cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oxytocin attenuates stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking behavior in male and female mice.

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has emerged as a potential therapeutic intervention in the treatment of both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and stress-related psychiatric illnesses. The present study evaluates the effects of systemically administered (intraperitoneal (i.p.)) OXT treatment on alcohol relapse-like behavior in male and female mice. Adult male and female C57BL/6J mice were trained to lever respond in operant conditioning chambers for alcohol in daily self-administration sessions. Once lever responding and alcohol intake stabilized, mice were tested under extinction conditions for 14 days before reinstatement testing. All mice underwent stress-induced reinstatement testing using either predator odor (2,3,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT)) or the α-2 adrenergic receptor agonist yohimbine. In study 1, mice were exposed to TMT for 15 min and then immediately placed into operant conditioning chambers to examine alcohol-seeking behavior under extinction conditions. At 30 min prior to test session, separate groups of mice were injected with vehicle or OXT (0.1, 0.5, 1 mg/kg). In study 2, mice were injected with yohimbine (0.3, 0.625 mg/kg) 1 h prior to reinstatement testing. At 30 min post-yohimbine injection, mice are injected (i.p.) with vehicle or OXT (1 mg/kg). OXT attenuated alcohol-seeking behavior in a dose-related manner in male and female mice in response to acute challenge with a predator odor. Additionally, OXT administration produced a similar decrease in alcohol relapse-like behavior triggered by the pharmacological stressor yohimbine in both sexes. Systemic oxytocin administration attenuates stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking in male and female mice.
Estimating the density of wood specimens using synthetic aperture radar imaging

The density of wood is one of the most important physical properties when it comes to understanding its mechanical behavior. The strength of a wood specimen is directly related to the amount of wood material in a given volume, making the accurate determination of density essential for the analysis of wood structures. The use of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques (e.g., microwave/radar, ultrasonic, stress wave, and X-ray) is a powerful approach for condition assessment of existing wood structures. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, with its remote and subsurface sensing abilities, provides information about the mechanical properties of wood structures without obstructing their functionality. The objective of this paper is to use SAR imaging to determine the differences in density in a variety of different wood species. Five 14 in.-by-2 in.-by-0.75 in. wood specimens were manufactured. Each wood specimen was imaged vertically inside an anechoic chamber using a 10 GHz SAR system. It was found that SAR amplitude distribution was affected by the density of wood specimens. It was also found that the increase of wood density leads to the increase of contour area of SAR images.
General N-solitons and their dynamics in several nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equations

Abstract General N-solitons in three recently-proposed nonlocal nonlinear Schrodinger equations are presented. These nonlocal equations include the reverse-space, reverse-time, and reverse-space–time nonlinear Schrodinger equations, which are nonlocal reductions of the Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur (AKNS) hierarchy. It is shown that general N-solitons in these different equations can be derived from the same Riemann–Hilbert solutions of the AKNS hierarchy, except that symmetry relations on the scattering data are different for these equations. This Riemann–Hilbert framework allows us to identify new types of solitons with novel eigenvalue configurations in the spectral plane. Dynamics of N-solitons in these equations is also explored. In all the three nonlocal equations, their solutions often collapse repeatedly, but can remain bounded or nonsingular for wide ranges of soliton parameters as well. In addition, it is found that multi-solitons can behave very differently from fundamental solitons and may not correspond to a nonlinear superposition of fundamental solitons.
Odds of Meeting Cancer Prevention Behavior Recommendations by Health Information Seeking Behavior: a Cross-Sectional HINTS Analysis

People who seek health information frequently may be more likely to meet health behavior goals; however, people use many different information sources. The purpose of this paper is to assess how different sources of health information influence likelihood of meeting cancer prevention behavior guidelines. Logistic regression of cross-sectional data from 6 years of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) was conducted. Independent variables included first source of health information, gender, age, race, education level, income, cancer history, general health, and data year; dependent variables were fruit and vegetable intake, exercise, smoking, mammography, Pap test, and colon cancer screening. Those who seek health information from doctors, the internet, or publications had higher odds of meeting more cancer prevention guidelines than those who do not seek health information. Those who used healthcare providers as an initial information source had higher odds of meeting diet, cervical, and colon cancer screening recommendations, while using the internet as an initial source of health information was associated with higher odds of meeting diet, smoking, and colon cancer screening recommendations. No health information source was associated with meeting either exercise or mammography recommendations. People should be encouraged to seek health information to help them meet their behavior goals, especially from sources that are more likely to be accurate and encourage cancer prevention behavior. Future research is needed to understand the accuracy of health information and what kinds of health information have positive influences on cancer prevention behavior.
Multi wavelength optical broad band photometric properties of a representative sample of geostationary satellites

