cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Photopatternable and moisture-stable PEDOT:PSS/PEG hybrid thin-film for flexible and wearable humidity sensing

Degradation and delamination have been technically challenging for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin-film processing due to environmental humidity. To overcome this problem, we introduced a one-step photolithographic method to both pattern and link a PEDOT:PSS film onto a PEG layer as a hybrid thin-film structure on a flexible substrate, which exhibited excellent long-term moisture stability (10 days) and high lithographic resolution (2 urn). Mechanical characterizations (bending and tensile tests) illustrated strong adhesions between the PEDOT:PSS and PEG layers as well as between the hybrid thin-film and substrate. Moreover, the hybrid moisture-absorbable film showed a quick response of its permittivity to environmental humidity variations, in which patterned PEDOT:PSS layer served as an electrode and the PEG layer as a moisture sensing element. As demonstrations, perspiration tracking over various parts of the body surface as well as breath rate measurement were successfully carried out, which illustrated the potential utility of this stable hybrid thin-film for emerging flexible and wearable humidity sensing applications.
A Tale of Two Outliers: Evidence-Based Management in Non-ARL Research Libraries and Pre-NARA Presidential Libraries

Administrators in libraries of all types face the challenge of managing and planning in times of static or declining funding and rapidly changing technology. What tools do they use to gather and em...
Iron Pincer Complexes Incorporating Bipyridine: A Strategy for Stabilization of Reactive Species

Treatment of FeCl2(thf)1.5 with the pincer ligand bis(dicyclohexylphosphinomethyl)pyrrolide (CyPNP) in the presence of 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) affords the six-coordinate complex [FeCl(bipy)(CyPNP)]. The chloride complex exhibits spin-crossover behavior and serves as a starting point for a series of bipy-coordinated iron(II) pincer compounds, including the hydride species [FeH(bipy)(CyPNP)]. Chemical reduction of [FeCl(bipy)(CyPNP)] generates the new complex [Fe(bipy)(CyPNP)], which is found to be consistent with a structure featuring iron(I) as opposed to a bipy radical anion. Reactivity studies with the bipy complexes demonstrate that they are more prone to migratory insertion and β-hydrogen elimination reactions than the corresponding dicarbonyl analogues and that in certain instances the bipy ligand can be sequestered by treatment with a Lewis acid. These observations demonstrate that coordination of bipyridine to pincer-ligated iron(II) species provides a means of stabilizing otherwise unstable compoun...
Shhh… I Need Quiet! Children's Understanding of American, British, and Japanese-accented English Speakers.

Children’s ability to understand speakers with a wide range of dialects and accents is essential for efficient language development and communication in a global society. Here, the impact of regional dialect and foreign-accent variability on children’s speech understanding was evaluated in both quiet and noisy conditions. Five- to seven-year-old children (n = 90) and adults (n = 96) repeated sentences produced by three speakers with different accents—American English, British English, and Japanese-accented English—in quiet or noisy conditions. Adults had no difficulty understanding any speaker in quiet conditions. Their performance declined for the nonnative speaker with a moderate amount of noise; their performance only substantially declined for the British English speaker (i.e., below 93% correct) when their understanding of the American English speaker was also impeded. In contrast, although children showed accurate word recognition for the American and British English speakers in quiet conditions, th...
Fighting for queerness, justice, and the Persian way: an interview with Sina Grace

Valentino Zullo:Can we start with the fact that you are a Persian comics creator? I noticed that when you are interviewed you are not asked about being Persian or about Iran. Sina Grace:I think a l...
Effects of Nicotine on Conceptus Cell Proliferation and Oviductal/Uterine Blood Flow in the Rat

