cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mandibular ramus shape variation and ontogeny in Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis.

Abstract As the interface between the mandible and cranium, the mandibular ramus is functionally significant and its morphology has been suggested to be informative for taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses. In primates, and particularly in great apes and humans, ramus morphology is highly variable, especially in the shape of the coronoid process and the relationship of the ramus to the alveolar margin. Here we compare ramus shape variation through ontogeny in Homo neanderthalensis to that of modern and fossil Homo sapiens using geometric morphometric analyses of two-dimensional semilandmarks and univariate measurements of ramus angulation and relative coronoid and condyle height. Results suggest that ramus, especially coronoid, morphology varies within and among subadult and adult modern human populations, with the Alaskan Inuit being particularly distinct. We also identify significant differences in overall anterosuperior ramus and coronoid shapes between H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis, both in adults and throughout ontogeny. These shape differences are subtle, however, and we therefore suggest caution when using ramus morphology to diagnose group membership for individual specimens of these taxa. Furthermore, we argue that these morphologies are unlikely to be representative of differences in masticatory biomechanics and/or paramasticatory behaviors between Neanderthals and modern humans, as has been suggested by previous authors. Assessments of ontogenetic patterns of shape change reveal that the typical Neanderthal ramus morphology is established early in ontogeny, and there is little evidence for divergent postnatal ontogenetic allometric trajectories between Neanderthals and modern humans as a whole. This analysis informs our understanding of intraspecific patterns of mandibular shape variation and ontogeny in H. sapiens and can shed further light on overall developmental and life history differences between H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis.
Nondestructive Damage Detection of a Magentostricive Composite Structure

The integrity of composite structures gradually degrades due to the onset of damage such as matrix cracking, fiber/matrix debonding, and delamination. Over the last two decades, great strides have been made in structural health monitoring (SHM) community using various sensing techniques such as acoustic emission, eddy current, strain gages, etc., to diagnose damage in aerospace, mechanical and civil infrastructures. Embedded sensing offers the prospects of providing for real-time, in-service monitoring of damage were weight savings is a major factor in Aerospace Industry. In this present work, magnetostrictive particles such as Terfenol-D were embedded in a composite structure, along with multiple SHM techniques, to capture the damage in an IM7-carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite system undergoing fatigue loading. As the internal stress state increases, the change in the magnetization flux intensity was captured using a non-contact magnetic field sensor. A damage diagnosis system was established along with an acoustic emissions technique to further validate the damage captured by the embedded system. The goal of this project is to identify the change in the mechanical and magnetic property within a composite material during the evolution of damage. Several characterization techniques were used to determine interfacial fiber-matrix interactions which will provide for a more comprehensive understanding of the composite interfaces.
Egg Protein Gels

Eggs are capable of performing various useful functions in foods, including foaming, coagulating or gelling, and emulsifying. All liquid components of eggs have the capacity to form gels upon heating. This important property is a major factor in the daily consumption of eggs, as they are scrambled, fried, poached, hard-cooked and used in the preparation of omelettes, quiches, souffles, custards and cakes. The purpose of this chapter is to review the gelation properties of egg components, providing a reference that will facilitate the use of eggs and egg components for their gelling function per se, rather than simply in preparation of traditional egg dishes
Online Self-Help/Mutual Aid Groups in Mental Health Practice

An ever-expanding number of online self-help mutual aid groups are available to provide information and support over the Internet for a wide variety of social and mental health issues. They offer advantages to consumers since they are not bound to time, place, or social presence. Research supports their benefits in areas of health, mental health, addictions, stigmatized identities, trauma and violence recovery, and grief support. Harm may also come from participation in these groups due to disinhibited communication, privacy concerns, and misinformation. Mental health practitioners need to be knowledgeable about these groups as both sources of additional support and potential stressors for consumers. Future development of online support through social networking sites and virtual communities will become new resources for consumers.
The regulatory role of macrophages in antigenic stimulation.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the role of the macrophage in removing antigen from extracellular fluids, degrading the larger part of this antigen while presenting a small part of it in persisting immunogenic form. This handling of antigen is done without contributing to the specificity of the immune response, which is determined by the antigenreactive T and B lymphocytes. During the process of uptake of antigen, macrophages appear to retain a few molecules of antigen, undegraded or with few chemical changes. Macrophage-associated antigen becomes an effective immunogenic stimulus mainly in conditions that require two types of lymphocytes to meet with antigen molecules. These lymphocytes are specifically antigen-committed and few in number. The positive immunogenic role of macrophages is related to their capacity to (1) remove extracellular antigen, which might be capable of interacting with and eliminating isolated T or B lymphocytes and (2) retain antigen in lymphoid tissues and promote its necessary meeting with both T and B cells.
Comparison of traditional versus mobile app self-monitoring of physical activity and dietary intake among overweight adults participating in an mHealth weight loss program

