cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Foetal ultrasound measurement imputations based on growth curves versus multiple imputation chained equation (MICE)

BACKGROUND Ultrasound measures are valuable for epidemiologic studies of risk factors for growth restriction. Longitudinal measurements enable investigation of rates of change and identification of windows where growth is impacted more acutely. However, missing data can be problematic in these studies, limiting sample size, ability to characterise windows of vulnerability, and in some instances creating bias. We sought to compare a parametric linear mixed model (LMM) approach to multiple imputation in this setting with multiple imputation by chained equation (MICE) methodology. METHODS Ultrasound scans performed for clinical purposes were abstracted from women in the LIFECODES birth cohort (n = 1003) if they were close in time to three study visits (median 18, 26, and 35 weeks' gestation). We created imputed datasets using LMM and MICE and calculated associations between demographic factors and ultrasound parameters cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results were compared with a complete-case analysis. RESULTS Most participants had ultrasounds at 18 weeks' gestation, and ~50% had measurements at 26 and 35 weeks; 100% had birthweight. Associations between demographic factors and ultrasound measures were similar in magnitude, but more precise, when either imputed datasets were used, compared with a complete-case analysis, in both the cross-sectional or longitudinal analyses. CONCLUSIONS MICE, though ignoring the non-linear features of the trajectory and within subject correlation, is able to provide reasonable imputation of foetal growth data when compared to LMM. Because it simultaneously imputes missing covariate data and does not require specification of variance structure as in LMM, MICE may be preferable for imputation in this setting.
Perceptions and Experience of Patients, Staff, and Clinicians with Social Needs Assessment.

Context Assessment of social needs is expanding at Kaiser Permanente (KP), but little is known about how members and clinicians experience the incorporation of social needs into health care. Objective To assess how KP members and clinicians experience social needs assessments incorporated into care. Design Qualitative and descriptive analysis of data from member and clinician focus groups, interviews, and surveys among 68 members and family caregivers who had participated in social needs assessment programs and 90 clinicians and staff in the KP Colorado, Georgia, Northern California, Northwest, and Southern California Regions. Main outcome measures Members' and clinicians' perceptions and experiences of social needs assessment. Results Members and clinicians understood the impact of social needs on health and why a health care system representative would ask about food, housing, transportation, and other social needs. Members and clinicians supported social needs assessment at KP and agreed that KP should help address identified social needs. However, both groups emphasized the importance of assessments yielding actionable information. Members were also concerned about how the information would be used and by whom. Conclusion Our findings support the continuing assessment of social needs at KP and identify issues that require attention as it expands. Assessment should not outpace organizational capacity to connect members with resources. Careful attention to communications is required because members may be uncertain or concerned about the purpose of the assessment and the dissemination of sensitive information. Messaging should assure members about data use and dissemination and what they can expect after screening.
Optimization-Based Position Estimation of PM Synchronous Motor Drives with Magnetic Saturation

This research studies a discrete time optimization-based position estimation strategy. The method accomplishes approximation over nonlinear dynamic models, making it convenient to take the magnetic saturation into account. The dynamic model is written in the virtual flux domain, ending up with affine dynamic constraints and nonlinear output constraints. The performance of the observer is tested incorporated with vector control. The result shows the estimation strategy with higher variable dimension is capable of accurate parameter and state reconstruction. Comparing to prior work, the proposed method gains better estimating precision, more flexibility and higher stability. In particular, there is significant improvement in estimation accuracy at low speed - peak noise 0.0095 rad (<0.424 rad), standard deviation 0.0020 rad (<0.038 rad) in position estimation and peak noise 1.50 rad/s (<13.17 rad/s), standard deviation 0.587 rad/s (<6.877 rad/s) in speed estimation.
Developing a Core Outcome Set for Cesarean Delivery Maternal Infectious Morbidity Outcomes.

Objective This study aimed to develop a core outcome set of primary outcomes for studies involving cesarean deliveries with infectious morbidity outcomes. Study Design Authors reported primary outcomes from 11 Cochrane systematic reviews (SRs), 12 other SRs, and 327 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). These outcomes were condensed into 20 primary outcome groups. Next, a modified Delphi technique was used to gain consensus on key outcomes. Authors from included SRs were sent a questionnaire consisting of a free response and multiple-choice questions. These data were used to propose a set of core outcomes. Results The most frequent outcomes in RCTs were composite “infectious outcomes” (24%) with the second most common being endometritis (12%). The most common reported SR outcomes were wound infection (21%) and endometritis (16%). For the Delphi survey free response portion, wound infection (88%) and endometritis (79%) were the most commonly endorsed outcomes. Chosen list outcomes were maternal mortality (83%), wound infection (83%), wound complications (86%), and postpartum endometritis (80%). The proposed final core outcome set for cesarean trials was endometritis (primary outcome), maternal mortality, wound infection, wound complications, febrile morbidity, and neonatal morbidity. Conclusion Utilizing defined core outcomes in all studies of cesarean section can harmonize trial reports and allow data synthesis for meta-analyses.
Periportal Capsulotomy: Technique and Outcomes for a Limited Capsulotomy During Hip Arthroscopy.

