cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Content, Quality, and Readability of Patient Accessible Online Resources Regarding Cataracts.

Purpose To evaluate the content quality, accuracy, and readability of commonly visited websites by cataract patients contemplating cataract surgery. Setting Freely available online information. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods Ten websites were evaluated in a cross-sectional study for content analysis using a grading sheet of 40 questions individually scored by three ophthalmologists. JAMA benchmarks were used to assess the quality. An online readability tool, Readable, was used to assess the readability. Results There was a significant difference between the content and accuracy of each website according to a Kruskal-Wallis test (H = 22.623, P = .007). The average score for all websites using the grading sheet was 90.85 out of 160 points, or 57% (SD 29.93, CI 95%±17.69). There was no significant correlation between website rank on Google.com and content quality of the website (r = 0.049, P = .894). No websites complied with all 4 JAMA criteria for authorship. There was no significant correlation between content quality of each website and number of JAMA requirements met (r = -0.563, P = .09). The average Flesch Reading Ease Score for all websites was 52.64 (SD 11.94, CI 95%±7.40), and the average Mean Reading Grade was 10.72 (SD 1.58, CI 95%±0.98). There was a significant difference in Mean Reading Grades between websites (H = 23.703, P = .005). There was no significant correlation between content quality of the website and Mean Reading Grade (r = -0.552, P = .098). Conclusion Commonly accessed online resources on cataracts and cataract surgery are insufficient to provide patients with a clear and complete understanding of their condition as well as available medical and surgical treatment options.
"Migrating Demons, Liminal Deities, and Assyria's Western Campaigns."

Damonen und Monster sind von sich aus bewegliche Wesen: Ab dem spaten zweiten Jahrtausend v. Chr. wandert eine Reihe von Damonen und Monstern aus ihren ursprunglichen mesopotamischen Kontexten nach Westen. Allerdings bleiben diese Figuren auf ihrer Reise nicht statisch, sondern nehmen in verschiedenen kulturellen Kontexte dem Lokalkolorit entsprechend neue Eigenschaften an. Dieser Aufsatz betrachtet die verschiedenen Darstellungen einiger dieser damonischen Figuren im Kontext der Levante, wobei sowohl ihre kunstlerischen Darstellungen als auch die betreffenden diffuseren textlichen Belege analysiert werden. Da die Grenze zwischen damonisch und gottlich bereits in Mesopotamien vage und flussig war, sehen wir eine ahnliche Flexibilitat ihrer Definitionen, wenn diese Figuren in ihre neuen Kontexte ziehen. Da Gottheiten im Allgemeinen weniger marginale Wesen sind als Damonen, tun die Gottheiten, die nach Westen wandern oder im Westen in neuassyrischen und neubabylonischen Quellen verwendet werden, dies, weil sie bereits einen flexibleren Charakter und eine breitere mogliche Einsetzbarkeit und Verwendung aufweisen. Dieses Prinzip zeigt sich besonders in den Belegen einer solchen Figur, einer Gruppe von sieben gottlich-damonischen Wesen, die als die Sebettu bekannt sind und die besonders gezielt in neoassyrischen Belegen im Zusammenhang mit der westlichen Grenzzone verwendet werden.
Worker Occupational Skills and Unemployment Duration

This paper explains differences in unemployment duration among displaced workers by differences in their skills, using the unemployed worker’s previous occupation and years of education to capture skill level. I use the cumulative incidences approach from the statistics literature, a better alternative to the standard survival analysis methods in the case of competing risks. I find that the higher the displaced worker is on the skill ladder, based on their previous occupation, the faster their exit rate to a full-time job by 55%. An extra year of education will increase the exit rate to a full-time job by 7%. The impact of education, however, on exiting unemployment is less pronounced the higher the displaced worker’s previous occupation is on the skillladder.
Cellular aging in vitro recapitulates multi-tissue epigenetic aging in vivo

Aging is known to elicit dramatic changes to DNA methylation (DNAm), although the causes and consequences of such alterations are not clear and require further exploration. Our ability to experimentally uncover mechanisms of epigenetic aging will be greatly enhanced by our ability to study and manipulate these changes using in vitro models. However, it remains unclear whether the changes elicited by cells in culture can serve as a model of what is observed in aging tissues in vivo. To test this, we serially passaged mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and assessed changes in DNAm at each time-point via RRBS. By developing a measure that tracked cellular aging in vitro, we tested whether it tracked physiological aging in various mouse tissues and whether anti-aging interventions modulate this measure. Our measure, termed DNAmCULTURE, was shown to strongly increase with age when examined in multiple tissues (liver, lung, kidney, blood, and adipose). As a control, we confirmed that the measure was not a marker of cellular senescence, suggesting that it reflects a distinct yet progressive cellular aging phenomena that can be induced in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated slower epigenetic aging in animals undergoing caloric restriction and a resetting of our measure in lung and kidney fibroblasts when re-programmed to iPSCs. Enrichment and clustering analysis implicated SUZ12, EED and Polycomb group (PcG) factors as potentially important chromatin regulators in translational culture aging phenotypes. Overall, this study supports the concept that physiologically relevant aging changes can be induced in vitro and moving forward, used to uncover mechanistic insights into epigenetic aging.
Out-of-network bills among privately insured patients undergoing hysterectomy.