Objective Self-monitoring of physical activity (PA) and diet are key components of behavioral weight loss programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between diet (mobile app, website, or paper journal) and PA (mobile app vs no mobile app) self-monitoring and dietary and PA behaviors. Materials and methods This study is a post hoc analysis of a 6-month randomized weight loss trial among 96 overweight men and women (body mass index (BMI) 25–45 kg/m2) conducted from 2010 to 2011. Participants in both randomized groups were collapsed and categorized by their chosen self-monitoring method for diet and PA. All participants received a behavioral weight loss intervention delivered via podcast and were encouraged to self-monitor dietary intake and PA. Results Adjusting for randomized group and demographics, PA app users self-monitored exercise more frequently over the 6-month study (2.6±0.5 days/week) and reported greater intentional PA (196.4±45.9 kcal/day) than non-app users (1.2±0.5 days/week PA self-monitoring, p<0.01; 100.9±45.1 kcal/day intentional PA, p=0.02). PA app users also had a significantly lower BMI at 6 months (31.5±0.5 kg/m2) than non-users (32.5±0.5 kg/m2; p=0.02). Frequency of self-monitoring did not differ by diet self-monitoring method (p=0.63); however, app users consumed less energy (1437±188 kcal/day) than paper journal users (2049±175 kcal/day; p=0.01) at 6 months. BMI did not differ among the three diet monitoring methods (p=0.20). Conclusions These findings point to potential benefits of mobile monitoring methods during behavioral weight loss trials. Future studies should examine ways to predict which self-monitoring method works best for an individual to increase adherence.
Abstract TP322: Viral Mediated Gene Delivery of TMBIM6 Protects the Neonatal Brain

Introduction: A wide variety of conditions may contribute to oxidative protein folding processes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) which cause ER stress and play a major role in the pathogenesis of...
The role of the secretory immune system in protection against agents which infect the respiratory tract.

The field of immunology developed in an attempt to understand the observed phenomenon that, following many infectious diseases, people become immune to that disease for some time, and often this immunity is permanent. As a natural corollary of this, there developed attempts to somehow induce this immune state without causing the illness, or at least, to acceptably reduce the severity of the illness. Over the past 200 years, the corollary aim has probably proven more successful than attempts to understand the phenomenon, and the development of the several immunization practices now widely used has been the most successful aspect of the disciplines of immunology and infectious diseases (with the possible exception of the role of the latter in the generally improved state of public hygiene). In addition, we feel that this contribution from the combined efforts of the fields of infectious diseases and immunology will continue to be great, for example, in the development of vaccines against caries, herpesvirus and streptococcal infections, the hepatitides, gonorrhea and syphilis; and in improved vaccines against cholera and influenza, to name a few.
Effects of bentonite heating on U(VI) adsorption

Abstract Engineered barrier systems designed to isolate high-level radioactive waste utilize bentonite, a montmorillonite-rich material, to restrict contaminant transport due to its low hydraulic conductivity and high adsorption capacity. High temperatures (100–200 °C) near waste canisters resulting from radioactive decay may alter the clay's ability to adsorb contaminants. In this study, we examine U(VI) adsorption onto two different bentonite samples subjected to (1) 18 years of in situ heating during an underground experiment and (2) short-term (7-week), high temperature (300 °C) heating in the laboratory. Results show that U(VI) adsorption was lower for field-heated bentonite located closest to the heater, which experienced temperatures of approximately 95 °C, compared to a control sample, which experienced temperatures of approximately 20 °C, over a range of aqueous chemical conditions. On average, Kd values for U(VI) adsorption were 31% lower for 95 °C heated samples. By contrast, U(VI) adsorption onto intermediate-heated bentonite (50 °C) was indistinguishable from the adsorption onto the cold-zone (20 °C) sample. U(VI) adsorption onto lab-heated bentonite was also lower than onto control bentonite over the pH range 4.5–8.0, with an average decrease in Kd values of 50% after heating. Lower U(VI) adsorption to field-heated bentonite persisted after bentonite was purified to isolate the clay fraction. This allows us to rule out changes in pore-water chemistry or accessory mineral composition as causes of the lower adsorption. No evidence of montmorillonite illitization was observed in the heated samples. While some of the lower U(VI) adsorption in the lab-heated bentonite can be explained by changes in aqueous U(VI) speciation, we propose that lower U(VI) adsorption to field-heated bentonite may be primarily due to changes in the montmorillonite edge structure. The observed changes in U(VI) adsorption to bentonite after heating have implications for U(VI) diffusive transport through engineered barriers and must be considered when designing radioactive waste disposal repositories.
Identification of Failure Modes for Circuit Samples with Confounded Causes of Failure

