cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Prevalence and Rationale for Presenting an Opposing Viewpoint in Climate Change Reporting: Findings from a U.S. National Survey of TV Weathercasters

AbstractThe journalistic norm of balance has been described as the practice of giving equal weight to different sides of a story; false balance is balanced reporting when the weight of evidence str...
The Identification of Family Social Environment Typologies Using Latent Class Analysis: Implications for Future Family-Focused Research

The family social environment is the first environment that a child experiences and has implications for children's health. However, the majority of family social environment measures do not account for its complexity. There is a need for novel approaches for assessing the family social environment that transcends the traditional way of measuring family composition and interaction. The purpose of this secondary data analysis research was to identify distinct family social environment typologies that consider both family composition and interaction and to describe the characteristics of the identified family social environment typologies. A series of latent class analysis results indicated three distinct typologies of family social environment with significant differences in family composition, family problem-solving skills, and demographic characteristics. The process used to identify the typologies and significant differences between the typologies showcases how the field could advance family-focused research by considering family composition and interaction.
Open µPMU Event Dataset: Detection and Characterization at LBNL Campus

Micro-Synchrophasor Measurement Units (µPMUs) offer a compelling stream of data for quantifying, characterizing, and analyzing electrical grid conditions. They can measure local current and voltage phasors twice per cycle, resulting in 120 Hertz data. Furthermore, they are time-synchronized between locations, permitting time-sensitive analysis, such as phase angle comparisons between locations. This paper utilizes µPMU data from three locations within the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) campus to detect, characterize, and analyze grid events. The Berkeley Tree DataBase (BTrDB) is employed as a centered data repository, which permits rapid data sifting and event isolation by representing raw data statistically. The Twenty-six voltage sags detected on the LBNL campus across three µPMU locations are presented here, and aggregated into a event library which is open source and available to the research community. An analysis of these short-lived events is conducted by the Ward and K-Means clustering method, and the utilization for proactive control application is discussed.
Procedure for developing experimental designs for accelerated tests for service-life prediction

Recommended design procedures to reduce the complete factorial design by retaining information on anticipated important interaction effects, and by generally giving up information on unconditional main effects are discussed. A hypothetical photovoltaic module used in the test design is presented. Judgments were made of the relative importance of various environmental stresses such as UV radiation, abrasion, chemical attack, temperature, mechanical stress, relative humidity and voltage. Consideration is given to a complete factorial design and its graphical representation, elimination of selected test conditions, examination and improvement of an engineering design, and parametric study. The resulting design consists of a mix of conditional main effects and conditional interactions and represents a compromise between engineering and statistical requirements.
Improving crisis-response simulations: Using local context and incorporating crisis-response professionals

Courses: Crisis Communication, Crisis and Issue Management, Writing for Public Relations, Public Relations Capstone. Objective: This unit activity refines traditional simulation activities used in ...
47. PREDICTING AND UNDERSTANDING CONTINUITY IN A RESIDENT CONTINUITY CLINIC

Background The longitudinal experience in continuity clinic plays a crucial role in building a strong foundation in general pediatrics. Pediatric residents struggle to maintain continuity in their clinics, which may impact comfort in managing common chronic pediatric conditions. Little is known about the prevalence of common chronic diseases managed on resident panels and if they are associated with resident continuity. Objectives We hypothesize that the presence of common chronic disease will be associated with resident continuity. We will also determine prevalence of common chronic diseases seen in clinic. This study will help inform a prospective quality improvement (QI) project. Methods Unique patients that had been seen for at least two non-urgent care visits (with at least one well visit) in our residency continuity clinic over a 2-year period were identified. To date, 618 of 685 patient charts reviewed meet the visit criteria. We have defined continuity as seeing the same resident provider for two or more visits. We have defined a resident primary care provider (PCP) as a resident who has seen a patient for >50% of their visits. Patient visit data and presence of chronic diseases for each patient were recorded in a password-protected Excel database. Results Of the 685 patients reviewed, there were 5584 unique visits, of which 3775 visits were related to well care (68%). Of those that met inclusion criteria (618), 309 (50%) met our definition for continuity, and 116 (16.9%) met our definition for having an identified resident PCP. For patients that had an identified resident PCP, they were less likely than those without one to have chronic diseases such as ADHD (0.86% vs. 3.56%, OR 0.28), obesity (6% vs. 15.5%, OR 0.78) and anxiety/depression (1.7% vs. 5.5%, OR 0.53). Conclusions While data collection/analysis is incomplete, it is clear that achieving continuity in a resident clinic is challenging. Chronic diseases are unlikely to be associated with resident continuity. QI interventions may be needed to increase resident continuity particularly among patients with common chronic pediatric conditions
O09.3 Gonococcal pharyngeal susceptibility to ceftriaxone, cefixime and azithromycin among men and women in eGISP, 2018 – 2020