Daily administration of nicotine to rats during Days 0–5 of pregnancy delays loss of the zona pellucida, obliteration of the blastocyst cavity, and implantation (Card and Mitchell, 1979). Prior to implantation the unattached conceptus depends on oxygen and other essential metabolic substrates available within the lumen of the reproductive tract to sustain its continued growth and development. The availability of oxygen within the uterine lumen of the rat increases prior to implantation (Yochim and Mitchell, 1968) and declines rapidly upon vasoconstriction of the uterine vasculature (Mitchell and Yochim, 1968). Because conceptus development requires optimal oxygen tension (Brinster, 1972) and nicotine is a potent vasoactive substance, it was suggested that the nicotine-induced alterations in conceptus development and implantation may result, in part, from changes in reproductive tract blood flow (Hammer and Mitchell, 1979). The following study was undertaken to establish whether nicotine alters cell proliferation in embryos prior to implantation and if so whether such alterations are associated with reduced oviductal and/or uterine blood flow.
Incidence, Cost, and Risk Factors for Readmission After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Background Readmissions adversely affect hospital reimbursement and quality measures. We aimed to evaluate the incidence, cost, and risk factors for readmission following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods We queried the National Readmissions Database and isolated patients who underwent CABG from 2013 to 2014. We determined the top reasons for readmission and compared demographics, comorbidities, in-hospital outcomes, and costs between readmitted and nonreadmitted patients. Generalized linear regression was performed to identify independent predictors for readmission. Results We identified 288,059 patients who underwent isolated CABG in the United States between 2013 and 2014. A total of 12.2% were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Postoperative infection, heart failure, and arrhythmia were the most common reasons for readmission. The median time to readmit was 11 days, with a length of stay (LOS) of 6 days and a cost of $13,499 ± $201. Independent preoperative predictors for readmission were Medicaid status (odds ratio [OR], 1.33), female sex (OR, 1.32), chronic renal failure (OR, 1.26), greater than 4 Elixhauser comorbidities (OR, 1.20), chronic pulmonary disease (OR, 1.15), and nonelective operation (OR, 1.10) (all p Conclusions Thirty-day readmissions after CABG are frequent and related to preoperative comorbidities and complex postoperative course. Medicaid status, prolonged LOS, and disposition to a skilled nursing facility are strong predictors for 30-day readmission following CABG. Readmission reduction efforts should consider improvements for patients in these cohorts.
Correction of the tuberous breast deformity in a prepubescent male patient: A surgical approach to an unusual problem

Abstract Purpose The management of the tuberous breast deformity in the female patient is well described. However, the presence of this variant in male patients is particularly rare, and few reports on the management of this condition are available. Case presentation A 12-year-old prepubescent male with bilateral gynecomastia and tuberous breast deformities was referred to our department for treatment. Our surgical management, including free nipple areolar complex harvest, mastectomy, removal of excess skin and subsequent nipple grafting, is presented in detail. We observed a cosmetically acceptable result with restoration of a masculine-appearing nipple-areolar complex and good patient satisfaction at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions Tuberous breast deformities in male patients are rare. Our treatment of a prepubertal male patient with this deformity using mastectomies and free nipple areolar complex grafting provided a cosmetically acceptable result. Here, we review the current literature on tuberous breast deformities in males and describe our approach to treatment.
Depression Stresses the Immune Response and Promotes Prostate Cancer Growth

Depression induces secretion of neuropeptide Y from prostate cancer cells, which, in turn, recruits myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) to the tumor; tumor cells and MDSCs secrete IL6, which activates STAT3 within cancer cells. Prostate cancer samples from depressed patients reveal a similar phenotype, suggesting new treatment strategies based upon blockade of β2-adrenergic receptors and/or neuropeptide Y.See related article by Cheng et al., p. 2621.
Convergence of ecophysiological traits drives floristic composition of early lineage vascular plants in a tropical forest floor.

Background and aims Tropical understorey plant communities are highly diverse and characterized by variable resource availability, especially light. Plants in these competitive environments must carefully partition resources to ensure ecological and evolutionary success. One mechanism of effective resource partitioning is the optimization of functional traits to enhance competition in highly heterogeneous habitats. Here, we surveyed the ecophysiology of two early lineage vascular plant groups from a tropical forest understorey: Selaginella (a diverse lineage of lycophytes) and ferns. Methods In a lowland rain forest in Costa Rica, we measured a suite of functional traits from seven species of Selaginella and six fern species. We evaluated species microclimate and habitat; several photosynthetic parameters; carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content; chlorophyll concentration; leaf mass per area (LMA); and stomatal size and density. We then compare these two plant lineages and search for relationships between key functional parameters that already exist on a global scale for angiosperms. Key results Convergence of trait function filtered Selaginella species into different habitats, with species in heavily shaded environments having higher chlorophyll concentrations and lower light compensation points compared with open habitats. Alternatively, lower foliar nitrogen and higher stomatal densities were detected in species occupying these open habitats. Selaginella species had denser and smaller stomata, lower LMA and lower foliar nutrient content than ferns, revealing how these plant groups optimize ecophysiological function differently in tropical forest floors. Conclusions Our findings add key pieces of missing evidence to global explorations of trait patterns that define vascular plant form and function, which largely focus on seed plants. Broadly predictable functional trait relationships were detected across both Selaginella and ferns, similar to those of seed plants. However, evolutionary canalization of microphyll leaf development appears to have driven contrasting, yet successful, ecophysiological strategies for two coexisting lineages of extant homosporous vascular plants.
Racial and sex disparities in utilization rates for shoulder arthroplasty in the United States disparities in shoulder arthroplasty