Abstract We present the results of multi-wavelength optical observations, using B, V, R and I band filters, of a sample of 61 active geostationary communications satellites, on 2015 July 9–11. These observations were done outside the glinting season, with a longitudinal solar angle smaller than 6 ° and a latitudinal solar phase angle of ~ 16.5 ° . This approach enabled us to determine the distribution of quiescent magnitudes and colors of these targets during a period of the night when they are expected to be the brightest. We present the distribution of magnitudes and colors of the sample. We find that the colors of these satellites are in general redder than the Solar spectrum, with a wide distribution of values ( 0.62 B - V 1.49 , 1.00 B - R 2.28 , 1.31 B - I 3.07 , 0.34 V - R 0.90 , 0.63 V - I 1.69 , 0.27 R - I 0.79 ). Satellites from different manufacturers are found to cluster around specific colors in color-color plots, indicating that this information can be used to identify different satellites and resolve cross tagging issues. We also investigate whether the colors of satellites change with time and find that in most cases there is no significant change to these properties as the satellites age.
“A Tale of Two Croatias”: How Club Football (Soccer) Teams Produce Radical Regional Divides in Croatia’s National Identity

Croatia’s monumental second-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup represents the highest football achievement to date for the young nation. This victory, however, masks violent internal divisions between its domestic club football teams. This article examines the most salient rivalry between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, two teams that have evolved to represent the interests of Croatia’s north and south, respectively. Using interviews with radical football fans, I argue that the two teams act as reservoirs for regional identity-building while violence between their fans is a microcosm for political and economic tensions between Zagreb and Split. More importantly, this rivalry exposes the dividedness of the Croatian state, as it continues to grapple with the complexity of its radical regional identities in the wake of its independence from Yugoslavia. This article contributes to the existing body of literature on sports identity and regionalisms/nationalism as well as how sporting teams shape the geographies of belonging.
A Proximity Sensor for the Steering Wheel Based on Leaky Coaxial Cable

A practical readily embeddable proximity sensor based on a leaky coaxial cable (LCX) is proposed for detecting the presence and position of hands on a steering wheel. Different LCX configurations are analyzed both numerically and experimentally. For numeric simulations, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to a square cross-section leaky coaxial cable. A comparable-sized 3D-printed LCX with various configurations is also measured to verify the design of the sensor. Based on those numerical and experimental results, a prototype steering wheel proximity sensor is designed, fabricated, and then embedded into a Honda 2013 Acura MDX steering wheel. Through the use of a network analyzer and the inverse discrete Fourier Transform, the hand position information is obtained.
Open Femoral Hernia Repair – McVay

Femoral hernias are more common in older females and can often be misdiagnosed as an inguinal hernia. In order to assess for a femoral hernia, one must incise the transversalis fascia to expose Cooper’s ligament. The present chapter discusses an open femoral repair.
Condom use self-efficacy centered on sexual experience, cannabis, and CBD use among college students.

Objectives The goal of this study was to understand how condom use self-efficacy varies based on sexual experience, cannabis and CBD use. Methods A cross-sectional survey was implemented through Qualtrics. A total of 455 undergraduate students were surveyed at a large U.S. northeastern university. Results Findings suggested that sexual experience itself and sexual experience with cannabis and CBD are associated with a person's condom use self-efficacy. Precisely, non-sexually active and cannabis or CBD nonusers perceived themselves as less efficacious in their future use of condoms compared with sexually active adolescents. Conclusions Implications for health interventions are discussed, such as the importance of giving attention to non-sexually active adolescents and strengthening their condom use self- efficacy. It is critical to promote healthy sexual behaviors among future sexually active college students and reinforce healthy sexual behaviors among sexually active adolescents.
Organosolv Fractionation of Walnut Shell Biomass to Isolate Lignocellulosic Components for Chemical Upgrading of Lignin to Aromatics.

Renewable carbon sources are a rapidly growing field of research because of the finite supply of fossil carbon. The lignocellulosic biomass walnut shell (WS) is an attractive renewable feedstock be...
Conscientiousness and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Test of the Health Behavior Model of Personality Using Structural Equation Modeling.

Background High trait conscientiousness is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk, and health behaviors are a putative but relatively untested pathway that may explain this association. Purpose To explore the role of key health behaviors (diet, physical activity, substance use, and sleep) as links between conscientiousness and cardiometabolic risk. Methods In a cross-sectional analysis of 494 healthy, middle-aged working adults (mean age = 42.7 years, 52.6% women, 81.0% White), participants provided self-reports of conscientiousness, physical activity, substance use, diet, and sleep, and wore monitors over a 7-day monitoring period to assess sleep (Actiwatch-16) and physical activity (SenseWear Pro3). Cardiometabolic risk was expressed as a second-order latent variable from a confirmatory factor analysis involving insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, obesity, and blood pressure. Direct, indirect, and specific indirect effect pathways linking conscientiousness to health behaviors and cardiometabolic risk were examined. Unstandardized indirect effects for each health behavior class were computed separately using bootstrapped samples. Results After controlling for demographics (sex, age, race, and education), conscientiousness showed the predicted, inverse association with cardiometabolic risk. Among the examined health behaviors, objectively-assessed sleep midpoint variability (b = -0.003, p = .04), subjective sleep quality (b = -0.003, p = .025), and objectively-assessed physical activity (b = -0.11, p = .04) linked conscientiousness to cardiometabolic risk. Conclusions Physical activity and sleep partially accounted for the relationship between conscientiousness and cardiometabolic risk.
Charter Schools and the Reconfiguring of the Rural School-Community Connection

