cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asset market equilibrium under rational inattention

We propose a noisy rational expectations equilibrium model of asset markets with rationally inattentive investors. We incorporate any finite number of assets with arbitrary correlation. We also do not restrict the signal form and show that investors optimally choose a single signal, which is a noisy linear combination of all risky assets. This generates comovement of asset prices and contagion of shocks, even when asset payoffs are negatively correlated. The model also provides testable predictions of the impact of risk aversion, aggregate risk, and information capacity on the security market line, the portfolio dispersion, and the abnormal return.
Strong coupling theory of magic-angle graphene: A pedagogical introduction

Abstract We give a self contained review of a recently developed strong coupling theory of magic-angle graphene. An advantage of this approach is that a single formulation can capture both the insulating and superconducting states, and with a few simplifying assumptions, can be treated analytically. We begin by reviewing the electronic structure of magic angle graphene’s flat bands, in a limit that exposes their peculiar band topology and geometry. We highlight how similarities between the flat bands and the lowest Landau level give insight into the effect of interactions. For example, at certain fractional fillings, we note the promise for realizing fractional Chern states. At integer fillings, this approach points to flavor ordered insulators, which can be captured by a sigma-model in its ordered phase. Unexpectedly, topological textures of the sigma model carry electric charge which allows us to extend the same theory to describe the doped phases away from integer filling. We show how this approach can lead to superconductivity through the proliferation of charged topological textures, and estimate the T c for the superconductor. We highlight the important role played by an effective super-exchange coupling both in pairing and in setting the effective mass of Cooper pairs. Seeking to enhance this coupling helps predict new superconducting platforms, including the recently discovered alternating twist trilayer platform. We also contrast our proposal from strong coupling theories for other superconductors.
Artificial intelligence in drug discovery: applications and techniques

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been transforming the practice of drug discovery in the past decade. Various AI techniques have been used in many drug discovery applications, such as virtual screening and drug design. In this survey, we first give an overview on drug discovery and discuss related applications, which can be reduced to two major tasks, i.e. molecular property prediction and molecule generation. We then present common data resources, molecule representations and benchmark platforms. As a major part of the survey, AI techniques are dissected into model architectures and learning paradigms. To reflect the technical development of AI in drug discovery over the years, the surveyed works are organized chronologically. We expect that this survey provides a comprehensive review on AI in drug discovery. We also provide a GitHub repository with a collection of papers (and codes, if applicable) as a learning resource, which is regularly updated.
Optimal Distributed Energy Resource Coordination: A Decomposition Method Based on Distribution Locational Marginal Costs

In this paper, we consider the day-ahead operational planning problem of a radial distribution network hosting Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) including rooftop solar and storage-like loads, such as electric vehicles. We present a novel decomposition method that is based on a centralized AC Optimal Power Flow (AC OPF) problem interacting iteratively with self-dispatching DER problems adapting to real and reactive power Distribution Locational Marginal Costs. We illustrate the applicability and tractability of the proposed method on an actual distribution feeder, while modeling the full complexity of spatiotemporal DER capabilities and preferences, and accounting for instances of non-exact AC OPF convex relaxations. We show that the proposed method achieves optimal Grid-DER coordination, by successively improving feasible AC OPF solutions, and discovers spatiotemporally varying marginal costs in distribution networks that are key to optimal DER scheduling by modeling losses, ampacity and voltage congestion, and, most importantly, dynamic asset degradation.
The role of PET/CT in the management of peritoneal mesothelioma

1072 Learning Objectives To describe the pathogenesis and management of peritoneal mesothelioma (PM) and the role of PET/CT in the management of PM. PM is a rare form of cancer that develops from either the parietal or visceral peritoneum. The pathogenesis of PM remains unresolved, however, it has been proposed that asbestos fibers from the lung are transported to the abdomen and associated organs via the recruitment of lymphatic system. Additionally, asbestos fibers may be deposited in the gut after ingestion of sputum contaminated with asbestos fibers. The accumulated asbestos acts as a complete carcinogen with the development of PM via direct physical interactions with the cells of the mesothelium in conjunction with indirect effects following interaction with inflammatory cells. PM has also been associated with irradiation, intrapleural thorium dioxide, and inhalation of other fibrous silicates and simian virus 40. PM does not usually cause symptoms until the disease is advanced. PM also very fast growing. The late diagnosis and rapid growth rate combine to make PM a very deadly disease. The patient is treated with the combination of chemo-radiation and surgery. Diagnosis of PM is often made by analyzing tumor markers (e.g. serum mesothelin-related protein), imaging studies and histopathology. The extent of the primary and metastatic lesion is best assessed with CT. However, it is not possible to make a definitive diagnosis by CT alone. CT may help focus the possible causes for symptoms, rule out others and guide a future biopsy. The only way to make an accurate, definitive diagnosis of PM is to obtain and analyze a direct biopsy of the tissue by immunohistochemical and other specialized means, but it requires that the patient undergo a surgical procedure. Hybrid PET/CT can be used to assess the primary lesion, detect metastasis, evaluate treatment response and restage after therapies, but its clinical role has not been well established. Cases represented illustrate the use of PET/CT in the management of this disorder
INFECCIÓN RESPIRATORIA AGUDA EN RELACIÓN CON LA CONTAMINACIÓN ATMOSFÉRICA Y OTROS FACTORES AMBIENTALES