Background Most gonorrhea treatment failures on ceftriaxone-based regimens, the foundation of current treatment recommendations, have been associated with pharyngeal infections; however, antimicrobial susceptibility data for pharyngeal infections are limited. We present preliminary pharyngeal susceptibility data collected through a U.S. sentinel surveillance project. Methods The enhanced Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (eGISP) collects gonococcal isolates from male and female genital and extragenital sites. Samples are collected for culture from symptomatic and/or exposed patients at participating STD clinics. Gonococcal isolates undergo antimicrobial susceptibility testing by agar dilution with results reported as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Since eGISP began, 13 clinical sites across the U.S. have participated in eGISP. Results During 2018–2020, 628 pharyngeal isolates were collected in eGISP among men who have sex with men (MSM) (n=370; 59%), men who have sex with women only (MSW) (n=142; 23%) and women (n=116; 18%). Two isolates displayed reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone (MIC ≥0.125 µg/mL), an overall point prevalence of 0.3%; both isolates were among MSM. One isolate in an MSM displayed reduced susceptibility to cefixime (MIC ≥0.25 µg/mL), a prevalence of 0.2% overall. The prevalence of reduced susceptibility to azithromycin (MIC ≥2.0 µg/mL) was 8.0% overall (8.4% MSM, 8.5% MSW, 6.0% women). Similar patterns were seen among the 3898 urogenital isolates collected; overall prevalence of reduced susceptibility for ceftriaxone was 0.1% (0% MSM, 0.1% MSW, 0.4% women), for cefixime was 0.3% (0.4% MSM, 0.3% MSW, 0% women), and for azithromycin was 6.4% (8.8% MSM, 5.3% MSW, 3.4% women). Conclusion Based on sentinel surveillance in multiple U.S. cities, the prevalence of pharyngeal reduced susceptibility to cephalosporins appears low; however, prevalence of reduced susceptibility to azithromycin was high among MSM, MSW, and women. As many pharyngeal gonococcal infections are asymptomatic, monitoring susceptibility patterns at this anatomic site can support public health action to ensure effective treatment.
Role of Antibody-Mediated Immunity in Host Defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

For many decades, the dominant view in the field of mycobacterial immunology has been that host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis relies exclusively on cell-mediated immunity. In search of new solutions to the overwhelming problem of tuberculosis, investigators set out several years ago to evaluate the help that can be offered by antibody-mediated immunity in host defense against M. tuberculosis, with the possibility that it may lead to the development of a novel and effective vaccine strategy. The literature on studies of antibody-mediated immunity against M. tuberculosis can be divided into several general categories: serological studies, passive antibody studies, animal studies, in vitro studies, and human studies. Monoclonal antibody (MAb) technology, described for the first time in the 1970s, allowed the selection of individual antibodies with particular antigen specificities. Vaccines presently used in humans belong to one of three main categories: inactivated, live attenuated, and subunit vaccines. Adhesion of microbes to host tissues is a significant step in the colonization of the host and the establishment of infection. The majority of these vaccines are thought to provide protection by eliciting protective antibody responses. The progress made in recent years is encouraging and should stimulate interest in evaluating the mechanisms by which antibodies may contribute to host defense against M. tuberculosis. The future challenges are to systematically dissect the conditions required for optimal antibody-mediated immunity against M. tuberculosis and to develop vaccine candidates that will work by eliciting protective antibody responses.
Depressive symptoms and work role satisfaction in mothers of toddlers.

Objective. To determine the incidence of depressive symptoms in mothers of toddlers in community pediatric practice. The interaction of employment and work role satisfaction with depressive symptoms was also investigated. Subjects and methods. Depression screening measures were completed by 233 mothers of toddlers (aged 12 to 24 months) at health supervision visits in two community pediatric practices in New Hampshire. Depression was evaluated with a depressive symptom screening inventory modified by Barrett, Oxman, and Gerber from the Hopkins Symptom Checklist for use in primary care population. Data were obtained on parents9 socioeconomic variables, hours worked, and whether the mother was satisfied with her current role of being employed or not employed. Results. Depressive symptoms were present in 42% of mothers. Rates of depressive symptoms were similar in employment groups but varied significantly with work role satisfaction. When both employment and satisfaction were considered, mothers who were dissatisfied were 3.7 times more likely to be depressed. After controlling for work role satisfaction, mothers working part time were half as likely to be depressed as mothers working full time and not employed. Conclusion. Depressive symptoms are a major problem for mothers of toddlers in middle class pediatric practice. Work role satisfaction and employment status together are related to depressive symptoms.
Nonadiabatic Nonradial Pulsations for Dav White Dwarf Stars

New complete 0.6 M ⊙ models based on evolution studies including element diffusion and gravitational settling for white dwarfs have been studied for their nonadiabatic oscillations. The derived periods and growth rates confirm the earlier result that any thickness of the surface hydrogen can give the observed nonradial pulsations, providing it is at least thick enough to contain the surface convection zone. It is now found that a very unconventional and large ratio of the mixing length to pressure scale height is required to deepen the convection zone so that the pulsation driving mechanisms can operate for the low degree and order g-modes observed at the 13,000K instability strip blue edge. These pulsation results were obtained from a Lagrangian-based eigensolution program.
T.S. Eliot and the art of collaboration