Abstract Purpose To investigate racial disparities in shoulder arthroplasty (SA), accounting for demographic factors such as sex and age. Methods Data for SAs (2011–2014) was queried from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Population-adjusted SA utilization rates, racial and sex differences by age, length of stay, insurer, and comorbidities were calculated. Results Caucasians aged 45–64 are 54% more likely than African-Americans and 74% than Hispanics to receive surgery. For patients aged 65–84, the disparity is wider for African-Americans and narrower for Hispanics. Conclusions Policymakers and physicians should focus on further national efforts to alleviate healthcare disparities.
Interpreting Gender and Visual Culture in Art Classrooms

The purpose of this paper is to present gender issues in the context of a broad definition of art education that includes many types of visual culture and a social reconstruction of the school subject. Specifically, the paper focuses on three gender issues: (a) the representation of females in visual culture; (b) females as respondents to visual culture; and (c) the gendered characteristics of cultural production by students. The foundational importance of presenting cultural context and connections of visual culture to identity are also discussed in relation to learning. The paper concludes with five recommendations for practice.
Prisons and Imprisonment

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by M. Tonry, volume 18, pp. 12055–12059, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
Physical Activity and Colorectal Cancer Risk by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Subsite: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

Physical activity has been associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. However, data is lacking on whether the association is consistent between sexes and across different races/ethnicities and anatomic subsites of tumors. We analyzed data from the Multiethnic Cohort in Hawaii and California, consisting of mostly African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and whites ages 45–75 years at recruitment. During a mean follow-up of 16.8 years, 4,430 invasive adenocarcinoma cases of the colorectum were identified among 172,502 eligible participants. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the HR and 95% confidence interval (CI). The multivariate-adjusted HR (95% CI) for the highest versus lowest quintiles of physical activity (metabolic equivalent hours of moderate or vigorous activities per day) was 0.76 (0.66–0.87) in men (Ptrend
Thermal water chemistry of Yellowstone National Park after 24 years of research

The collection, analysis, and interpretation of 24 years of thermal water chemistry data from Yellowstone National Park have led to substantial insights into the water-rock interactions here and implications for other geothermal areas. New sampling and analytical methods have been developed and tested for trace elements. Quantitative measurements were obtained for changes in redox species of S, Fe, As, Sb, and Hg during outflow of thermal waters in which biotic and abiotic reactions play important roles. Fluoride speciation calculations were confirmed with ion-selective electrode measurements. The fate of contaminants, especially As and F, from thermal features in major rivers revealed no significant attenuation during downstream transport. Continuous monitoring for heat flux using year-round conductivity measurements was established. Testing of the “Multiple Equilibria Geothermometer” was achieved with high-quality, long-term data from Ojo Caliente, a continuously flowing hot spring. Yellowstone continues to be an outstanding field laboratory for expanding our knowledge of thermal water-rock interactions.
Neurodevelopmental concepts of schizophrenia in the genome-wide association era: AKT/mTOR signaling as a pathological mediator of genetic and environmental programming during development.

Abstract Normative brain development is contingent on the complex interplay between genes and environment. Schizophrenia (SCZ) is considered a highly polygenic, neurodevelopmental disorder associated with impaired neural circuit development, neurocognitive function and variations in neurotransmitter signaling systems, including dopamine. Significant evidence, accumulated over the last 30 years indicates a role for the in utero environment in SCZ pathophysiology. Emerging data suggests that changes in placental programming and function may mediate the link between genetic risk, early life complications (ELC) and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, with risk highlighted in key developmental drivers that converge on AKT/mTOR signaling. In this article we overview select risk genes identified through recent genome-wide association studies of SCZ including AKT3, miR-137, DRD2, and AKT1 itself. We propose that through convergence on AKT/mTOR signaling, these genes are critical factors directing both placentation and neurodevelopment, influencing risk for SCZ through dysregulation of placental function, metabolism and early brain development. We discuss association of risk genes in the context of their known roles in neurodevelopment, placental expression and their possible mechanistic links to SCZ in the broad context of the ‘developmental origins of adult disease’ construct. Understanding how common genetic variation impacts early fetal programming may advance our knowledge of disease etiology and identify early critical developmental windows for prevention and intervention.
Impact of bromide exposure on natural organochlorine loss from coastal wetland soils in the Winyah Bay, South Carolina

Naturally formed halogenated organic compounds are common in terrestrial and marine environments and play an important role in the halogen cycle. Among these halogenated compounds, chlorinated organic compounds are the most common halogenated species in all soils and freshwater sediments. This study evaluated how a previously observed phenomenon of bromination of organic matter in coastal soils due to salt-water intrusion impacts the stability and fate of natural organochlorine (org-Cl) in coastal wetland soils. The reacted solid and liquid samples were analyzed using X-ray spectroscopy (in cm and at micron scales for solids) and ion chromatography. We find that introduction of Br- species and their subsequent reactions with organic carbon are associated with an average of 39% loss of org-Cl species from leaf litter and soil. The losses are more prominent in org-Cl hotspots of leaf litter, and both aliphatic and aromatic organochlorine compounds are lost from all samples at high Br- concentrations. The combination of solid and aqueous phase analysis suggests that org-Cl loss is most likely largely associated with volatilization of org-Cl. Release of labile org-Cl compounds has detrimental environmental implications for both ecosystem toxicity, and stratospheric ozone. The reactions similar to those observed here can also have implications for the reactions of xenobiotic chlorinated compounds in soils.
Trading Activity in Commodity Futures and Options Markets