Las infecciones respiratorias agudas (IRA) son la causa de gran cantidad de muertes a nivel mundial y con mas incidencia en paises en vias de desarrollo donde el nivel de necesidades basicas insatisfechas es alto. De este grupo afectado los ninos en edades de 0 a 5 anos son los que mas vulnerabilidad presentan. El numero de muertes en el mundo por IRA es de 3,5 millones cada ano; en los Estados Unidos se presentan, en promedio anual, 30.000 casos en ninos menores de 4 anos. Colombia no es la excepcion en relacion a muertes por IRA, Solsalud Caldas ESE reporta este tipo de enfermedades como una de las tres principales causas de consulta medica, segun estadisticas del ano 2006. Las afecciones a la salud humana causadas por IRA tienen mucha relacion con factores ambientales como la contaminacion atmosferica. Estudios que se den en cooperacion entre las areas de la salud y del medio ambiente son indispensables para identificar el estado del aire que respiramos en relacion con las IRA en la poblacion del municipio de Manizales. Como factor necesario para atacar el problema y brindar alternativas y soluciones, es vital la integracion de estos campos en pro de mejorar, con apoyo administrativo y desde la academia, las necesidades basicas ambientales, apoyados en campanas y proyectos educativos en salud y medio ambiente.
Reflections Upon Community Engagement: Service-Learning and Its Effect on Political Participation After College

This article addresses the gap in our understanding of service-learning and its enduring influence on political engagement by analyzing the results of an alumni survey. Chi-square tests were performed to examine the relationship between 5 curricular and cocurricular undergraduate experiences and 10 types of political engagement after graduating. Analysis demonstrated that organizational involvement, campus leadership, and volunteering had limited influence, whereas service-learning had the greatest impact of the factors studied on political participation after college. Service-learning significantly affected behaviors such as voting and donating money to political candidates as well as forms of political activity that more explicitly reflect social change activism such as social movement organization membership and participation in protests. Notably, classes with merely a service add-on showed no positive effect on any political behaviors under examination. This finding stresses how reflection can heighten awareness and deepen knowledge about community needs and facilitate the attitudinal and identity development that promote lasting activism.
Variants of Brownian Motion

Variants of Brownian motion and related processes arise in diverse contexts. Examples include scaling limits of discrete models like queueing networks, combinatorial structures such as random trees, physical models of particles diffusing through disordered media, and the evolution of stock process in finance. Here, we describe some of these variants, including reflected Brownian motion, geometric Brownian motion, the Brownian sheet, Brownian excursions, and fractional Brownian motion. Keywords: brownian motion; feometric Brownian motion; excursion theory; brownian bridge; brownian sheet; Schramm–Lowener evolution; fractional Brownian motion; fractals
DDT: effect of continuous exposure on ATPase activity in fish, Pimephales promelas.

Fat head minnows, 45-days old, were continuously exposed to DDT using continuous water flow and constant temperature conditions. Exposures were to 0.5 and 2.0 ppb of DDT in water, and combinations of the two concentrations with 50 ppm in food, and 50 ppm in food alone, using C14-DDT in food. Brain homogenates were analyzed for enzyme activity from fish treated for 56, 118, 225, and 266 days; and gill analysis was made at 225 and 226 days exposure. Enzyme reductions were greatest in oligomycin-sensitive (mitochondrial) Mg2+ ATPase, with pronounced effects (over 50% inhibition) at the 266th sampling day. In contrast, Na+-K+ ATPase and oligomycin-insensitive Mg2+ ATPase activities were activated by as much as 28% and 40%, respectively. Mitochondrial Mg2+ ATPase of fish brain has been inhibited to the greatest extent in previously reportedin vitro studies. All three ATPase enzymes were reduced in gill tissue sampled at the 266th day, with mitochondrial Mg2+ ATPase showing the greatest decline.
Control of dynamic systems in spatial networks: Applications, results, and challenges