Introduction: reaching the stillness of music 1. 'Speaking as ourselves': authorship, impersonality, and the creative process in the early essays 2. A conversation about 'the longest poem in the English langwidge': Pound, Eliot, and The Waste Land 3. 'Helping the poets write for the theatre': the transitional essays on collaboration, community, and drama 4. A dramatist and his midwives: Eliot's collaborations in the theater 5. The possum and the 'creating critick': Eliot's collaboration with John Hayward Conclusion: placing collaboration in perspective: voice and influence in the late essays Notes Index.
THE EFFECTS OF GANG MEMBERSHIP ON DEVIANCE IN TWO POPULATIONS: SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ADOLESCENT SERIOUS HABITUAL OFFENDERS

The effect of gang membership on deviance was examined in two populations: students (N=13,949) and youthful serious habitual offenders (N=171 ). Among students, 14 percent were gang members, former members or wannabes. The serious offenders averaged twenty arrests, and 47 percent were gang members. Among students, gang members were between three and twenty-one times more likely to use drugs, be delinquent, injure someone, become injured, and carry a weapon. Among the students deviance was more strongly associated with gang membership than it was among the serious offenders.
A dynamic thresholding approach to improve higher order associative memory capability

A dynamic thresholding method is presented to improve higher order sparsely encoded associative memory (SEAM) performance. Under such a scheme, the SEAM model is shown to have greater storage capacity than the ordinary associative memory. The results are also considered from the information point of view. Simulation results are consistent with the theoretical analysis. >
Cocoa and Chocolate: Composition, Bioavailability, and Health Implications

Chocolate and cocoa are extensively used in many cultures. Although their composition has been studied, the functional significance of the components has not been as well defined. There are indications that cocoa constituents exert beneficial effects on human health, and therefore cocoa and chocolate may be considered functional foods. The use of functional foods to modulate human health has gained greater significance in recent years, and chocolate is widely consumed throughout society. We performed an extensive review of literature in both animal and human systems with respect to composition, bioavailability, comparative analysis with other food products and, especially, implications for cardiovascular disease and the human immune system. Although chocolate contains a high amount of saturated fats, the two major fatty acids are palmitic and stearic acid, which appear to have fewer implications for progression of coronary artery disease than other saturated fatty acids. In addition, the implications of f...
Nearly linear-work algorithms for mixed packing/covering and facility-location linear programs

We describe the first nearly linear-time approximation algorithms for explicitly given mixed packing/covering linear programs, and for (non-metric) fractional facility location. We also describe the first parallel algorithms requiring only near-linear total work and finishing in polylog time. The algorithms compute $(1+\epsilon)$-approximate solutions in time (and work) $O^*(N/\epsilon^2)$, where $N$ is the number of non-zeros in the constraint matrix. For facility location, $N$ is the number of eligible client/facility pairs.
The Apparatus of the Dark: Emily Dickinson and the Epistemology of Metaphor

This essay argues that Emily Dickinson’s poetry intervenes in the broad cultural assessment of epistemology provoked by the evolutionary debates of the 1860s. While scholars have begun to explore the thematic correspondences between Dickinson’s poetry and some aspects of this cultural conversation, this essay examines the ways in which her intervention occurs at the level of poetic form and is in fact profoundly dependent upon form. Specifically, it analyzes a set of her poems from the early 1860s through the early 1870s in which she uses the dual structure of metaphor to elicit a way of thinking about truth that is aligned with the empirical methods of research that were widely embraced in the mid nineteenth century; however, in the face of an increasingly contingent notion of truth, Dickinson’s way of thinking significantly revises cultural assumptions about what those methods might yield. The metaphors examined here amplify the distinctions between two material entities—lightning and fork, or sunset and lilac, for example—rather than merging them or leaping beyond them to stable, transcendent meaning. What Dickinson plays with is the possibility of a revised version of revelation or truth, one that is not only derived from the observation of material difference through the two parts of a metaphor, but that is more radically contingent on the perpetuity of such dual perception. Altogether, Dickinson’s metaphors are both critical and recuperative, as they contribute to the dismantling of fixed truth while embracing the limited revelations made possible by— only made possible by—sustained process.
Gas-pressure studies with Li(Si)/FeS/sub 2/ thermal batteries

A study was undertaken to monitor the internal gas pressure of Li(Si)/FeS/sub 2/ thermal batteries during discharge via a pressure transducer attached to the battery case. Factors that could influence the pressure were examined and include temperature, FeS/sub 2/ particle size, catholyte composition, catholyte processing, anode composition, discharge load, and the presence of Li/sub 2/O in the separator. Representative gas samples were also taken during discharge for analysis by gas chromatography. The gas pressure was strongly influenced by the migration of electrolyte from the separator into the catholyte and anode during activation and discharge, which affected the gettering of gases by the anode. >
Ineffably Effable: The Pinnacle of Mystical Ascent in Gregory of Nyssa's De vita Moysis