Abstract Background In recent years, the issue of out-of-network billing for privately insured patients has been highlighted as a source of unexpected out-of-pocket charges for patients, even in the setting of an in-network primary surgeon. Congress recently passed the No Surprises Act to curtail these practices, but the new law contains exceptions, and its regulatory system has yet to be established. As one of the most frequently performed major surgical procedures, hysterectomy represents a significant exposure to out-of-network bills among non-elderly females in the United States. Objective To describe the extent and nature of out-of-network bills at the time of hysterectomy among privately insured patients in the context of the recently passed No Surprises Act. Study Design We performed a retrospective cohort study of women ages 18-64 who underwent simple hysterectomy from 2008 to 2018 with in-network primary surgeon in the IBM Watson Marketscan claims database, which includes data from over 350 different payers. We identified out-of-network claims for facility or professional services, and analyzed the frequency, size, and source of the payments. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess for patient, procedure, and facility characteristics associated with risk of out-of-network claims. Results We identified 585,223 hysterectomy cases meeting all inclusion criteria, evenly split between inpatient (49.6%) and outpatient (50.4%) procedures. Overall, 8.8% of cases included at least 1 out-of-network claim, with median out-of-network expenditures of $553 for inpatient procedures and $438 for outpatient procedures. Compared to professional out-of-network claims, facility out-of-network claims were less common (2.3% vs. 7.4%) but far greater in amount billed (median $8,307 vs. $400 inpatient, $3,281 vs. $407 outpatient). Among professional claims, those from midlevel surgical assistants were most frequently out-of-network when present (13.8% inpatient; 20.0% outpatient), while out-of-network claims from anesthesia were most common overall, and largest (median $890 inpatient, $1,021 outpatient) when present. In a multivariable model, older age, increasing comorbidity, and complications during the stay were associated with higher odds of any out-of-network claim. In contrast, risk of facility out-of-network claims was more strongly associated with facility region and surgical approach, with highest odds for cases in the North Central region and those using robotic approach. Conclusion Out-of-network bills for privately insured patients at the time of hysterectomy occurred in 8.8% of cases. Approximately one-quarter of these included out-of-network facility claims, which tended to have higher payments than out-of-network professional claims, and may not be prevented by the No Surprises Act. Gynecologic surgeons should be aware of potential out-of-network charges for ancillary services at the time of surgery, and particularly the network status of the facility, in order to provide maximal transparency and financial protection to our patients.
Error diagnosis and data profiling with data x-ray

The problem of identifying and repairing data errors has been an area of persistent focus in data management research. However, while traditional data cleaning techniques can be effective at identifying several data discrepancies, they disregard the fact that many errors are systematic, inherent to the process that produces the data, and thus will keep occurring unless the root cause is identified and corrected.In this demonstration, we will present a large-scale diagnostic framework called DataXRay. Like a medical X-ray that aids the diagnosis of medical conditions by revealing problems underneath the surface, DataXRay reveals hidden connections and common properties among data errors. Thus, in contrast to traditional cleaning methods, which treat the symptoms, our system investigates the underlying conditions that cause the errors.The core of DataXRay combines an intuitive and principled cost model derived by Bayesian analysis, and an efficient, highly-parallelizable diagnostic algorithm that discovers common properties among erroneous data elements in a top-down fashion. Our system has a simple interface that allows users to load different datasets, to interactively adjust key diagnostic parameters, to explore the derived diagnoses, and to compare with solutions produced by alternative algorithms. Through this demonstration, participants will understand (1) the characteristics of good diagnoses, (2) how and why errors occur in real-world datasets, and (3) the distinctions with other related problems and approaches.
Microbiological Quality of Various Medicinal Herbal Teas and Coffee Substitutes

Various herbal teas including German chamomile, Chrysanthemum Vascuflow herb tea, hop, jasmine and orange flowers, sweet marjoram, spearmint and thyme leaves, and papaya-mint tea as well as coffee substitutes (Bambu instant Swiss, Teeccino chocolate-mint, and Teeccino Mediterranean Espresso) were analyzed for fungal contamination and the presence of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (APC). The results of this investigation showed that fungal counts reached levels as high as 5.8 × 105 colony forming units (cfu) per gram. German chamomile harbored the highest fungal contamination. The most common fungi found in herbal teas were Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp., Eurotium rubrum, E. chevalieri, A. flavus, Fusarium spp., Alternaria alternata, and yeasts. Among the coffee substitutes, only the chocolate-mint coffee was contaminated with low numbers (<1.0 × 103 cfu g-1) of E. rubrum, Ulocladium spp. and Phoma spp., and with yeasts (< 100–6.8 × 103 cfu g-1). Aerobic mesophilic bacteria were recovered from 100% of th...
Legal Anthropology: An Introduction

