in the fields of biometrics for finger print, iris matching and face recognition for almost over a decade. Initial test results suggest that these techniques can be used to assess the type and extent of damage in composite panels. The assessment can be performed by comparing the key geometric features in the full-field displacement, strain or stress maps of damaged components with those in the corresponding maps of undamaged components. In this study two shape descriptors viz. Zernike moments and Fourier descriptors will be used to represent full-field maximum principal strain data obtained from digital image correlation for composite specimens with different levels of damage. The advantages and short-comings of these shape descriptors will be discussed together with the possibility of combining Fourier decomposition with Zernike moments to provide a simple index of damage.
Defending the Right to Live

The states are indifferent or helpless, so that federal action is necessary to protect the citizenship rights of individuals and to maintain law and order in the case of Negroes accused either of crimes or infractions of what would be regarded by white people as improper actions. – NAACP Anti-Lynching Committee, November 14, 1919 The year 1923 is not usually considered to be part of the civil rights movement timeline. It is not etched into our collective memory, like the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954, the courage of the Little Rock Nine in 1957, or the March on Washington in 1963. But if the U.S. civil rights movement is understood as an effort to secure the full social, political, and legal rights of citizenship, then 1923 marks a significant event. That year, the NAACP fundamentally changed the operation of Jim Crow courtrooms in the South when the Supreme Court of the United States directly responded to the NAACP’s appeal and handed down a landmark decision in Moore v. Dempsey, 261 U.S. 86, which reversed the death sentences of six African American men in Phillips County, Arkansas, on the grounds that these defendants had their Fourteenth Amendment rights violated by a hostile white mob. As one of the NAACP’s leaders would write afterward, “The Supreme Court decision in this notable case thus becomes one of the milestones in the Negro’s fight for justice – an achievement that is as important as any event since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.” For many, Moore v. Dempsey was shocking – mob-dominated trials and hastily issued death sentences for African American defendants had been widely accepted practices in the South ever since the legal end of slavery. In this context, state criminal trials were typically considered to be immune from federal court oversight. Thus, Moore v. Dempsey marked a turning point in legal discourse about constitutional rights, due to the Supreme Court’s willingness to intervene in unjust state criminal court proceedings. Even more remarkable, the U.S. Supreme Court would continue to narrow the power of individual states in the area of criminal law and broaden federal court power through a string of groundbreaking criminal procedure decisions in the following decades.
Uplifting the Race

So far, most of our emphasis has been on what the White majority, and government, did to and sometimes for Black Americans. We have also noted, however, that free Negroes created a number of schools in the North and even in the South before emancipation, and that Black churches were very active during the Reconstruction period in starting schools and even colleges. As W. E. B. Du Bois wrote in an influential essay, “The Talented Tenth,” in 1903, They founded colleges, and up from the colleges shot normal schools, and out from the normal schools went teachers, and around the normal [school] teachers clustered other teachers to teach the public schools; the colleges trained in Greek and Latin and mathematics, 2,000 men; and these men trained full 50,000 others in morals and manners, and they in turn taught thrift and the alphabet to nine millions of men, who today hold $300,000,000 of property. It was a miracle—the most wonderful peace-battle of the nineteenth century.1
The Association Between Arterial Oxygen Tension and Neurological Outcome After Cardiac Arrest.

A number of observational studies have evaluated the association between arterial oxygen tensions and outcome after cardiac arrest with variable results. The objective of this study is to determine the association between arterial oxygen tension and neurological outcome after cardiac arrest. A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the Penn Alliance for Therapeutic Hypothermia registry. Adult patients who experienced return of spontaneous circulation after in-hospital or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and had a partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) recorded within 48 hours were included. Our primary exposure of interest was PaO2. Hyperoxemia was defined as PaO2 > 300 mmHg, hypoxemia as PaO2 < 60 mmHg, and optimal oxygenation as PaO2 60-300 mmHg. The primary outcome was neurological function at hospital discharge among survivors, as described by the cerebral performance category (CPC) score, dichotomized into "favorable" (CPCs 1-2) and "unfavorable" (CPCs 3-5). Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality. A total of 544 patients from 13 institutions were included. Average age was 61 years, 56% were male, and 51% were white. A total of 64% experienced OHCA, 81% of arrests were witnessed, and pulseless electrical activity was the most common initial rhythm (40%). More than 72% of the patients had cardiac etiology for their arrests, and 55% underwent targeted temperature management. A total of 38% of patients survived to hospital discharge. There was no significant association between PaO2 at any time interval and neurological outcome at hospital discharge. Hyperoxemia at 12 hours after cardiac arrest was associated with decreased odds of survival (OR 0.17 [0.03-0.89], p = 0.032). There was no significant association between arterial oxygen tension measured within the first 48 hours after cardiac arrest and neurological outcome.
Neuromolecular imaging, a nanobiotechnology for Parkinson’s disease: advancing pharmacotherapy for personalized medicine

