cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Categories of Family-mediated Abuse and Neglect of Elderly Persons

The records of 22 cases of family-mediated abuse and neglect of elderly persons were retrospectively reviewed by the physician and nurse responsible for their care using a modification of the OARS Multidimensional Functional Assessment form. Cases were divided into three categories: Category I cases (n = 4) involved extremely impaired elders who received extensive care from the individuals responsible for the abuse or neglect. Category II cases (n = 9) involved impaired elders who received inadequate or intermittent care. Category III cases (n = 9) involved independent elders whose only care needs resulted from threats or violence from relatives. Among the statistically significant differences found between these categories were the age of the abuser, the manifestations of abuse or neglect, the interventions offered, the durations of abuse, and the outcomes of the cases. The results suggest that these three categories represent different subgroups of abused and neglected elderly persons, all with different implications for identification, intervention, and outcome. Language: en
Boreal Ecosystem Development in the Northwestern Alaska Range since 11,000 yr B.P.

Abstract Analyses of pollen, plant macrofossils, macroscopic charcoal, mollusks, magnetic susceptibility, and geochemical content of a sediment core from Farewell Lake yield a 11,000-yr record of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem changes in the northwestern foothills of the Alaska Range. Between 11,000 and 8500 yr B.P., the regional landscape was dominated by aBetulashrub tundra, in whichPopulus-Salixcommunities were common. Abundant charcoal in sediments indicates that fires were common in the lake catchment during this period, and high mineral accumulation rates, allogenic elemental content, and magnetic susceptibility suggest intense soil erosion. In addition, mollusks, pollen and macrofossils of aquatic macrophytes, and biogenic silica provide evidence that the lake was substantially shallower and more productive 11,000–8500 yr B.P. than later. Low lake level and high aquatic productivity might have been caused by warm and dry summers associated with early postglacial insolation maximum in northern high latitudes. About 8000 yr B.P.,Picea glaucaarrived within the lake catchment, forming a forest tundra association until ca. 6000 yr B.P.Alnusshrub thickets established in the region ca. 6500 yr B.P., andBetula papyriferaarrived ca. 6000 yr B.P. ClosedP. glaucaforests developed ca. 6000 yr B.P.Picea marianabecame important subsequently and replacedP. glaucaas the dominant tree species in the region ca. 4000 yr B.P. An increase in authigenic Fe/Mn ratios suggests that the development of waterlogged soils accompanied this vegetation change. Fires increased in importance at this time and might have accelerated soil erosion. The establishment ofP. marianaforests probably reflected complex responses of forest ecosystems to the onset of cooler and wetter climate conditions during the late Holocene.
Photo Feature Landscapes of Occupation in Palestine

(2011). Photo Feature Landscapes of Occupation in Palestine. Settler Colonial Studies: Vol. 1, A Global Phenomenon, pp. 202-206.
Color Preferences among the Flags of the World

Color use interpreted as preferences among the flags of 139 independent nations of the world included red, blue, green, and yellow. With one exception (green among African states), each color was equally preferred among six geographic groups of nations. In addition, white was preferred to black, colors were horizontally placed, and symbols were more likely to be present than not. These data were related to judgments made by individuals of isolated colors, to differences in inferred need achievement between countries, and to the role of language and culture in color discrimination and preference.
Why the dish makes a difference: quantitative comparison of polystyrene culture surfaces.

There is wide anecdotal recognition that biological cell viability and behavior can vary significantly as a function of the source of commercial tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) culture vessels to which those cells adhere. However, this marked material dependency is typically resolved by selecting and then consistently using the same manufacturer’s product – following protocol – rather than by investigating the material properties that may be responsible for such experimental variation. Here, we quantified several physical properties of TCPS surfaces obtained from a wide range of commercial sources and processing steps, through the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based imaging and analysis, goniometry and protein adsorption quantification. We identify qualitative differences in surface features, as well as quantitative differences in surface roughness and wettability that cannot be attributed solely to differences in surface chemistry. We also find significant differences in cell morphology and proliferation among cells cultured on different TCPS surfaces, and resolve a correlation between nanoscale surface roughness and cell proliferation rate for both cell types considered. Interestingly, AFM images of living adherent cells on these nanotextured surfaces demonstrate direct interactions between cellular protrusions and topographically distinct features. These results illustrate and quantify the significant differences in material surface properties among these ubiquitous materials, allowing us to better understand why the dish can make a difference in biological experiments.
Infrared Optical Microfluidics for Simple Bioassays

We describe the use of 1.5 micron light for the transport of droplets and the performance of a simple bioassay based on horseradish peroxidase.
Transition-metal hydrides: Electronic structure and the heats of formation