Part 1 Introduction: Why Study Legal Anthropology Part 2 Section I: General Background Chapter 3 Chapter 1: Philosophical Starting Points Chapter 4 Chapter 2: Studying Law in the Field Part 5 Section II: Forerunners Chapter 6 Chapter 3: Natural Law: Description and Reactions Chapter 7 Chapter 4: Sociology of Law Part 8 Section III: Ethnographic Foundations Chapter 9 Chapter 5: Malinowski and Reciprocity-Based Law Chapter 10 Chapter 6: Schapera and Codification of Indigenous Law Chapter 11 Chapter 7: Hoebel and the Rise and Legal Realism Chapter 12 Chapter 8: Gluckman and Identification of Legal Universals Chapter 13 Chapter 9: Bohanna and Relativism Chapter 14 Chapter 10: Pospisil and Differentiating the Institutions of Social Regulation Chapter 15 Chapter 11: Nader and Processualism Chapter 16 Chapter 12: O'Barr & Conley and Studying Up Part 17 Section IV: Highlights of Comparative Anthropology Chapter 18 Chapter 13: Cross-Cultural Comparison Chapter 19 Chapter 14: Dispute Resolution Chapter 20 Chapter 15: Legal Pluralism Part 21 Section V: Issues in Applied Legal Anthropology Chapter 22 Chapter 16: Human Rights Chapter 23 Chapter 17: Intellectual Property Rights Chapter 24 Chapter 18: The Cultural Defense Chapter 25 Chapter 19: Terrorism Chapter 26 Chapter 20: A Fairness-Centered Legal Anthropology Chapter 27 Chapter 21: Overview and Prospects
MERGE. A model for evaluating regional and global effects of GHG reduction policies

Abstract MERGE provides a framework for thinking about climate change management proposals. The model is designed to be sufficiently flexible to be used to explore alternative views on a wide range of contentious issues, eg costs, damages, valuation and discounting. We begin with a description of the model's individual components and show how they fit together. We then provide an initial application to illustrate how the framework can be used in the assessment of alternative policy options. Given the level of uncertainty which pervades the climate debate, it would be unrealistic to expect cost-benefit analysis to lead to consensus on a bottom line — at least any time soon. Rather, models such as MERGE should be viewed as research tools capable of providing insights into which aspects of the debate may be most important. In this way, they can help focus the discussion and identify the areas where additional research may have the highest pay-off.
Measurement of geometrical parameters in cocontinuous polymer blends: 3D versus 2D image analysis.

Formulae of stereology are used to estimate 3D geometrical parameters of cocontinuous structures measured from 2D micrographs of polymer blends. 3D images of symmetric and nonsymmetric polymer blends made of fluorescently labelled polystyrene and styrene-ran-acrylonitrile copolymer were obtained with laser scanning confocal microscopy. Geometrical parameters of the blend interface, specifically volume fraction, surface area per unit volume (S (V) ) and average of local mean curvature were measured directly from the 3D images and compared to the values estimated from analysis of a number of 2D slices combined with stereological relations. When the total length of phase boundary considered in the analysis of the 2D slices (L(Tot) ) was at least 6000 times bigger than the characteristic length of the microstructure (S(-1) (V) ), the standard deviation for all the parameters measured became negligible. However, considerable discrepancies between the average values computed from 3D and 2D images were observed for any value of L(Tot) . The mean curvature distribution was also measured from both the 3D images and the 2D slices. The distribution was estimated from the 2D slices but with a width about 2.4 times that of the true value obtained from the 3D images.
A new acute leukemia-associated blast cell antigen detected by a monoclonal antibody

A monoclonal mouse antibody has been raised to the common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (cALL) cell line Reh. It is a cytotoxic antibody of the IgG2, subclass that reacts with leukemia cells from the following patients: 69% non-B non-T ALL, 50% T-ALL, 18% acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), and 66% chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) blast crisis lymphoid cells. Other types of leukemia and all normal blood cells tested were negative, including T and B lymphocytes, granulocytes, monocytes, erythrocytes, and spleen cells. The detected antigen appears to be a type of blast cell antigen because it is also present on phytohemagglutinin (PHA) blast cells, myeloblast from normal bone marrow cells (by CFU-C), and all lymphoblastoid cell lines tested. Only one active antibody species could be detected by preparative isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels and by protein-A-Sepharose affinity chromatography.
Belongings: Oral History, Objects and an Online Exhibition

The New South Wales Migration Heritage Centre was established in 1998. Since 2003 its physical presence has been located within Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and it has had the strategic brief to record the memories of ageing migrants before their stories are lost. The Centre is, however, a museum without a collection; a heritage authority without heritage sites; a cultural institution whose main presence is in cyberspace. Among its high profile projects is one entitled Objects through time and another Belongings. Both focus on the ways in which objects can convey aspects of the migration experience. Belongings, the focus of this article, presents the remembered experiences of people who migrated to Australia after World War II, and seeks to highlight significant features of their experiences through asking them to share their memories and to nominate and talk about significant objects. As a project it grew out of movable heritage policy work within state government agencies, and its initiators – John Petersen, Kylie Winkworth and Meredith Walker – were central players in this development. It was also inspired by the National Quilt Register of the Pioneer Women’s Hut at Tumbarumba. With its object-centred approach and accompanying edited interview transcripts, Belongings provides a focus for exploring the messages and emphases that emerge when oral history interviews concerned with migration have the specific brief to ask about material culture and its significance. Belongings also enables an exploration of the layering of those messages that emerges when object captions are located back in the context of the oral history interviews from which they were extracted. As a virtual exhibition, Belongings also provides the opportunity to consider the challenges for museums (virtual and real) when they need to condense the richness of migrant oral histories and life stories to captioned objects that can be put on display.
Catalyzing strategic transformation to a low-carbon economy: A CCS roadmap for China