Purpose To present the technique and outcomes of a limited periportal capsulotomy without capsular closure for arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Methods Retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy for symptomatic FAI was performed to analyze patients who underwent periportal capsulotomy. Periportal capsulotomy was performed through dilation of the midanterior and anterolateral portals without completion of a full interportal capsulotomy, preserving the iliofemoral ligament. Arthroscopic labral treatment and osteochondroplasty were completed as indicated without necessitating capsular closure. Patient demographics, surgical details, and complications were recorded. Pre- and postoperatively, patients completed the modified Harris Hip Score, Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), 12-item Short-Form survey, and visual analog scale. Postoperative outcome data was analyzed at 1- and 2-year follow-up. Results One hundred and forty-two patients treated with the periportal capsulotomy technique were included (mean age, 35.5 ± 11.7; body mass index, 25.4 ± 4.1; 50.7% men). There were no major postoperative complications including hip instability or reoperation. Significant improvements in mean patient-reported outcomes from preoperative scores were seen at the 1- and 2-year follow-ups (modified Harris Hip Score, 18.4 ± 19.1, 21.1 ±17.7, HOOS symptoms, 20.1 ± 21.2, 22.8 ± 23.5, HOOS pain, 23.4 ± 21.2, 27.6 ± 19.3, HOOS activities of daily life, 21.2 ± 20.8, 24.3 ± 21.6, HOOS sport, 32.5 ± 27.0, 36.5 ± 26.9, HOOS quality of life, 37.9 ± 26.7, 46.0 ± 22.8, and 12-item Short-Form survey physical component score, 16.4 ± 15.3, 20.8 ±13.2, respectively). Only the HOOS quality of life demonstrated further improvement from 1- to 2 years postoperatively (P = .043). Conclusions Periportal capsulotomy provides safe and sufficient access to the hip joint for arthroscopic treatment of FAI without necessitating capsular closure. Using this technique, patients showed significant clinical improvement and no postoperative instability at 1 and 2 years after surgery. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic case series.
F-Isocrystals on Open Varieties Results and Conjectures

(a) In this paper we want to present some results and conjectures about crystalline cohomology. In particular, we shall show that many results from l-adic etale cohomology have analogues, like the Lefschetz trace-formula, unipotence of monodromy, and the theory of weights. Our results are a sequel to the paper [Fa2]. However, there are some differences between the approaches taken. First of all, in [Fa2] we are mainly concerned with ℤp-valued cohomology, and show at the end how results carry over to the ℚp-adic theory (which works under much more general circumstances, but gives weaker results as we neglect p-torsion). Also, in [Fa2] the results are fairly complete, that is we show pretty much the results one can hope for. Finally, we were mostly interested in the relation between crystalline cohomology and p-adic etale cohomology.
Turbo-Power™ Laser Atherectomy Combined with Drug-coated Balloon Angioplasty is Associated with Improved One-Year Outcomes for the Treatment of Tosaka II and III Femoropopliteal In-stent Restenosis.

Abstract Background Femoropopliteal (FP) artery in-stent restenosis (ISR) is associated with high rates of re-intervention and occlusion. The combined use of laser atherectomy (LA) with balloon angioplasty (BA) is superior to conventional balloon angioplasty (BA). Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) when combined with LA have provided additional efficacy for the treatment of FP-ISR. The aim of this study was to investigate the combination of DCB + LA with the recently approved Turbo-Power™ (Spectranetics Inc., Colorado Springs, CO, USA) LA device. Methods This was a dual-center retrospective study enrolling 78 consecutive patients with Tosaka type II (n = 18) or III (n = 60) FP-ISR. The lesions were treated with either Turbo-Power™ LA followed by DCB (n = 27) or with other LA devices followed by plain BA (LA + BA; n = 51) from 2015 to 2017. A Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the association between the two groups in terms of target lesion revascularization (TLR) and occlusion rates over a follow up period of 12 months. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were estimated and compared with the log-rank test. Results The overall procedural success was 90%. Eight periprocedural complications occurred without any difference between the two groups (Turbo-Power™ + DCB: 7.4% vs LA + BA: 11.8%, p = .7). The 12-month KM estimates for freedom from TLR were 90.9% in the Turbo-Power™ + DCB group vs 55.7% in the LA + BA group (p = .005). Among Toasaka III lesions, the 12 m-KM survival estimates for freedom from TLR were 88.9% in the Turbo-Power™ + DCB group vs 54.2% in the LA + BA group (p = .009). The 12 m-KM estimates for freedom from re-occlusion were 89.0% in the Turbo-Power™ + DCB group vs 58.9% in the LA + BA group (p = .070). Conclusions Turbo-Power™ laser atherectomy combined with DCB exerted synergistic mechanism of actions and improved 12-month TLR rates for the treatment of complex FP-ISR lesions.
Three-Level DC-DC Converter using eGaN FETs for Wide Bandwidth Envelope Tracking Applications with Extended Output Voltage Range