Among educational reforms in the United States over the last two decades, the charter school movement has emblemised policies promoting school choice. While proponents point to the potential for educational innovation and the expansion of educational opportunities for students, charter school expansion has also created significant debate and controversy. In this chapter, we examine the local meaning-making around the formation of four rural charter schools that originated as a result of closure or consolidation. Using data from local key informant interviews in each of the school communities, we investigate the circumstances leading to the formation of these rural charter schools and explore how their creation reconfigured the discursive framing of community and school-community relations. We sought to understand the ways in which stakeholders in rural communities (teachers, community members, administrators, and parents) understand and experience the establishment and operation of the charter school within their community as intended replacements of traditional schools that were closed. The stories told—of four rural school closures, consolidations, and re-openings—underline the complexity of the relationship between a rural school and its community.
Caring for the Caregivers - Covid-19 Vaccination for Essential Members of the Health Care Team.

Caring for the Caregivers Although a policy of prioritizing the caregivers of medically fragile children or adults for vaccination against Covid-19 should not replace efforts to directly vaccinate ...
Pulsed Inductive Thruster (Pit): Modeling and Validation Using the Mach2 Code

Numerical modeling of the Pulsed Inductive Thruster exercising the magnetohydrodynamics code, MACH2 aims to provide bilateral validation of the thruster's measured performance and the code's capability of capturing the pertinent physical processes. Computed impulse values for helium and argon propellants demonstrate excellent correlation to the experimental data for a range of energy levels and propellant-mass values. The effects of the vacuum tank wall and massinjection scheme were investigated to show trivial changes in the overall performance. An idealized model for these energy levels and propellants deduces that the energy expended to the internal energy modes and plasma dissipation processes is independent of the propellant type, mass, and energy level.
A generic optimized time management algorithms (OTMA) framework for simulating large-scale overlay networks

Recent evolutions in wireless networks will require more efficient use of the underlying parallel discrete-event simulation (PDES) synchronization protocols to accommodate the demand for large-scale network simulation. In this paper, we investigate underlying synchronization protocols to improve the performance of large-scale network simulators operating over PDES systems. We begin by proposing a generic optimized time management algorithms (OTMA) framework that combines the improved forms of synchronization protocols on a single platform. Particularly, for the proposed OTMA framework, we use the layered architecture approach to combine the optimized forms of conservative and optimistic time management algorithms. To support the implementation of the OTMA framework, a new m-LP (logical process) simulation model is proposed along with the varying parameters network topology that can show the implementation of different components of discrete-event simulation (DES).
SEAL: a divide-and-conquer approach for sequence alignment

Sequence similarity search and sequence alignment methods are fundamental steps in comparative genomics and have a wide spectrum of application in the field of medicine, agriculture, and environment. The dynamic programming sequence alignment methods produce optimal alignments but are impractical for a similarity search due to their large running time. Heuristic methods like BLAST run much faster but may not provide optimal alignments. In this paper, we introduce a novel sequence alignment algorithm, SEAL. SEAL is a parallelizable algorithm that does not require gap penalty parameter as in heuristic methods. SEAL uses a combination of divide-and-conquer paradigm and the maximum contiguous subarray solution. SEAL is also improved by the use of borders in every contiguous segment. The alignment scores obtained by SEAL are consistently higher than those obtained by heuristic methods. Since the dependencies are minimized among intermediate steps, the complexity of SEAL can be reduced to $$\theta \,\left( {\log^{2} n} \right)$$ in the presence of satisfactory number of parallel processors.
Implications of Changing Farm Policy for the South: Discussion