Abstract China now faces the three hard truths of thirsting for more oil, relying heavily on coal, and ranking first in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Given these truths, two key questions must be addressed to develop a low-carbon economy: how to use coal in a carbon-constrained future? How to increase domestic oil supply to enhance energy security? Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) may be a technological solution that can deal with today's energy and environmental needs while enabling China to move closer to a low-carbon energy future. This paper has been developed to propose a possible CCS roadmap for China. To develop the roadmap, we first explore major carbon capture opportunities in China and then identify critical CCS-enabling technologies, as well as analyze their current status and future prospects. We find that coal gasification or polygeneration in combination with CCS could be a nearly unbeatable combination for China's low-carbon future. Even without CCS, gasification offers many benefits: once coal is gasified into syngas, it can be used for many different purposes including for alternative fuels production, thereby increasing the domestic oil supply and the flexibility of the energy system.
The synthesis and characterization of radical cation salts of bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene

Abstract Four 2:1 radical cation salts (SbF 6 , CF 3 SO 3 , GaCl 4 , Cu[N(CN) 2 ]Br) of bis(ethylenedithio)-tetraselenafulvalene (BETS) have been prepared and scrutinized by X-ray crystallography, DC resistivity measurements (300-10K), rf penetration depth experiments (0.5K), pressure studies (0.5–5kbar, 4K), and tight-binding band calculations. The salts are κ-phase, and three are metallic to low temperatures. κ-(BETS) 2 Cu[N(CN) 2 ]Br is isostructural with κ-(ET) 2 Cu[N(CN) 2 ]Br.
Air-Steam Gasification of Dairy Biomass Using Small Scale Fixed Bed Gasifier

The composition of gases obtained from gasification of biomass fuels depends principally upon parameters like fuel and oxidizing medium supplied, equivalence ratio (Φ), steam-fuel ratio (S:F), pressure, reaction temperature, and residence time in the gasifier. Gasification with steam only is an endothermic process which produces rich mixtures of CO and H2 while gasification with air-steam may not require heat input in order to produce H2 rich mixtures of CO and CO2 . Furthermore, gases produced by gasification with-air-steam can be supplied to a shift reactor to produce mixtures of H2 , CO2 , and N2 . When pure O2 is used instead of air, the H2 separated from CO2 can be used for in situ sustainable green power generation. The gasification process can handle low quality fuel and larger sized particles. While coal has higher fixed carbon (FC) providing more heat for gasification, the Dairy biomass (DB) selected in current study has lower FC and hence contributes less heat. While most of the past studies deal with gasification of coal, current study concentrates on DB as fuel. Experimental results are presented for gasification of i) dairy biomass (DB) and ii) DB ash blends (DBAB) using a 10 KW fixed bed counter-flow gasifier and air-steam as oxidizing source. The results show that the reactor operates almost adiabatically. The effects of the Φ and S:F ratio on peak temperatures, gas composition, gross heating value of the products (HHV), and energy conversion efficiency (ECE) are investigated. A mass spectrometer has been used to analyze the composition of gases in real time continuously. Increasing Φ or S:F increases the production of H2 and CO2 but decreases the production of CO; thus, the reaction of CO+H2 O→CO2 +H2 seems to control the composition of gases. The operating parameters include 1.59<Φ<6.36 and 0.36<S:F<0.8. Energy Conversion efficiencies (ECE) range from 0.26 to 0.80.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
A plant DNA-binding protein that recognizes 5-methylcytosine residues.

Abstract A novel, 5-methylcytosine-specific, DNA-binding protein, DBP-m, has been identified in nuclear extracts of peas. DBP-m specifically recognizes 5-methylcytosine residues in DNA without appreciable DNA sequence specificity, unlike a mammalian DNA-binding protein (MDBP), which recognizes 5-methylcytosine residues but only in a related family of 14-base-pair sequences.
Proliferative response of english sole splenic leukocytes to mitogens

Abstract The mitogenic response and mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) were studied to determine the ability of a benthic marine fish, English sole Pleuronectes vetulus, to produce leukoproliferative (LP) responses. The mitogenic response of English sole leukocytes was assessed for a variety of mitogens. In vitro culture conditions for English sole leukocytes that would maintain cellular viability and allow leukocytes to proliferate were initially determined with an undefined medium. Factors that were varied to create an effective mitogen assay included mitogen type (pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, and lipopolysaccharide), mitogen concentrations, incubation time and temperature, medium supplementation, and number of leukocytes per culture. A leukocyte concentration of 1 × 107 leukocytes/mL provided for the greatest proliferation; cell concentrations above or below this level resulted in less proliferation. A higher degree of proliferation occurred when the leukocytes were incubated with ...
(Methylthio)methyl and (N,N-Dimethylcarbamoyl)methyl Upper-Rim-Substituted Calix[4]arenes as Potential Extractants for Ag(I), Hg(II), Ni(II), Pd(II), Pt(II), and Au(III)