Calculations of the electronic structure of transition-metal hydrides are applied to the cohesive energy of $3d$ and $4d$ monohydrides, and the single-particle lifetime of states in nonstoichiometric Cu and Pd hydrides. A simple formula is presented which delineates the principal contributions to the cohesive energy of the hydrides: (i) the formation of a metal-hydrogen bonding level derived of states of the pure metal band structure which have $s$ symmetry about the site of the added proton, (ii) a slight increase in binding of the metal $d$ bands due to the added attractive potential, and (iii) the addition of an extra electron to the metal electron sea. The calculations, corrected for Coulomb repulsion at the hydrogen sites, qualitatively reproduce the experimental trends of the heats of formation of the transition-metal hydrides. The single-particle lifetime calculations are in quantitative agreement with Dingle-temperature measurements and they correctly predict the existence of essentially undamped states on the hole sheets of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-phase PdH Fermi surface.
Evaporative cooling of highly charged dysprosium ions in an enhanced electron-beam ion trap

The mechanism of evaporative cooling of highly charged ions in an electron-beam ion trap (EBIT) is discussed. Computer simulations of evaporative cooling in superEBIT indicate that with the use of neon, nitrogen, or helium coolants, significant amounts of bare and hydrogenlike dysprosium ions can be trapped indefinitely for the observation of bound-state {beta} decay.
Assessment of High Speed Imaging Systems for 2D and 3D Deformation Measurements: Methodology Development and Validation

Ultra high-speed and moderate speed image acquisition platforms have been characterized, with special emphasis on the variability and accuracy of the measurements obtained when employed in either 2D or 3D computer vision systems for deformation and shape measurements. Specifically, the type of image distortions present in both single channel cameras (HS-CMOS) and multi-channel image intensified cameras (UHS-ICCD) are quantified as part of the overall study, and their effect on the accuracy of experimental measurements obtained using digital image correlation have been determined. Results indicate that established methods for noise suppression and recently developed models for distortion correction can be used effectively in situations where the primary intensity noise components are characterized by minimal cross-talk and stationary spatial distortions. Baseline uniaxial tension experiments demonstrate that image correlation measurements using high speed imaging systems are unbiased and consistent with independent deformation measurements over the same length scale, with point-to-point strain variations that are similar to results obtained from translation experiments. In this study, the point-to-point variability in strain using the image intensified system is on the order of 0.001, whereas the non-intensified system had variability of 0.0001. Results confirm that high speed imaging systems can be utilized for full field two and three-dimensional measurements using digital image correlation methods.
A linearization method for generalized complementarity problems

This correspondence presents a Newton-type iterative method for the generalized complementarity problems (i.e., nonlinear complementarity problems over a closed convex cone). The solution is obtained by a sequence of linear approximations. A sufficient condition for the global convergence and the rate of convergence of the algorithm are studied.
Does being technical matter? XML, single source, and technical communication

XML is a recent Web design language that will enable technical communicators to produce documentation that can reuse information and present it across multiple types of media for diverse audiences. However, little is understood about how XML will impact technical communication in terms of theory, academic research, and pedagogy. In this article, I argue that XML requires more interdisciplinary approaches toward the teaching and research of technical communication, particularly with respect to the integration of technical and rhetorical knowledge.
Shock tube measurements of high temperature rate constants for OH with cycloalkanes and methylcycloalkanes

High temperature experiments were performed with the reflected shock tube technique using multi-pass absorption spectrometric detection of OH radicals at 308 nm. The present experiments span a wide T-range, 801-1347 K, and represent the first direct measurements of the title rate constants at T>500 K for cyclopentane and cyclohexane and the only high temperature measurements for the corresponding methyl derivatives. The present work utilized 48 optical passes corresponding to a total path length 4.2 m. As a result of this increased path length, the high [OH] detection sensitivity permitted unambiguous analyses for measuring the title rate constants. The experimental rate constants in units, cm3 molecule-1 s-1, can be expressed in Arrhenius form as k{sub OH+Cyclopentane} = (1.90 {+-} 0.30) x 10{sup -10} exp(-1705 {+-} 156 K/T) (813-1341 K), k{sub OH+Cyclohexane} = (1.86 {+-} 0.24) x 10{sup -10} exp(-1513 {+-} 123 K/T) (801-1347 K), k{sub OH+Methylcyclopentane} = (2.02 {+-} 0.19) x 10{sup -10} exp(-1799 {+-} 96 K/T) (859-1344 K), k{sub OH+Methylcyclohexane} = (2.55 {+-} 0.30) x 10{sup -10} exp(-1824 {+-} 114 K/T) (836-1273 K). These results and lower-T experimental data were used to obtain three parameter evaluations of the experimental rate constants for the title reactions over an even wider T-range.more » These experimental three parameter fits to the rate constants in units, cm{sup 3} molecule{sup -1} s{sup -1}, are k{sub OH+Cyclopentane} = 1.390 x 10{sup -16}T{sup 1.779} exp(97 K/T) cm{sup 3} molecule{sup -1} s{sup -1} (209-1341 K), k{sub OH+Cyclohexane} = 3.169 x 10{sup -16} T{sup 1.679} exp(119 K/T) cm{sup 3} molecule{sup -1} s{sup -1} (225-1347 K), k{sub OH+Methylcyclopentane} = 6.903 x 10{sup -18}T{sup 2.148} exp(536 K/T) cm{sup 3} molecule{sup -1} s{sup -1} (296-1344 K), k{sub OH+Methylcyclohexane} = 2.341 x 10{sup -18}T{sup 2.325} exp(602 K/T) cm{sup 3} molecule{sup -1} s{sup -1} (296-1273 K). High level electronic structure methods were used to characterize the first three reactions in order to provide reliable extrapolations of the rate constants from 250-2000 K. The results of the theoretical predictions for OH + cyclohexane and OH + methylcyclopentane were sufficient to make a theoretical prediction for OH + methylcyclohexane. The present recommended rate expressions for OH with cyclohexane, and methylcyclohexane, give rate constants that are 15-25% higher (over the T-range 800-1300 K) than the rate constants utilized in recent modeling efforts aimed at addressing the oxidation of cyclohexane and methylcyclohexane. The current measurements reduce the uncertainties in rate constants for the primary cycloalkane consumption channel in a high temperature oxidation environment.« less
Tests for Seasonal Moving Average Unit Root in ARIMA Models