Abstract A dynamic network is characterized by a spatially distributed set of nodes with sensors and actuators which measure and effect the dynamic system. These nodes are coordinated through the performance objectives and the possible dynamic coupling between the nodes in the presence of large uncertainties in the environment, in the observations, and through the communication channels between nodes. Examples of spatial networks that will be presented are: The control of a formation of aerial vehicles that reduces the total drag to approximately that of an equivalent slender wing constructed by joining together all the wings in the formation; the development of faulttolerant control systems for the intelligent vehicle highway system; and robust boundary layer control to reduce friction drag in both transitional and turbulent flows in channels and wings is obtained by a network of shear stress sensors and actuators along the boundary. The control of dynamic networks can be viewed as essentially in its infancy and general procedures based on computational algorithms used for implementation is a long term goal. However, near term goals and challenges can be posed which represent important elements of the more complete problem.
Effect of Sample’s Diameter on Flow Properties of Open-Cell Metal Foam

Many applications require fluid flow through the open-cell metal foam. The foam is usually treated as a porous medium for which the Darcy law and the Hazen-Dupuit-Darcy (or Forchheimer) equations are used to describe the pressure drop, and in obtaining the two important flow properties, i.e., the permeability and the form drag coefficient. Little or no attention is paid to the transverse size of the porous medium perpendicular to the flow direction. This paper establishes a minimum diameter necessary for the foam to have diameter-independent (or bulk) permeability and form drag coefficient. This minimum diameter is obtained experimentally for open-cell aluminum foam subjected to airflow in the Forchheimer regime. Below this thickness values of the two key flow properties are not constant, and they include wall effects, which may explain some the discrepancies in the reported values in the literature.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Halstead's clinical legacy

Abstract This paper reviews the test data that Halstead left when he died. The data base is divided into 14 files which are classified according to the Howell-Rennick coding system. This coding system classifies these data by type of lesion, location of lesion and level of confidence in the diagnosis. Using these data, a research program is proposed to answer fundamental psychometric questions about the Halstead Neuropsychological Test Battery (HNTB).
Competing geometric and electronic effects in adsorption of phenylenediamine structural isomers on the Ge(100)-2 × 1 surface

Abstract The adsorption behavior of ortho-, meta-, and para-phenylenediamine (PD) structural isomers (o-, m- and p-PD) at the Ge(100)-2 × 1 surface has been studied and compared with aniline. Our results indicate that at room temperature, aniline and all PD isomers adsorb on Ge(100)-2 × 1 via N H dissociation, with no dative-bonded adducts observed. For each PD isomer on Ge(100)-2 × 1, a fraction of the adducts are adsorbed through both amino groups. This fraction is greatest for m-PD, somewhat lower for o-PD, and significantly lower for p-PD. The observed trend in reactivity is ascribed to a combination of geometric and electronic effects. Our results indicate that geometrically, the ortho isomer is best suited to surface attachment through both amino groups, while electronically, the aromatic nature of the benzene spacer between isomer amino groups renders dual N H dissociation most favorable for the meta isomer. The results elucidate the competing role of electronic and geometric effects in this adsorption system.
Teaching the History of Geology

The content and form of a course in the history of geology are dictated by the nature of the subject matter, the conceived purpose of the course, the background of the instructor and the students who participate, and the availability of appropriate readings. In an undergraduate course just offered by the Brooklyn College Geology Department, half the class were geology majors, half non-science majors. The stated aim of the course was epistemological: a consideration of how one comes to believe something. Investigation was pursued through a comparison of different historiographic accounts of major ideas, episodes and figures in the history of geology: the age of the earth; the meaning of fossils; 17th and 18th C ‘theories of the earth’; the denudation dilemma; the basalt and granite controversies; directionalism; Lyell's ‘uniformitarianism’; fluvialism, diluvialism, and glacialism. Where possible, original writings were consulted; the recent advent of a low cost reprint of Lyell's "Principles" was particula...
Abstract 4696: Identification of driver mutations and gene amplifications in resected asophageal adenocarcinoma: Impact on clinical care