The (methylthio)methyl and (N,N-dimethylcarbamoyl)methylcalix[4]arenes act as extracts for the transfer of Pd(II) and Au(III) from an aqueous to a chloroform layer.
Survival and repair of potentially lethal radiation damage in confluent vascular smooth muscle cell cultures

Summary Confluent cultures of rat aortic smooth muscle cells demonstrated dose-dependent potentially lethal damage repair (PLDR), with an average repair factor of 4 for a 10 Gy dose. PLDR occurred with a half-time of 2 hours and was nearly maximal by 8h. Among other factors, PLDR may contribute to the radioresistance of large blood vessels.
Phonological Pairing as a Reading Aid for Retarded Childrena

Thirty-three educable mentally retarded children were exposed to one of three modes of word presentation: phonologically paired words in the content-function order; phonologically paired words in the function-content order; serial list with words randomly assigned. The results of the investigation indicated that the demonstrated learning performance of mentally retarded children was significantly enhanced by the phonological pairing of words, phonological pairing in the content-function word order being superior to phonological pairing in the function-content word order. It was concluded that the incorporation of new words into the educable mentally retarded child's reading vocabulary can be enhanced by the phonological pairing of content and function words.
Classifying scheduling policies with respect to unfairness in an M/GI/1

It is common to evaluate scheduling policies based on their mean response times. Another important, but sometimes opposing, performance metric is a scheduling policy's fairness. For example, a policy that biases towards small job sizes so as to minimize mean response time may end up being unfair to large job sizes. In this paper we define three types of unfairness and demonstrate large classes of scheduling policies that fall into each type. We end with a discussion on which jobs are the ones being treated unfairly.
Second stage tumor promoters: Differences in biological potency and phorbol ester receptor affinity in C6 cells

We have shown that the second stage tumor promoters mezerein (MEZ) and phorbol 12-retinoate 13-acetate (PRA) inhibit the gluccocorticoid-induced increase in glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity in C6 rat glioma cells with ED 50-values of 3.9 and 2.9 nM, respectively. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was 10-fold less potent. MEZ was likewise more potent than PMA for inhibition of cAMP formation in response to isoproterenol. Binding competition studies using [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate ([3H]PDBu) yielded apparent Ki-values for MEZ and PRA of 50-70 nM. The large difference between the biological potencies of MEZ and PRA and their affinity for the major phorbol ester receptor suggest they may be acting through a more complicated mechanism in these cells.
Looking for Leroy: illegible black masculinities

I have had the pleasure of meeting Mark Anthony Neal on several occasions at annual national conferences and at talks he has delivered at universities. He is a demonstrably intelligent, yet humble ...
Assessment of Attitudes Regarding Tobacco-Free Campus Policy and Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among College Students, Faculty, and Staff

BackgroundRecently there has been a push to implement tobacco-free policies on college campuses. Policies creating tobacco-free college campuses have increased with changes in social norms. The campus environment provides a setting for individuals to express their attitudes regarding tobacco use.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess attitudes among various populations on the college campus relative to smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, and acceptability of campus tobacco policies in order to develop effective, targeted implementation strategies.MethodsA sample (n = 462) of university students, faculty, and staff completed a web-based survey that included demographics and opinion items regarding tobacco free policy.ResultsThere were differences among the participants (n = 462) in terms of tobacco-free policy acceptance and attitudes toward secondhand smoke exposure. Campus role (faculty, staff, or student), gender, and smoking status (never, former, current) all had significant (P < .001) differe...
A nonphotochemical-quenching-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana possessing normal pigment composition and xanthophyll-cycle activity.

Higher-plant chloroplasts alter the distribution of absorbed radiant energy between photosynthesis and heat formation in response to changing illumination level or environmental stress. Fluorescence imaging was used to screen 62 yellow-green T-DNA insertion mutant lines of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. for reduced photoprotective nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) capacity. Pulse-modulation fluorometry was employed to characterize one line (denoted Lsr1−) that exhibited an approximately 50% reduction in NPQ compared to the wild type (WT). The loss in NPQ capacity was associated with the ΔpH-dependent phase of quenching (qE). Under the growth conditions employed, pigment composition and levels of the six photosystem-II light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b proteins were identical in mutant and WT. Changes in the in-vivo levels of the xanthophyll pigments violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and zeaxanthin in excess light were the same for mutant and WT. However, use of the violaxanthin de-epoxidase inhibitor dithiothreitol indicated that a zeaxanthin-dependent component of NPQ was specifically reduced in the mutant. The mutant exhibited diminished suppression of minimum fluorescence yield (Fo) in intense light suggesting an altered threshold in the mechanism of response to light stress in the mutant. The NPQ-deficient phenotype was meiotically transmissible as a semidominant trait and mapped near marker T27K12 on chromosome 1. The results suggest that the mutant is defective in sensing the transthylakoid ΔpH that reports exposure to excessive illumination.
Growth Performance and Tissue Fatty Acid Composition of Rainbow Trout Reared on Feeds Containing Fish Oil or Equal Blends of Fish Oil and Traditional or Novel Alternative Lipids