In his commentary on the Song of Songs, Gregory of Nyssa describes a three-step progression of the soul to God, an ascent which ends in the darkness of God's ineffability. Though some of Gregory's most prominent interpreters understand Moses' ascent into the darkness to be the definitive encounter with God in De vita Moysis as well, it is here argued that in De vita Moysis Gregory of Nyssa makes the culminating moment, not the apophatic experience of the darkness, but the encounter with the celestial tabernacle, Christ. Gregory thereby suggests that the mystical ascent to God ends in the encounter of God as both unknowable and known, transcendent but also incarnate.
Prolonged Dose-Dense Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide Followed by Paclitaxel in Breast Cancer Is Feasible

Abstract Purpose We conducted a pilot study of dose-dense epirubicin/cyclophosphamide (EC) × 6 → paclitaxel (P) × 6 with pegfilgrastim. A previous dose-dense trial of FEC (5-fluorouracil [5-FU]/EC) × 6 with filgrastim → by weekly paclitaxel alternating with docetaxel × 18 was not feasible because of pneumonitis (with dose-dense FEC) and pericardial/pleural effusion (taxane phase). Dose-dense EC (without the 5-FU) is not associated with pneumonitis, and dose-dense paclitaxel (alone) is feasible. Primary objective was feasibility. Patients and Methods Patients with resectable breast cancer were enrolled, regardless of surgery status, tumor size, or nodal status. Treatment regimen consisted of every-2-week EC (100/600 mg/m 2 ) × 6 → by 2-weekly P (175 mg/m 2 ) × 6 with pegfilgrastim 6 mg on day 2. Results Between November 2004 and May 2005, 38 patients were enrolled. The median age was 47 years (range, 30-72 years); 33 of 38 (87%) were treated in the adjuvant setting and 27 of 33 (81%) had involved nodes (range, 1-46); 5 of 38 (13%) were treated pre-operatively; 33 of 38 (87%) completed all chemotherapy as planned; the remaining patients (13%) had treatment modifications for toxicity. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 6 of 38 patients (16 %) and only during EC. There were 12 hospitalizations in 9 of 38 patients (24%) enrolled. Conclusion Dose-dense every-2-week EC × 6 → P × 6 with pegfilgrastim is feasible based on our prospective definition.
Distances in Random Induced Subgraphs of Generalized n -Cubes

In this paper we study distances in random subgraphs of a generalized n-cube Qns over a finite alphabet S of size s. Qns is the direct product of complete graphs over s vertices, its vertices being the n-tuples (x1, …, xn), with xi ∈ S, i = 1, … n, and two vertices being adjacent if they differ in exactly one coordinate. A random (induced) subgraph γ of Qns is obtained by selecting Qns-vertices with independent probability pn and then inducing the corresponding edges from Qns. Our main result is that dγ (P,Q) l [2k+3]dQns (P,Q) almost surely for P,Q ∈ γ, pn = n−a and 0 l a < ½, where k = [1+3a/1−2a] and dγ and dQns denote the distances in γ and Qns, respectively.
Statistical Thermodynamic Calculation of Nematic-Isotropic Coexistence Lines in Binary Mixtures of Liquid Crystals: 4, 4′-di-n, n′-Alkoxyazoxybenzenes

Abstract Recently Palffy-Muhoray, Dunmur, Miller, and Balzarini (PDMB) applied a modified Maier-Saupe mean field treatment to the calculation of properties of binary mixtures of nematogens. The theory of PDMB is here applied to some phase diagrams of 4,4′-di-n, n′-alkoxyazoxybenzenes that were previously quantitatively studied. The The PDMB equations were expanded using confluent hypergeometric functions for ease of calculation. Also predications for the slopes of the phase diagrams were calculated by recasting the statistical thermodynamic formulas for use in a new thermodynamic formulation called the equal G analysis. Reasonable agreement between theory and experiment was obtained.
Three-class ROC analysis: a sequential decision model developed for the diagnostic task rest-stress myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging

Previously we have developed a decision model for three-class ROC analysis where classification is made three simultaneously, i.e., with a single decision. In this paper, an alternative sequential decision model was developed for the specific three-class diagnostic procedure of rest-stress myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) imaging. This sequential decision model was developed based on the fact that sometimes this diagnostic task is performed using a two-step process. First, the stress ( 99m Tc) image is read to determine whether a patient is normal or abnormal based on the presence of a defect in the stress image. If a defect is found, the rest ( 201 Tl) image is then read to determine whether this is a reversible defect or a fixed defect based on the presence of defect on the rest image. In fact, in some MPS protocols where sequential stress/rest imaging is performed, the rest imaging is not performed if there is no defect in the stress image. Therefore, the three-class task is decomposed to a sequence of two two-class tasks. For this task we determined, by maximizing the expected utility of both steps of the decision process, that log likelihood ratios were the optimal decision variables and provide the optimal ROC surface under the assumption that incorrect decisions have equal utilities under the same hypothesis. The properties of the sequential decision model were then studied. We found that the sequential decision model shares most of the features of a 2-class ROC curve. While this model was developed in the context of rest-stress MPS, it may have applications to other two-step diagnostic tasks.
Prasugrel in Clinical Practice

On July 10, the FDA approved the thienopyridine prasugrel for use in patients with unstable angina or myocardial infarction who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. Dr. Deepak Bhatt discusses the associated risk of bleeding, the mechanism of action, and the use of this antiplatelet therapy in clinical practice.
Thalamic olfaction: characterizing odor processing in the mediodorsal thalamus of the rat.

