cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Should Parents Allow Their Adolescent Children to Drink at Home? Family Factors as Predictors of Alcohol Involvement Trajectories Over 15 Years

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined familial risk and protective factors as moderators of parents allowing their adolescent children to drink at home on longitudinal alcohol involvement trajectories. METHOD: A total of 772 community adolescents and their parents provided data beginning in 1989 and at four subsequent time points over 15 years; Black adolescents were intentionally oversampled (50% at baseline). RESULTS: Outcomes related to allowing adolescents to drink at home depended on family structure: Adolescents from intact families who were allowed to drink at home showed the lowest levels of alcohol use and problems over time, whereas those from nonintact families who were allowed to drink at home showed the highest levels of involvement. These results controlled for family history of alcohol problems, consistent parenting styles, and demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that allowing adolescents to drink at home is neither inherently protective nor risky but depends on the family context. Implications for the development of adolescent alcohol involvement are discussed. Language: en
The Effect of Implementing a Multimodal Approach on the Rates of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Joint Arthroplasty

Abstract Introduction We examined the efficacy of implementing a multimodal program aimed at reducing the incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in a mid-size community hospital. Methods An infection reduction committee (IRC) was formed at our hospital in November 2010. The IRC consisted of two orthopaedic surgeons, an infectious disease specialist, an internist with extensive experience in perioperative medical management of TJA patients, an anesthesiologist, the hospital infection control nurse, and two additional nurses. Their goals were to 1) evaluate the current incidence of PJI at our institution, compare it with the reported national data, and consider measures already in place directed at preventing PJI; 2) review and routinely evaluate recently published studies or information obtained from continuing medical education events related to PJI to determine if practice changes were warranted (based on intervention efficacy, cost, and safety) and then develop a plan to implement appropriate alterations in perioperative protocols using a multimodal strategy; and 3) evaluate the effect and safety of newly-introduced infection reduction strategies on the incidence of PJI. Results In 2008, the incidence of PJI at our hospital was 1.0%. By 2013, this rate had reduced to 0.4%. In absolute numbers, in 2009, 20 of 1,150 TJAs developed a PJI in the 12-month period following partial, primary, or revision TJA. In 2013, PJI occurred in only 4 of 1,053 TJA patients. Conclusion We found that formation of an IRC focused on evaluating and implementing strategies to reduce PJI following TJA can be effective.
Conceptualizing the Blackground: Framing Attempts and Acts of Re-marginalization

Differences in the perception of people stem primarily from the worldview of the observer. In the USA, individuals who are not part of the immediate dominant culture are often marginalized. What happens when a communication situation attempts to remind individuals of their already known marginalized status? Using a phenomenological approach, this study seeks to highlight reactions to attempts at and acts of the re-marginalization of Blacks. The researchers choose to call this relegation to the social periphery, a Blackground experience.
A note on the reduction of a risk of death.

Abstract Methods for assessing the gain of life expectancy by reducing the risks of death are examined. Depending on the method used, overestimation and underestimation of life expectancy may occur. Although the gain in life expectancy is not a linear function of the per cent reduction in mortality, a linear approximation may be used when the mortality rate is low. When the mortality rate is high, linear approximations tend to overestimate the years gained. A method using the parameter H(i) developed by Keyfitz (1977) is adequate for low mortality rates such as with neoplasms. However, when mortality rates are high, as they are for cardiovascular‐renal diseases (CVD), Keyfitz's method tends to underestimate the gain in life expectancy. For CVD, Keyfitz's estimation is adequate below the 20 per cent reduction range. The magnitude of overestimation and underestimation are numerically evaluated based on the 1964 United States male mortality statistics.
Testicular torsion after orchiopexy with nonabsorbable sutures

Testicular torsion occurring three years after bilateral orchiopexy is described. The antecedent orchiopexy was accomplished using 2-0 proline sutures and transseptal fixation of the contralateral testicle. A history of bilateral orchiopexy should not interfere with diagnosing torsion in the acute scrotum. Doppler ultrasound and nuclear imaging scan are auxiliary tools that should be used when available, but should not preclude expeditious surgical treatment of suspected torsion.
Discussion: The Foundations of Statistical Mechanics—Questions and Answers*

Huw Price (1996, 2002, 2003) argues that causal‐dynamical theories that aim to explain thermodynamic asymmetry in time are misguided. He points out that in seeking a dynamical factor responsible for the general tendency of entropy to increase, these approaches fail to appreciate the true nature of the problem in the foundations of statistical mechanics (SM). I argue that it is Price who is guilty of misapprehension of the issue at stake. When properly understood, causal‐dynamical approaches in the foundations of SM offer a solution for a different problem; a problem that unfortunately receives no attention in Price’s celebrated work.
Provoking progress: a new chapter