Circuits may fail in the field due to a wide variety of failure modes. If there are frequent failures in the field, circuits are returned to the manufacturer, and the causes of failure must be identified. The challenge is that wearout mechanisms are confounded in circuit and system-level failure data. Using such failure data, it is often hard to separate the underlying failure causes without time-consuming and expensive physical failure analysis. To distinguish the wearout mechanisms for each failure sample, we have developed a quick and low-cost methodology using maximum likelihood estimation and probability analysis to determine the origin of the failure distributions, region of error, and sorting accuracy. We apply our methodology to analyze the competing wearout mechanisms in 14nm FinFET ring oscillators, as an example, using simulation. We also consider the problem of Trojan detection.
A multi-sample approach increases the accuracy of transcript assembly

Transcript assembly from RNA-seq reads is a critical step in gene expression and subsequent functional analyses. Here we present PsiCLASS, an accurate and efficient transcript assembler based on an approach that simultaneously analyzes multiple RNA-seq samples. PsiCLASS combines mixture statistical models for exonic feature selection across multiple samples with splice graph based dynamic programming algorithms and a weighted voting scheme for transcript selection. PsiCLASS achieves significantly better sensitivity-precision tradeoff, and renders precision up to 2-3 fold higher than the StringTie system and Scallop plus TACO, the two best current approaches. PsiCLASS is efficient and scalable, assembling 667 GEUVADIS samples in 9 h, and has robust accuracy with large numbers of samples. Transcript assembly is an important step in analysis of RNA-seq data whose accuracy influences downstream quantification, detection and characterization of alternative splice variants. Here, the authors develop PsiCLASS, a transcript assembler leveraging simultaneous analysis of multiple RNA-seq samples.
Modeling Within-Dyad Change in Coregulation Using Couples' Text Messages and Differential Equation Models.

Digital records of computer-mediated communication (CMC) provide new opportunity to unobtrusively observe how dyadic interactions manifest in-situ, and how they change over time. We examine changes...
Relationship changes of military couples during reintegration: A longitudinal analysis

This study drew on the emotional cycle of deployment model to track the content, valence, and sequence of relationship changes experienced by returning service members and at-home partners during t...
Simulations of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect from Quasars

Quasar feedback has most likely a substantial but only partially understood impact on the formation of structure in the universe. A potential direct probe of this feedback mechanism is the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect: energy emitted from quasar heats the surrounding intergalactic medium and induce a distortion in the microwave background radiation passing through the region. Here we examine the formation of such hot quasar bubbles using a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation which includes a self-consistent treatment of black hole growth and associated feedback, along with radiative gas cooling and star formation. From this simulation, we construct microwave maps of the resulting Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect around black holes with a range of masses and redshifts. The size of the temperature distortion scales approximately with black hole mass and accretion rate, with a typical amplitude up to a few micro-Kelvin on angular scales around 10 arcseconds. We discuss prospects for the direct detection of this signal with current and future single-dish and interferometric observations, including ALMA and CCAT. These measurements will be challenging, but will allow us to characterize the evolution and growth of supermassive black holes and the role of their energy feedback on galaxy formation.
Advanced Right Ventricular Assessment: Pulmonary Artery Compliance and RV-PA Coupling

Accurate assessment of right ventricular (RV) function in pulmonary hypertension (PH) is critical for disease management as clinical outcomes are tightly linked. RV function is substantially different from left ventricular function as it is less preload responsive and much more afterload sensitive. Therefore, to fully understand the RV response in pulmonary hypertension (PH), it is useful to conceptualize it in connection to the pulmonary vasculature. This afterload on the RV is composed of a steady flow load (resistance) and pulsatile load (compliance), and these parameters have a constant, inverse relationship across subjects with various etiologies of PH with the exception of elevated pulmonary artery wedge pressure. The gold standard measure of RV function is end-systolic elastance (Ees) which represents myocardial contractility and is derived from the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship on a pressure vs. volume (PV) loop. Afterload can be estimated from the PV loop as arterial elastance (Ea), which is stroke volume/end-systolic volume. Therefore, RV-PA coupling is the ratio of Ees/Ea and is roughly 2 under normal conditions and decreases as the RV decompensates. This not only provides us with a way to understand the relationship between the RV and pulmonary vasculature, but is also predictive of outcomes in PH.
Using Alternative Date to Predict Key Performance Indicators

The integration of robust data analysis into the financial markets has allowed firms to develop more efficient and accurate algorithms for predicting the behavior of individual firms. This analysis has been most effective with large and comprehensive data sets. However, the ease of integration for these types of data sets has led to their widespread adoption has diminished their usefulness in the financial markets. The most valuable data then exists in forms that are difficult to use and have not been used by the majority of the firms in the market. The purpose of this project is to integrate foot traffic data from individual stores into a quantitative and fundamental framework for predicting the values of significant KPIs for public firms.
Follicular development, superovulation and artificial insemination in embryo donor cattle