The presentations by Skees et al., and by Ray et al. dealt exclusively with price and yield risk, while the paper by Knutson et al. dealt substantially with risk. Given that this session is titled “Implications of Changing Farm Policy for the South, ” the fixation of these presentations on “Risk,” “Risk,” and “Risk” is somewhat curious and overemphasized, in my opinion. I believe that there are other implications of farm policy changes that are equally as important, if not more important, than price and yield risk to southern agriculture. These include implications concerning: (a) the structure of production agriculture, (b) increased planting flexibility, and (c) the continuing uncertainty about the future of the peanut and tobacco programs. Farm program changes will accelerate the transition of inefficient mid-sized farms specializing in program crops to small/life-style status, to efficiendlurge-size status, to a niche market, or out of farming. Climate and natural resources in the Southeast suggest movement toward a bimodal distribution of farms, with small hobby or life-style farms, and large efficient farms. Farm program changes will accelerate movement toward such a bimodal distribution of farm sizes, thereby increasing the economic efficiency of southern agriculture. Increased planting flexibility will have two major effects in the Southeast. First, it will stimulate the movement of cotton back to the region. With boll weevil eradication, much of the Southeast now has a comparative advantage in production of cotton. Because of this,
Calcifying panniculitis associated with renal failure A case of Selye's calciphylaxis in man

Nephrotic syndrome developed in a 45-year-old white woman who had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Following diuretic therapy and intravenous infusions of albumin, painful induration developed in the thighs and abdomen. A biopsy of the affected subcutaneous tissue demonstrated interstitial deposition of calcium. In this case of calcifying panniculitis, the conditions for calciphylaxis appear to have been present.
Theory and simulation of jet stability

Observations show many extragalactic jets with large scale oscillation in the plane of the sky, e.g., 3C 449 (Perley, Willis, & Scott 1979), NGC 6251 (Perley, Bridle, & Willis 1984), Cygnus A (Dreher, Carilli, &: Perley 1987), and other structures consistent with the helical structures predicted from analysis of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of extragalactic jets (see Birkinshaw 1991 for a review and references). Over the past few years we have tested the predictions of stability theory in two dimensions through numerieal simulations of a two dimensional slab jet. A slab jet is spatially resolved along two Cartesian axes and is infinite in extent in the third dimension. Stability analysis of cylindrical jets and slab jets has shown that these jets share both qualitative and quantitative similarities (Hardee 85 Norman 1988). The wave dispersion relation describing wave propagation and growth in slab or cylindrical geometries allows a symmetric pinching and an asymmetric sinusoidal mode or helical modes, respectively. Each mode contains a single fundamental surface wave solution and multiple reflection body wave solutions.
A wind-tunnel study of atmospheric boundary-layer flow over vegetated surfaces to suppress PM10 emission on Owens (dry) Lake

Dust storms on Owens (dry) Lake located 200 milesnortheast of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., havecaused serious PM10 emission problems. Alaboratory-based experimental study was conducted toinvestigate the efficiency of 'vegetation cover' onthe playa to suppress dust emission rates as part ofa mitigation plan.
On the integral construction of the universal R-matrix for quantum current superalgebraUq (oŝp(1,2))

We discuss the problems in the construction of the universal R-matrix for the the Drinfeld current realization of quantum affine superalgebrasUq (oŝp(1,2)), where we try to present the universal R-matrix for the corresponding “Drinfeld” comultiplication in the form of certain integrals over current operators with specially chosen contours.
Causal Consistency for Geo-Replicated Cloud Storage under Partial Replication

Data replication is a common technique used for fault-tolerance in reliable distributed systems. In geo-replicated systems and the cloud, it additionally provides low latency. Recently, causal consistency in such systems has received much attention. However, all existing works assume the data is fully replicated. This greatly simplifies the design of the algorithms to implement causal consistency. In this paper, we propose that it can be advantageous to have partial replication of data, and we propose two algorithms for achieving causal consistency in such systems where the data is only partially replicated. This is the first work that explores causal consistency for partially replicated geo-replicated systems. We also give a special case algorithm for causal consistency in the full-replication case.
A Meta-Analysis of Interviews and Cognitive Ability: Back to the Future?

The topic of what interviews measure has received a great deal of attention over the years. One line of research has investigated the relationship between interviews and the construct of cognitive ability. A previous meta-analysis reported an overall corrected correlation of .40 (Huffcutt, Roth, & McDaniel, 1996). A more recent meta-analysis reported a noticeably lower corrected correlation of .27 (Berry, Sackett, & Landers, 2007). After reviewing both meta-analyses, it appears that the two studies posed different research questions. Further, there were a number of coding judgments in Berry et al. that merit review, and there was no moderator analysis for educational versus employment interviews. As a result, we reanalyzed the work by Berry et al. and found a corrected correlation of .42 for employment interviews (.15 higher than Berry et al., a 56% increase). Further, educational interviews were associated with a corrected correlation of .21, supporting their influence as a moderator. We suggest a better...
The effect of forward-backward data formulation to direction-of-arrival estimation

The authors analyze the performance of DOA (direction-of-arrival) estimation using both forward-only and forward-backward data formulations for MUSIC, min-norm, state-space realization, and ESPRIT in a unified fashion. Particular attention is given to the effects of forward-backward data formulation on the statistical performance of the DOA estimation algorithms. >
On the sum-rate capacity of a 2-user Multiple Access Wiretap Channel with one secret user