Envelope tracking power supplies increase the efficiency of Radio Frequency Power Amplifiers in communication base stations and mobile handsets. This paper investigates the use of a three-level DC-DC converter topology for envelope tracking applications with increased Peak to Average Power Ratios, wider bandwidths, higher voltages, and widely-varying, dynamic output signals. The selected converter topology provides reductions in voltage stress, switching loss, voltage ripple, filter size, and device-level switching frequency. EPC8004 enhancement mode Gallium Nitride field effect transistors demonstrate total effective switching frequencies up to 40 MHz. A fourth-order low pass filter is designed to track an envelope signal with 8 MHz bandwidth. SPICE simulation results and experimental results are included.
Shepherding Nature : The Challenge of Conservation Reliance

Globally, more and more species are at risk of extinction as the environment and climate change. Many of these species require long-term management to persist - they are conservation-reliant. The magnitude of this challenge requires a rethinking of how conservation priorities are determined and a broader societal commitment to conservation. Choices need to be made about which species will be conserved, for how long, and by whom. This volume uses case studies and essays by conservation practitioners from throughout the world to explore what conservation reliance is and what it means for endangered-species management. Chapters consider threats to species and how they are addressed, legal frameworks for protecting endangered species, societal contexts and conflicts over conservation goals, and how including conservation reliance can strengthen methods for prioritizing species for conservation. The book concludes by discussing how shepherding nature requires an evaluation of societal values and ethics.
Proactive Drug Monitoring Is Associated With Higher Persistence to Infliximab and Adalimumab Treatment and Lower Healthcare Utilization Compared With Reactive and Clinical Monitoring.

Background Serum drug-level assays for infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab (ADA) are widely available and are most often obtained reactively, to determine the next steps in patients with loss of response. Studies done thus far on the use of these assays proactively, or during symptom remission, have had mixed results. Here we investigate persistence on therapy and healthcare utilization in patients on 3 drug-level monitoring strategies. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of 235 patients treated for both Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis on either IFX or ADA. Monitoring strategy was defined as proactive if patients underwent testing at predefined time points regardless of symptoms or signs of disease, reactive if done during relapse, or control if no drug levels were obtained. Groups were compared on persistence on original therapeutic at 1 and 2 years as well as on various measures of healthcare utilization during the 2-year follow-up period. Results Proactive drug monitoring was associated with a higher likelihood of persistence on therapy at 1 year when compared with the control (odds ratio [OR] = 4.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.65, 13.67) and reactive groups (OR = 6.10, CI = 2.19, 17.02). Similarly, at 2 years, proactive monitoring was superior to the control (OR = 5.41, CI = 2.26, 12.94) and reactive groups (OR = 4.51, CI = 1.88, 10.80). Proactive monitoring was also associated with lower healthcare utilization across almost all measures related to inflammatory bowel disease. Conclusions Proactive drug monitoring increases persistence on IFX and ADA in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease and decreases overall healthcare utilization in these patients.
Analytic spherical harmonic gradients for real-time rendering with many polygonal area lights

Recent work has developed analytic formulae for spherical harmonic (SH) coefficients from uniform polygonal lights, enabling near-field area lights to be included in Precomputed Radiance Transfer (PRT) systems, and in offline rendering. However, the method is inefficient since coefficients need to be recomputed at each vertex or shading point, for each light, even though the SH coefficients vary smoothly in space. The complexity scales linearly with the number of lights, making many-light rendering difficult. In this paper, we develop a novel analytic formula for the spatial gradients of the spherical harmonic coefficients for uniform polygonal area lights. The result is a significant generalization, involving the Reynolds transport theorem to reduce the problem to a boundary integral for which we derive a new analytic formula, showing how to reduce a key term to an earlier recurrence for SH coefficients. The implementation requires only minor additions to existing code for SH coefficients. The results also hold implications for recent efforts on differentiable rendering. We show that SH gradients enable very sparse spatial sampling, followed by accurate Hermite interpolation. This enables scaling PRT to hundreds of area lights with minimal overhead and real-time frame rates. Moreover, the SH gradient formula is a new mathematical result that potentially enables many other graphics applications.
The Reserve Supply Channel of Unconventional Monetary Policy

We document the "reserve supply channel" of Quantitative Easing (QE) that has the unintended consequence of reducing bank lending to firms. Each dollar of central bank reserves created by QE crowds out 13 cents of bank lending. We reach this conclusion using a structural model that is estimated with instrumental variables for deposit and loan demand across regions of the country. Our results depend on two key estimates: the elasticity of demand for bank loans and how the cost of supplying loans is impacted by a bank's holding of reserves. We find that each $1 trillion of reserves in the banking system raises the cost of capital for loans by 1.5 basis points, leading to a 3.42% reduction in the quantity of corporate loans demanded. In a counterfactual simulation, we show that the $2.7 trillion of reserves created by QE reduced bank lending to firms by over $500 billion but had modest impacts on deposit and mortgage quantities. Our results imply that forcing the banking sector to hold the large quantity of reserves created by QE reduces QE's ability to stimulate the economy. This unintended consequence of QE could potentially be alleviated by the relaxation of the Supplementary Leverage Ratio (SLR) regulation.
A Co-orientation Analysis of Producers’ and Environmentalists’ Mental Models of Water Issues: Opportunities for Improved Communication and Collaboration