Although significant advances have been made in embryo transplant technology, embryo transplant units still have to cope on a daily basis with persisting hurdles. One of these problems relates to superovulation methodology that results in consistent ova production within and across donor cows. Although research publications on the subject date back over 30 years, this problem remains as an annual topic of discussion at the professional and embryo transfer society meetings. It has now become painfully clear that our basic knowledge of primordial follicle activation, follicle recruitment, follicle receptor site interactions, endocrine involvement in follicular development and follicular growth dynamics is less than adequate. There is a need for research to develop workable physiological models so that we can better understand follicular growth and development. A second problem relates to the artificial insemination (AI) of donor females to produce optimal fertilization rates across embryo collections. With thousands of donor cows superovulated and inseminated in the world over three years, it would seem that this problem should have been resolved by now, but unfortunately variability in fertilization rates and low viable embryo recovery still exists. These results suggest that basic research is also needed on oocyte maturation and fertilization before additional progress can be made in this area. It now appears that research efforts should focus on developing and understanding of how these physiological events occur in situ rather than conducting repetitive field trials hoping to uncover optimal superovulation and insemination schedules for donors in commericial embryo transplantation programs. It is agreed that this type of physiology research is often difficult, time consuming and costly. It has now become evident that a renewed effort is needed in basic research before further progress is made in harvesting the optimal number of transferable quality embryos from each donor female.
What’s in a question? Parents’ question use in dyadic interactions and the relation to preschool-aged children’s math abilities

Abstract The cognitive complexity of adults’ questions, particularly during shared book reading, supports children’s developing language skills. Questions can be described as having low cognitive demand (CD; e.g., labeling, matching) or high-CD (e.g., comparing, predicting). Little is known about the relation between different types of parental questioning and children’s math abilities. The current study examined the quantity of low- and high-CD and domain-specific math questions that parents posed to their 4-year-old children in three structured activities and how the frequency of those questions relates to children’s concurrent math and language skills. Parent–child dyads (n = 121) were observed interacting with a picture book, grocery store toys, and a puzzle for about 5 min each, and children completed math and spatial assessments. Although the frequency with which parents asked questions did not relate to children’s outcomes, parents’ use of high-CD questions was associated with children’s spatial skills, standardized math scores, and vocabulary skills after controlling for parental utterances, child utterances, child age, and family socioeconomic status. However, domain-specific math questions were not related to any child outcomes above and beyond parents’ total questions. This study suggests that domain-general questions that vary in CD (low and high) are differentially related to children’s math and language abilities, which can inform the ways in which parents engage in early learning opportunities with their children.
Positron annihilation spectroscopy of defects in nuclear and irradiated materials- a review

Abstract Positron is the only probe that can detect individual atomic vacancies and small and large vacancy clusters induced by irradiation with remarkable sensitivity, providing information about their size, concentration, and chemical environment. The focus of this review article is to provide guidance to facilitate applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) in irradiation-induced defect studies to advance the development of new radiation-tolerant materials. The principle of PAS, its techniques, and data analysis methods are described. PAS studies of defects in nuclear and irradiated materials are reviewed and discussed in depth. Future developments to advance PAS applications in nuclear materials research and studies of materials under extreme environments are presented.
Aberrant Purkinje cell activity is the cause of dystonia in a shRNA-based mouse model of Rapid Onset Dystonia–Parkinsonism

Loss-of-function mutations in the α3 isoform of the sodium pump are responsible for Rapid Onset Dystonia-Parkinsonism (RDP). A pharmacologic model of RDP replicates the most salient features of RDP, and implicates both the cerebellum and basal ganglia in the disorder; dystonia is associated with aberrant cerebellar output, and the parkinsonism-like features are attributable to the basal ganglia. The pharmacologic agent used to generate the model, ouabain, is selective for sodium pumps. However, close to the infusion sites in vivo it likely affects all sodium pump isoforms. Therefore, it remains to be established whether selective loss of α3-containing sodium pumps replicates the pharmacologic model. Moreover, while the pharmacologic model suggested that aberrant firing of Purkinje cells was the main cause of abnormal cerebellar output, it did not allow the scrutiny of this hypothesis. To address these questions RNA interference using small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) delivered via adeno-associated viruses (AAV) was used to specifically knockdown α3-containing sodium pumps in different regions of the adult mouse brain. Knockdown of the α3-containing sodium pumps mimicked both the behavioral and electrophysiological changes seen in the pharmacologic model of RDP, recapitulating key aspects of the human disorder. Further, we found that knockdown of the α3 isoform altered the intrinsic pacemaking of Purkinje cells, but not the neurons of the deep cerebellar nuclei. Therefore, acute knockdown of proteins associated with inherited dystonias may be a good strategy for developing phenotypic genetic mouse models where traditional transgenic models have failed to produce symptomatic mice.
Proteolysis of bacteriophage phi X174 prohead protein gpB by a protease located in the Escherichia coli outer membrane.