We consider a 2-user Gaussian Multiple-Access Wiretap channel (MA-WC), with the unintended receiver having access to signal from only one of the two transmitters. We have characterized the sum-rate capacity of this channel within .5 bits and proved that Gaussian signalling at the transmitters is approximate sum-rate capacity optimal. For the scenario when the additive noise plus the signal from first transmitter have a combined strength poorer than the additive noise of the evesdropper, the above sum-rate capacity characterization leads to an approximate capacity region characterization for the channel. It is shown that, under this circumstances, a timesharing scheme between the two users can achieve the capacity region of the channel within .25 bits. It has been proved (Xie and Ulukus, ISIT 2013 [1]) recently that on a Multiple-Access Wiretap channel interference alignment (IA) is necessary to achieve optimal performance. Our channel model is an interesting variation of the MA-WC for which IA is not necessary and independent Gaussina signalling is sufficient to achieve the optimal sum-rate within .5 bits.
Combination immunotherapy with anti-CTLA-4 and interleukin-2 redirects regulatory T cells into tumor-draining lymph nodes and expands anti-tumor CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment

Meeting abstracts Monotherapy with Ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4 antibody) and monotherapy with IL-2 (T cell stimulating cytokine) are approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Combination immunotherapy has been suggested as a more potent regimen but has not been sufficiently investigated. We
The Many Faces of MeCP2

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is an X-linked transcription factor that binds to methylated CpG dinucleotides in the genome. Its primary function was originally thought to be limited to repression of gene transcription in keeping with the transcriptional silence of methylated genes. CpG methylation is a hallmark of epigenetic regulation of genome function because it is copied to replicating DNA strands during cell division and is maintained across development as a form of epigenetic memory. Cytosine methylation in CpG clusters (islands) in the genome can modify chromatin structure by inhibiting activator DNA-binding proteins from binding to recognition sequences in DNA while allowing access by repressor proteins to methyl-CpP binding domains (MBD) that prevent the activation of gene transcription. MeCP2 is a member of the MBD family of proteins that associate with histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone metyltransferases (HMTs) to form stable repressor complexes. MeCP2 point mutations cause Rett syndrome, the most common inherited form of mental retardation in girls. However, exactly which protein partners are affected by different MeCP2 mutations is controversial. For example, MeCP2 has been shown to associate with the Sin3a–HDAC chromatin remodeling complex in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) gene to modulate its expression, and loss of MeCP2 from the Bdnf promoter causes loss of local histone methylation (Chen et al, 2003; Martinowich et al, 2003). However, the function of MeCP2 may be determined by its multifaceted interactions with many different protein partners leading to different functional outcomes. Indeed, MeCP2 appears to associate with many different complexes in brain nuclear extracts some of which repress, but others, like CREB, activate, gene transcription (Chahrour et al, 2008).
Evolution and Development of Multiairport Systems: Worldwide Perspective

This paper presents an analysis of the dynamics of evolution of multiairport systems worldwide that can help to guide their effective development in the future. Given the capacity constraints on existing major airports, the development of multiairport systems is going to be a key mechanism by which air transportation systems around the world will be able to meet future demand. In order to better understand how these systems will evolve, a systematic case study analysis of 59 airport systems worldwide was performed. The analysis showed significant differences in the evolution of multiairport systems across world regions. In the United States and in Europe, the recent development of multiairport systems primarily involved the emergence of secondary airports. This dynamic was driven by the entry of low-cost carriers seizing the opportunity of using existing airport infrastructure but also by the barriers and opposition to the construction of green field airports. In Asia, multiairport systems have generally evolved through the construction of new high capacity airports, due to a much weaker set of available airports, high-perceived benefits of strong growth of traffic and weaker opposition to the construction of airports. This study suggests that, in the United States and in Europe, protecting existing underused airports will be key to meeting future demand. In Asia, where the existing underused airport infrastructure is weak and where projections of high volume of demand are high, there is the need to apply a dynamic approach to develop multiairport systems by reserving land area that can later be developed into airports.
Guest editorial special issue on internet of things for smart and connected health

The articles in this special section are focused on two major aspects of Internet of things (IoT) technologies for smart and connected health services (SCH): 1) monitoring and assisting individuals by means of smart systems including sensors, devices, and robotics; and 2) creating interoperable digital health information infrastructures to increase medical/health information availability and use. The papers published in this SI provide evidence that SCH tools that rely upon IoT technologiescould significantly improve clinical outcomes and thequality of life of individuals undergoing monitoring.
Uptake of [3H]vitamin D3 from low and high density lipoproteins by cultured human fibroblasts.