Agricultural producers and environmentalists have a mutual interest in maintaining healthy water resources; yet communication and collaboration on sustainability measures can be impeded by percepti...
Mind the Gap: Gender Pay Disparities in the Legal Academy

Differences in pay between women and men in the same jobs have captured the public’s attention in recent years. However, public interest in and press coverage of salary differences on the basis of gender—or any other ascriptive class—in the learned professions are wanting. Moreover, few studies have spoken directly on the gender pay disparities in the legal academy, despite emerging evidence of it at multiple law schools. In this Article, we use a unique dataset, drawn from the only nationally representative survey to date of tenured law professors in the United States, to track how gender and race are tied to salary outcomes. But we look beyond the raw differences in salary, probing the mechanisms that undergird gendered pay inequities. Part I of this Article introduces the concepts of human capital and social capital as important factors underpinning inequalities in outcomes for the legal profession. We then provide an overview of how careers in law—and particularly in the legal academy—are stratified by access to social capital and returns to human capital. In Part II, we introduce the After Tenure survey, from which our data originate. Next, we describe our analytical approach, examining the demography of the legal academy and the legal profession more broadly to discuss the ways in which law professors experience their jobs differently along lines of gender and race. In Part III, we provide evidence of gendered earnings disparities among tenured law professors that is particularly acute for women of color. We conclude by demonstrating how these disparities stem from the differential valuation of human capital.
Falsity, Insincerity and the Freedom of Expression

Three decades ago, the Supreme Court announced that false statements of fact are devoid of constitutional value, without providing either a reasoned explanation for that principle or any supporting citations. This assertion has become one of the most frequently repeated dogmas of First Amendment law and theory, endlessly repeated and never challenged. Disturbingly, this idea has provided the theoretic foundation for a regime in which some speakers can be penalized for even honestly believed factual errors. Even worse, this dogma is flat wrong. False statements often have value in themselves, and we should protect them even in some situations where we are not concerned with chilling truthful speech. When false statements are spoken sincerely, they are a useful and necessary part of argumentation, which is a powerful means of increasing human knowledge. When confronted with honest errors, proponents of competing beliefs have a natural impulse to contest them; in so doing, they unearth and disseminate facts that deepen the understanding of both speakers and listeners. False speech, therefore, is valuable because it is an essential part of a larger system that works to increase society's knowledge. The benefits of false speech evaporate, however, when we move from honest errors to deliberate lies. Insincere speech tends to corrode, rather than further, argument. It is associated with a number of practices that deprive argument of its knowledge-promoting features. We may sometimes wish to protect insincere speech to avoid chilling truthful speech, but we should always do so cautiously. After providing a summary of the existing law and scholarship concerning false speech, this Article analyzes the harms and benefits of false, insincere, and misleading speech. This question will be approached from the perspective of social veritistic epistemology, which will permit a detailed assessment of the consequences of various types of deceptive speech for the state of societal knowledge. I will conclude by suggesting some ways in which existing First Amendment doctrine could be reformed in order to better account for the constitutional value of false speech. Ultimately, it is insincerity, not falsity, which has no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and is of slight social value as a step to truth. Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568, 572 (1942).
An Epicurean Community of Women: A Response to Julie Giovacchini

This essay responds to Julie Giovacchini’s analysis of women’s pleasure in Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura. Lucretius has often been read as a heterodox thinker, but only rarely has his critique of human institutions and human ideologies been extended to include men’s control over women. Giovacchini shows how the preponderance of masculine and masculinist perspectives on Lucretius has rendered illegible or unspeakable the feminine dimensions of pleasure as Lucretius represents them. Her article provides a way back through a long history of women actively engaging with Lucretius and Epicurean philosophy in order to imagine new forms of community and solidarity. It also suggests a way forward to a speculative feminist future in which philosophical and affective bonds among women and other feminine subjects are given priority in visions of social harmony and collective delight. Giovacchini not only invites us to consider the effects of patriarchal modes of reading on the reception of ancient philosophy, she suggests a detournement or troping of the Lucretian legacy in order to center women in the full materiality of their pleasures.
Freud's Rome: Psychoanalysis and Latin Poetry

This book is a meditation on the role of psychoanalysis within Latin literary studies. Neither a sceptic nor a true believer, Oliensis adopts a pragmatic approach to her subject, emphasizing what psychoanalytic theory has to contribute to interpretation. Drawing especially on Freud's work on dreams and slips, she spotlights textual phenomena that cannot be securely anchored in any intention or psyche but that nevertheless, or for that very reason, seem fraught with meaning; the 'textual unconscious' is her name for the indefinite place from which these phenomena erupt, or which they retroactively constitute, as a kind of 'unconsciousness-effect'. The discussion is organized around three key topics in psychoanalysis - mourning, motherhood, and the origins of sexual difference - and takes the poetry of Catullus, Virgil, and Ovid as its point of reference. A brief afterword considers Freud's own witting and unwitting engagement with the idea of Rome.
Defining the Administration of Anesthesia: Just the Push of a Plunger?