Abstract Fish oil (FO) sparing is common in aquafeed formulation; however, some alternative lipids have proven to be more successful than others in ensuring adequate growth and maintenance of desirable fillet fatty acid (FA) composition. Depending on the lipids used, grow-out feeds influence the FA composition of the tissues of “lean-fleshed” fishes and their responsiveness to subsequent tailoring during finishing. To address whether different lipid sources similarly influence growth performance and tissue composition of a “fat-fleshed” fish, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were reared on feeds containing FO or a 50:50 blend of FO and coconut oil (COCONUT), palm oil (PALM), standard soybean oil (STD-SBO), hydrogenated soybean oil (HYD-SBO), low-18:3(n-3) (alpha-linolenic acid) soybean oil (LO-ALA-SBO), or low-18:3(n-3) canola oil (LO-ALA-CAN). Two saturated FA (SFA)-enriched lipids derived from the processing of cottonseed (SFA-COT) or soybean (SFA-SBO) were also evaluated as 50% FO substitutes. After 7...
A formalism for analysing large-scale clustering of radiation- induced breaks along chromosomes

Purpose: To model intrachromosomal clustering of DSB (DNA double strand breaks) induced by ionizing radiation. That DSB are located non-randomly along chromosomes after high LET irradiation, with clustering even at extremely large scales, has been confirmed by recent pulsed field gel electrophoresis data for size distributions of DNA fragments. We therefore extend the standard random-breakage model for DNA fragment-size distributions to a more general 'clustered-breakage' formalism, which can take correlations of DSB locations along a chromosome into account. Methods: The new formalism is based mainly on a one-track probability distribution, describing the DNA fragment-size pattern due to a single primary high-energy particle, a pattern determined by track structure and chromatin geometry. Multitrack fragment-size distributions are derived mathematically from the one-track distribution, so that dose-response relations are obtained. Results: The clustered-breakage formalism is applicable to any chromosomal...
Progenies of an interspecific hybrid betweenArachis hypogaea and A.stenosperma — pest resistance and molecular homogeneity

Interspecific triploid hybrids were obtained betweenArachis hypogaea L. andA. stenosperma Krapov. and W.C. Gregory by adopting hybridization coupled with rescue of the developing hybrid embryos. Two hexaploid hybrid populations were generated from triploids, somatically doubled (SD) and sexually polyploidized (SP) hexaploids. Microscopic screening for the occurrence of 2n gametes in triploid hybrids was useful to predict the production of spontaneous hexaploids. In order to facilitate maximum intergenomic recombination, the hexaploids were allowed to self for several generations (F4) in the greenhouse. Prolific vegetative growth, pollen stainability, and seed set were observed to decline with each selfed generation. Individuals of the F3 generation from the two hexaploid populations were evaluated for resistance to nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria Chitwood, race 1) and late leafspotCercosporidium personatum (Berk. & Curt.) Deighton under greenhouse conditions. Both SD and SP populations performed significantly better than their cultivated parent, Sunbelt Runner, and a susceptible cultivar, Florunner. At the DNA level, no significant differences were detected among hybrid individuals using cDNA clones and RAPD primers polymorphic for the two parents. Seven cDNA clones were used to probe DNA from 17 F2 individuals and two parents and 45 RAPD primers were used to amplify DNA from 21 F2 and F3 individuals. No significant differences in banding patterns were observed among hybrid individuals which suggested that little or no detectable intergenomic recombination had occurred.
An alternative approach to the estimation of the real rate of interest

The paper provides an alternative method of estimating the real rate of interest, one that does not first require estimation of the expected rate of inflation. The method permits estimation of the real rate of interest from the “real side” of the economy rather than the “money side” using the assumption that capital and debt instruments are close substitutes in investor protfolios so that their rates of return are roughly equal over time. A comparison of the statistical properties of our estimate with both adaptive and rational estimates of the real rate based on the Fisher Equation raises further questions about the appropriate measure of the real rate used to evaluate the impact of economic policy on aggregate demand.
Metabolic fate of alanine in an insect Manduca sexta: effects of starvation and parasitism