Thalamus is a key crossroad structure involved in various functions relative to visual, auditory, gustatory, and somatosensory senses. Because of the specific organization of the olfactory pathway ...
Prediction of Coolant Pressure and Volume Flow Rate in the Gundrilling Process

Coolant volume flow rate and pressure critically affect the chip evacuation in the gundrilling process. A predictive fluid model was developed to estimate coolant volume flow rate and pressure, which considered the whole gundrill system of coolant channels as a system of circular and non-circular cross-sections of fluid channels and gundrill geometry. Major contributions to the findings of the following important facts were made through experiments as well as modeling. First, the generation of swarfs in the coolant transport did not create a noticeable hydraulic resistance no matter whether swarfs were carbon steel or aluminum. Second, the size of the coolant holes of the head is not necessarily the most influential factor for determining coolant volume flow rate as believed in general practice. Last, hydraulic resistance by the clearance area of the hole bottom becomes negligible when its size reaches a saturation point.
Images of strips on and trenches in substrates

The computation of images of lines or strips on a substrate and trenches in a substrate or a layer above a substrate, all made of dielectric or conducting materials, is presented. The method is based on integral equations, of the single-integral-equation kind, equivalent to Maxwell's equations and on Fourier optics. Examples of computed images illustrating some of the features found in the images are provided. Approximations involved in the model of the actual scatterer and microscope as well as in the theoretical and numerical representations are discussed.
Clinical applications of magnetoencephalography in epilepsy.

Magnetoencehalography (MEG) is being used with increased frequency in the pre-surgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy. One of the major advantages of this technique over the EEG is the lack of distortion of MEG signals by the skull and intervening soft tissue. In addition, the MEG preferentially records activity from tangential sources thus recording activity predominantly from sulci, which is not contaminated by activity from apical gyral (radial) sources. While the MEG is probably more sensitive than the EEG in detecting inter-ictal spikes, especially in the some locations such as the superficial frontal cortex and the lateral temporal neocortex, both techniques are usually complementary to each other. The diagnostic accuracy of MEG source localization is usually better as compared to scalp EEG localization. Functional localization of eloquent cortex is another major application of the MEG. The combination of high spatial and temporal resolution of this technique makes it an extremely helpful tool for accurate localization of visual, somatosensory and auditory cortices as well as complex cognitive functions like language. Potential future applications include lateralization of memory function.
Cyber Attack! Is a Counter Attack Warranted?

Organizations are under constant attack by developers and users of worms, botnets, and malware. These attacks are designed to do bring down an organization's systems with denial of service attacks, install rootkits, steal intellectual or financial data, ruin an organization's reputation, and so forth. Because attacks do take place, organizations have to evaluate whether to maintain a passive defense posture or take more aggressive action such as launching a counter attack against their aggressors. This paper discusses the legalities, pros, and cons of conducting aggressive counter actions against cyber attackers.
In vitro studies on the kinetics, composition, and homology of bovine keratohyalin.

Abstract Cattle hoof epidermis was incubated in Medium 199 supplemented with fetal calf serum and antibiotics, and lacking Tween 80 and the particular precursor studied. Specimens were removed at times ranging from 5 min to 24 h for autoradiography or for fractionation of isolated bovine keratohyalin (BKH) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of the seven amino acids studied by autoradiography, tritiated histidine, arginine, serine, and glycine were concentrated in KH granules. In contrast, KH did not appear to be selectively labelled by 35 S-cysteine, or by 3 H-proline, 3 H-tryptophan or 3 H-uridine. Label appeared in BKH in vitro as early as 5 min after pulsing, and increased with time. At no time period was significant label found over the nucleus. The fractionated oligomeric species of BKH were labelled by continuous in vitro incubations with the same precursors that labelled KH granules in situ. BKH isolated after 15 min pulses demonstrated most of the label in the low molecular weight oligomers with progression to higher molecular weight oligomers with chasing as a function of time. Puromycin blocked the incorporation of tritiated histidine into BKH in situ and into the fractionated oligomers. These results indicate that BKH (1) is rapidly synthesized in the cytoplasm; (2) undergoes sequential polymerization into larger oligomeric species as a function of time; (3) is labelled in situ in accord with the known amino acid composition.
Combining Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Disulfide/Thiol Redox Chemistry: A Route to Well-Defined (Bio)degradable Polymeric Materials