Little is known about trading activity in commodity options market. We study the information content of commodity futures and options trading volume. Time-series tests indicate that futures contracts in a portfolio with the lowest option-to-futures volume ratio (O/F) outperform those in a portfolio with the highest ratio by 0.3% per week. Cross-sectional tests show that O/F has higher predictive power for futures returns than such traditional risk factors as the carry, momentum, and liquidity factors. O/F has longer predictive horizon for post-announcement returns than the information contained in the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports. The analysis of the weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) reports indicates that commercials (hedgers) provide liquidity to non-commercials (speculators) in short term in commodity options market.
Diet and bathymetric distribution of juvenile Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron

Rehabilitation efforts for Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron have resulted in increased capture of young wild Lake Trout in annual bottom trawl surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological ...
Dimensional and Theoretical Analysis of Second-Generation Vortex Identification Methods

Many researchers have spent much effort in researching the identification of vortices for many decades. These efforts have produced many methods allowing us to better identify and visualize vortices. The most popular traditional methods taught in educational institutions are Q, ∆, λ2 and λci, with Q being the most popular method used in research and industry. These methods are known as the second generation of vortex identification methods. Although these methods can visualize the vortical structure, they are not without their faults. In this paper, we utilize dimensional analysis to examine and compare the dimensions of each method with the dimension of angular velocity α. The results show that λci is the only method that has the correct dimension relative to the angular velocity α.
ThévNN: Data-driven Online Thévenin Equivalent Estimation Using BiLSTM

An on-line estimation method was developed to estimate the Thevenin equivalent reactance of a power system at regular intervals or on demand, using measured voltage and current values. The method is applied on-line, to track the Thevenin equivalent in a fine time scale. Using the optimally estimated Thevenin values as a multivariate time-series target, a Long Short Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) is trained toward performing automatic Thevenin equivalent estimation from measured synchrophasor data in real-time. To enable transferability of the trained model and limit the parameter space, the back-calculation of the bus voltage from the estimated Thevenin pair is incorporated as an additional constraint penalty during training. The proposed method has been validated using two weeks of real-world phasor measurement unit (PMU) ambient data from a high-voltage substation in the US Eastern interconnection.
Personalization of Medical Treatment Decisions: Simplifying Complex Models while Maintaining Patient Health Outcomes.

BackgroundPersonalizing medical treatments based on patient-specific risks and preferences can improve patient health. However, models to support personalized treatment decisions are often complex ...
Multi Level Integrated Energy Management and Control Method for AC / DC Hybrid Flexible Substation Area Based on Power Internet of Things

With the increase of DC source loads such as photovoltaic power generation and electric vehicles, AC/DC hybrid distribution network technology has developed rapidly. In order to improve the regional energy management capabilities, a control method for integrated energy in AC/DC hybrid flexible stations is proposed. Based on the basic structure of traditional power internet of things (PIoT), combined with the characteristics of multiple energy sources in AC/DC flexible stations, the overall architecture of multi-level energy in AC/DC flexible stations is proposed, and the top-level architecture of "Cloud, Tube, Edge and End" is optimized. On this basis, according to the system operation mode and functional requirements, a multi-level operation control method for AC/DC flexible station area is proposed to meet the requirements of distributed energy access and diversified load control.
Performance of Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma Following Resuscitative Thoracotomy for Traumatic Cardiac Arrest.

In patients undergoing resuscitative thoracotomy (RT) for traumatic cardiac arrest, focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) is often used to look for intraperitoneal fluid. These findings can help determine whether abdominal exploration is warranted once return of spontaneous circulation is achieved; however, the diagnostic accuracy of FAST in this clinical scenario has yet to be evaluated. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of FAST in identifying intra-abdominal hemorrhage following RT. We performed a 3-year retrospective study at a high-volume level 1 trauma center from 2014 to 2016. We included patients who underwent RT in the Emergency Department. All FAST examinations were performed by non-radiologists. Operative findings, computed tomography reports, diagnostic peritoneal aspirate (DPA) results, and autopsy findings were used as reference standards to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of the FAST. A total of 158 patients met our inclusion criteria. The median age was 35 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 23–53), 86.1% were male, and 60.1% sustained blunt trauma. Most patients suffered severe injuries with a median injury severity score of 27 (IQR: 18–38). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of FAST for identifying intra-abdominal hemorrhage were 66.0%, 84.8%, 68.6%, 83.2%, and 78.5%, respectively. Among the 107 patients with a negative FAST, 22 (20.6%) underwent DPA, which was positive in 5 patients. FAST can be utilized in the diagnostic workup of trauma patients after RT. In patients with a positive FAST, exploratory laparotomy is warranted, whereas other diagnostic adjuncts such as DPA or mandatory abdominal exploration may be considered in patients with a negative FAST.
Trends in Behavior-Analytic Gambling Research and Treatment.