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA BACKGROUND: Adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and esophagogastric junction (EGJ) have received much attention because of increasing frequency and poor outcome despite multimodality therapy. Driver mutations and gene amplifications in resected esophageal adenocarcinoma are not widely investigated. Opportunity exists to discover actionable mutations in resected esophageal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We analyzed driver mutations harbored in coding regions of 25 selected genes (∼95 point mutations) using a multiplex PCR-based assay. EGFR, HER2, MET, and PI3K amplifications were tested using fluorescent in situ hybridization in patients who underwent esophagectomy for distal esophagus and EGJ adenocarcinoma from 2009 to 2013. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between patients with TP53, KRAS, PI3K, BRAF, APC mutant and wild-type tumors using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models. The impact of HER2 expression and outcomes were also analyzed. RESULTS: Of 54 distal esophagus and EGJ adenocarcinoma patients, 5 different driver mutations were observed in 39 patients, including TP53 (11/39, 28.2%), KRAS (6/39,15.4%), PI3K (2/11,5.1%), BRAF(1/39, 2.6%) and APC (2/39,5.1%). Double driver mutations (3/39, 7.9%) were shared in 3 patients with TP53 and KRAS (1/39, 2.6%), TP53 and PI3K (1/39, 2.6%), KRAS and PI3K (1/39, 2.6%), respectively. Amplifications in HER2 (10/45, 22.2%), MET (1/34, 2.9%) and EGFR (2/17, 11.8%) were observed where directed therapy was altered in 5 patients (1 patient received induction herceptin and 4 patients received adjuvant herceptin). In the targeted patients with HER2 amplification who received herceptin, mean progression-free survival was 18.8 (range 7-41 months) vs. 8.9 (1-28 months) [p=0.089] and OS was 35.7 (range 26-46 months) vs. 24.2 (range 20-29 months) [p=0.053], compared to herceptin naive patients. We did not identify any significant difference in DFS and OS (inclusive of all stages) between TP53, KRAS or any mutation compared to wild type patients. DISCUSSION: Oncogenic driver mutations are under-investigated in resected distal esophageal and EGJ adenocarcinoma. Different therapeutic opportunities may become available if routine tumor genotyping is employed in the treatment of esophageal adenocarcinoma. We recommend the routine use of driver mutation and gene amplification analysis for esophageal cancer. Citation Format: Haiyu Zhou, Luis Tapias Vargas, Justin Elliot, Douglas J. Mathisen, Michael Lanuti. Identification of driver mutations and gene amplifications in resected asophageal adenocarcinoma: Impact on clinical care. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4696. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4696
Aluminum on the Si(100) surface: Growth of the first monolayer.

Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to study the growth of the first monolayer (ML) of Al on the Si(100) surface at room temperature (up to 100 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C). The Al forms rows of adsorbed dimers that run perpendicular to the underlying Si dimer rows. As the coverage is increased, the metal configuration evolves from isolated rows, to areas of local 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}3 and 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2 structure, to a surface entirely terminated by a 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2 array of Al dimers at 0.5 ML. Deposition of more than 0.5 ML results in the growth of three-dimensional Al clusters on the 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2 surface. Electronic-structure effects are illustrated, and two alternative bonding sites for the Al adatom dimers are suggested.
The reliability of free association responses

Free association responses were obtained from high and low frequency stimulus words for 61 Ss. Seven or 21 days later, Ss responded to the same stimulus material. Results indicated that neither word frequency nor interval between sessions influenced the number of identical responses wade by the S. Findings indicated that an S will make the same response to the same stimulus word presented on two different occasions, about 50% of the time.
Radon-222 budget in Catalina Harbor, California: 1. Water mixing rates

We describe mixing on the basis of the radon distribution in Catalina Harbor, a small embayment on the southwest side of Catalina Island, California. During June 1998, there was a 2–3-m-thick warm surface layer in the inner harbor, underlain by cooler water. A radon budget for this system was constructed with the objective of evaluating boundary fluxes and developing a box model to describe mixing and transport into and within the harbor waters. Benthic inputs were evaluated with in situ benthic flux chambers. Loss via decay and gas evasion was characterized by surveys of radon concentration in the water column. Closure of the budget required another large radon source, which was assumed to be tidal pumping of seawater through beach sands. The budget indicates that inputs were primarily attributable to benthic input (55%) and tidal pumping (38%). Losses were due to evasion to the atmosphere (29%), radioactive decay (35%), and mixing to the open ocean (36%). The average upwelling velocity into surface water was 0.73 m d−1. Horizontal mixing was parameterized as an eddy diffusion, calculated to be 0.54 ± 0.19 m2 s−1, which was consistent with mixing predictions on the basis of scaling arguments.
Vital Communication Skills and Competencies in the Workforce of the 1990s.

This study seeks to identify the value of interpersonal communication skills to success on the job. A questionnaire was developed and administered to a random sample of employment recruiters/human ...
Expanding applications of dialectical behavior therapy: Prospects and pitfalls

The papers in this series describe creative adaptations of DBT for several populations. This commentary describes what I perceive as some of the strengths of DBT that suggest its potential for multiproblem patients as well as concerns about the possibility of clinical dissemination outpacing controlled data, potential obstacles to dissemination of effective DBT due to insufficient training, staffing, and financial resources, and the need to consider which aspects of DBT are needed to treat a given population both effectively and cost-efficiently.
A Distributed Abstraction Algorithm for Online Predicate Detection

Analyzing a distributed computation is a hard problem in general due to the combinatorial explosion in the size of the state-space with the number of processes in the system. By abstracting the computation, unnecessary state explorations can be avoided. Computation slicing is an approach for abstracting distributed computations with respect to a given predicate. We focus on regular predicates, a family of predicates that covers many commonly used predicates for runtime verification. The existing algorithms for computation slicing are centralized - a single process is responsible for computing the slice in either offline or online manner. In this paper, we present first distributed online algorithm for computing the slice of a distributed computation with respect to a regular predicate. Our algorithm distributes the work and storage requirements across the system, thus reducing the space and computation complexity per process.
When Do Trade Blocs Block Trade