Evaluating each patient and animal as its own control achieves personalized medicine, which honors the hippocratic philosophy, explaining that “it is far more important to know what person has the disease than what disease the person has.” Similarly, individualizing molecular signaling directly from the patient’s brain in real time is essential for providing prompt, patient-based treatment as dictated by the point of care. Fortunately, nanotechnology effectively treats many neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, the new medicinal frontier for the discovery of therapy for Parkinson’s disease is nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology. Indeed, the unique nanotechnology of neuromolecular imaging combined with the series of nanobiosensors enables continuous videotracking of molecular neurotransmitters in both the normal physiologic and disease states with long-term electrochemical operational stability. This nanobiotechnology is able to track a signal in real time with excellent temporal and spatial resolution directly from each patient’s brain to a computer as subjects are behaving during movement, normal and/or dysfunctional including prion-like Parkinson’s behavioral biometrics. Moreover, the molecular signaling performed by these nanobiosensors live streams directly online and originates from precise neuroanatomic brain sites such as, in this case, the dorsal striatum in basal ganglia. Thus, the nanobiotechnology studies discussed herein imaged neuromolecules with and without l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) in dorsal striatal basal ganglia neurons. Parkinsonian and non-Parkinsonian animals were video-tracked, and images were readily seen on a laptop via a potentiostat using a semiderivative electrical circuit. Administered l-DOPA doses were 50 and 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally (ip); the same experimental paradigm was used to image and then contrast data. Results showed that the baseline release of biogenic amine molecules was significantly above detection limits in non-Parkinsonian animals. After administration of l-DOPA, biogenic amines significantly increased in these non-Parkinson’s animals. Nevertheless, it is intriguing to see that l-DOPA could not enable synaptic dopamine release in Parkinson’s animals, thereby demonstrating that biogenic amines are biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease. Biomarkers are biochemical, genetic, or molecular measures of biological reactions. Importantly, there were other significant biomarkers present in Parkinsonian animals and absent in non-Parkinsonian animals; these were peptide neurotransmitters that include dynorphin and somatostatin in the brain with detection limits of 40 nM for dynorphin and 37 nM for somatostatin (see Table 1). Furthermore, l-DOPA significantly increased these peptide biomarkers, dynorphin and somatostatin, in Parkinson’s animals. Targeting biomarkers enables new diagnostic devices and treatments for Parkinson’s disease through nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology.
Field Research on Law in Conflict Zones and Authoritarian States

Scholars of law and social science have challenged conventional wisdom that law and courts in authoritarian states are, at best, the tools of dictators and that law fails to matter in places riven by violence or warfare. Less discussed is how this expansive body of research is being carried out in conflict zones and authoritarian states. This article takes on that challenge: to describe the state of the study of field research on law by paying close attention to those unlikely places—conflict-affected and authoritarian states—that illuminate law's power in unexpected ways and to those close-to-the-ground methods—ethnographic, interview-based, and archival—that generate new hypotheses for law and social science research.
Lustration and Trust in Central and East Europe: Scope, Timing, and Severity of Lustration and Citizen Trust in Public Institutions