The purpose of the present review was to analyze research outcomes for all gambling studies reported in the behavior analysis literature. We used the search term “gambling” to identify articles that were published in behaviorally oriented journals between the years 1992 and 2012 and categorized the content of each article as empirical or conceptual. Next, we examined and categorized the empirical articles by inclusion of an experimental manipulation and treatment to alleviate at least some aspect of pathological gambling, participant population used, type of gambling task employed in the research, whether the participants in the study actually gambled, and the behavioral phenomena of interest. The results show that the rate of publication of gambling research has increased in the last 6 years, and a vast majority of articles are empirical. Of the empirical articles, examinations of treatment techniques or methods are scarce; slot machine play is the most represented form of gambling, and slightly greater than half of the research included compensation based on gambling outcomes within experiments. We discuss implications and future directions based on these observations of the published literature.
Evolution of Nervous System: What’s So Special About Brains?

Do more complex brains operate on the same principles as simpler brains, merely employing more of the same; or has evolution produced new principles? A neglected research agenda is the search for relevant differences between brains of animals belonging to different major grades of complexity and cognitive capacity. More complex brains are believed to be capable of more transactions, discriminations, memory and repertoire—functional criteria of “better” brains. While comparative cognition needs to test these expectations to verify what must be one of the major consequences of evolution, comparative neurobiology needs to discover what, in detail, by all the methods and measures of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neurochemistry is different in more complex brains and which of these differences are relevant to behavioral differences.
Networked embedded systems: from sensor webs to cyber-physical systems

There has been a great deal of excitement in recent years concerning the evolution of sensor webs of smart dust. There has been a very substantive active world wide in this area and in particular at Berkeley there have now been over six generation of "motes" for these sensor webs, and at least three new start ups have arisen to commercialize these developments. I will survey these developments and where they have brought us in a very important new class of computing involving an integration of communication and computing. I will describe how the technology push is matched by the applications pull on numerous different applications.
Effect of Swimming on the Learning of Selected Gross Motor Skills

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of swimming on the learning and performance of two complex gross motor skills. Forty college men were matched on the basis of a pre-test and formed into experimental and control groups. The experimental group learned the two selected skills in addition to swimming, whereas the control group learned only the selected skills. Two scoring systems were used, and findings indicated no significant difference between groups.
The Right to Be Forgotten: Forced Amnesia in a Technological Age

In recent years the United States of America has undergone a significant debate on the scope of its citizens’ privacy rights. One significant aspect of this discussion has been data and its acquisition by third parties. In much of Europe, among the citizenry’s rights is a legal concept referred to as le droit a l’oubli. This “right to be forgotten” is a nebulous term whose exact meaning varies by country, but can generally be defined as the right of an individual to control data pertaining to them and have it destroyed if they so desire. The European Union has begun undertaking some tentative steps towards more clearly defining that right. However, on the other side of the Atlantic the United States has also begun to revise its laws at the state level. Among the most prominent instances was the recent effort of California to combat “revenge porn” through legislation. This article seeks to compare the approaches of the various European states to instances occurring in the United States and how they differ. It will also outline some of the potential objections and remedies to the American efforts.
A pairwise error probability bound for the exponential- server timing channel

We exhibit upper and lower bounds on the pairwise error probability of the exponential-server timing channel in terms of an appropriately-defined distance between codewords. We show that this distance plays a crucial role in determining the reliability function at low rates. In particular, by lower bounding the minimum distance of good-low rates codes, we provide an improved lower bound on the reliability function of the channel at rate zero. This improved bound proves that at low rates, the exponential-server timing channel is strictly more reliable than the related Poisson channel with zero dark current, answering an open question posed by Arikan. Some remarks are also made about using the results of this paper to prove an improved upper bound on the reliability function at rate zero.
Gesture segmentation in complex motion sequences

Complex human motion sequences (such as dances) are typically analyzed by segmenting them into shorter motion sequences, called gestures. However, this segmentation process is subjective, and varies considerably from one human observer to another. In this paper, we propose an algorithm called hierarchical activity segmentation. This algorithm employs a dynamic hierarchical layered structure to represent the human anatomy, and uses low-level motion parameters to characterize motion in the various layers of this hierarchy, which correspond to different segments of the human body. This characterization is used with a naive Bayesian classifier to derive creator profiles from empirical data. Then those profiles are used to predict how creators will segment gestures in other motion sequences. When the predictions were tested with a library of 3D motion capture sequences, which were segmented by 2 choreographers they were found to be reasonably accurate.
Identification of arachidonic acid as a mediator of sphingomyelin hydrolysis in response to tumor necrosis factor alpha.