Abstract Procedures to test for a unit root in the seasonal moving average (MA) operator for seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models are examined. Such procedures are useful to distinguish deterministic from stochastic seasonal patterns. The simple (integrated) seasonal MA(1) model Z t ≡ Y t - Yt-s = (1 - θB s)ϵt, where {Y t} is the observed seasonal series and {ϵt} is a white noise sequence, is considered, and tests for H 0: θ = 1 versus H 1: θ < 1 are studied. The locally best invariant unbiased and point-optimal invariant tests are investigated. The finite-sample and asymptotic distributions of the test statistics under both the null hypothesis and local alternatives are derived. Quantiles of the null distributions are tabulated for quarterly and monthly data cases, and a limited study of the powers of the tests is reported. The test procedures are extended to more general seasonal ARMA models of the form Z t = (1 - θB s)Nt, where N t follows a general stationary and invertible...
Consciousness and Modal Empiricism

David Chalmers supports his contention that there is a possible world populated by our zombie twins by arguing for the assumption that conceivability entails possibility. But, I argue, the modal epistemology he sets forth, ‘modal rationalism,’ ignores the problem of incompleteness and relies on an idealized notion of conceivability. As a consequence, this epistemology can’t justify our quotidian judgments of possibility, let alone those judgments that concern the mind/body connection. Working from the analogy that the imagination is to the possible as perception is to the actual, I set forth a competing epistemology, ‘modal empiricism.’ This epistemology survives the incompleteness objection and allows some of our everyday modal judgments to be justified. But this epistemology can’t justify the claim that Zombie World is possible, which leaves Chalmers’s property dualism without the support it needs.
Alterations in neuromuscular junction morphology during fast-to-slow transformation of rabbit skeletal muscles.

Chronic low frequency stimulation of motor nerves results in transformation of muscle fibre phenotype from fast- to slow-twitch. We examined the light and electron microscopic structure of neuromuscular junctions in normally fast twitch muscles, tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus of rabbit after 3 weeks of stimulation to determine whether synaptic structure is also modified during fibre type transformation. Neuromuscular junctions of stimulated and unstimulated (control) tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscles and unstimulated slow twitch soleus muscle were visualized with rhodamine-conjugated α-bungarotoxin. Video light microscopic images of neuromuscular junctions were digitized to allow quantification of their surface areas, perimeters, lengths and widths. Three weeks of stimulation resulted in a decrease in the maximal velocity of muscle fibre shortening and augmentation of mitochondrial volume in fast muscles, demonstrating the efficacy of the stimulation protocol employed in altering muscle fibre phenotype. Neuromuscular junctions of control tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus are thin, compact, and continuous, with complex branching patterns. In contrast, those of slow-twitch soleus are thicker and discontinuous. Neuromuscular junctions in control tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus are larger than those in soleus. Three weeks of stimulation causes a marked decrease in the size of neuromuscular junctions in tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus, as reflected in the significant reduction in neuromuscular junction surface area, length and width. Electron microscopy of these junctions suggests that secondary postsynaptic folds in stimulated muscles are more closely spaced. Also, axon terminals of stimulated muscles appear to contain more densely packed synaptic vesicles and mitochondria than controls. Decreases in neuromuscular junction dimensions can be partly explained by muscle fibre atrophy. However, the decrease in neuromuscular junction size is proportionately greater than that of muscle fibre diameter in both muscles, indicating that factors other than fibre atrophy may contribute to the reduced neuromuscular junction size in stimulated muscles. Neuromuscular junctions of stimulated tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscles exhibit some features characteristic of normal soleus neuromuscular junctions, indicating structural adaptations consistent with the altered muscle fibre phenotype. On the other hand, neuromuscular junctions of 3 week stimulated tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus and their synaptic branches remain as thin and continuous as those of unstimulated controls, suggesting that the transformation of neuromuscular junctions towards a morphology characteristic of slow muscle, is only partial. These results demonstrate that an altered pattern of impulse activity causes significant synaptic remodelling in adult rabbit skeletal muscles.
The effect of mating behavior and temperature variation on the critical population density of a freshwater copepod