This comment explores the regulatory ambiguity surrounding the definition of the "administration" of anesthesia.
Absence of mouse mammary tumor virus proviral amplification in chemically induced lymphomas of RF/J mice.

Abstract RF/J mice are susceptible to the induction of thymic lymphomas by the carcinogens 3-methylcholanthrene and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Given the association of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) with certain thymomas, we examined genomic DNA from chemically induced lymphomas of RF/J mice for new MMTV proviruses. Of 13 tissue culture lines derived from 3-methylcholanthrene-induced tumors, 5 had acquired new proviruses. MMTV amplification coincided with the appearance of viral mRNAs and proteins. However, no primary tumors or animal-passaged tumors contained new proviruses. These observations indicate that MMTV does not have a role in the tumor induction process, although it may become activated and amplified in tissue culture lines derived from tumors.
Studies on Polynucleotides CXVIII. A FURTHER STUDY OF RIBONUCLEOTIDE INCORPORATION INTO DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID CHAINS BY DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID POLYMERASE I OF ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract The incorporation of ribonucleotides into DNA catalyzed by Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I in the presence of Mn++ has been studied with two synthetic DNA's of defined sequence. In general agreement with the findings of Berg et al. ((1963) in Symposium on Informational Macromolecules, p. 467, Academic Press, New York), CMP and GMP could be incorporated at rates comparable to their deoxy analogs. AMP was incorporated only slowly and UMP was not incorporated at all. In studies of the fidelity of incorporation, misincorporation was observed at 37° in the presence of both GTP and CTP. The misincorporation was also observed at 10° in the presence of GTP but not in the presence of CTP. The sequence G-G was found to slow down subsequent nucleotide incorporation in the presence of GTP. The DNA's containing CMP or GMP were selectively cleaved by alkali or specific ribonucleases and expected products were thus obtained.
Purification and properties of initiation factor IF-3 from Caulobacter crescentus.

Abstract A five-step procedure is described for the purification to homogeneity of initiation factor IF-3 from ribosomal washes of Caulobacter crescentus. The protein, C-IF-3, has a molecular weight of 24,000 to 25,000 and seems to consist of a single polypeptide chain. It has three in vitro activities. (a) It promotes ribosomal binding of N-formyl methionyl transfer RNA directed by phage messengers; (b) it dissociates 70 S ribosomes into 30 S and 50 S subunits; (c) it binds single-stranded natural and synthetic RNAs. The factor is analogous to, and exchangeable with Escherichia coli IF-3. However, E. coli ribosomes do not bind N-formyl methionyl transfer RNA with C. crescentus phage Cb5 RNA as messenger and, conversely, C. crescentus ribosomes do not form an initiation complex with coliphage MS2 RNA or late T4 RNA. C-IF-3, as well as E. coli IF-3, have a high affinity for single-stranded stacked polymers, e.g. polyadenylate. Deviation from this type of structure, whether toward a more organized one, e.g. polyadenylate·polyuridylate, transfer RNA, or toward unstacking, e.g. polyuridylate, has an adverse effect on binding. DNA, native and denatured, is not bound at C-IF-3 concentrations sufficient to bind polyribonucleotides. Binding of C-IF-3 to coliphage MS2 RNA provides some protection from degradation by RNase.
Problems in the Anatomical Understanding of the Aphasias

Although it may seem at first to be an odd comparison there is a great similarity between the development of modern genetics and the study of the syndromes resulting from damage to the brain. Although genetics began as a purely ‘functional’ field, in which one dealt with the inheritance of more or less arbitrarily designated ‘characters’, the appearance of the idea of chromosomes with genes placed at specific sites created a change in approach. To paraphrase Wernicke who subtitled his ‘Symptom-Complex of Aphasia’ as ‘A Psychological Study on an Anatomical Basis’ genetics became a functional study on an anatomic basis. The ‘localizationist’ approach to genetics has many of the same potential problems as a localizationist approach to the higher functions. Where is the gene for philoprogenitiveness, and does it control the size of a cortical region subserving this characteristic? Clearly it is not reasonable to expect that every nameable feature will have a chromosomal or a cortical localization. Yet this does not mean that certain other aspects of behavior could not be shown to depend critically on a specific gene or a specific site in the nervous system.
The influence of technology on the politics of motherhood