The plasma distribution and cellular uptake of (/sup 3/H)vitamin D/sub 3/ was studied in vitro using cultured human fibroblasts. Incubation of (/sup 3/H)vitamin D/sub 3/ (cholecalciferol) with plasma followed by sequential ultracentrifugal fractionation of the lipoproteins indicated that 2-4% of the radioactivity associated with the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), 12% with low density lipoprotein (LDL), and approximately 60% with the high density lipoprotein (HDL). The remaining radioactivity, 25%, was associated with the sedimented plasma fractions. By comparison, an average of 86% of the radioactivity from (/sup 3/H) 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol associated with the sedimented plasma fractions. The uptake of (/sup 3/H)vitamin D/sub 3/ from plasma, LDL, or HDL was studied in cultured human cells; uptake by normal fibroblasts was greatest from LDL and least from plasma. The cellular association of vitamin D/sub 3/ was time, concentration, and temperature dependent. At a concentration of 50 ..mu..g LDL/ml of medium, the uptake of (/sup 3/H)vitamin D/sub 3/ from LDL at 37/sup 0/C was rapid and reached a maximum at approximately 4 hr; it was slower from HDL but continued to increase slowly up to 24 hr. The significance of these in vitro findings is uncertain since much of the vitamin D/sub 3/ absorbedmore » from the intestine reportedly associates with chylomicrons and is rapidly taken up by the liver.« less
Effect of substituting sulfur for oxygen on the heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics of oxomolybdenum(V) hydrotris (3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate complexes

Heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants (ks,h) and formal potentials (Eo′) are measured for the one-electron reduction of a series of oxomolybdenum(V) complexes, HB(Me2pz)3MoO(LL), where HB(Me2pz)3−=hydrotis(3,5-dimethyl-l-pyrazolyl)borate and LL2− is a bidentate 1,2-disubstituted ethane or benzene ligand whose donor atoms can be either O or S. Eo′ shifts in the negative direction by about 1 V and ks,h decreases by about 1.5 orders of magnitude as S is replaced by O in the inner coordination sphere of these compounds. These observations are rationalized in terms of a hard acid-hard base interaction between the HB(Me2pz)3MoO2+ fragment and LL2− which stabilizes the metal-ligand bond and increases the energy of the metal-centered redox orbital as the hard base character of the bidentate ligand increases. Electron transfer rate differences are believed to arise primarily from larger inner-shell contributions to the activation energy barrier for MoO versus MoS complexes, but contributions from differences in outer-shell energies and adiabaticities cannot be eliminated at this time.
Effectiveness of compartmentalization of wound-initiated discoloration in red spruce trees of two forest stands

The effectiveness of compartmentalization following wounding was tested in red spruce trees at two locations in the northeastern United States. The test provided a basis to rank the two forest stands on the basis of the effectiveness of compartmentalization.
Atlas of allergies

Allergies are a growing cause for concern worldwide, with incidences rising and their diagnosis and management becoming ever more complex. It is against this backdrop that the second edition of this atlas has been published. The text has been revised to provide an overview of allergic disease. It includes comprehensive coverage of what is a whole family of immunologically-related conditions. This second edition includes new chapters on diagnostic tests, occupational allergy and allergic rhinitis, and an enlarged section an asthma. The atlas is aimed at clinicians, general and specialist, who should come across such problems in their practice.
Band mixing in light nuclei: Treatment of hole excitations and importance of isospin

Abstract Statements in the recent literature regarding the correct treatment of hole states in band mixing calculations are examined and found to be incorrect.
Pineal Cyst Associated With Polycystic Kidney Disease: Case Report

Polycystic kidney disease often is accompanied by cystic involvement of other organs. We observed a calcified cyst of the pineal in a woman with polycystic kidney disease who developed galactorrhea. It was visible on both regular x-ray and computed tomographic examination of the skull. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a pineal cyst occurring in a patient with polycystic kidney disease, but the prevalence of the association is unknown.
A large deformation theory for rate-dependent elastic–plastic materials with combined isotropic and kinematic hardening

Abstract We have developed a large deformation viscoplasticity theory with combined isotropic and kinematic hardening based on the dual decompositions F = F e F p [Kroner, E., 1960. Allgemeine kontinuumstheorie der versetzungen und eigenspannungen. Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis 4, 273–334] and F p = F en p F dis p [Lion, A., 2000. Constitutive modelling in finite thermoviscoplasticity: a physical approach based on nonlinear rheological models. International Journal of Plasticity 16, 469–494]. The elastic distortion F e contributes to a standard elastic free-energy ψ ( e ) , while F en p , the energetic part of F p , contributes to a defect energy ψ ( p ) – these two additive contributions to the total free energy in turn lead to the standard Cauchy stress and a back-stress. Since F e = FF p - 1 and F en p = F p F dis p - 1 , the evolution of the Cauchy stress and the back-stress in a deformation-driven problem is governed by evolution equations for F p and F dis p – the two flow rules of the theory. We have also developed a simple, stable, semi-implicit time-integration procedure for the constitutive theory for implementation in displacement-based finite element programs. The procedure that we develop is “simple” in the sense that it only involves the solution of one non-linear equation, rather than a system of non-linear equations. We show that our time-integration procedure is stable for relatively large time steps, is first-order accurate, and is objective.
Absorbing boundary conditions for acoustic and elastic waves in stratified media