At low density, population growth rates of dioecious zooplankton depend on the encounter rate of potential mates, resulting in a demographic Allee effect and a critical density for population establishment and persistence. Empirical evidence confirms a critical density for the calanoid copepod Hesperodiatomus shoshone, but existing estimates of the critical density span an order of magnitude. Combining three-dimensional video analysis of mating behavior with life history data from natural populations we estimated H. shoshone critical density to be 0.44–1.44 m23. The critical density was highly dependent on body size, primarily as a result of the latter’s influence on swimming speed. Swimming speed also depended on temperature, increasing . 25% as temperature increased from 5u Ct o 16uC. Rapid swimming (1.25–2.4 cm s21) and the ability to follow pheromone trails greatly improved the ability of H. shoshone to find mates. The large effect of temperature on mating behavior means that environmental variation can have a major effect on critical density and indicates that recovery or colonization events may be more likely to succeed in warmer lakes and/or warmer years. Considering the potential for critical densities to vary with environmental conditions is important for understanding how these thresholds determine population establishment and persistence in sexually reproducing aquatic organisms and other populations subject to Allee effects.
Mars: Northern hemisphere slopes and slope distributions

We investigate slope distributions in the northern hemisphere of Mars from topographic profiles collected by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. Analysis of the region from about 12°S to 82°N, over diverse geologic units, indicates that the range of regional-scale slopes is small, generally <3°. Surface smoothness is most distinctive in the vast northern hemisphere plains, where slopes are typically <1°. Amazonis Planitia is particularly remarkable in its smoothness, exhibiting an rms variation in topography of <2 m over a 100-km baseline. This relative smoothness is still present when compared with other sampled areas of the Martian northern hemisphere and with volcanically resurfaced terrains elsewhere in the solar system. Planetary surfaces of large areal extent that are most comparable to Amazonis in terms of rms elevation variation over long baselines are depositional in origin and include terrestrial oceanic abyssal plains and certain sedimentary basins. Slopes across the Valles Marineris canyon system show that the upper portion of the walls are significantly and consistently steeper than the lower walls, characteristic of extensive mass wasting. The observed long-runout is consistent with a high-energy collapsed flow. In the neighboring Noctis Labyrinthus canyons the duality between the upper and lower walls is reduced, and indicates a lower energy modificational history and/or greater cohesion of wall rock.
Nonlinear optimization framework for image-based modeling on programmable graphics hardware

Graphics hardware is undergoing a change from fixed-function pipelines to more programmable organizations that resemble general purpose stream processors. In this paper, we show that certain general algorithms, not normally associated with computer graphics, can be mapped to such designs. Specifically, we cast nonlinear optimization as a data streaming process that is well matched to modern graphics processors. Our framework is particularly well suited for solving image-based modeling problems since it can be used to represent a large and diverse class of these problems using a common formulation. We successfully apply this approach to two distinct image-based modeling problems: light field mapping approximation and fitting the Lafortune model to spatial bidirectional reflectance distribution functions. Comparing the performance of the graphics hardware implementation to a CPU implementation, we show more than 5-fold improvement.
Linear reduction of drain current with increasing interface recombination in nMOS transistors stressed by channel hot electrons

A linear reduction of the drain current and a rise in the threshold gate voltage with increasing body current from electron-hole recombination at interface traps has been demonstrated in submicron low-voltage n-channel silicon MOS transistors stressed by channel hot electrons. A linear-superlinear-linear rise of the subthreshold swing is also observed.
Dominant Negative Guard Cell K+ Channel Mutants Reduce Inward-Rectifying K+ Currents and Light-Induced Stomatal Opening in Arabidopsis

Inward-rectifying potassium (K+(in)) channels in guard cells have been suggested to provide a pathway for K+ uptake into guard cells during stomatal opening. To test the proposed role of guard cell K+(in) channels in light-induced stomatal opening, transgenic Arabidopsis plants were generated that expressed dominant negative point mutations in the K+(in) channel subunit KAT1. Patch-clamp analyses with transgenic guard cells from independent lines showed that K+(in) current magnitudes were reduced by approximately 75% compared with vector-transformed controls at -180 mV, which resulted in reduction in light-induced stomatal opening by 38% to 45% compared with vector-transformed controls. Analyses of intracellular K+ content using both sodium hexanitrocobaltate (III) and elemental x-ray microanalyses showed that light-induced K+ uptake was also significantly reduced in guard cells of K+(in) channel depressor lines. These findings support the model that K+(in) channels contribute to K+ uptake during light-induced stomatal opening. Furthermore, transpirational water loss from leaves was reduced in the K+(in) channel depressor lines. Comparisons of guard cell K+(in) current magnitudes among four different transgenic lines with different K+(in) current magnitudes show the range of activities of K+(in) channels required for guard cell K+ uptake during light-induced stomatal opening.
Atmospheric methanol budget and ocean implication