Linear well-defined degradable polymethacrylates with internal disulfide link were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl, tert-butyl, and benzyl methacrylate using bis[2-(2-bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl] disulfide as the initiator and CuBr/2,2‘-bipyridine as the catalyst at 50 °C. The disulfide bond was cleaved to thiol by reduction with tributylphosphine, yielding polymers of half the molecular weight of the starting materials. Degradable gels were prepared by the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and a disulfide-containing difunctional methacrylate, bis(2-methacryloyloxyethyl) disulfide, using similar reaction conditions. The produced gels were reduced with tributylphosphine to form soluble, low molecular weight linear poly(methyl methacrylate) fragments containing thiol groups at the chain end and along the backbone, originating from the disulfide difunctional initiator and monomer, respectively. The disulfide-cross-linked gels were further used as “supermacroinitiators” fo...
A 5-to-25Gb/s 1.6-to-3.8mW/(Gb/s) reconfigurable transceiver in 45nm CMOS

Channels for inter-chip communication in high-speed digital systems span a wide range: from 1-to-2mm on-package links (OPLs) in MCMs, to 25-to-100cm backplanes in server systems. Signaling with optimal power efficiency over such a diverse set of channels requires adaptation of the signaling mode to the channel [1]. For example, single-ended (SE) under-terminated and possibly multilevel signaling may be appropriate for OPL, while differential (DIFFL) source-terminated current/voltage-mode (I/V-mode) signaling with TX and RX equalization might be required for lossier backplane channels. Previous work has demonstrated signaling mode adaptation [2] and power-performance scalability [3] for a narrow range of I/O channels. In this paper, we present a unified transceiver design that can be reconfigured to signal optimally over a wider spectrum of I/O links. The target I/O channels for, and the possible signaling modes of the reconfigurable transceiver (RXCVR) are summarized in Fig. 20.7.1.
IL-2 administration increases CD4+CD25hi Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in cancer patients

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is historically known as a T-cell growth factor. Accumulating evidence from knockout mice suggests that IL-2 is crucial for the homeostasis and function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in vivo. However, the impact of administered IL-2 in an immune intact host has not been studied in rodents or humans. Here, we studied the impact of IL-2 administration on the frequency and function of human CD4+CD25hi T cells in immune intact patients with melanoma or renal cancer. We found that the frequency of CD4+CD25hi T cells was significantly increased after IL-2 treatment, and these cells expressed phenotypic markers associated with regulatory T cells. In addition, both transcript and protein levels of Foxp3, a transcription factor exclusively expressed on regulatory T cells, were consistently increased in CD4 T cells following IL-2 treatment. Functional analysis of the increased number of CD4+CD25hi T cells revealed that this population exhibited potent suppressive activity in vitro. Collectively, our results demonstrate that administration of high-dose IL-2 increased the frequency of circulating CD4+CD25hi Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Our findings suggest that selective inhibition of IL-2-mediated enhancement of regulatory T cells may improve the therapeutic effectiveness of IL-2 administration. (Blood. 2006;107:2409-2414)
Inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase by tumor-promoting organic peroxides and protection by resveratrol

Abstract Dicumyl peroxide (di-CuOOH) and benzoyl peroxide (BzOOH) act as tumor promoters in SENCAR mice, whereas di-tert-butylhydroperoxide does not. Tumor promotion requires the removal of growth suppression by inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and the induction of mitogenic intracellular pathways. We showed that di-CuOOH and BzOOH both reversibly inhibited GJIC and transiently activated mitogen-activated protein kinase, specifically, the extracellular receptor kinase at noncytotoxic conditions in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells, whereas the non–tumor-promoting di-tert-butylhydroperoxide did not inhibit GJIC or activate extracellular receptor kinase. di-CuOOH but not BzOOH inhibited GJIC through a phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C–dependent mechanism. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) was needed to prevent a cytotoxic, glutathione-depleting effect of BzOOH, whereas di-CuOOH was noncytotoxic and did not alter glutathione levels at all doses and times tested. Pretreatment o...
Afrikaner Nationalism and Apartheid

SOUTH Africa is the only portion of that continent with an appreciable long-established European settlement. Unlike the European thrust into the Americas, that into southern Africa neither displaced non-Europeans nor produced large ethnic mixtures. Instead, as in New Zealand, the penetration left Europeans living alongside non-Europeans. But while New Zealand Maoris became a minority, South African Europeans remained one.1 From this basic population fact has flowed a historic concept recently caught up in the word i"apartheid," which entered Afrikaans only in the late I930's. While the word can be translated as "apartness," significantly common usage does not make this apartness territorial or geographical. Instead the word connotes the entire complex of superior-subordinate relationships between Europeans and nonEuropeans. The two concepts of territorial and social apartheid have competed in South Africa since Jan van Riebeeck's wild orange hedge between colonists and Hottentots began official support of the literal, territorial type.2 When the colonists trampled the hedge, they initiated the rival frontier concept of social apartheid, which might also be termed frontier apartheid in that it was an attitude developed on the frontier, which pitted it against literal, territorial apartheid in a struggle with four stages. In each of them the frontier attitude identified itself more closely with Afrikaner nationalism and finally transferred to a larger South African nationalism, so that current usage of "apartheid" is largely social with only slight territorial connotations. During the first stage frontier apartheid emerged and vainly sought to become official policy. Beginning with the Netherlands East India Company each regime deplored expansion with attendant expensive native wars, and also increasingly tended to view Europeans and natives as near equals. While the colony hugged the western district with its settled grain and wine growers
Identification of nonsense mutations in Neurospora: application to the complex arg-6 locus