Abstract Mother's roles in conception, gestation, birth, and parental rights are becoming marginalized with the help of new reproductive technologies and surrogacy arrangements. A woman's role as mother has historically been based on gestation and birth of children. New reproductive technologies and surrogacy introduce a new emphasis into gestation and birth, a heightened emphasis on medical control of conception, gestation, and birth, and an orientation toward the woman as a mere “vessel” or “container” for the fetal patient. Changes brought by these reproductive arrangements pressure legal systems to refine definitions of motherhood and the expected behavior of pregnant women. These tendencies will probably increase as the technologies develop.
Los efectos políticos de la Psicología social

The classical point of view concerning the relations between social psychology and politics is submitted to a close analysis. A new way of formulating this relationship is suggested on the grounds of the intrinsically socio-political character of social psychology. The analysis of the political effects which are produced by psychosociological theorization and praxis leads to a reconsideration of the kind of knowledge which is produced by social-psychologists. This reconsideration is based on an analogical application of Heisenberg's principie of indetermination.
Hair Story: Untangling The Roots of Black Hair in America

Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. Ayana D. Byrd and Lori L. Tharps. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2001. vii. 198 pp. (Cloth US$23.95)
Taking Public Access to the Law Seriously: The Problem of Private Control Over the Availability of Federal Standards

To save resources and build on private expertise, federal agencies have incorporated privately drafted consumer and environmental safety, benefits, testing, and other standards into thousands of federal regulations — but only by “reference.” Unlike the entire U.S. Code and the rest of the Code of Federal Regulations, freely available in depository libraries or online, access to the text of this regulatory law is under largely private control. Apart from the option to travel to a Washington, D.C. reading room, the private drafting organizations control access. Standards can be difficult to find and a reader must often pay a significant fee to see one. This brief article overviews the problem, as well as the reasons that underlie the intuition that law, in a democracy, needs to be readily, publicly available. Beyond the need of regulated entities to gain notice of their obligations, ready public access is needed for regulatory beneficiaries, including Medicare recipients, consumers of risky products, or neighbors of natural gas pipelines. The content, as well as the existence, of these standards can importantly affect beneficiary choices regarding what to purchase, where to live, and so forth. Meaningful public access is also critical for citizens to engage in public debate and to hold government accountable both for complying with the law and for devising it, particularly (though not only) when government relies on private organizations whose interests can be narrowly focused and processes closed. Moreover, when individuals have to pay a fee to read the law, it sends a damaging message that starkly contrasts with the long-established American tradition of widespread public access to the law. The article calls for meaningful levels of free public access to the text of these incorporated standards.
T cell-derived Act1 is necessary for IL-25-mediated Th2 responses and allergic airway inflammation

The cellular and molecular mechanisms driven by IL-25 and its cognate receptor IL-17RB necessary for the promotion of Th2-mediating pathogenic pulmonary inflammation remains to be defined. We have previously reported the critical role of the U-box-type E3 ubiquitin ligase Act1 (1) for the downstream signaling of the IL-17 cytokine family including the Th2-promoting cytokine IL-25 (IL-17E) (2). In this study, we report that IL-25-driven but not conventional IL-4-driven Th2 polarization and cytokine production is impaired in Act1-deficient T cells. Also, Act1 deficiency in the T cell compartment results in the abrogation of eosinophilic airway infiltration as well as airway hyperresponsiveness in mouse models of Ag-induced airway inflammation. The in vivo generation of Ag-specific Th2 cytokine-producing cells is defective in the absence of Act1 expression in T cells after OVA/aluminum hydroxide immunization. Notably, the production of OVA-specific IgG(1) but not IgG(2a) or IgE is also impaired. At the molecular level, we report that IL-25-mediated induction of Th2 master regulator GATA-3 and the transcription factor GFI-1 is attenuated in Act1-deficient T cells. Taken together, our findings indicate that Act1 expression in T cells is required for cellular and humoral Th2-mediated allergic responses and the development of airway hyperresponsiveness, in part, through Act1's function in IL-25-induced development of Th2 T cells.
Influence of Pb segregation on the deformation of nanocrystalline Al: Insights from molecular simulations

Abstract Molecular dynamics straining simulations using a two-dimensional columnar model were run for pure Al with grain sizes from 5 to 30 nm, and for 10 nm grain size Al–Pb alloys containing 1, 2 and 3 at.% Pb. Monte Carlo simulations showed that all the Pb atoms segregate to the grain boundaries. Pb segregation suppresses the nucleation of partial dislocations and twins during straining. At 3 at.% Pb, no dislocations or twins are observed throughout the straining history. It also appeared that Pb tends to segregate to the same locations in grain boundaries that were favorable for partial dislocation emission. Grain boundaries with Pb segregates were very robust against dissociation during straining compared to pure Al. The yield stress determined from stress–strain curves showed a decrease with increasing Pb content, supporting a similar observation for the hardness change measured on nanocrystalline Al–Pb alloys.
Processive Post-translational Modification VITAMIN K-DEPENDENT CARBOXYLATION OF A PEPTIDE SUBSTRATE