[1] Methanol is a biogeochemically active compound and a significant component of the volatile organic carbon in the atmosphere. It influences background tropospheric photochemistry and may serve as a tracer for biogenic emissions. The mass of methanol in the atmospheric reservoir, the annual mass flux of methanol from sources to sinks, and the estimated atmospheric lifetime of methanol in the free troposphere, marine boundary layer, continental boundary layer, and in-cloud, are evaluated. The atmosphere contains approximately 4 Tg (terragrams, 1012 g) of methanol. Estimates of global methanol sources and sinks total 340 and 270 Tg methanol yr−1, respectively, and are in balance given their estimated precision. Sink terms were evaluated using observed methanol distributions; the total loss is approximately a factor of 5 larger than prior estimates. The adopted source is a factor of 3 larger than its prior estimate. Recent net flux observations and the magnitude of the estimated sink suggest biogenic methanol emissions to be near their current estimated upper limit, >280 Tg methanol yr−1, and this value was adopted. The methanol source will be larger with the inclusion of an argued for oceanic gross emission of 30 Tg methanol yr−1, but a major uncertainty concerns whether the oceans are a major net sink or source of methanol, an issue which will not be resolved without new measurements. Other large uncertainties are the estimates of primary biogenic emissions and gas surface deposition. The first loss estimates of methanol by in-cloud chemistry and precipitation are presented. They are approximately equal at 10 Tg methanol yr−1, each. These are small in comparison to the surface loss and gas phase photochemical loss estimated here but would be significant additional losses in earlier budgets. Surface exchange processes dominate the atmospheric budget of methanol and its distribution. The atmospheric deposition of methanol and the argued for methanol produced in the upper ocean are ubiquitous sources of C1 substrate capable of sustaining methylotrophic organisms throughout the surface ocean.
Surface-Modified Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

This paper reports both experimental and theoretical results of the role of surface modification on the oxygen reduction reaction in low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFC). Epitaxial ultrathin films of yttria-doped ceria (YDC) cathode interlayers (<10–130 nm) are grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on single-crystalline YSZ(100). Fuel cell current–voltage measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are performed in the temperature range of 350 °C ≈ 450 °C. Quantum mechanical simulations of oxygen incorporation energetics support the experimental results and indicate a low activation energy of only 0.07 eV for YDC, while the incorporation reaction on YSZ is activated by a significantly higher energy barrier of 0.38 eV. Due to enhanced oxygen incorporation at the modified Pt/YDC interface, the cathodic interface resistance is reduced by two-fold, while fuel cell performance shows more than a two-fold enhancement with the addition of an ultrathin YDC interlayer at the cathode side of an SOFC element. The results of this study open up opportunities for improving cell performance, particularly of LT-SOFCs by adopting surface modification of YSZ surface with catalytically superior, ultrathin cathodic interlayers.
Wafer-scale coplanar waveguide slot-coupled K a -band patch antenna for electronic scanning array of a future satellite communications system

This paper discussed about the successful simulated and measured data of the wafer-scale CPW slot-coupled Ka-band patch antenna presented above strongly advocate its candidacy for future integration with a MEMS-switched control board. Since it is a single-layer embodiment of the slot-coupling feed method, the total system weight is minimized and the complexity of the wafer-scale fabrication process is reduced. This, in turn, will yield a lightweight, cost-effective solution for a future microwave electronic scanning array for satellite communication.
The Role of Auditory Experience in the Formation of Neural Circuits Underlying Vocal Learning in Zebra Finches

The initial establishment of topographic mapping within developing neural circuits is thought to be shaped by innate mechanisms and is primarily independent of experience. Additional refinement within topographic maps leads to precise matching between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons and is thought to depend on experiential factors during specific sensitive periods in the animal’s development. In male zebra finches, axonal projections of the cortical lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (lMAN) are critically important for vocal learning. Overall patterns of topographic organization in the majority of these circuits are adult-like throughout the sensitive period for vocal learning and remain stable despite large-scale functional and morphological changes. However, topographic organization within the projection from the core subregion of lMAN (lMANcore) to the motor cortical robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA) is lacking at the onset of song development and emerges during the early stages of vocal learning. To study the effects of song-related experience on patterns of axonal connectivity within different song-control circuits, we disrupted song learning by deafening juvenile zebra finches or exposing them to loud white noise throughout the sensitive period for song learning. Depriving juvenile birds of normal auditory experience delayed the emergence of topographic specificity within the lMANcore3RA circuit relative to age-matched controls, whereas topographic organization within all other projections to and from lMAN was not affected. The projection from lMANcore to RA therefore provides an unusual example of experience-dependent modification of large-scale patterns of brain circuitry, in the sense that auditory deprivation influences the development of overall topographic organization in this pathway.
Crystallization of Fraction I protein from tobacco by a simplified procedure