The fate of [3-13C]alanine administered to last instar larvae of an insect Manduca sexta was investigated in vivo by 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Following injection of the isotopically substituted substrate and conversion to [3-13C]pyruvate 13C was principally incorporated into C2, C3 and C4 of glutamate and glutamine in unparasitized ad libitum-fed larvae, insects starved 48 hr prior to injection and larvae parasitized by the insect parasite Cotesia congregata. Selective labeling at C2 and C3 of glutamate/glutamine resulted from carboxylation of [3-13C]pyruvate to [2,3-13C]oxaloacetate catalyzed by pyruvate carboxylase, randomization of the label in fumarate, and synthesis of glutamate and glutamine after condensation with acetyl CoA to [2 proR,3-13C]citrate. In contrast, enrichment at C4 of glutamate and glutamine resulted from oxidation [3-13C]pyruvate to [2-13C]acetyl CoA catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase followed by condensation with oxaloacetate. The ratio of enrichment (C2 + C3): C4 provided a measure of the relative contributions of the pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase catalyzed pathways of substrate utilization by the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The mean ratio was 0.6 and 0.7 in control and parasitized larvae, respectively, and 2.4 in starved insects. The latter result demonstrated that substrate utilization by the TCA cycle was markedly altered by starvation. In addition, the rate of labeled alanine metabolism was significantly reduced by starvation. The concentrations of glutamate and glutamine in the blood (hemolymph) were similar in all three groups of insects. No evidence for gluconeogenesis was observed in any group. Starved larvae incorporated label into C6 of glucose and trehalose but no complementary enrichment at C1 was observed. This result was consistent with the activity of the non-oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway during which labeled glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate arising from [3-13C]alanine reacts with sedoheptulose-7-phosphate yielding erythrose-4-phosphate and [6-13C]fructose-6-phosphate catalyzed by transaldolase. Specifically labeled fructose-6-phosphate then gives rise to glucose and trehalose labeled at C6. Preliminary analysis of the hemolymph of starved insects indicated the presence of several hexose phosphates labeled at C6. The hemolymph level of trehalose was significantly reduced in both starved and parasitized insects. Lipogenesis from [3-13C]alanine was evident in unparasitized control larvae but was absent in parasitized and starved insects. The pattern of labeling in fatty acid was consistent with de novo pathway utilizing [2-13C]acetyl CoA derived by oxidation of [3-13C]alanine.
Teenage Violence Toward Parents as an Adaptation to Family Strain Evidence from a National Survey of Male Adolescents

Certain strain and social learning theorists contend that child-to-parent violence represents a functional response to family adversity (or strain). In particular, these theorists suggest that child-to-parent aggression can be understood partly as an attempt to cope with negative treatment by parents or other family members. Furthermore, violent responses may work for children, allowing them to terminate such treatment. In this study, longitudinal data from a national survey of male adolescents are analyzed to test the assumption that child aggression represents a functional response to family strain. Consistent with theoretical accounts, the results indicate a reciprocal relationship between parental and child aggression, characterized by countervailing effects. Although aggression by parents (slapping) tends to foster aggression on the part of the male adolescent child, aggression by the male adolescent child tends to deter the assaultive behavior of parents. Implications for criminological theory, rese...
The role of amine structure on catalytic activity for silylation reactions with Cab-O-Sil

Abstract Reactions between trimethoxymethylsilane and Cab-O-Sil in toluene were conducted in the presence of ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, ammonia, and pyridine. Amines with exchangeable protons were found to catalyze the reaction to a significantly larger extent than those without such protons. However, even pyridine had a catalytic effect. Two mechanisms are proposed to explain the results.
SU‐FF‐T‐10: Coils, a New Twist for Treatment of Prosate Cancer by Brachytherapy

Purpose: Pd‐103 sources have recently been produced in coil form. These coils offer advantages over conventional seeds including high stability in tissue, better visualization under ultrasound, and more homogeneous dose distribution. We report the first use of Pd‐103 coils for treatment of prostate cancer.Method and Materials: Fully TG‐43 compliant parameters for a 1 cm long source were entered into the treatment planning system and multiples of these 1 cm sources were used to model coils of lengths up to 5 cm. Dosimetry was compared between Theragenics Pd‐103 seeds and the new RadioCoil sources. Plans were compared with equivalent geometries, unlike sources placed with their centers matched. Ten patients have been implanted with Pd‐103 coils. Intraoperative treatment planning was performed and needles were custom loaded as with conventional seeds. Results: The dosimetry of coils is roughly comparable to that of seeds. Required activity of the coils is approximately 8% higher than that of seeds to achieve the same minimum target dose. Even with effectively higher activity per cm, coils deliver a more homogeneous dose distribution with maximum doses to tissues significantly lower than that delivered by seeds. Conclusion: Coils are an interesting new source for delivery of therapeuticdoses by brachytherapy. They promise better stability in tissues, higher dose homogeneity, and better visualization under ultrasound compared to conventional seeds. Fully compliant TG‐43 algorithms are required for accurate dose calculation.
A self-contained mental health outpost: An automated approach to prevention

This paper describes the application of a microcomputer system as a mental health outpost. The outpost contains a psychological screening inventory, a relaxation training and educational session, and a consumer-satisfaction questionnaire. A study to assess the validity of the decision making algorithm of the mental health outpost is reported. The implications of an automated delivery system for first-level preventive and promotional mental health services are discussed.
Templated Mutagenesis in Bacteriophage T4 Involving Imperfect Direct or Indirect Sequence Repeats