Because the gains from international cooperation typically rise with the number of countries involved, the ideal international agreement is often multilateral. In practice, however, the modal agreement is not multilateral but regional or bilateral. The prevalence of “minilateralism” begs the question: Do minilateral agreements help or hinder multilateral cooperation? I investigate this question by examining the impact of regional free trade agreements (FTAs) on multilateral trade liberalization in 30 countries from 1988 to 1998. I find that FTAs have important but contradictory conditional effects: they promote multilateral liberalization when members' intra- and extra-FTA comparative advantages are similar but impede such liberalization when these comparative advantages are different. FTAs can thus, depending on the circumstances, either help or hinder broader trade liberalization. My findings have important implications, not only for the relationship between FTAs and multilateralism, but also for the political consequences of customs unions and nontrade minilateral agreements.
Behavioral and hormonal effects of hippocampal lesions on male and female rats

Male and female rats with hippocampal lesions and controls were compared with respect to activity, body weight, performance on a DRL schedule, and extinction. Normal females acquired the DRL schedule faster than normal males. For both sexes, hippocampal lesions resulted in poor DRL performance and more responses during extinction. Male rats with hippocampal lesions were further below their target deprived weight each day than their controls; the lightest animals had the worst DRL performance. Sex-lesion interactions were found for activity in the operant chamber during DRL performance and for DRL extinction: females with hippocampal lesions were more active and made more responses during extinction than males with hippocampal lesions. Corticosterone levels were manipulated prior to DRL sessions, and resting and stress levels of corticosterone were measured at the end of the experiment. While females had higher corticosterone levels than males, brain lesions did not affect corticosterone levels, nor did hormone manipulations affect DRL performance for either sex.
Phosphoenolpyruvate, a new inhibitor of phosphoribulokinase in Pseudomonas facilis

Phosphoenolpyruvate as enzyme inhibitor of phosphoribulokinase in Pseudomonas facilis with respect to ribulose-5-phosphate and ATP
Women and Victorian Theatre

List of illustrations: Preface Part I. The Making of the Victorian Actress: 1. 'Think of the power-' 2. Masculine panic and the panthers of the stage 3. Actresses, managers and feminized theatre Part II. Gender and Victorian Playwriting: 4. The impossibility of women playwrights 5. Textual assaults: women's novels on stage 6. Victorian plays by women Part III. Revolution: 7. Elizabeth Robins, Oscar Wilde and the 'Theatre of the Future' Notes Index.
Highly accurate biomolecular electrostatics in continuum dielectric environments

Implicit solvent models based on the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation are frequently used to describe the interactions of a biomolecule with its dielectric continuum environment. A novel, highly accurate Poisson-Boltzmann solver is developed based on the matched interface and boundary (MIB) method, which rigorously enforces the continuity conditions of both the electrostatic potential and its flux at the molecular surface. The MIB based PB solver attains much better convergence rates as a function of mesh size compared to conventional finite difference and finite element based PB solvers. Consequently, highly accurate electrostatic potentials and solvation energies are obtained at coarse mesh sizes. In the context of biomolecular electrostatic calculations it is demonstrated that the MIB method generates substantially more accurate solutions of the PB equation than other established methods, thus providing a new level of reference values for such models. Initial results also indicate that the MIB method can significantly improve the quality of electrostatic surface potentials of biomolecules that are frequently used in the study of biomolecular interactions based on experimental structures.
Distinct Roles for Src Tyrosine Kinase in β2-Adrenergic Receptor Signaling to MAPK and in Receptor Internalization

G protein-coupled receptors form the largest family of membrane receptors and transmit diverse ligand signals to modulate various cellular responses. After activation by their ligands, some of these G protein-coupled receptors are desensitized, internalized (endocytosed), and down-regulated (degraded). In HEK 293 cells, the G(s)-coupled beta2-adrenergic receptor was postulated to initiate a second wave of signaling, such as the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway after the receptor is internalized. The tyrosine kinase c-Src plays a critical role in these events. Here we used mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells deficient in Src family tyrosine kinases to examine the role of Src in beta2-adrenergic receptor signaling to the MAPK pathway and in receptor internalization. We found that in Src-deficient cells the beta2-adrenergic receptor could activate the MAPK pathway. However, the internalization of beta2-adrenergic receptors was blocked in Src-deficient MEF cells. Furthermore, we observed that in MEF cells deficient in beta-arrestin 2 the internalization of the beta2-adrenergic receptor was impaired, whereas the activation of the MAPK pathway by the beta2-adrenergic receptor was normal. Our data demonstrate that although Src and beta-arrestin 2 play essential roles in beta2-adrenergic receptor internalization, they are not required for the activation of the MAPK pathway by the beta2-adrenergic receptor. In other words, our finding suggests that receptor internalization is not required for beta2-adrenergic receptor signaling to the MAPK pathway in MEF cells.
Uncoupling protein-2 Deficiency Promotes Oxidant Stress and Delays Liver Regeneration in Mice