Tobacco leaves are relatively high in protein [ 11. The major protein of leaf tissue is Fraction I protein. Recently a theoretical model for improving leaf quality and usability was proposed in which the desirability of removal of certain components from tobacco leaves was suggested [2]. Among these removable components is protein, including Fraction I protein. The new homogenized-leaf curing process [3] provides the possibility for extraction of many presumed undesirable compounds including Fraction I protein. This suggests a convenient large-scale source of Fraction I protein for use as a food source [4] and for possible medical and industrial uses. Although a simple procedure has been reported for crystallization of Fraction I protein from tobacco [S], it is not adaptable to large-scale production because of the necessity to concentrate the protein by time-consuming ultrafiltration and for salt removal by dialysis. The procedure reported here is further simplified by eliminating these steps, and possibly may be used in combination with the homogenized-leaf curing process to obtain an improved tobacco product and to yield crystalline Fraction I protein as a valuable by-product.
Near Elimination of Varicella Deaths in the US After Implementation of the Vaccination Program

OBJECTIVE: Varicella has been preventable by vaccination in the United States since 1995. Previous studies reported a 66% decline in mortality rate during the first 6 years of the program. Since then, vaccination coverage has increased substantially. We updated the analysis of US varicella mortality for 2002–2007 and assessed the impact of the first 12 years of the US varicella vaccination program on varicella deaths. METHODS: National data on deaths for which varicella was listed as an underlying or contributing cause were obtained from the Mortality Multiple Cause-of-Death records from the US National Center for Health Statistics. We calculated the age-adjusted and age-specific mortality rates for 2002–2007 and trends since the prevaccine years. RESULTS: During the 12 years of the mostly 1-dose US varicella vaccination program, the annual average mortality rate for varicella listed as the underlying cause declined 88%, from 0.41 per million population in 1990–1994 to 0.05 per million population in 2005–2007. The decline occurred in all age groups, and there was an extremely high reduction among children and adolescents younger than 20 years (97%) and among subjects younger than 50 years overall (96%). In the last 6 years analyzed (2002–2007), a total of 3 deaths per age range were reported among children aged 1 to 4 and 5 to 9 years, compared with an annual average of 13 and 16 deaths, respectively, during the prevaccine years. CONCLUSIONS: The impressive decline in varicella deaths can be directly attributed to successful implementation of the 1-dose vaccination program. With the current 2-dose program, there is potential that these most severe outcomes of a vaccine-preventable disease could be eliminated.
Crossover suppressors and balanced recessive lethals in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Two dominant suppressors of crossing over have been identified following X-ray treatment of the small nematode C. eZegans. They suppress crossing over in linkage group ZZ (LGZZ) about 100-fold and 50-fold and are both tightly linked to LGZZ markers. One, called C1, segregates independently of all other linkage groups and is homozygous fertile. The other is a translocation involving LGZZ and X. The translocation also suppresses rrossing over along the right half of X and is homozygous lethal. CI has been used as a balancer of LGZZ recessive lethal and sterile mutations induced by EMS. The frequencies of occurrence of lethals and steriles were approximately equal. Fourteen mutations were assigned to complementation groups and mapped. They tended to map in the same region where LGZZ visibles are clustered. HE nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is gaining favor as an organism in Twhich to study the genetic basis of animal development and behavior, primarily because of its relative cellular simplicity (SULSTON and HORVITZ 1977) and its suitability for genetic analysis (BRENNER 1974). Most work with C. elegans is thus based on the idea that the detailed analysis of mutants, both at the cellular level and the molecular level, will prove to be an important approach in gaining an understanding of the genetic programs controlling development. Since many of the genes in C. eIegans play indispensable roles in development, temperature-sensitive mutants are being utilized extensively (see, for example, EPSTEIN and THOMPSON 1974; HIRSH and VANDERSLICE 1976). Another approach is to make use of recessive lethal and sterile mutations, which of course must be maintained in heterozygous stocks. Each such heterozygote should be made distinguishable phenotypically from the homozygous wild type by using a suitably marked balancer. Furthermore, complementation and mapping of lethals and steriles would be greatly facilitated by using visibles that are tightly linked to the lethals. The most useful balancers, then, recombine as little as possible within the region they balance, which means they are often made to carry crossover-suppressing properties. In a previous paper (HERMAN, ALBERTSON and BRENNER 1976), unlinked duplications of a part of the X chromosome of C. elegans were identified, and their potential use as balancers was discussed. Indeed, one of these duplications, Dp (X;V)I, has now been used to balance a
“Of the Wings of Atalanta”: The Struggle for African American Studies at the University of Virginia, 1969–1995