Journals do more than publish collections of research articles and reviews; they also create community, influence standards for community behavior and ‘provoke progress’ in a particular field. In this Editorial, founding Editor-in-Chief Vivian Siegel compares launching a journal to raising a child, and reflects on the choices and successes of her tenure at DMM as she passes the leadership of the journal to new editors.
The national woman: Constructing gender roles in Estonia

Abstract The article analyzes the way in which nationalism generates specific gender roles through which national culture is experienced. The textual construction of gender roles for women in Estonia serves as a case study for how roles are created and reproduced. Recent social, political, and economic changes have forced women to confront several gendered roles at once: the “return” of the traditional role within the family, the legacy of Soviet ideological equality, the sexualized role emblematic of Estonia's incorporation into the global economy, and the return of ideological equality via the influence of the European Union.
Glass Transition and Crystallization of Amorphous Trehalose-sucrose Mixtures

Our objective was to investigate the glass transition and crystallization of trehalose-sucrose mixtures at various moisture contents. Samples were freeze-dried, rehumidified, and scanned with Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to obtain Tg values for all mixtures and pure sugars. Amorphous cotton candy samples for crystallization studies were prepared, humidified, and monitored for crystallinity as a function of time using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Tg of pure dry trehalose was found to be 106 °C, while sucrose had a Tg of 60 °C. Glass transition, as expected, occurred at an intermediate temperature for sucrose-trehalose mixtures. Of the dry samples, only those containing less than 16% trehalose showed sucrose crystallization during scanning. In cotton candy made from a 25% trehalose-75% sucrose mixture, humidified to 33%, sucrose did not crystallize after 30 days, whereas pure sucrose cotton candy at that humidity crystallized completely after 11 days. These data show that trehalose may be ...
Subclass Instantiation Distribution

During execution, an objected-oriented program typically creates a large number of objects. This research considers the distribution of those objects that share a common su per class. If this distribution is uniform then all subclasses are equally likely to be instantiated. However, if not, then the lack of uniformity can be exploited by giving preferential treatment to the dominant class (or classes). For example, a tester might spend greater testing resources on the dominant class while an engineer refactoring the code might begin with a more dominant class. An experiment designed to investigate the distribution of subclass instantiations was performed using eight Java programs containing almost half a million lines of code and just over three thousand classes. The results show that outside a few infrequent instances, most distributions are heavily skewed.
High-Yield, Radical-Initiated Oxidative Functionalization of Ethane by Perfluorocarboxylic Acid Anhydrides. Role of Metal Ions in Catalytic Alkane Oxidations in the Presence of Perfluorocarboxylic Acid Anhydrides

Hydrogen peroxide and a trace of either ethene or propene initiated the conversion of ethane to propionic acid and its mixed anhydride (CH3CH2CO2H + CH3CH2COOCOCF3) and trifluoromethyl ethyl ketone, CH3CH2COCF3, by trifluoroacetic anhydride at 80 °C. For a fixed amount of H2O2, the amount of products formed increased with increasing amount of trifluoroacetic anhydride employed and was always higher than the amount of H2O2 added. These products were also obtained when H2O2 was replaced by other radical initiators: m-chloroperbenzoic acid, azobisisobutyronitrile, and PbEt4. With PbEt4, ethene or propene was not required for product formation and close to 500 equiv of products was formed for every equivalent of PbEt4 employed! Longer chain perfluorocarboxylic acid anhydrides reacted analogously; however, as the Rf group increased in length, a corresponding increase in mixed anhydride to ketone selectivity was observed. Methane gave very little product under the reaction conditions whereas propane underwent ...
A linear time algorithm for graph partition problems

In this paper we present an O( I V I + I E I) time algorithm which partitions the set of vertices of an undirected graph G = (I’, E) with maximum degree A and minimum degree 6 to {A, x} such that the following hold. (8 The number of edges with one end point in A and the other end point in x is at least IEl/2. (ii> The difference between the number of vertices in A and the number of vertices in Ais 0 if I V I is even, and is 1 if I V I is odd. (iii) The absolute value of the difference between the number of edges with both end points in A and the number of edges with both end points in x is at most (A 6)/2 if I V I is even, and is at most (A + 1)/2 if I V I is odd.
Stimulus control in multiple temporal discriminations