Abstract The gene B protein (gpB) of bacteriophage phi X174 is required for prohead assembly and is removed from prohead during phage maturation. Protease activity was observed in isolated prohead which specifically cleaved gpB. Cleavage of gpB produced two fragments that had apparent molecular weights of 12,300 and 3,700 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Amino-terminal sequencing of the fragments confirmed that they resulted from the cleavage of gpB and identified the cleavage site as an Arg-Arg at amino acids 76 to 77 of the 120-amino-acid protein. gpB-specific protease activity was observed in both phi X174-infected and uninfected Escherichia coli extracts. This protease activity was localized to the outer-membrane fraction of uninfected cells. Protease activities present in the outer membrane and in isolated prohead produced identical fragments and had the same protease inhibition profile. The gpB-specific activity in uninfected cells was induced by growth at 42 degrees C and was inhibited by the protease inhibitors, 1,10-phenanthroline, EDTA, and N-ethylmaleimide.
Plasma Waves and Electrical Discharges Stimulated by Beam Operations on a High Altitude Satellite

The P78–2 (SCATHA) satellite was launched on 30 January 1979 to measure the characteristics of the spacecraft charging process near synchronous orbit. A particle beam system was included in the payload to investigate the phenomenon of spacecraft charging by modifying the spacecraft environment. The beam system has both an electron gun and an ion gun that can be used to alter the spacecraft ground with respect to the plasma either positively or negatively. A charging electrical effects analyzer (CEEA) was provided for the payload to verify that electrical discharges are occurring when other instruments measure large differential potentials between surface materials on the vehicle. The CEEA consists of three instruments, a Pulse Shape Analyzer, a VLF Analyzer, and an RF Analyzer. The Pulse Shape Analyzer measures the number of pulses, their amplitudes and shapes on four sensors. The VLF Analyzer measures the electric and magnetic field spectra of waves in the frequency range from ≈100 Hz to 300 kHz. The RF Analyzer measured the electric field intensity on a 1.8-m monopole antenna in the frequency range from 2 to 30 MHz. The instruments on the SCATHA satellite are described by Stevens and Vampola (1978).
Time domain integral equation based analysis for thin scatterers using impedance boundary conditions

Impedance boundary conditions (IBC) relate electric and magnetic fields tangential to smooth material surfaces of highly conductive objects. The usage of IBC models in electromagnetic field simulators eliminates the need to model a scatterer's internal fields, thereby leaving only exterior scattering problems to be solved. In this paper, the time domain integral equation (TDIE) solver for analyzing scattering from non-transparent IBC objects is extended to analyze scattering from electrically thin, and potentially penetrable IBC surfaces. Two coupled TDIE that are very similar to those in Chen et al. (2004) are established and solved by marching-on-in-time (MOT). The proposed scheme is verified by means of several numerical examples.
Analysis of Self Organizing Maps Using Visual DM Techniques in Agro Database for Prediction of Yield

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 In the paddy crop farming, there are many factors that affect the yield. Seed variety, fertilizers and pesticides play a vital role. Nature of the soil which consists of several minerals and nutrients is also an important factor that affects yield. Irrigation facility and type is another major factor. Type of farming, season, rainfed and other climatic conditions are also the causes for the yield. It will be a challenge to integrate all these information and predict the yield for paddy variety. In particular, it is often difficult to keep track of all the past history about the soil nature, fertilizers and pesticides applied in that soil to predict the yield. To obtain this, correlation between pairs of variables of Agri database in terms of yield must be performed. Then, a cross-matrix of the selected variables are designed. Then, the data cleanup process is taken place which deals with misinterpretation of data during data entry, missing data, incompatible format, improper format etc. A quantitative visualization package, a tool of Data mining is used for multidimensional modeling format for visualization. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
Trans-Homolog Interactions Facilitating Paramutation in Maize

Paramutations represent locus-specific trans-homolog interactions affecting the heritable silencing properties of endogenous alleles. Although examples of paramutation are well studied in maize (Zea mays), the responsible mechanisms remain unclear. Genetic analyses indicate roles for plant-specific DNA-dependent RNA polymerases that generate small RNAs, and current working models hypothesize that these small RNAs direct heritable changes at sequences often acting as transcriptional enhancers. Several studies have defined specific sequences that mediate paramutation behaviors, and recent results identify a diversity of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase complexes operating in maize. Other reports ascribe broader roles for some of these complexes in normal genome function. This review highlights recent research to understand the molecular mechanisms of paramutation and examines evidence relevant to small RNA-based modes of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
Perspectives on Health Disparities in Orthopaedic Oncology

A few studies indicate that race- and culture-related differences exist among patients with bone tumors. However, there is little information regarding sarcomas. Existing studies indicate that, in the United States, race and cultural background may not significantly affect the survival rate of patients with sarcoma. As we learn more, however, orthopaedic oncologists should look to areas of oncology in which race-based disparity has been reported-specifically, among patients with prostate or breast cancer. These patient populations have been more widely studied, and physicians have pinpointed measures to reduce or eliminate gaps in patient care and prognosis. In particular, oncologists have called for culture-specific patient education. Further research is required to identify disparities, if any, and to ensure equitable patient prognoses.
Properties of Crystalline Argon, Krypton, and Xenon Based Upon the Born-Huang Method of Homogeneous Deformations. III. The Low-Temperature Limit