A sphingomyelin (SM)-signaling cycle has been described in human leukemia-derived HL-60 cells (Okazaki, T., Bell, R.M., and Hannun, Y.A. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19076-19080). Activation of the cycle by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) occurs rapidly, with peak levels of approximately 30% SM hydrolysis observed within 45-60 min. The mechanisms by which TNF alpha induces this SM turnover remain largely unexplored. In this study, arachidonic acid (AA) was investigated as a potential mediator of TNF alpha effects on SM turnover. In HL-60 cells, 30 nM TNF alpha stimulated the release of AA within 5-10 min. In turn, AA stimulated SM hydrolysis and concomitant ceramide generation within 20 min of addition to cells. Other fatty acids, notably oleate, mimicked the effects of AA on SM hydrolysis, but the methyl ester and alcohol analogs of fatty acids were inactive. Diacylglycerol, a candidate mediator of TNF alpha responses, AA activated a cytosolic sphingomyelinase dose dependently, with 10-100 microM AA including 3-4-fold activation, thus suggesting a direct effect of AA on sphingomyelinase. Melittin, a potent phospholipase A2 activator, induced SM hydrolysis at concentrations as low as 35 nM. However, unlike AA, melittin was unable to stimulate sphingomyelinase activation in an in vitro assay system. Finally, exogenous addition of AA also produced antiproliferative effects reminiscent of ceramide effects. Thus, a role for the phospholipase A2/AA pathway in mediating TNF alpha induction of the SM cycle is supported by multiple lines of evidence. These studies begin to elucidate a mechanism of TNF alpha signaling and identify a close relationship between glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid signaling. AA, therefore, may be pivotal to understanding the sphingomyelin-signaling cascade.
A periodic table for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Part X. On the characteristic polynomial and other structural invariants [1]

Abstract A method for calculation of the HMO characteristic polynomial for many small molecular graphs by inspection is reviewed. Inspection methods for ascertaining the presence of HMO eigenvalues of ± 1 in molecular graphs are presented. The characteristic polynomial for many macromolecular, strictly peri-condensed benzenoid hydrocarbons are tabulated for the first time. Topological information transmitted by the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial are detailed. Relationships for quickly determining the number of Kekule structures, the structure count, and pi electron energy are also reviewed. A nearly universal expression for the sixth coefficient of the characteristic polynomial is presented.
Civil Liability for Violations of International Humanitarian Law: The Jurisprudence of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission in the Hague

Violations of international humanitarian law are compensable by a state causing the violations. The roots of this obligation can be traced to Article 3 of Hague Convention IV, which states that a party to the conflict which violates the provisions of [international humanitarian law] shall . . . be liable to pay compensation. It shall be responsible for all acts committed by persons forming part of its armed forces. A similar rule is also contained in Protocol I Additional to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. In practice, the enforcement of this important provision of international humanitarian law has remained a matter of rarity, particularly in terms of civil - rather than criminal - liability. However, a recent exception is the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission in The Hague (the Claims Commission or the Commission). The Claims Commission was established pursuant to a peace agreement signed by Eritrea and Ethiopia in Algiers, Algeria, on December 12, 2000, ending a devastating war fought between the two countries from May 1998 to December 2000. The Commission was charged with the duty of deciding, through binding arbitration, all claims by one party or citizens of that party against the other party for loss, damage, or injury resulting from violations of international law (mainly violations of international humanitarian law that occurred during the war). The Commission commenced its work in March 2001 and decided to consider the claims of the parties in two different phases of the proceedings: a liability phase and a damages phase. The Commissions rendered the final decisions of the liability phase on December 19, 2005. The damages phase is still being conducted, although no decisions have been rendered by the Commission to date as part of that phase. Thus, this Article exclusively focuses on the Commission's work as it relates to the completed liability phase.
Oncolytic vaccinia virus demonstrates antiangiogenic effects mediated by targeting of VEGF