Much has been theorized about the impact of lustration policies, a regional form of transitional justice focused on employment vetting, on the process of democratic consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Advocates of lustration highlight the alleged positive contributions of lustration to the restoration of trust in public institutions. In contrast, opponents of lustration stress the potential for lustration to violate individual rights and freedoms, thereby undermining trust in public institutions. Using quantitative data on nine countries in CEE over an eight year time period, this study examines the timing, scope, and intensity of lustration in order to test the impact, if any, on citizen perceptions of the trustworthiness of public institutions. This paper finds that lustration consistently and positively contributes to trust in public institutions. While the timing of lustration is important in effecting trust in a small subset of public institutions, timing is less important than originally theorized across a range of public and semi-public institutions. The process of lustration matters substantially. Even controlling for economic growth, democratization, and corruption levels, lustration measures consistently and positively contribute to levels of public institutional trust in countries in CEE.
Erratum to: Quantifying Intrinsic and Extrinsic Contributions to Human Longevity: Application of a Two-Process Vitality Model to the Human Mortality Database

The rise in human life expectancy has involved declines in intrinsic and extrinsic mortality processes associated, respectively, with senescence and environmental challenges. To better understand the factors driving this rise, we apply a two-process vitality model to data from the Human Mortality Database. Model parameters yield intrinsic and extrinsic cumulative survival curves from which we derive intrinsic and extrinsic expected life spans (ELS). Intrinsic ELS, a measure of longevity acted on by intrinsic, physiological factors, changed slowly over two centuries and then entered a second phase of increasing longevity ostensibly brought on by improvements in old-age death reduction technologies and cumulative health behaviors throughout life. The model partitions the majority of the increase in life expectancy before 1950 to increasing extrinsic ELS driven by reductions in environmental, event-based health challenges in both childhood and adulthood. In the post-1950 era, the extrinsic ELS of females appears to be converging to the intrinsic ELS, whereas the extrinsic ELS of males is approximately 20 years lower than the intrinsic ELS.
Implementation of a Pharmacist-Led Patient-Controlled Analgesia Dosing Service.

Purpose The development and implementation of a pharmacist-led patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) dosing service in a large academic institution are described. Summary To improve pain management at our institution and expand pharmacy clinical services, a pharmacist-led PCA dosing service was developed and implemented. The service is modeled after established antimicrobial and anticoagulation dosing services at our institution. A core group of pharmacists (service leaders) and a pain physician champion developed a policy and guideline and designed electronic medical record (EMR) tools to support the service. Pharmacists were trained by the service leaders to manage acute pain with fentanyl, hydromorphone, or morphine PCA therapy. Cultural and operational barriers to service implementation were identified and resolved. Conclusion After implementation of the pharmacist-led PCA dosing service, pharmacists at our institution provide PCA pain management services as part of our pharmacy department's standard practice.
“We Don’t Cover Suicide … (Except When We Do Cover Suicide)”

Unlike many other unnatural deaths, suicides are occurrences that journalists often hesitate to cover. “Our policy is not to write about suicides,” many journalists say. Except that often they do. This article, based on interviews with 50 US journalists, examines the rationales that journalists invoke as they decide whether to cover a suicide. This can be a high-risk decision because of the potential for suicide contagion and copycat effects. We conclude that in making a decision to cover a suicide, journalists go through a process of routinizing what, at the outset, they had considered an exceptional situation. This routinization provides a means to rationalize covering a death that they often say they would prefer to ignore.
Emerging role of RNA binding protein UNR/CSDE1 in melanoma