The low-temperature limits of the thermal expansivity, specific heat, and Gr\"uneisen parameter of solid argon, krypton, and xenon are calculated from a quasiharmonic two-body central-force model. The form of our interatomic potential and its predicted thermal and elastic properties are in good agreement with interatomic potentials for argon and krypton derived from solid-state properties plus gas viscosities, second-virial coefficients, and molecular-beam scattering data.
Temperature dependence of lifetime statistics for single Kevlar 49 filaments in creep-rupture

Experimental data are presented for the strength and lifetime under constant stress of single Kevlar 49 aramid filaments at two elevated temperatures, 80 and 130° C. As seen in previously published work performed at room temperature (21 °C), the strength data could be fitted to a two-parameter Weibull distribution; increasing the temperature caused a decrease in the Weibull scale parameter while the shape parameter remained relatively constant, indicating a decrease in the mean strength but no change in strength variability. Lifetime experiments at both 80 and 130°C were performed at different filament stress levels, ranging from 55 to 92.5% of the Weibull scale parameter for short-term strength at that temperature. These data were fitted to a two-parameter Weibull distribution with large variability (scale parameter values ⩽ 1), and evaluated using an exponential kinetic breakdown model in the spirit of Eyring and Zhurkov. Using this model, activation energies in the neighbourhood of 80 kcal mol−1 (3.35 × 105 J mol−1 ) were obtained, suggesting that scission of the C-N bond plays the dominant role in fibre failure at longer times under constant stress.
Bacterial Actin Assembly Requires Toca-1 to Relieve N-WASP Autoinhibition

Actin polymerization in the mammalian cytosol can be locally activated by mechanisms that relieve the autoinhibited state of N-WASP, an initiator of actin assembly, a process that also requires the protein Toca-1. Several pathogenic bacteria, including Shigella, exploit this host feature to infect and disseminate efficiently. The Shigella outer membrane protein IcsA recruits N-WASP, which upon activation at the bacterial surface mediates localized actin polymerization. The molecular role of Toca-1 in N-WASP activation during physiological or pathological actin assembly processes in intact mammalian cells remains unclear. We show that actin tail initiation by S. flexneri requires Toca-1 for the conversion of N-WASP from a closed inactive conformation to an open active one. While N-WASP recruitment is dependent on IcsA, Toca-1 recruitment is instead mediated by S. flexneri type III secretion effectors. Thus, S. flexneri independently hijacks two nodes of the N-WASP actin assembly pathway to initiate localized actin tail assembly.
Fundamental derivations from decision field theory

Abstract Decision field theory is a stochastic dynamic model of decision-making based on psychological principles of approach-avoidance behavior. This paper provides a summary of the main mathematical derivations for the distribution of choice response times obtained from binary choice tasks, and the distribution of matched values obtained from a matching task. The relations of decision field theory to a number of other theories of decision-making are also pointed out.
A Pilot Trial of Oral Type II Collagen in the Treatment of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of oral chicken type II collagen (CCII) in the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Methods. Ten patients with active JRA were treated with CCII for 12 weeks. Efficacy parameters, which included swollen and tender joint count and score, grip strength, 50-foot walking time, duration of morning stiffness, and patient and physician global scores of disease severity, were assessed monthly. Results. All patients completed the full course of therapy. Eight patients had reductions in both swollen and tender joint counts after 3 months of CCII. The mean changes from baseline in swollen and tender joint counts for the 8 responders at the end of the study were –61% and –54%, respectively. Mean values for other efficacy parameters also showed improvement from baseline. There were no adverse events that were considered to be treatment related. Conclusion. Oral CCII may be a safe and effective therapy for JRA, and its use in this disease warrants further investigation.
The role of the surgical maze procedure

The Cox-maze procedure for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation has proven to be the most effective means of addressing the adverse consequences of the disease, including rhythm, hemodynamics, and thromboembolic risk. The indications for its use continue to evolve, as do the operative techniques. Newer instruments have been developed to simplify the existing procedure in order to facilitate surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation, and expand its usefulness to other subgroups of patients.
IS NATURAL GAS INJURIOUS TO FLOWERING PLANTS

A study was made to determine the effect of natural gas upon some common greenhouse and home plants. The plants were exposed to the natural gas in an air mixture under bell jars. The natural gas was composed of 74.6% methane, 14.2% ethane, 10.9% nitrogen, 0.2% oxygen and 0.1% carbon dioxide. Results indicate that even though some plants were more sensitive than others, concentrations of gas in homes or greenhouses are so low that there should never be any injury to the plants grown in them.
Relationship between electrical potential of the skin and skin temperature.