Abstract Absorbing boundary conditions are needed for computing numerical models of wave motions in unbounded spatial domains. Prior progress on this problem for acoustic and elastic waves has generally been concerned with waves propagating through uniform media. The present paper is concerned with waves in stratified media, which are of interest, for example, in geophysical problems. Suppose that the medium consists of homogeneous layers separated by parallel horizontal interfaces, and suppose that absorbing boundary conditions are needed along a vertical computational boundary. The boundary conditions that are described in this paper are based on a quantity known as the ”ray parameter.“ According to Snell's law, this parameter remains the same when a plane wave propagates through a stratified medium and undergoes reflection, refraction, and, in the case of elastic waves, conversion. Once can therefore use the same absorbing boundary conditions in all layers. For acoustic waves, the absorption properties are the same in all layers. For elastic waves, the absorption properties vary somewhat from one layer to another; however, one still obtains good absorption in all layers, even in the presence of strong contrasts between layers. The boundary conditions are also effective in absorbing Rayleigh waves, which propagate along free surfaces of elastic media. The boundary formulas developed here can be applied without modification to problems in both two and three dimensions.
Chloroplast DNA sequence utility for the lowest phylogenetic and phylogeographic inferences in angiosperms: the tortoise and the hare IV.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Noncoding chloroplast DNA (NC-cpDNA) sequences are the staple data source of low-level phylogeographic and phylogenetic studies of angiosperms. We followed up on previous papers (tortoise and hare II and III) that sought to identify the most consistently variable regions of NC-cpDNA. We used an exhaustive literature review and newly available whole plastome data to assess applicability of previous conclusions at low taxonomic levels. METHODS We aligned complete plastomes of 25 species pairs from across angiosperms, comparing the number of genetic differences found in 107 NC-cpDNA regions and matK. We surveyed Web of Science for the plant phylogeographic literature between 2007 and 2013 to assess how NC-cpDNA has been used at the intraspecific level. KEY RESULTS Several regions are consistently the most variable across angiosperm lineages: ndhF-rpl32, rpl32-trnL((UAG)), ndhC-trnV((UAC)), 5'rps16-trnQ((UUG)), psbE-petL, trnT((GGU))-psbD, petA-psbJ, and rpl16 intron. However, there is no universally best region. The average number of regions applied to low-level studies is ∼2.5, which may be too little to access the full discriminating power of this genome. CONCLUSIONS Plastome sequences have been used successfully at lower and lower taxonomic levels. Our findings corroborate earlier works, suggesting that there are regions that are most likely to be the most variable. However, while NC-cpDNA sequences are commonly used in plant phylogeographic studies, few of the most variable regions are applied in that context. Furthermore, it appears that in most studies too few NC-cpDNAs are used to access the discriminating power of the cpDNA genome.
Rapid Determination of Molecular Relatedness of Isolates of Human Cytomegalovirus

Molecular comparisons of isolates of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) with restriction enzyme digests have helped to identify patterns of CMV transmission. Current techniques, however, require extensive tissue culture passage of the virus, which limits use of these analyses. In this report, we describe a rapid, less-expensive, and equally sensitive method of comparing CMV genomes. This procedure, which we have called "junctional hybridization," uses the cloned junction fragments of CMV strain AD169 as probes that hybridize to CMV DNA restriction digests previously separated by electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose filters. The procedure eliminates the need for tissue culture passage of virus beyond the primary isolation and can be used directly with DNA extracted from CMV-infected tissue. In all cases, junctional hybridization was as sensitive as currently used methods of restriction enzyme digestion analyses in identifying identical or different CMV isolates. Use of junctional hybridization should facilitate molecular analyses for study of the epidemiology of CMV infections.
9-deaza-5'-noraristeromycin.

Abstract 9-Deaza-5′-noraristeromycin (2) has been prepared in 10 steps from the readily available (+)-(1R,4S)-4-t-butyldimethylsilyloxycyclopent-2-en-1-yl acetate. Compound 2 was evaluated against a large number of viruses. No activity was found nor did 2 display cyctotoxicity towards the viral host cells.
Computing Fastest Paths in Continuous-Time Dynamic Networks with Piecewise Linear Link Travel-Time Functions