Oncolytic vaccinia virus has been shown to induce a profound, rapid and tumor-specific vascular collapse in both preclinical models and clinical studies; however, a complete examination of the kinetics and levels of collapse and revascularization has not been described previously. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was used to follow tumor perfusion levels in mouse tumor models at times after vaccinia therapy. It was observed that revascularization after viral therapy was dramatically delayed and did not occur until after viral clearance. This indicated that oncolytic vaccinia may possess a previously undescribed antiangiogenic potential that might synergize with the reported anti-vascular effects. Despite a rapid loss of perfusion and widespread hypoxia within the tumor, it was observed that VEGF levels in the tumor were suppressed throughout the period of active viral infection. Although tumor vasculature could eventually reform after the viral therapy was cleared in mouse models, anti-tumor effects could be significantly enhanced through additional combination with anti-VEGF therapies. This was initially examined using a gene therapy approach (Ad-Flk1-Fc) to target VEGF directly, demonstrating that the timing of application of the antiangiogenic therapy was critical. However, it is also known that oncolytic vaccinia sensitizes tumors to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in the clinic through an unknown mechanism. It is possible this phenomenon may be mediated through the antiangiogenic effects of the TKIs. This was modeled in mouse tumors using sunitinib in combination with oncolytic vaccinia. It was observed that prevention of angiogenesis mediated by oncolytic vaccinia can be utilized to enhance the TKI therapy.
Mutation Analysis of PobR and PcaU, Closely Related Transcriptional Activators in Acinetobacter

Acinetobacter PobR and PcaU are transcriptional activators that closely resemble each other in primary structure, DNA-binding sites, metabolic modulators, and physiological function. PobR responds to the inducer-metabolite p-hydroxybenzoate and activates transcription of pobA, the structural gene for the enzyme that converts p-hydroxybenzoate to protocatechuate. This compound, differing from p-hydroxybenzoate only in that it contains an additional oxygen atom, binds to PcaU and thereby specifically activates transcription of the full set of genes for protocatechuate catabolism. Particular experimental attention has been paid to PobR and PcaU from Acinetobacter strain ADP1, which exhibits exceptional competence for natural transformation. This trait allowed selection of mutant strains in which pobR function had been impaired by nucleotide substitutions introduced by PCR replication errors. Contrary to expectation, the spectrum of amino acids whose substitution led to loss of function in PobR shows no marked similarity to the spectrum of amino acids conserved by the demand for continued function during evolutionary divergence of PobR, PcaU, and related proteins. Surface plasmon resonance was used to determine the ability of mutant PobR proteins to bind to DNA in the pobA-pobR intergenic region. Deleterious mutations that strongly affect DNA binding all cluster in and around the PobR region that contains a helix-turn-helix motif, whereas mutations causing defects in the central portion of the PobR primary sequence do not seem to have a significant effect on operator binding. PCR-generated mutations allowing PobR to mimic PcaU function invariably caused a T57A amino acid substitution, making the helix-turn-helix sequence of PobR more like that of PcaU. The mutant PobR depended on p-hydroxybenzoate for its activity, but this dependence could be relieved by any of six amino acid substitutions in the center of the PobR primary sequence. Independent mutations allowing PcaU to mimic PobR activity were shown to be G222V amino acid substitutions in the C terminus of the 274-residue protein. Together, the analyses suggest that PobR and PcaU possess a linear domain structure similar to that of LysR transcriptional activators which largely differ in primary structure.
The Boundary Waters Treaty: Ahead of Its Time, and Ours

Article IV of the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty between Canada and the United States, which prohibits harmful transboundary water pollution, foreshadows the prohibition on transboundary environmental harm expressed as Principle 21 of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration. The terms of Article IV and Principle 21 are similar, as is the failure of states to comply with them. Canada and the United States have fallen short of their obligations under Article IV by establishing standards that are more specific but that states need exercise only due diligence to meet, and by failing to apply even these standards to boundary waters other than the Great Lakes. As a result, Article IV seems not only ahead of its time, but ahead of ours as well.
Firewall Policy Advisor for anomaly discovery and rule editing

Firewalls are core elements in network security. However, managing firewall rules, especially for enterprize networks, has become complex and error-prone. Firewall filtering rules have to be carefully written and organized in order to correctly implement the security policy. In addition, inserting or modifying a filtering rule requires thorough analysis of the relationship between this rule and other rules in order to determine the proper order of this rule and commit the updates. In this paper, we present a set of techniques and algorithms that provide (1) automatic discovery of firewall policy anomalies to reveal rule conflicts and potential problems in legacy firewalls, and (2) anomaly-free policy editing for rule insertion, removal and modification. This is implemented in a user-friendly tool called "Firewall Policy Advisor". The Firewall Policy Advisor significantly simplifies the management of any generic firewall policy written as filtering rules, while minimizing network vulnerability due to firewall rule misconfiguration.
The mediating role of individual resilience resources in stigma-health relationship among people living with HIV in Guangxi, China