Anything but peripheral to the institutional and political struggles of African American Studies in the post-Black Power era, the University of Virginia (UVA) occupies an important place in the field’s history. Combined with its role as a major funding source for graduate students and advanced scholars with research interests in the history, culture, and politics of the African diaspora, the University has been the site of passionate debates over the field’s transformative potential in both the academy and the larger world. It has also been an institution with a rather complicated relationship to the Black Studies project, due in no small part to internal divisions over the best way to advance the field’s pedagogical goals, research agenda, and political objectives. Consequently, UVA’s African American and African Studies program, particularly its “institute model” of scholarly advancement, provides an excellent case study for examining the regional breadth of the Black Studies movement and its broad impact on knowledge production within and beyond the academy.
Decreased platelet Mpl receptor in AML1 haplodeficiency: another piece of the puzzle

Comment on Heller et al, page [4664][1] Heller and colleagues show that platelet Mpl receptor expression is decreased in patients with FPD/AML (MIM [601399][2]) and put forward a potential mechanism for thrombocytopenia in such patients. P atients with familial platelet disorder with
Examining the Jugular Vein Is Never in Vain

In this issue of Circulation: Heart Failure , Drazner et al1 report the findings of their study on the relationship of right and left ventricular (LV) filling pressures in patients with heart failure and preserved LV ejection fraction (HFPEF) (also referred to as heart failure with preserved systolic function, diastolic heart failure). They noted good concordance (79%) in this patient population between right atrial pressure (RAP), indicative of right ventricular filling pressure, and pulmonary artery occlusive pressure (pulmonary capillary wedge pressure [PCWP]), indicative of LV filling pressure. These pressures, modulated by various loading and unloading maneuvers, ranged from low to normal to high. Nonconcordance was noted in only 21% of the measurements, and, in these, the PCWP did not match the elevation of RAP. Article see p 202 The weaknesses and limitations of this study are overshadowed by its strengths. PCWP is not a direct measurement of left atrial pressure, and RAP and PCWP are not direct measurements of right and LV filling pressures, respectively. But their relationships (RAP to right ventricular filling pressure; PCWP to left atrial pressure and LV filling pressure) are closely linked, and correlations are generally quite high,2–5 such that RAP and PCWP are routinely used in clinical medicine as respective indicators of right and LV filling pressures. Only 11 patients with HFPEF were studied by Drazner et al.1 However, the study was performed in an experienced laboratory by seasoned investigators of human heart failure, using the standard techniques to generate a spectrum of ventricular-loading conditions. The lead author has a noteworthy record of studying fundamental hemodynamic questions in human heart failure.6–9 The question itself, namely the relationship between right and left heart filling pressures, had not been adequately examined in HFPEF. The favorable concordance of right and left heart filling pressures …
Rapid Diagnostics and Appropriate Antibiotic Use

Most antibiotics are prescribed by physicians lacking postgraduate training in infectious diseases. As such, prescribing physicians have varying levels of interest and sophistication in thinking about how to use molecular and microbiological data to inform therapeutic choices. Strategies designed to modify physician antimicrobial-prescribing practices must therefore choose simplicity over complexity and must acknowledge our fundamental ignorance of many of the specifics of antibiotic-microorganism interactions. They must also acknowledge the critical nature of bacterial illnesses in hospitalized patients and the importance of delivering effective antimicrobial therapy early in the illness. "Back-end" strategies that evaluate therapy at defined intervals will be more readily accepted than strategies limiting physician choices early in the illness. It is therefore critical that we develop rapid and reliable microbiological assays, evidence-based recommendations on appropriate durations of therapy, and accurate surrogate markers of infection resolution.
Thymocyte Maturation Is Regulated by the Activity of the Helix-Loop-Helix Protein, E47

The E2A proteins, E12 and E47, are required for progression through multiple developmental pathways, including early B and T lymphopoiesis. Here, we provide in vitro and in vivo evidence demonstrating that E47 activity regulates double-positive thymocyte maturation. In the absence of E47 activity, positive selection of both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I– and class II–restricted T cell receptors (TCRs) is perturbed. Additionally, development of CD8 lineage T cells in an MHC class I–restricted TCR transgenic background is sensitive to the dosage of E47. Mice deficient for E47 display an increase in production of mature CD4 and CD8 lineage T cells. Furthermore, ectopic expression of an E2A inhibitor helix-loop-helix protein, Id3, promotes the in vitro differentiation of an immature T cell line. These results demonstrate that E2A functions as a regulator of thymocyte positive selection.
Terra incognita: the future of the profession

Paul Abels, Ph.D., is Associate Dean and Professor, School of Applied So cial Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. A version of this article was presented at the 100th Annual Forum, National' Con ference on Social Welfare, Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 1973. In days of old, when mapmakers recall, a unified code for reporting were not certain of the exact typogdata was only established in 1980. raphy of the areas they were mapping, The unified code recluires that the rather than leave them blank-or diagnostic category, the type of service . . . i , , i i offered, the length of service, the tech make up a shape—they would label . , , . r . niques used, and the relative success the area "terra incognita." i The of the service ^ fed int0 computers. analogy is appropriate to this article, Not only has this provided ongoing because we are about to enter unrecords of service to the individual, charted territory, and any forecasts but it has enabled the field to assess of the future are at best thoughtful which types of treatment seem most hunches. successful for which types of clients.
Mechanics of Old Faithful Geyser, Calistoga, California