The prognosis of metastatic melanoma remains poor despite recent advances in targeted and immunotherapy. Deciphering the mechanisms of tumor invasion and metastasis, and elucidating new targets for drug development could substantially improve survival in patients with metastatic melanoma. In this regard, RNA binding proteins (RBP) play an important role in RNA metabolism and are drawing considerable attention as drivers of oncogenesis and therapeutic targets. RNA binding proteins synchronize with the target RNA to play a key role in the regulation of cellular processing and are important for gene transcription and post-translational regulation (1). Wurth et al . recently published an article in Cancer Cell exploring the role of Upstream-of-N-Ras (UNR) in invasion and progression of melanoma cells (2). The UNR gene was identified as a transcription unit located immediately upstream of N-Ras in the genome of several mammalian species (3). UNR protein consists of five cold-shock domains (CSDs). These domains bind single stranded DNA and RNA and consist of ~70 amino-acid residues (4). CSD containing proteins are involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of gene expression. Experiments in Drosophila species have shown the role of UNR in regulating translation of oncogenic transcripts (5).
IMPLICATIONS OF SOLUBLE MICROBIAL PRODUCTS (SMP) FORMATION ON BIOFILM REACTOR PERFORMANCE.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the implications of SMP formation for biofilm treatment. To do so, the extended steady-state model was applied to predict effluent concentrations for a range of substrate loadings relevant to wastewater treatment and water reuse. Modeling results for soluble microbial products (SMP), residual original substrate(s), soluble organic carbon (SOC) presented in this study are expressed on the basis of organic carbon (C). It is found that SMP may not be present in significant amounts for highly loaded biofilm processes that treat relatively high strength waste waters at high loads. For low-surface-loading environment SMP seems to be important. The concept that biological treatment processes are not only utilizers of soluble organic matter, but also producers of them is very important for the assessment of treatment efficiency, operation of treatment plant, and design of the biological processes.
Prospects for recurrent neural network models to learn RNA biophysics from high-throughput data

RNA is a functionally versatile molecule that plays key roles in genetic regulation and in emerging technologies to control biological processes. Computational models of RNA secondary structure are well-developed but often fall short in making quantitative predictions of the behavior of multi-RNA complexes. Recently, large datasets characterizing hundreds of thousands of individual RNA complexes have emerged as rich sources of information about RNA energetics. Meanwhile, advances in machine learning have enabled the training of complex neural networks from large datasets. Here, we assess whether a recurrent neural network model, Ribonet, can learn from high-throughput binding data, using simulation and experimental studies to test model accuracy but also determine if they learned meaningful information about the biophysics of RNA folding. We began by evaluating the model on energetic values predicted by the Turner model to assess whether the neural network could learn a representation that recovered known biophysical principles. First, we trained Ribonet to predict the simulated free energy of an RNA in complex with multiple input RNAs. Our model accurately predicts free energies of new sequences but also shows evidence of having learned base pairing information, as assessed by in silico double mutant analysis. Next, we extended this model to predict the simulated affinity between an arbitrary RNA sequence and a reporter RNA. While these more indirect measurements precluded the learning of basic principles of RNA biophysics, the resulting model achieved sub-kcal/mol accuracy and enabled design of simple RNA input responsive riboswitches with high activation ratios predicted by the Turner model from which the training data were generated. Finally, we compiled and trained on an experimental dataset comprising over 600,000 experimental affinity measurements published on the Eterna open laboratory. Though our tests revealed that the model likely did not learn a physically realistic representation of RNA interactions, it nevertheless achieved good performance of 0.76 kcal/mol on test sets with the application of transfer learning and novel sequence-specific data augmentation strategies. These results suggest that recurrent neural network architectures, despite being naive to the physics of RNA folding, have the potential to capture complex biophysical information. However, more diverse datasets, ideally involving more direct free energy measurements, may be necessary to train de novo predictive models that are consistent with the fundamentals of RNA biophysics.
Correlations between age, functional status, and the senescence-associated proteins HMGB2 and p16 INK4a

Cellular senescence is a central component of the aging process. This cellular response has been found to be induced by multiple forms of molecular damage and senescent cells increase in number with age in all tissues examined to date. We have examined the correlation with age of two key proteins involved in the senescence program, p16INK4a and HMGB2. These proteins are involved in cell cycle arrest and chromatin remodeling during senescence. Circulating levels of these markers increases with age and correlates with functional status. The levels of HMGB2 appear to be significantly correlated with functional status, whereas p16INK4a levels are more weakly associated. Interestingly, there is a strong correlation between the two proteins independent of age. In particular, a single high-functioning individual over 90 years of age displays a disproportionately low level of HGMB2. The results suggest that with improved testing methodology, it may be possible to monitor circulating protein markers of senescence in human populations.
EFFECTS OF H2O AND H2O2 ON THERMAL DESORPTION OF TRITIUM FROM STAINLESS STEEL

Tritiated stainless steel was subjected to thermal desorption at various temperatures, different temperature profiles, and in the presence of different helium carrier gas additives. In all cases th...
The Argument of the Antinomies Against the Middle View