Despite the vigorous global efforts to reduce stigma, HIV-related stigma continues to undermine the health status of people living with HIV (PLHIV). Internalized HIV stigma may cause stress adversely affecting the health of PLHIV. Resilience is the process of an effective coping and positive adaption in the face of adversities. To date, limited data are available on the mediating role of resilience in the relationship of internalized HIV stigma and health status among PLHIV in China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2987 PLHIV in Guangxi Autonomous Region (Guangxi) in China. A mediation analysis was employed and Sobel test was used to test the mediation effect of individual resilience. Of the 2987 PLHIV, 62.8% were men. The mean age of the sample was 42.5 years (SD = 12.8). Over 57.7% of PLHIV reported their overall health status being poor. About 72% of PLHIV reported experiencing internalized HIV stigma. Internalized HIV stigma had a negative direct effect on self-rated health status (p < .001). Individual resilience resources mediated the relationship between internalized HIV stigma and self-rated health status (p < .001). Sobel test confirmed the mediation effect of resilience (z = -8.359, SE = 0.003, p < .001). Resilience as a protective factor might buffer the effect of internalized HIV stigma on health status. Multilevel interventions are needed to foster resilience of PLHIV in order to mitigate the negative impact of HIV stigma and to improve the overall health status of PLHIV.
Get-Up and Go electric wheelchair and seat-lift mechanism

The intended user, involved in an automobile accident, desires an electric wheelchair with capability of lifting the user to a position wherein the user can reach elevated objects that cannot normally be reached from a sitting position. Get-Up and Go accomplishes this by fitting the client's existing wheelchair with wheel drive motors and a motorized seat lift mechanism.
Measuring the Salt Activity Coefficient in Lithium-Battery Electrolytes

Activity coefficients were measured in concentration-cell and melting-point-depression experiments. Results from concentration-cell experiments are presented for solutions of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6 ) in propylene carbonate as well as in a 1:1 by weight solution of ethylene carbonate (EC) and ethyl methyl carbonate. A constant transference number, t 0 + , of 0.38 was estimated for these solutions with a thermodynamic factor increasing between 1 and 4 for the concentration range up to 1.75 M. Measurements of the activity coefficient are also presented from melting-point-depression experiments in solutions of LiPF 6 in EC. Differential scanning calorimetry is used to measure melting points for solutions of different concentrations. This technique is shown to be useful for measuring activity coefficients in single-solvent electrolytes; however, data are necessary for the relative partial molal enthalpy of these solutions for accurate results. The thermodynamic factor of LiPF 6 solutions in EC varies between ca. 1.1 and 3.17 for the concentration range 0.0625 to 1 M (above this concentration there appears to be a eutectic point). It is shown that the solutions of LiPF 6 investigated are not ideal but that an assumption of ideality for these solutions may overestimate the specific energy of a lithium-ion cell by only 0.6%.
Is acculturation related to use of hearing protection

Noise-exposed employees with limited English skills may pose a special challenge for hearing conservation programs. This pilot field study assessed knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding use of hearing protective devices in a largely Hispanic group of 88 workers exposed to industrial noise. Effectiveness of hearing protection was determined through field measurements of personal attenuation ratings. Individual scores on an acculturation scale (first language learned, language at home, degree of literacy in English, preferred language) demonstrated a correlation between a low degree of acculturation and low personal attenuation rating (R2= 0.49, p=0.0001). Low acculturation was also correlated with high-perceived barriers to use of hearing protection (p=0.006). Although neither self reports of self-efficacy nor perceived benefits of hearing protection correlated with personal attenuation rating, perceived barriers to hearing protector use was a significant predictor of hearing protector fit (p=0.05)....
DIASTOLIC FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH SICKLE CELL ANEMIA (SCA). 131

Left ventricular (LV) dilation and systolic dysfunction are recognized causes of mortality in patients with SCA. But, data evaluating diastolic function in children with SCA are limited. We used Doppler echocardiography(echo) to assess diastolic function in children with SCA.
Development and function of the human fetal adrenal cortex: a key component in the feto-placental unit.

The human fetal adrenal cortex, a pivotal member of the feto-placental unit, is a relatively large organ with steroidogenic activity that is spatially, temporally and functionally regulated. The present review aims to identify what we know and what we need to know about the developmental processes, functional aspects, and physiologic significance of this unique organ.
Fragrance material review on 4-methyl-2-pentanol

A toxicologic and dermatologic review of 4-methyl-2-pentanol when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented. 4-Methyl-2-pentanol is a member of the fragrance structural group branched chain saturated alcohols. The common characteristic structural elements of the alcohols with saturated branched chain are one hydroxyl group per molecule, and a C(4)-C(12) carbon chain with one or several methyl side chains. This review contains a detailed summary of all available toxicology and dermatology papers that are related to this individual fragrance ingredient and is not intended as a stand-alone document. A safety assessment of the entire branched chain saturated alcohol group will be published simultaneously with this document; please refer to Belsito et al. (2010) for an overall assessment of the safe use of this material and all other branched chain saturated alcohols in fragrances.