Mass spectrometry has been used to demonstrate that vitamin K-dependent carboxylation is a processive post-translational modification (i.e. multiple carboxylations occur during a single association between enzyme and substrate). Purified vitamin K-dependent carboxylase can carboxylate as many as 12 glutamate residues in FIXQ/S, a peptide substrate based on amino acids -18 to 41 of the human blood clotting enzyme factor IX. Mass spectrometry was used to determine the number of gamma-carboxyl groups added to FIXQ/S by the carboxylase during an in vitro reaction. Despite the fact that most substrate molecules in a reaction were uncarboxylated, almost all carboxylated FIXQ/S molecules were carboxylated many times. This observation can only be explained by two types of mechanisms. In a processive mechanism, multiple carboxylations could occur during a single substrate binding event. Alternatively, a distributive mechanism could result in the observed behavior if the initial carboxylation event results in a substrate that is additionally carboxylated far more efficiently than the uncarboxylated FIXQ/S. Kinetic experiments and arguments were used to show that the vitamin K-dependent carboxylase is not distributive but rather is one of the first well documented examples of an enzyme that catalyzes a processive post-translation modification.
Serologic Evidence of Jamestown Canyon Virus Infection in White-Tailed Deer Populations from Connecticut

We determined the prevalence and distribution of Jamestown Canyon (JC) virus antibody in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in Connecticut, USA. Sera were collected from hunter-killed deer during 1993. Antibody to JC virus was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 92 (21%) of 446 deer sera, and was uniformly distributed among geographic sites. Twenty-one ELISA-positive sera were tested and confirmed positive by plaque reduction neutralization testing. This represents the first serologic evidence of JC virus in a reservoir host population from the northeastern United States. No cross-reactivity was seen with California encephalitis, Keystone, or snowshoe hare viruses, but a varying degree of cross-reactivity was obtained with Guaroa, Jerry Slough, LaCrosse, San Angelo, and trivittatus viruses. We conclude from this investigation and previous isolations of JC virus from mosquitoes in the state that JC virus occurs enzootically in Connecticut.
The Impact of Salesperson Motivation on Role Perceptions and Job Performance—A Cognitive and Affective Perspective

Although global intrinsic motivation has been demonstrated to mitigate role conflict and role ambiguity, a more integrative approach would incorporate the cognitive and affective dimensions of intrinsic and extrinsic (I/E) motivation. The differential impact of the cognitive and affective dimensions of I/E motivation on job performance is theorized as partially mediated by role perceptions. Moreover, to better understand the distinct impact of role conflict and role ambiguity on job performance, this study captures both dimensions of the performance measure—behavioral and outcome performance. Empirical results from a survey of salespeople indicate that, compared to the global motivation constructs, the cognitive and affective representation of I/E motivation provides a more robust description of the salesperson motivation–role perceptions–performance relationship. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Metabolism of phenytoin and covalent binding of reactive intermediates in activated human neutrophils.

Abstract Activation of neutrophils by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) causes rapid production of superoxide radical (O 2 − ), leading to the formation of additional reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hypochlorous acid (HOCl), and possibly hydroxyl radical (·OH). These reactive oxygen species have been associated with the oxidation of some drugs. We investigated the metabolism of phenytoin (5,5-diphenylhydantoin) and the covalent binding of reactive intermediates to cellular macromolecules in activated neutrophils. In incubations with 100 μM phenytoin, PMA-stimulated neutrophils from six human subjects produced p -, m -, and o -isomers of 5-(hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin (HPPH) in a ratio of 1.0:2.1:2.8, respectively, as well as unidentified polar products. Analysis of cell pellets demonstrated that phenytoin was bioactivated to reactive intermediates that bound irreversibly to macromolecules in neutrophils. Glutathione, catalase, Superoxide dismutase, azide, and indomethacin all diminished the metabolism of phenytoin and the covalent binding of its reactive intermediates. The iron-inactivating chelators desferrioxamine and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid had little or no effect on the metabolism of phenytoin by neutrophils, demonstrating that adventitious iron was not contributing via Fenton chemistry. In an ·OH-generating system containing H 2 O 2 and Fe 2+ chelated with ADP, phenytoin was oxidized rapidly to unidentified polar products and to p -, m -, and o -HPPH (ratio 1.0:1.7:1.5, respectively). Reagent HOCl and human myeloperoxidase (MPO), in the presence of Cl − and H 2 O 2 , both formed the reactive dichlorophenytoin but no HPPH. However, no chlorinated phenytoin was detected in activated neutrophils, possibly because of its high reactivity. These findings, which demonstrated that activated neutrophils biotransform phenytoin in vitro to hydroxylated products and reactive intermediates that bind irreversibly to tissue macromolecules, are consistent with phenytoin hydroxylation by ·OH generated by a transition metal-independent process, chlorination by HOCl generated by MPO, and possibly cooxidation by neutrophil hydroperoxidases. Neutrophils activated in vivo may similarly convert phenytoin to reactive intermediates, which could contribute to some of the previously unexplained adverse effects of the drug.
Multilayer silicone phantoms for the evaluation of quantitative optical techniques in skin imaging