The arg-6 locus of Neurospora crassa encodes two enzymes of arginine synthesis, acetylglutamate kinase and acetylglutamyl phosphate reductase. Mutants lacking one or the other enzyme fall into two different complementation groups; a large non-complementing group lacks both enzymes. We wished to survey over 50 alleles for suppressibility by a nonsense suppressor. We compared two methods of assessing suppressibility. One, based on trans-action of a nonsense suppressor, was simple, but not efficient in detecting all suppressible alleles. The other, based on crosses involving a marker linked to the locus surveyed was very efficient in methodology and is suited to all cases, such as the arg-6 locus, in which allelic crosses are sterile. The data indicate that the arg-6 locus encodes a bifunctional protein.
Grain decoration in aluminum oxynitride (ALON) from polishing on bound abrasive laps

Aluminum oxynitride (ALON) is a polycrystalline material that has proven difficult to polish due to its grain structure. Bound abrasives are an effective means for polishing ALON, and work is being done with them to obtain good surfaces, with reasonable removal rates. Laps consisting of abrasives bound in epoxy matrices were created for polishing ALON. The effects of varying abrasive type, abrasive concentration, lap shape, coolant and load were studied. Metrology procedures were developed to monitor different aspects of the grain structure and numerically evaluate grain boundary decoration. Strategies were developed to polish ALON at acceptable rates with reasonably good surface quality. Work is directed toward finding optimal bound abrasive lap formulations that can be fabricated into ring and/or contour tools for testing on CNC machining platforms.
Management of nonvertex second twin.

Objectives The objective of the current study is to compare outcomes of twin pregnancies with attempted labor and active second-stage management with twin pregnancies delivered by planned cesarean delivery.
Microstructural evaluation of a dynamically recrystallized superplastic aluminium-lithium alloy

Abstract The microstructural features of a dynamically recrystallized superplastic alloy, ALCOA 2090-OE16, were evaluated over a range of strain rates, temperatures, and gauge thicknesses. Most samples were pulled to failure, but in selected cases the superplasticity tests were interrupted at different levels of strain to study the microstructural evolution. Optical and transmission electron microscopy were extensively used for these studies. The results indicate that significant grain growth occurs both statically and dynamically in the tested samples. Significant dislocation activity is observed in the interior of the grains, which retain equiaxed shape during superplastic deformation.
The use of Doppler radar to help forecast the development of thunderstorms

The role of Doppler radars in forecasting the location and timing of the initiation of thunderstorms both over Kennedy Space Center and central Florida is analyzed. The data used in this analysis was collected with two Doppler radars with high temporal and spatial resolution throughout the troposphere. Previous studies of thunderstorm initiation in the vicinity of Kennedy Space Center, including synoptic and site-specific observations are outlined. As a result of the analysis of nine cases of thunderstorm initiation, it is concluded that an expert system could be developed that would take input data from the existing field mill network, instrumented tower network, lightning detection system, from sounding, and from Doppler-radar-based algorithms. Such a system would be able to determine a probability of thunderstorm development in the next 10, 20, and 30 minutes for the area of interest.
Social implications of bullying

Abstract This paper describes how Biblio/Poetry Therapy can be used as a tool for insight and behavioral change in school settings when confronting the social implications of bullying. It considers conditions that predispose a child to engage in bullying behavior. A three-pronged effort that encompasses the family, the legal community and the educational community is proposed to increase personal and social awareness and assist victims of bullying.
Native and denatured DNA of phage T3 and of E. coli B as templates for RNA polymerase.

THE first event after the entrance of a virus DNA into the host cell is, arguably, the partial or complete transcription of the former. This presumably occurs via the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the host for which two templates will have to compete, the DNA of the host and that of the virus. Why does the latter prevail ? We have compared the DNA of phage T3 and the DNA of its host, E. coli B, as templates for transcription by RNA polymerase, studying the behaviour of both native and denatured DNA1,2.
Tumor necrosis factor-induced E-selectin expression on vascular endothelial cells.