The control of liver regeneration remains elusive. Because reactive oxygen species (ROS) are able to mediate cell growth arrest and activate proteins that inhibit the cell cycle, ROS production may have a negative impact on liver regeneration. We examined how liver regeneration is affected by uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2), an inner mitochondrial membrane carrier that senses and negatively regulates superoxide production. Liver regeneration was monitored up to 5 days and was found to be significantly delayed in UCP2(-/-) mice after partial hepatectomy. Apoptosis rates in UCP2(+/+) and UCP2(- /-) liver remnants were similar, while parameters of cell proliferation indicated a diminished response in UCP2(- /-) mice with corresponding changes in the expression of key cell cycle regulatory proteins and prolonged activation of stress-responsive protein kinase p38. Levels of malondialdehyde, a marker of ROS generation and oxidant stress, were elevated in UCP2(- /-) livers at every examined time point. Liver remnants of UCP2(+ /+) mice 48 hours post-hepatectomy showed a fourfold increase in the expression of UCP2 protein primarily detected in hepatocytes. In conclusion, our results suggest that absent or insufficient UCP2 function in the regenerating liver results in increased ROS production and negatively modulates the control of cell cycle.
Is the Use of Alcohol and Marijuana by Adolescents Associated with 1) Their Approval Peers' Use of Alcohol and Marijuana or 2) Their Perceptions of Adult Approval of These Substances?

Is the Use of Alcohol and Marijuana by Adolescents Associated with 1) Their Approval Peers' Use of Alcohol and Marijuana or 2) Their Perceptions of Adult Approval of These Substances?
Decreased Wait Times After Institution of Office-Based Hand Surgery in a Veterans Administration Setting

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common peripheral nerve compression disorder causing symptoms of numbness, tingling, weakness, and muscle atrophy. Open carpal tunnel release (CTR) is a common treatment modality traditionally performed in the operating room with sedation or general anesthesia. It can also be performed in the surgeon’s office under local anesthesia only. 1 In our study, we examined the number of days from initial consultation and visit to operative intervention in a Veterans Administration (VA) setting. A significant decrease in wait time from initial consultation to operative intervention and from initial visit to operative intervention was hypothesized to occur with the transition to office-based hand surgery procedures, without an increase in complications. Methods | Institutional review board approval from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center was obtained to construct a database of recent surgical procedures performed for carpal tunnel syndrome by the plastic surgery service. Operations including CTR in conjunction with other procedures were excluded. The minor procedure room is located within the plastic surgery clinic, with a single nurse serving as a circulating nurse. The hand and forearm are prepped and draped, and both monopolar cautery and bipolar cautery are available. A more specific description to a similar configuration can be found in
Coffee, alcohol, smoking, physical activity and QT interval duration: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background Abnormalities in the electrocardiographic QT interval duration have been associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. However, there is substantial uncertainty about the effect of modifiable factors such as coffee intake, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity on QT interval duration.
Intra-tumoural extra-cellular pH: a useful parameter of response to chemotherapy in syngeneic tumour lines

Reliable surrogate markers of response to anticancer therapy remain a desirable tool for preclinical modelling and clinical practice in oncology. Clinical evaluation is relatively unreliable when attempting to assess rapidly and prospectively the outcome of treatment. Fluxes in released or circulating tumour marker levels are a useful but inconsistent marker of cytotoxic response. Serial measurement of circulating tumour cells appears to have some utility as a surrogate marker, but assay systems are expensive, and many cancers are not associated with the presence of circulating tumour cells. Because tissue breakdown is associated with release of nucleic acids and other cellular products, we reasoned that serial measurement of intra-tumoural pH may correlate with the extent of tumour lysis, and thus with outcomes of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Doxorubicin-sensitive and doxorubicin-resistant sublines of P388 murine monocytic leukaemia in C57BL/6 mice were treated with increasing concentrations of doxorubicin. Tumours were serially measured by conventional bi-dimensional methods and pH was sampled using a bevelled tip electrode. Mean and median pH changes were statistically different in responsive and resistant tumours, and amplitude of change correlated with long-term responses to doxorubicin. Serial sampling of pH in tumour masses may provide a useful surrogate of long-term response to chemotherapy.
A new method of Lyman-α radiation generation☆

Abstract An efficient method of Lyman-α generation has been demonstrated and involves collisions of hydrogen ions and laser-excited sodium vapor. About 80% enhancement in the Lyman-α production rate during collisions of atomic hydrogen ions with excited sodium Na2 has been observed to occur at about 7 eV kinetic energy in the laboratory frame of reference.
GFR Estimation: From Physiology to Public Health

Estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is essential for clinical practice, research, and public health. Appropriate interpretation of estimated GFR (eGFR) requires understanding the principles of physiology, laboratory medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics used in the development and validation of GFR estimating equations. Equations developed in diverse populations are less biased at higher GFRs than equations developed in chronic kidney disease (CKD) populations and are more appropriate for general use. Equations that include multiple endogenous filtration markers are more precise than equations including a single filtration marker. The CKD-EPI (CKD Epidemiology Collaboration) equations are the most accurate GFR estimating equations that have been evaluated in large diverse populations and are applicable for general clinical use. The 2009 CKD-EPI creatinine equation is more accurate in estimating GFR and prognosis than the 2006 MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) Study equation and provides lower estimates of prevalence of decreased eGFR. It is useful as a "first test" for decreased eGFR and should replace the MDRD Study equation for routine reporting of serum creatinine–based eGFR by clinical laboratories. The 2012 CKD-EPI cystatin C equation is as accurate as the 2009 CKD-EPI creatinine equation in estimating GFR, does not require specification of race, and may be more accurate in patients with decreased muscle mass. The 2012 CKD-EPI creatinine–cystatin C equation is more accurate than the 2009 CKD-EPI creatinine and 2012 CKD-EPI cystatin C equations and is useful as a confirmatory test for decreased eGFR as determined by serum creatinine-based eGFR. Further improvement in GFR estimating equations will require development in more broadly representative populations, including diverse racial and ethnic groups, use of multiple filtration markers, and evaluation using statistical techniques to compare eGFR to "true GFR."
When is limited feedback for transmit beamforming beneficial

Transmit beamforming and receive combining are low complexity techniques that help in achieving the full diversity afforded by the multi-antenna channel. Complete channel state information at the transmitter may be possible only under rare instances. Thus quantized beamforming with limited feedback on a reverse link has been a topic that has attracted great attention recently. But almost all of the work to date has focussed on modeling the channel with independent, identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading between antenna pairs. In this paper, we consider the correlated channel case, and show that Grassmannian line packing is an artificial artifact of the i.i.d. assumption. We show that there are dominant peaks in the eigen-domain when correlation is imposed and the codebook construction should be matched to the correlation in the channel, which renders the problem in this case easier than for i.i.d. channels
Personality as Continuous Stochastic Process: What Western Personality Theory Can Learn from Classical Confucianism

An important objective of personality psychology is to provide compelling descriptions and explanations of intraindividual personality dynamics that capture the unique qualities of persons. Among contemporary Western personality theories, the Five-Factor Model enjoys prominence in describing individual differences in personality traits. It falls short, however, in its ability to work with intraindividual personality function. This article argues that classical Confucianism, originating 2500 years ago in mainland China, offers Western personality psychologists important theoretical resources for capturing the complex and dynamic processes inherent in human personality. The Confucian perspective emphasizes a behaviorally anchored, continuous, stochastic, process-oriented understanding of the self as relationally constructed and proposes an elegant description of the relational virtuosity of exemplary persons. The article concludes with five characteristics of a Confucian inspired model of personality and questions the viability of a universal theory of personality.
Lewis number effects in laminar diffusion flames near and away from extinction

Abstract An experimental study of the extinction limits of methane–air and propane–air counterflow diffusion flames is presented. Diffusive-thermal properties (i.e., Lewis numbers) are systematically varied by diluting the fuel stream with helium or argon. For the same level of dilution, the extinction strain rate is considerably lower for He-diluted flames than for Ar-diluted flames over the entire range of dilutions tested. The observed experimental results are successfully explained by considering a weighted effective Lewis number of the counterflow flames as they approach the extinction limit. The flames investigated are also modeled using the OPPDIF code from the CHEMKIN package considering multicomponent transport properties. Experimental extinction results are in very good agreement with calculated extinction strain rates based on the detailed chemical kinetic models of the flames studied. It is also found that in counterflow diffusion flames away from extinction limits (i.e., larger Damkohler numbers), calculated flame temperatures follow the trend of the weighted Lewis number due to the finite strain rate ever present in the counterflow configuration. A parallel investigation of lifted laminar CH 4 jet diffusion flames reveals that at the mid-sections of flames, the flame temperature follows the change in the unweighted fuel Lewis number, even for flames near blowout limits. Similar observations are also made in laminar C 3 H 8 jet diffusion flames and the observed differences are discussed.
Arginine vasotocin alters hamster pituitary LH and prolactin secretion in vitro.