We have seen that in attempting a resolution of the antinomy over simplicity Kant was led to the anticipative notion of things as they appear in order to avoid the original second antithesis argument. Things as they appear at any stage of actual bisection or division contain a rule for further limitless division reaching or providing further things as they appear. Things as they appear in the course of proper ongoing division then do not form a finite totality. Nor, however, do they form an actually infinite totality. Since they are represented relative to the bisecting procedure, for them to form an infinite totality would require that the procedure itself be total as in (1) It is legitimate to Finish all bisecting: With respect to the things as they appear at any of those stages . . .1 In (1) there is a total infinity of stages of the procedure and so a total infinity of things as they appear. But for Kant a total infinite procedure makes no sense and so cannot be proper or legitimate.
Role of Shear in the Sintering of Composites

Recent theoretical work 1,2,3 has emphasized the importance of shear deformation in the sintering of composite ceramics. In this report, we will first review the important results obtained in one analysis.2 Next, an experimental technique will be described to give the key parameters necessary to compare the predicted and the actual densification behavior of composites. Finally, microstructural evidence is given of the processing defects generated in composites.
Contributions of the U.S. Army to Botulinum Toxin Research

This conference on botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins has covered a wide range of scientific topics, from basic toxin characterization studies to use of the toxins in modem clinical settings. At the request of the conference organizers, I will briefly summarize the U.S. Army’s past and present programs on botulinum toxin, highlighting several of the very practical accomplishments from which this field of research has benefited. Some of this information is not highly technical or scientific in nature, but represents contributions which have gone unrecognized by many of those working in the field. I should hasten to say that the views expressed here are mine alone and should not be construed to be official positions of my Institute or the U.S. Army.
Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal (HPA) Axis

The hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis itself is a relatively simple final common output pathway for the stress response. However, it integrates diverse central and peripheral drivers, including circadian oscillators, systemic stimuli (e.g., metabolic, noxious, and immune signaling), psychogenic stimuli, and pattern generators in between that also coordinate autonomic and behavioral outflows. Glucocorticoids have membrane- and genomically-mediated effects centrally and peripherally, affecting metabolism, inflammation, motor outflow, mood, memory, and neuronal structure, thus facilitating and inhibiting multiple fuctions, including HPA axis outflow itself. The HPA axis defends the body against systemic derangements, while mounting and sculpting brain networks to anticipate further appetitive and aversive challenges.
Symbolic state-building in contemporary Russia

Vladimir Putin has made state-building a central goal of his presidency and recent scholarship has demonstrated that Russian formal institutions have indeed been deliberately reformed. Unlike studi...
Hole Localization Effects in Molecular Inner Shell Excitation

Ab initio calculations of valence shell ionization potentials have shown that orbital relaxation and correlation differences usually make contributions of comparable magnitude. In marked contrast to this observation is the situation for deep core ionization, where correlation differences (~1 eV) play a relatively minor role compared to orbital relaxation (~20 eV). Theoretical calculations have shown that this relaxation is most easily described if the 1s- vacancy created by a K-shell excitation is allowed to localize on one of the atomic centers. For molecules possessing a center of inversion, this means that the molecular orbitals that best describe the final state do not transform as any irreducible representation of the molecular point group.
Curriculum Standards in the United States for Training Blind Persons in Computer Occupations

This paper summarizes more than a decade of experience in the United States in the area of training and employing blind persons in computer occupations. The curricula of specialized training facili...
Sex differences in the reward deficit and somatic signs associated with precipitated nicotine withdrawal in rats.