Summary.-The relationship between electrical potential of skin (SP) and temperature of the skin (ST) in the region of the recording electrodes was investigared in 112 healthy Ss. SP between palm and ventral surface of forearm was recorded during a 1-hr. test session in which S was asked to watch for a rarely-occurcing stimulus. Forearm ST and SP proved to be unrelated. The regression of SP on palm ST was statistically significant, but the low correlation suggested that, under che conditions investigated, SP and ST were largely independent. Increased attention given lately to studies of electrical potential of skin (SP) (Edelberg, 1963; Hume, 1966; Leiderman & Shapiro, 1964; Martin & Venables, 1966; Venables & Martin, 1967) points to a need for better understanding of the parameters that influence this phenomenon. Among local conditions thought to affect SP is temperature of the skin (ST). In a carefully done study, Maulsby and Edelberg (1960) examined the effects of ST on electrical resistance of skin (SR) and confirmed the earlier report of Gildemeister and Ellinghaus (1923) that SR varied inversely with ST. Citing these findings, Edelberg and Burch (1962) argued for the need for control of temperature in studies where SR is recorded. While the importance of ST in the measurement of SR appears to be firmly established, systematic studies for elucidating the relation of SP to ST have not, as far as can be determined, been carried out. Until recently, there has been a tendency to equate SP and SR or to treat them as different manifestations of the same phenomenon (Woodworth, 1938). The few observations of ST and SP that are mentioned in the literature are not in agreement. Thus, Floyd and Keele (1937) reported there was no relation between ST and SP, since the latter was observed to change in either direction with increase of ST. Snodgrass and Davis (1940), on the other hand, observed that SP increased (became more positive) as temperature of one electrode was raised and found that the relationship showed a "fundamental linear trend." The slope of the linear curve relating SP and ST was reported to range from 0.3 to 0.8 mV per degree C. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine, systematically, the relation between SP, and ST observed in che area of the SP recording electrodes. Our study was concerned with two questions: Does ST vary in the course of an experiment where Ss are at rest but alert? To what extent does SP vary with differences in ST?
Photovoltaic Effect on Molecule Coupled Ferromagnetic Films of a Magnetic Tunnel Junction

Economical solar energy conversion to electricity can be boosted by the discovery of fundamentally new photovoltaic mechanism, and a suitable system to realize it with commonly available materials like iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni). This paper reports the observation of photovoltaic effect on a molecular spintronics device, composed of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and organometallic molecular clusters (OMCs). A prefabricated MTJ with exposed side edges, after enabling the bridging of OMC channels between its two ferromagnetic films, exhibited following phenomenon (i) dramatic increase in exchange coupling, (ii) 3-6 orders current suppression and (iii) photovoltaic effect. This paper focuses on the photovoltaic effect. Control experiments on isolated ferromagnetic films suggested that OMCs neither affected the magnetic properties nor produced any photovoltaic effect; photovoltaic effect was only observed on the ferromagnetic films serving as magnetic electrodes in a MTJ. Present paper invites further investigation of the similar photovoltaic effect on other combinations of MTJs and promising magnetic molecules, like single molecular magnets, organometallic clusters and porphyrins. This research can lead to mass producible and economical spin photovoltaic devices.
Robots are easy… it's everything else that's hard

The robot is proving itself to be a reliable and effective automation tool and users are finding them relatively easy to install. But the main problems surround the peripherals and the integration into the production system. This process can be eased by thoroughly studying potential applications as GE have proved.
Virus-like Particles and E1AE4 Protein Expressed from the Human Papillomavirus Type 11 Bicistronic E1AE4AL1 Transcript

Abstract Detection of E1AE4 protein in human papillomavirus (HPV 11)-infected tissue is tightly linked to detection of L1 major capsid protein. The only L1-containing transcript identified in HPV 11-infected tissue is the bicistronic E1AE4AL1 mRNA, potentially encoding both the E1AE4 and the L1 proteins. It has not been established that these proteins can be expressed from the E1AE4AL1 transcript. The HPV 11 E1AE4AL1 sequence was cloned by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction into the p1393 vector to produce recombinant baculoviruses. Immunoblots of recombinant baculovirus-infected Sf9 cell lysates demonstrated both the E1AE4 and the L1 proteins. An ELISA was performed on infected Sf9 cells using a monoclonal antibody specific for nondenatured L1, demonstrating that 10 ng of native L1 protein was present per microgram of total nuclear protein. Electron microscopic analysis revealed 50- to 60-nm icosahedral virus-like particles. In vitro transcription/translation was performed using pSPORT constructs containing the E1AE4AL1 sequence or, as controls, monocistronic pSPORT-E1AE4 or L1 constructs. The pSPORT-E1AE4AL1 construct produced the E1AE4 and L1 proteins at a ratio of 17:1. For E1AE4 protein, expression was greater from the pSPORT-E1AE4AL1 construct than from the monocistronic pSPORT-E1AE4 construct. In contrast, more L1 protein was expressed from pSPORT-L1 than from pSPORT-E1AE4AL1. A mutant E1AE4AL1 construct containing no E1AE4 start codon expressed L1 protein in amounts nearly equal to that expressed from the pSPORT-L1 construct. Addition of an antisense oligonucleotide directed at the E1AE4 start codon region to in vitro reactions using pSPORT-E1AE4AL1 was associated with inhibition of E1AE4 protein synthesis and increased translation of L1 protein.
On the Dislocation Mobility in Germanium at High Stresses and Low Temperatures