Abstract 1. 1. Arginine vasotocin (AVT) stimulated the release of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin (PRL) from normal hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) anterior pituitary glands in a dose-dependent manner. 2. 2. AVT significantly augmented the depressed level of PRL release from pituitaries of blind-pinealectomized animals. 3. 3. LH release from the pituitaries of blinded hamsters was inhibited by AVT while FSH levels were unaffected.
A simple new bioassay based on echinochrome synthesis by larval sea urchins

Abstract A simple, rapid and quantitative embryo-larval bioassay that uses changes in echinochrome pigment synthesis as an indicator of seawater toxicity has been developed to allow increased use of sensitive sea urchin bioassays where time, resources and technical expertise may be limited. Several 48 h embryo-larval tests were conducted with lowered salinity and increased concentrations of copper as the potential toxicants. At 48 h the larvae were examined for echinochrome pigment level (E), the number of embryos that had gastrulated (G) and the percentage of gastrulas that had developed to prisms (P). Relationships between the pigment levels (E) and morphological parameters (G and P) were investigated using simple and partial correlation analysis. Reductions in echinochrome levels were correlated with both G and P, and partial correlation analysis showed that changes in echinochrome levels are associated with G, P, or G and P, depending on the experimental conditions. The echinochrome measurement procedure appears to be as good as or better than the morphological examination technique since it is as sensitive, less variable and takes about 25% of the time required for morphological examination.
A multi-microprocessor system for finite element structural analysis

During the last few years, advances in microprocessor technology have spurred a renewed interest in special-purpose computers. The microprocessor has become small, inexpensive, and powerful enough to be considered as a building block for special-purpose hardware. A description is presented of the architecture of a prototype 'finite element machine' currently being built. Attention is given to details regarding the finite element analysis problem, the arrangement of the processors as finite element nodes in the structural model, the influence of the architecture on the solution algorithm, interprocessor communication primitives, and the performance of the finite element machine.
Neural tube defect-specific infant mortality in the United States.

Background Significant resources have been devoted to decreasing the rate of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the United States. Both surveillance data and birth records have strengths and limitations for evaluating the outcomes of this resource allocation. Cause-specific infant mortality data can be used as one measure to support evaluation efforts. Methods Using period linked birth/infant death data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a retrospective analysis was performed to assess the NTD-specific IMR at the national, state, and regional level. NTD-specific IMRs for the United States were calculated from 1996 to 1998; stratified rates by race/ethnicity, maternal age, age at death, and gestational age and birthweight by type of NTD for the total US population were based on three-year aggregates (1996–98); state and regional rates were based on four-year aggregates (1995–98). Results Annual US NTD-specific IMRs significantly decreased between 1996 and 1998. Black infants were significantly less likely to die from an NTD when compared to white infants, largely attributed to the high rate of NTD-specific deaths among white Hispanic infants. Infants born to women less than 20 years were more likely than infants born to women in other age groups to die from an NTD. Seventy-six percent of all NTD-specific deaths occurred in the first 23 hours of life. Seventy-four percent of NTD-specific infant deaths were low birthweight and 58 percent were preterm. The Midwest had the highest rate of NTD-specific infant deaths among US regions. Conclusion Enhanced prevention efforts are needed to address the disparities in infant deaths due to NTDs between Hispanics and other populations, as well as women under 20 years. Decreases in NTD-specific IMRs may have been impacted by fortification of enriched grain products with folic acid since these efforts were optional beginning in 1996. While there are limitations in cause-specific IMRs, NTD-specific IMRs can be used as one measure to assess the impact of public health interventions aimed at reducing NTDs, respectful of the relatively small numbers. Teratology 66:S17–S22, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Combined heat and mass transfer in a porous adsorbent

Abstract A model describing the combined heat and mass transfer processes that occur during sorption of water vapor in a fixed-bed, desiccant dehumidifier consisting of parallel channels is presented. In this system, with the desiccant manufactured in the form of a felt lining both walls of the channel, the gas-side resistance controls the transfer of moisture and heat from the air stream to the surface of the desiccant felt and the solid-side resistances control the mass and heat transport within the desiccant felt. The model presented in this paper is different from conventional simulation models, since it involves both gas- and solid-side resistances to heat and mass transfer using fundamental transport equations. Numerical results predicted by use of the model are compared with experimental data obtained from isothermal and nonisothermal adsorption tests. The comparison shows good agreement between experiment and theory. The influence of desiccant felt thickness and the amount of heat removed from desiccant felt are related to the effectiveness of the adsorption process.
Developing centres of excellence in agricultural economics: The case of the University of Ceara, Brazil

Abstract The expansion and increased efficiency of agriculture in developing countries depends at least as much on the growth of the applied social sciences, especially agricultural economics, as it does on applied sciences and technology. Agricultural economists are needed not only, for example, for cost-benefit analyses of technical programmes of irrigation, but also as potential planners and administrators. This paper critically discusses an attempt to apply United States university teaching methods to the production of ‘indigenous’ agricultural economists in Northeast Brazil.