Abstract Female smokers are more likely to relapse than male smokers, but little is known about sex differences in nicotine withdrawal. Therefore, male and female rats were prepared with minipumps that contained nicotine or saline and sex differences in precipitated and spontaneous nicotine withdrawal were investigated. The intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) procedure was used to assess mood states. Elevations in brain reward thresholds reflect a deficit in reward function. Anxiety-like behavior was investigated after the acute nicotine withdrawal phase in a large open field and the elevated plus maze test. The nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine elevated the brain reward thresholds of the nicotine-treated rats but did not affect those of the saline-treated control rats. A low dose of mecamylamine elevated the brain reward thresholds of the nicotine-treated male rats but not those of the females. Mecamylamine also precipitated more somatic withdrawal signs in the nicotine-treated male than female rats. Minipump removal elevated the brain reward thresholds of the nicotine-treated rats for about 36 h but did not affect those of the saline-treated rats. There was no sex difference in the reward deficit during spontaneous nicotine withdrawal. In addition, the nicotine-treated male and female rats did not display increased anxiety-like behavior three to four days after minipump removal. In conclusion, these studies suggest that relatively low doses of a nicotinic receptor antagonist induce a greater reward deficit and more somatic withdrawal signs in male than female rats, but there is no sex difference in the reward deficit during spontaneous withdrawal.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme in the rabbit stomach wall

Abstract To examine the potential role of angiotensinconverting enzyme as a physiological regulator of neuropeptide activity in the alimentary tract, we purified and partially characterized this enzyme from the crude membrane fraction of rabbit gastric muscles. A single-step purification from detergent-solubilized gastric membranes by affinity chromatography, using lisinopril-Sepharose, yielded an electrophoretically homogeneous peptidase composed of 180-kilodalton polypeptide. The purified enzyme represented approximately 2% of [Leu 5 ]enkephalin-degrading activity of the original membrane preparation, and 275-fold purification was achieved. The gastric angiotensin-converting enzyme hydrolyzed synthetic substrates specific to the lung enzyme. It hydrolyzed angiotensin I and several other bioactive peptides, by removing their carboxyl-terminal dipeptides. The activity was completely inhibited with 10 −6 mol/L captopril. The hydrolysis of enkephalin was enhanced twofold by addition of 0.3 mol/L NaCl to the assay buffer. These properties were comparable with those reported for the rabbit lung enzyme. Therefore, it was concluded that rabbit gastric muscle tissue contains membrane-bound angiotensinconverting enzyme. The results suggest a role for this enzyme as a local inactivator of bioactive peptides in the stomach wall.
Comparing smoothing techniques for extracting MOSFET threshold voltage

Abstract Measurement noise acts as a barrier to the accurate calculation of threshold voltage by derivative-based extraction methods. We examined several smoothing techniques and their effects on measurement noise in threshold voltage extracted by the linear extrapolation method and the g m / I d method. We applied these techniques on a set of SiC power MOSFET devices before and after they had undergone accelerated thermal testing. The smoothing methods examined are least-squares polynomial fitting, low-pass filtering using Butterworth and Chebyshev filters, and differential smoothing. These methods are compared by their shift in threshold voltage compared to unsmoothed data and their standard deviation among the measurements of each device. All methods performed poorly at smoothing when extracting via the g m / I d due to the large amounts of high-magnitude subthreshold noise, mostly tending to extract threshold voltages far below the expected value. Differential smoothing provided results closest to the expected value with an absolute shift of 1.2 V on average. The smoothing methods performed better with the LE method. On a failed device, all smoothing methods except polynomial smoothing preserved the large threshold voltage anomaly for four out of five measurements. These results show that choice of smoothing method, if used must be evaluated based on the device and extraction method.
IDDF2018-ABS-0172 Dietary factor related to ulcerative colitis inflammation. avoidance of factor could benefit disease control?

Background The environment factors like western diet are considered related to development and relapse of ulcerative colitis (UC) but still lack enough supporting report. In this study, we evaluate the benefit of disease control from avoidance of possible factors. Methods Patients with UC were enrolled between January 2006 and June 2017 and followed up for at least half year by a single colorectal specialist. Every patient was evaluated by sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy based on Mayo endoscopic subscore (score 0–1 without rectal bleeding defined as remission). Patients were asked to avoid dairy intake at first doctor visiting. For those who had remission, we searched possible factor when relapsed and suggested avoiding the factor. The remission rate and duration were calculated to analyse. Results 112 patients (74 males, mean age 45.6±13.7 years) were followed up for a mean duration of 5.1±3.4 years. 90 patients achieved remission at first six months. 39 patients who had no any relapse episode during the rest follow up (mean followed up 4.3±3.2 years) were well controlled by mesalazine and avoidance of milk derivative. 49 patients had relapse and remission episode, total 97 times of relapse (mean followed up 6.5±3.2 years). 2 patients did not achieve remission after relapse. The possible factors related to relapse were milk derivative, Chinese herb and tonic food, dietary supplement and non-dietary factor. Overall, the group with complete avoidance of possible factors has higher remission rate in 180 days compared to incomplete group (98% vs. 45%, p Conclusions Environment factors related to UC are multiple and might be individual. Avoid possible factor can improve UC control by decreasing steroid use and shortening the time to achieve remission. Specific Chinese herb and tonic food might be a possible factor for UC patient in Asia Area.
Heterotic-F-theory duality with Wilson line symmetry-breaking