With the development of multilayer models for the analysis of quantitative spectroscopic techniques, there is a need to generate controlled and stable phantoms capable of validating these new models specific to the particular instrument performance and/or probe geometry. Direct applications for these multilayer phantoms include characterization or validation of depth penetration for specific probe geometries or describing layer specific sensitivity of optical instrumentation. We will present a method of producing interchangeable silicone phantoms that vary in thickness from 90 microns up to several millimeters which can be combined to produce multilayered structures to mimic optical properties of physiologic tissues such as skin. The optical properties of these phantoms are verified through inverse addingdoubling methods and the homogeneous distribution of optical properties will be discussed.
Response of a highly segmented extruded lead glass calorimeter to electrons and pions between 15 and 45 GeV/c

Abstract We have studied the energy resolution, hadron rejection and ability to distinguish overlapped events for a highly segmented electromagnetic calorimeter using unpolished extruded lead glass bars. Energy resolution is in agreement with previous measurements of more conventional calorimeters. Hadron rejections of 10−3 are achieved, without the use of particle momentum information. Overlapped events of π± −γ are shown to be rejected at the level of 10−2. A powerful method for predicting shower leakage energy is also presented.
A hybrid fiber/solid state regenerative amplifier with tunable pulse widths for satellite laser ranging

A fiber/solid-state hybrid seeded regenerative amplifier capable of achieving high output energy with tunable pulse widths has been developed for satellite laser ranging applications. The regenerative amplifier cavity utilizes a pair of Nd: YAG zigzag slabs oriented orthogonally to one another in order to symmetrize thermal lensing effects and simplify optical correction schemes. The seed laser used is a fiber-coupled 1064 nm narrowband (<0.02 nm) diode laser which is intensity modulated by a fiber Mach-Zender electrooptic modulator, enabling continuously tunable seed pulse widths in the 0.2 - 2.0 ns range. The seed laser pulse energy entering the regenerative amplifier cavity is ~10 pJ, and is amplified to ~1.6 mJ after 37 round trips, representing a gain of ~82 dB. When seeded with 200 ps pulses at a 2 kHz repetition rate, the regenerative amplifier produces >2 W of frequency-doubled output (>1 mJ/pulse at 532 nm).
Work/non-workday differences in mother, child, and mother–child morning cortisol in a sample of working mothers and their children

Abstract Background Mothers have been shown to have higher morning cortisol on days they go to work compared to non-workdays; however, it is unknown how maternal workday associates with child morning cortisol or the attunement of mother–child morning cortisol. Aims This study examined the presence and stability of morning cortisol levels and slopes (i.e., cortisol awakening response or CAR) in a sample of 2–4 year old children in out-of-home child care with working mothers. In addition, we examined the differential contributions of maternal workday on mother–child attunement in morning cortisol. Method Mother and child morning cortisol was sampled twice a day (awakening and 30 min later) across four consecutive days (2 non-workdays; 2 workdays) among 47 working mothers and their young children. Mothers also reported on compliance with sampling procedures and provided demographic information. Results While children exhibited stability in cortisol levels, children's CARs were variable, with children's non-work CARs not predictive of work CARs. Similarly, a significant morning rise in cortisol was only found on workdays, not non-workdays. Overall, mothers had higher cortisol levels and steeper CARs than their children. Further, maternal workday moderated the attunement of mother–child morning cortisol, such that mothers and children had concordant cortisol levels on non-workdays, but discordant cortisol levels on workdays. Conclusions Morning cortisol may be more variable in pre-school aged children than adults but may be similarly responsive to the social environment. Further, workday mornings may be a time of reduced mother–child cortisol attunement.
Examining the role of the medial thalamus in modulating the affective dimension of pain

The purpose of this project was to explore the role of the medial thalamus (MT), including the medial dorsal thalamus (MD) and associated midline nuclei in pain processing. Experiment 1 explored the role of electrolytic lesions to the MT in the formalin test. It was hypothesized that animals with electrolytic lesions to the MT would have attenuated paw licking behavior during the second phase of the formalin tests as compared to sham lesion controls. This hypothesis was based on evidence of projections from the MD to the ACC, and previous research demonstrating attenuation of paw licking behavior in the second phase of the formalin test in animals with ACC lesions. Experiment 2 tested the effects of electrolytic MT lesions on mechanical paw withdrawal thresholds in the L5 nerve ligation model. It was hypothesized that lesions of the MT would not alter mechanical paw withdrawal thresholds. Experiment 3 tested the effects of electrolytic MT lesions on escape/avoidance behavior in the place escape avoidance paradigm. For experiment 1, animals with MT lesions were found to have slightly elevated paw licking behavior, but only across two time points. No differences in mechanical paw withdrawal thresholds and in escape/avoidance behavior were detected as compared to the sham lesion group. These results indicate a limited role for the medial thalamic nuclei in coding for pain intensity and the affective dimension of pain. Additional research is needed to explore the role of individual medial nuclei in pain processing.