The problem of computing minimum-time paths from all nodes to one destination node, for all possible departure times, in continuous-time dynamic networks with piecewise linear link travel-time functions is considered. Two types of algorithms to solve this problem are presented: a continuous-time label-correcting algorithm and an algorithm that determines optimal minimum travel-time functions in decreasing order of departure times. The algorithms are valid in networks in which "first in, first out" holds and does not necessarily hold. Computer implementations of these algorithms were developed and are available. It is demonstrated that the algorithms have modest computational time and memory requirements. The decreasing order of time algorithm generally requires less running time than the label-correcting algorithm, which is comparatively easier to implement.
Determination of the lower bound of minimum fluidization velocity: application at elevated temperatures

Description d'une nouvelle methode de mesure precise de la vitesse minimale de fluidisation, d'un point de vue microscopique. Influence de l'elevation de temperature sur la vitesse minimale de fluidisation
France and Panama: The Unknown Years, 1894-1908

Contents: A study of the New Panama Canal Company, the French corporation which replaced the bankrupt de Lesseps venture on the Panamanian Isthmus in 1894 and sold its concession to the U.S. government in 1904.
Capsule commentary on Dahlke et al., The mini mental status exam as a surrogate measure of health literacy.

Low health literacy is a common problem in primary care that has implications for health and health outcomes.1,2 Dahlke et al.3 compared performance on the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) with three common health literacy instruments. The data demonstrated weak correlations (ranging from 0.52 to 0.70) between all three literacy instruments and the MMSE, with scores less than 27 predicting impaired health literacy. The authors conclude that the MMSE and health literacy instruments may be measuring similar latent constructs. It may not be surprising that worse cognition is correlated with lower literacy. Literacy is a cognitive construct. What is surprising is that this relationship was found at MMSE cut points that are considered relatively normal. Not all components of the MMSE were equally correlated with diminished literacy. Serial subtraction and praxis were the most highly correlated components. Given that numeracy and literacy are often similarly diminished, it may not be surprising that serial subtraction on the MMSE had one of the stronger correlations with literacy. Praxis, difficulty with drawing, is an indication of frontotemporal problems, the area of the brain involved in reading. The authors suggest that the MMSE may be used as a proxy for identifying diminished literacy. Since the MMSE is no longer freely available, its use for measuring literacy may not be tenable, given the availability of public domain literacy instruments. Clinically, rather than using diminished MMSE scores as a proxy for literacy, perhaps patients with diminished literacy should be evaluated for impaired cognition. It seems likely that literacy and cognition measure similar latent constructs, just as trust and satisfaction are often tightly related. While trust and satisfaction are often highly correlated and have overlapping factors that underlie the meaning of each construct, to patients the differences between the two are real, though subtle. Further research on literacy, numeracy and their relationship with cognition is merited.
Geometric structure at the Si/GaAs(001) interface: The relationship to AlAs/Si/GaAs band offsets.

We have used high-energy x-ray photoelectron diffraction to investigate the structure of the first monolayer of epitaxial Si on GaAs(001)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4). Analysis reveals that Si indiffusion occurs, resulting in Si occupancies of \ensuremath{\sim}0.6, 0.3, and 0.1 in the first, second, and third layers, respectively. In addition, Si atoms are displaced from their respective bulk truncated coordinates by 0.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1 \AA{} along [110] in the first layer, and by 0.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1 \AA{} along [1\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}10] in the second layer. These results provide an explanation for the unusual band-offset behavior at AlAs/Si/GaAs heterojunctions.
Role of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in predicting cerebrovascular events in patients following myocardial infarction

Although there appears to be a role for statins in reducing cerebrovascular events, the exact role of different lipid fractions in the etiopathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is not well understood. A secondary analysis of data collected for the placebo arm (n = 2,078) of the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) trial was performed. The CARE trial was a placebo-controlled trial aimed at testing the effect of pravastatin on patients after myocardial infarction. Patients with histories of CVD were excluded from the study. A Cox proportional-hazards model was used to evaluate the association between plausible risk factors (including lipid fractions) and risk for first incident CVD in patients after myocardial infarction. At the end of 5 years, 123 patients (6%) had incident CVD after myocardial infarction (76 with stroke and 47 with transient ischemic attack). Baseline non–high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level emerged as the only significant lipid risk factor that predicted CVD; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were not significant. The adjusted hazard ratios (adjusted for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking) for CVD were 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06 to 1.53) for non-HDL cholesterol, 1.14 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.37) for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and 0.90 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.09) for HDL cholesterol (per unit SD change of lipid fractions). This relation held true regardless of the level of triglycerides. After adjustment for age and gender, the hazard ratio for the highest natural quartile of non-HDL was 1.76 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.54), compared to 1.36 (95% CI 0.89 to 1.90) for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In conclusion, non-HDL cholesterol is the strongest predictor among the lipid risk factors of incident CVD in patients with established coronary heart disease.
Failure of parenterally administered pyridoxine to influence serum cholesterol levels and development of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Pyridoxine administered parenterally was found to have no effect on serum cholesterol levels of rabbits fed a normal diet, nor did it inhibit the development of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a cholesterol-rich diet.