Some mutations arise in association with a potential sequence donor that consists of an imperfect direct or reverse repeat. Many such mutations are complex; that is, they consist of multiple close sequence changes. Current models posit that the primer terminus of a replicating DNA molecule dissociates, reanneals with an ectopic template, extends briefly, and then returns to the cognate template, bringing with it a locally different sequence; alternatively, a hairpin structure may form the mutational intermediate when processed by mismatch repair. This process resembles replication repair, in which primer extension is blocked by a lesion in the template; in this case, the ectopic template is the other daughter strand, and the result is error-free bypass of the lesion. We previously showed that mutations that impair replication repair can enhance templated mutagenesis. We show here that the intensity of templated mutation can be exquisitely sensitive to its local sequence, that the donor and recipient arms of an imperfect inverse repeat can exchange roles, and that double mutants carrying two alleles, each affecting both templated mutagenesis and replication repair, can have unexpected phenotypes. We also record an instance in which the mutation rates at two particular sites change concordantly with a distant sequence change, but in a manner that appears unrelated to templated mutagenesis.
In vitro assessment of viral antigen content in inactivated aluminum hydroxide adjuvanted vaccines

Antigen capture enzyme immunoassays (ELISA) were developed to assess the antigenic content of inactivated aluminum hydroxide (AH) adjuvanted porcine parvovirus, pseudorabies, and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis vaccines. Reference preparations of these viruses were constructed as a basis for comparison. Because AH-associated ELISA interference was largely circumvented, the need for isotopic or complex antigen-adjuvant desorption methods was eliminated. A 4-parameter logistic model related optical density to vaccine dilution. High correlation coefficients (r) were routinely achieved with commercial monovalent and polyvalent vaccines, and reference preparations. The procedure quantified antigen in both aqueous and AH-associated phases. The method may be generally applicable as a partial substitute for in vivo vaccine potency testing by allowing in vitro estimation of inactivated viral antigenic content in AH adjuvanted vaccines.
Epidemiologic highlights of the past with a look towards the future.

Since the first meeting of the American Public Health Association in 1873, epidemiology and epidemiologists have been central to the activities of the organization. At that meeting, the most prominent American physician of the time, Austin Flint, presented a classic paper entitled “Relations of Water to the Propagation of Fever.” In that remarkable paper, Flint reinterpreted observations on the North Boston, N.Y. typhoid fever epidemic made 30 years earlier in which he had correctly concluded that the epidemic had been propagated by contagion, but incorrectly concluded that transmission was not the result of contaminated drinking water. During the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th, Annual Meetings of the APHA were frequently the locus for reports of epidemic investigations and the Journal of the Association was the vehicle for their publication. When the Association was reorganized to include discipline-oriented sections, the Epidemiology Section was among the first to be established. At the time, 1929, the Section was the only meeting place (outside the small and exclusive American Epidemiological Society) for epidemiologists to exchange ideas and information. The Section was also a place where public health policies were hotly debated.
Channeling of terawatt laser pulses by use of hollow waveguides.

Subpicosecond laser pulses at power levels in excess of 1 TW were channeled through hollow microcapillary tubes by use of a combination of grazing-incidence dielectric and plasma-wall reflection mechanisms. Maximum input and output intensities were 1017 and 1016 W/cm2 through 50-μm radius by 3-cm-long glass microcapillary tubes with as few as two waveguide modes being excited. 133-μm radius tubes as long as 13 cm resulted in successful channeling with an extinction coefficient of 0.2 cm−1 and a plasma-wall reflectivity of 80%.
What Rate of Utilization is Appropriate in Musculoskeletal Care

Musculoskeletal procedures often show wide variation in rates across geographic areas, which begs the question, “Which rate is right?” Clearly, there is no simple answer to this question. We summarize a conceptual framework for thinking about how to approach this question for different types of interventions. One guiding principle is the “right rate” is usually the one that results from the choices of a fully informed and empowered patient population. For truly effective care without substantial tradeoffs, the right rate may approach 100%. The rate of operative treatment of hip fracture, for example, approaches the underlying incidence of disease; however, the rate of some forms of effective care, like osteoporosis evaluation and treatment after a fragility fracture, is often quite low and undoubtedly reflects underuse. The recommended approach to underuse is to improve the reliability and accountability of the delivery system. Many other musculoskeletal interventions fall into the category of “preference-sensitive care.” These interventions involve important tradeoffs between risks and benefits. Variations in these procedure rates may represent insufficient focus on patient values and preferences, relying instead on the enthusiasm of the physician for treatment alternatives. The recommended approach in this setting is the use of decision aids and other approaches to informed choice.
Alternating-current electrodeposition (metafuse) process for forming thallium-oxide superconductors

Abstract Thallium-free precursor films with the composition Ba 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 Ag 0.37 O x (BCCO-Ag) were prepared on Ag foil by an alternating current electrodeposition (Metafuse) [A. Joseph, US Patent No. 4,764,654 (1988); No. 4,840,711 (1989)] process. The results show that the metafuse deposition process is fully capable of synthesizing controlled 223 stoichiometric films at various thicknesses (1–12 microns). The deposited precursor films were processed using a two-zone thallination furnace, which employs a Tl source zone and a separate sample zone, both within a controlled O 2 ambient environment. After thallination, the films were predominantly c -axis oriented TlBa 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y (1223) phase. The resistive transition for a representative film is fairly sharp, with an onset temperature of 118 K and a zero-resistance temperature of 110 K. At 77 K and self-field, the critical current densities of the 2 μm, 4 μm and 12 μm films were 1.96 × 10 4 A/cm 2 , 1.66 × 10 4 A/cm 2 , and 1 × 10 4 A/cm 2 , respectively.