Objective : To determine the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type involved in induction of E-selectin expression on vascular endothelial cells. Design : Prospective, in vitro repeated-measures analysis of cellular responses. Setting : Research laboratory in an academic medical center. Subjects : Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Interventions : Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated with recombinant human TNF (rhTNF) to induce the expression of E-selectin on their surfaces. To block rhTNF from binding to receptors, the cells were incubated with monoclonal antibodies against TNF receptors (anti-CD120a and anti-CD120b). TNF-induced E-selectin expression of the endothelial cells, with and without blocking antibodies, was then determined using indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Measurements and Main Results : Blocking of either CD120a or CD120b receptors individually resulted in inhibition of TNF-induced E-selectin expression on human umbilical vein endothelial cells. When both antibodies were added, the inhibition of TNF-induced E-selectin expression was synergistic. Inhibition of E-selectin expression was dependent on both TNF concentrations and antibody concentrations. Conclusions : Both CD120a and CD120b receptors are involved in TNF-induced E-selectin expression on human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Blocking of both or one receptor type can reduce or totally inhibit expression of E-selectin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, but the response is dependent on both TNF and antibody concentrations.
Corrigendum on A Life Cycle Model of Female Labour Supply

In the empirical work in our article on the intertemporal substitution of leisure time for married women (Heckman and MaCurdy (1980)) we inadvertently constrained the estimated intertemporal substitution elasticity to be too high. Since this parameter plays a prominent role in discussions of equilibrium models of the business cycle and since our empirical work has been cited in discussions on this topic (e.g. Hall (1980)), we would like to present a corrected set of empirical results for our model. The period t utility function adopted in this note is (in the notation of our original paper, equation (15))
Engaging the new basal readers

Abstract This article describes ratings and ranking by both researchers and children of the new and old basal text series and then describes categories of students’ responses to the texts. Using the perspective of engagement, the authors found that the 1993 basal reading series received higher ratings than thel986/87 series on scales measuring holistic qualities, content, language, and design. When kindergarten, first, and second graders ranked twenty of the basal stories, their rankings agreed with the researchers’ in seven of the ten pairings. Categories of students’ responses validated the researchers’ categories of content, language, and design and also extended into familiarity, personal experience, and realism. The findings identify some engaging qualities of text and extend previous research which was often limited to readability.
[Comment on “Air pollution: Our ecological alarm and blessing in disguise” by Hugh W. Ellsaesser] Air pollution signals

Hugh Elsaesser's article in the March 1971 issue of EOS does a nice job of reviewing and placing in perspective several of the major environmental problems facing mankind. However, his characterization of air pollution as a ‘comparatively innocuous’ and ‘benign’ signal to man that he is overgrazing his ecological niche is unfortunate and misleading. Elsaesser cites 16 references to the effect that there is little evidence of a causal relationship between air pollution and deteriorating human health. He does not cite the report by Lave and Seskin (Science, v.169, p.723–733; August 21, 1970), who conclude after a thorough examination of numerous studies that ‘…there is an important association between air pollution and various morbidity and mortality rates.’ In fact, only one of the many tens of references on this problem cited by Lave and Seskin is also cited by Elsaesser.
Diamond economics of the Prairie Creek lamproite, Murfreesboro, AR, USA

Abstract The Prairie Creek lamproite is the largest of seven ultramafic vents that make up the Prairie Creek lamproite province. Diamonds were first discovered in 1906, and commercial mining continued intermittently until about 1931. The evaluation program undertaken by the Arkansas State Parks Commission in the 1990s resulted in the mapping and evaluation of four major vent facies rock types: olivine lamproite, epiclastic sediments, phlogopite-rich tuff and olivine-rich tuff. Significant diamond contents were found only within the phlogopite-rich tuff (∼0.11 carat/100 tonnes) and olivine-rich tuff (∼1.1 carats/100 tonnes). Stratigraphic relationships indicate that the diamondiferous tuffs have undergone
Management of Broncholithiasis: Is Thoracotomy Necessary?

Endoscopic treatment of broncholithiasis is controversial. From 1953 through 1984, 66 operations were performed on 40 patients with broncholithiasis in an endemic area for histoplasmosis. They are reviewed here retrospectively. All patients had cough; wheeze, hemoptysis, and lithoptysis were present in 60%, 45%, and 26%, respectively. Bronchoscopic stone removal was successful in 19%, whereas 21% of patients required no treatment. The 25 patients who were affected more severely required thoracotomy and operations varying from simple lung wedge resection to repair of a bronchoesophageal fistula. Optimum preservation of lung function was a major treatment guideline. All survived, and most have returned to normal preoperative activity. For selected patients, bronchoscopy and stone removal may be all that is required for broncholithiasis.
On the oscillatory behavior of certain arithmetic functions associated with automorphic forms

Abstract We establish the oscillatory behavior of several significant classes of arithmetic functions that arise (at least presumably) in the study of automorphic forms. Specifically, we examine general L-functions conjectured to satisfy the Grand Riemann Hypothesis, Dirichlet series associated with classical entire forms of real weight and multiplier system, Rankin–Selberg convolutions (both “naive” and “modified”), and spinor zeta-functions of Hecke eigenforms on the Siegel modular group of genus two. For the second class we extend results obtained previously and jointly by M. Knopp, W. Kohnen, and the author, whereas for the fourth class we provide a new proof of a relatively recent result of W. Kohnen.