Abstract : The motion of dislocations in germanium at 300K was studied at very high stresses. No evidence was found for any dislocation motion at stresses up to tau/G = 0.017. Both grown-in and freshly introduced dislocations were studied using etch pitting techniques. The results are shown to be consistent with the thermally activated kink model and to be in disagreement with the predictions of the kink tunneling model proposed by Gilman. (Author)
Characterization of Adjuvant Mineral Oils

Analysis of two lots of mineral oil indicated the overall composition to be quite similar with two major hydrocarbon ranges: a low range from C14 to C20 with a maximum at C16 and a high range from C20 to C30 with a maximum at C25. The low range components represented 40.8 and 49.3 wt. % of Lots Q-9 and Q-10, respectively. Urea fractionation of the paraffin-naphthene fraction from silica gel chromatography yielded 28.2 and 28.8 wt. % for Lots Q-9 and Q-10, respectively. The nonadductable material consisted of highly branched and cyclic structures containing up to four-ring systems. The total butyl phthalate content in Lots Q-9 and Q-10 was 13.2 and 7.0 p.p.m., respectively, with the ratio of mono-butyl phthalate to dibutyl phthalate being 9:1. No evidence was found to indicate the presence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.
A necessary condition for the iterated logarithm law

both {X.} and { X , } obey one-sided Iterated Logarithm Laws. A particular category of interest is the so-called weighted i.i.d, case consisting of sequences {o' ,Y,,n>l} where {I1,} are i.i.d, random variables with EYI=0 and {o-,} are constants with 2_ , s. Z1 a2 ~ oo. In [5], a necessary and separately, sufficient conditions were given for the twosided LIL to hold for independent random variables {X,}. These, in turn, yielded in the weighted i.i.d, case (and certain specific choices of weights {a,}) a necessary and sufficient condition for a two-sided LIL in terms of the distribution of Y. Here, a necessary condition (Theorem 1) is obtained for the general one-sided case and alternative sufficient conditions (Theorem 2) are provided for the twosided case which simplify to Theorem 3 in the weighted i.i.d, case and permit an enlargement of the class of weightings for which a (simultaneous) necessary and sufficient condition may be given (Section 3).
EXCRETION OF STEROIDAL SUBSTANCES BY THE ADRENAL CORTEX IN VARIOUS DISEASES

FOR many years it has been suspected that the adrenal glands play an important role in the pathogenesis of diseases not etiologically related to these glands. Further, it has been suggested with increasing frequency that the adrenal cortex plays a vital role in known and unknown homeostatic mechanisms which have sufficient lability to maintain physiologic function but which, when deranged, may ameliorate, complicate or actually cause disease itself. Since it was not possible in this study to evaluate the adrenal glands completely by all of the known tests, we selected the determination of urinary phosphomolybdate-reducing substances, which have at times been designated as “neutral reducing lipids,” and 17-ketosteroids as having significance indicative of the physiologic state of the adrenal cortex. These phosphomolybdate-reducing substances will be referred to in the remainder of the paper as Ph.S. Other groups have studied several aspects of this problem using different methods for cortical steroid deter...
Noise analysis of a single-velocity electron gun of finite cross section in an infinite magnetic field

The Rack-Llewellyn-Pierce noise analysis,6,10,12,13 which has been applied to the problem of microwave noise in electron beams of large transit angle, utilizes the sinusoidal solutions for a space-charge-limited, infinite parallel plane diode, as derived by Llewellyn3 and Smullin,11 in the gun region and Ramo's solution for the lowest mode of a finite beam confined by an infinite longitudinal magnetic field in the drift space.8 In this calculation the input boundary condition which must be specified is the velocity modulation at the cathode. This was calculated by Rack7 as the mean square fluctuation of the instantaneous average velocity of all electrons crossing the plane of the potential minimum.
Water-solubility-driven separation of gases using graphene membrane

Abstract We investigate separation of gas-mixtures using a graphene membrane. By introducing a water slab between a gas-mixture and the graphene membrane, we show that the gas-mixture can be separated based on the water-solubility of the gas molecule. By considering various gas-mixtures we show that the separation ratio follows the water-solubility ratio of the gas molecules in the mixture. We also demonstrate the water-solubility-driven separation of gas-mixtures using a carbon nanotube, but we show that the graphene membrane provides higher selectivity ratio because of its single-atom thickness.