We begin with an E8 x E8 Heterotic model broken to an SU(5)gauge and a mirror SU(5)gauge, where one SU(5) and its spectrum is identified as the visible sector while the other can be identified as a hidden mirror world. In both cases we obtain the minimal supersymmetric standard model spectrum after Wilson-line symmetry-breaking enhanced by a low energy R-parity enforced by a local (or global) U(1)x-symmetry. Using Heterotic/F-theory duality, we show how to eliminate the vector-like exotics which were obtained in previous constructions. In these constructions, the Calabi-Yau [CY] four-fold was defined by an elliptic fibration with section over a base B3 and a GUT surface given by K3/ℤ2 = Enriques surface. In the present paper we construct a quotient CY four-fold fibered by tori with two elliptic structures given by a pair of sections fibered over the Enriques surface. Using Heterotic/F-theory duality we are able to define the cohomologies used to derive the massless spectrum. Our model for the 'correct' F-theory dual of a Heterotic model with Wilson-line symmetry-breaking builds on prior literature but employs the stack-theoretic version of the dictionary between the Heterotic semi-stable Es-bundles with Yang-Mills connection and the dP9-fibrations used to construct the F-theory dual.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence, Prehospital Evaluation, and Presentation of Ischemic Stroke at a Nonurban Comprehensive Stroke Center

Introduction. Many reports have described a decrease in the numbers of patients seeking medical attention for typical emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. These reports primarily relate to urban areas with widespread community transmission. The impact of COVID-19 on nonurban areas with minimal community transmission is less well understood. Methods. Using a prospectively maintained prehospital quality improvement database, we reviewed our hospital EMS transports with a diagnosis of stroke from January to April 2019 (baseline) and January to April 2020 (pandemic). We compared the volume of patients, transport/presentation times, severity of presenting symptoms, and final diagnosis. Results. In January, February, March, and April 2019, 10, 11, 17, and 19 patients, respectively, were transported in comparison to 19, 14, 10, and 8 during the same months in 2020. From January through April 2019, there was a 53% increase in transports, compared to a 42% decrease during the same months in 2020, constituting significantly different trend-line slopes (3.30; 95% CI 0.48–6.12 versus -3.70; 95% CI -5.76–-1.64, ). Patient demographics, comorbidities, and symptom severity were mostly similar over the two time periods, and the number of patients with a final diagnosis of stroke was also similar. However, the median interval from EMS dispatch to ED arrival for patients with a final diagnosis of stroke was significantly longer in January to April 2020 ( ) compared to the same time period in 2019 ( , ). Discussion/Conclusion. Our data indicate a decrease in patient transport volumes and longer intervals to EMS activation for suspected stroke care. These results suggest that even in a nonurban location without widespread community transmission, patients may be delaying or avoiding care for severe illnesses such as stroke. Clinicians and public health officials should not ignore the potential impact of pandemic-like illnesses even in areas of relatively low disease prevalence.
Abstract 15999: Machine Learning to Identify Patients at High Risk for Peripheral Arterial Disease From Electronic Health Record Data

Introduction: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common and underdiagnosed disease associated with significant morbidity and increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Targeted scre...
Cannabinoids and chronic pelvic pain in women: Focus on endometriosis:

Chronic pelvic pain in women is common and frequently difficult to treat. Chronic pelvic pain often develops in the setting of endometriosis, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, and vulvod...