Received 26 September 2012; revised 14 November 2012; accepted 19 November 2012; published 21 December 2012. [1] In order to probe the subsurface dynamics associated with geyser eruptions, we measured ground deformation at Old Faithful Geyser of Calistoga, CA. We present a physical model in which recharge during the period preceding an eruption is driven by pressure differences relative to the aquifer supplying the geyser. The model predicts that pressure and ground deformation are characterized by an exponential function of time, consistent with our observations. The geyser’s conduit is connected to a reservoir at a depth of at least 42 m, and pressure changes in the reservoir can produce the observed ground deformations through either a poroelastic or elastic mechanical model. Citation: Rudolph, M. L., M. Manga, S. Hurwitz, M. Johnston, L. Karlstrom, and C.-Y. Wang (2012), Mechanics of Old Faithful Geyser, Calistoga, California, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L24308, doi:10.1029/2012GL054012.
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) inhibits constitutive and IL-6-inducible STAT3 phosphorylation in human multiple myeloma cells.

Numerous reports suggest that IL-6 promotes survival and proliferation of multiple myeloma (MM) cells through the phosphorylation of a cell signaling protein, STAT3. Thus, agents that suppress STAT3 phosphorylation have potential for the treatment of MM. In the present report, we demonstrate that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a pharmacologically safe agent in humans, inhibited IL-6–induced STAT3 phosphorylation and consequent STAT3 nuclear translocation. Curcumin had no effect on STAT5 phosphorylation, but inhibited the IFN-α-induced STAT1 phosphorylation. The constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 found in certain MM cells was also abrogated by treatment with curcumin. Curcumin-induced inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation was reversible. Compared with AG490, a well-characterized Janus kinase 2 inhibitor, curcumin was a more rapid (30 min vs 8 h) and more potent (10 μM vs 100 μM) inhibitor of STAT3 phosphorylation. In a similar manner, the dose of curcumin completely suppressed proliferation of MM cells; the same dose of AG490 had no effect. In contrast, a cell-permeable STAT3 inhibitor peptide that can inhibit the STAT3 phosphorylation mediated by Src blocked the constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 and also suppressed the growth of myeloma cells. TNF-α and lymphotoxin also induced the proliferation of MM cells, but through a mechanism independent of STAT3 phosphorylation. In addition, dexamethasone-resistant MM cells were found to be sensitive to curcumin. Overall, our results demonstrated that curcumin was a potent inhibitor of STAT3 phosphorylation, and this plays a role in the suppression of MM proliferation.
On Feldman's theory of happiness

Fred Feldman conceives of happiness in terms of the aggregation of attitudinal pleasure and displeasure, but he distinguishes intrinsic from extrinsic attitudinal pleasure and displeasure and excludes extrinsic attitudinal pleasure and displeasure from the aggregation that constitutes happiness. I argue that Feldman has not provided a strong reason for this exclusion
Russian exploitation of Aleuts and fur seals: The archaeology of eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century settlements in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska

Shortly after Russian fur hunters found the uninhabited Pribilof Islands of St. Paul and St. George in the late 1780s, they began forcing Aleut men from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska Peninsula to travel there seasonally to provide labor for the profitable commercial harvest of northern fur seals. Recent archaeological surveys of the earliest Aleut and Russian work camps that were established on the islands show them to be unusual in many respects when compared to contemporary sites in the Aleutian Islands region. These include the absence of precontact site components, their relatively narrow period of occupation, their occupancy by an exclusively or nearly exclusively male population, and their potential as multiethnic settlements to reveal differences between the lives of Russian overseers and Aleut laborers.
Characteristics of Egg Parasitization of Douglas-Fir Tussock Moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McD.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), by Telenomus californicus Ash. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Natural Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough), egg masses, or laboratory-produced egg masses that were placed in the field, were used to determine the activity of egg parasites. Telenomus californicus Ashmead is the dominant egg parasite throughout the range of the tussock moth in the United States. Percentage of eggs parasitized varied substantially, from 0 to 65%, among 10 study areas in Oregon, California, Idaho, and Arizona. Aggregation of parasite attack as measured by Taylor's power law did not change over the range of parasitization rates observed. Parasitization appeared to be positively related to the outbreak potential of xeric outbreak-prone versus mesic nonoutbreak sites, parasitization being nearly 3-fold as high on the mesic sites as on the xeric sites. We developed a regression equation that relates proportion of egg masses attacked to total parasitization of eggs among masses. The regression provides a rapid, labor-saving way to estimate percentage of parasitized eggs.