In multiple fixed interval (FI) schedules, rats are trained to discriminate different FIs that are signaled by different stimuli. After extensive training, the different stimuli often acquire control over performance, observed by an earlier increase in responding for stimuli that signal shorter FIs, as compared with stimuli that signal longer FIs. The order in which the different FIs are trained, either intermixed across cycles or in blocks of several cycles, may seem irrelevant given that average performance at asymptote may be similar. In this study, rats were trained in two procedures with multiple FIs presented intermixed within sessions or in blocks of one interval per session. Similar performance was observed at asymptote, but an inspection of early cycles in each session revealed that different stimuli acquired control over performance only when trained intermixed within each session. Although the stimuli reliably signaled the upcoming FI, when trained in successive blocks of 60 cycles, rats rapidly adjusted performance early in the sessions on the basis of the temporal aspects of the task, and not on the basis of the stimulus presented in the current cycle. These results are discussed in terms of overshadowing of the stimuli by temporal cues and in terms of conditions under which a stimulus acquires control over performance.
An area efficient design methodology for SEU tolerant digital circuits

This paper presents a new circuit design style for radiation hardened digital circuits. The proposed design methodology is based on the well known DCVSL circuit style. The original DCVSL has been modified to build in robustness against single event upsets due to particle strikes. The paper presents simulation results for logic gates and arithmetic circuits built using the proposed design scheme. The circuits were found to have area savings of about 26% over their static CMOS counterparts at the cost of 7% extra delay. The design style described in this paper was found to be extremely reliable with 100% SEU mitigation for a wide spectrum of charge and current profiles at relatively lower cost than previously published circuit schemes for SEU mitigation
A millimeterwave network analyzer based scatterometer

The Millimeterwave Polarimeter (MMP) is a network-analyzer-based scatterometer and reflectometer system that has been developed to characterize radar clutter at 35, 94, and 140 GHz. A Hewlett-Packard 8510A network analyzer is used in the MMP system as a signal conditioner and processor to facilitate real-time data reduction, to reduce the short time-delay leakage noise inherent in traditional FM/CW radar, and to further enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the system through signal processing techniques. Operation of the system at millimeter wavelengths is achieved with upconversion and harmonic downconversion. The use of harmonic downconverters permits low-frequency signal connections between components of the system and allows easy reconfiguration in either scatterometer, bistatic, or reflection/transmission modes. >
Normal-pressure hydrocephalus. Onset of gait abnormality before dementia predicts good surgical outcome.

In 1977, Fisher reported that in patients with possible normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), if the gait abnormality preceded dementia, surgery usually had a favorable outcome and vice versa. We studied this finding in 21 patients shunted for possible NPH. By evaluating serial videotapes of gait, neuropsychological tests and Katz index ratings, preoperatively and at approximately two and six months postoperatively, we judged 16 patients improved. In the improved group, the families reported that the gait abnormality preceded the dementia in 11 patients and occurred at the same time in five. In the unimproved group, dementia was noted first in three patients, gait abnormality first in one patient, and gait and dementia at the same time in one patient. Using Fisher’s exact test, we compared the improved and unimproved groups for gait abnormality or dementia onset first and found a significant difference (p=0.0088). Patients with gait onset at the same time as dementia also improved significantly more frequently than those with dementia before gait abnormality (p=0.047), but there were fewer patients in these groups so this result should be treated cautiously. We conclude that the history of gait abnormality occurring before or after dementia in patients with possible NPH is an important prognostic factor for surgical outcome. (Arch Neurol 43: 940–942, 1986)
Substrate steering by electrostatics fields of enzymes: visualization by computer graphics

Abstract The rates of reactions catalysed by certain enzymes are increased by electrostatic effects that steer substrate molecules toward the active sites of the enzyme. This phenomenon can be studied by using Brownian dynamics simulation to generate and analyse diffusional trajectories of substrate in the field of an enzyme. The paper demonstrates that computer graphics can be used to show how electrical fields influence the special dependence of substrate flux as calculated by Brownian dynamics. Because of the statistical noise associated with typical simulation runs, filtering techniques are helpful in determining systematic trends in the graphic displays.
Some complex variable transformations and exact power comparisons of two-sided tests of equality of two Hermitian covariance matrices

Abstract Power studies of tests of equality of covariance matrices of two p -variate complex normal populations σ 1 = σ 2 against two-sided alternatives have been made based on the following five criteria: (1) Roy's largest root, (2) Hotelling's trace, (4) Wilks' criterion and (5) Roy's largest and smallest roots. Some theorems on transformations and Jacobians in the two-sample complex Gaussian case have been proved in order to obtain a general theorem for establishing the local unbiasedness conditions connecting the two critical values for tests (1)–(5). Extensive unbiased power tabulations have been made for p =2, for various values of n 1 , n 2 , λ 1 and λ 2 where n 1 is the df of the SP matrix from the i th sample and λ 1 is the i th latent root of σ 1 σ -1 2 ( i =1, 2). Equal tail areas approach has also been used further to compute powers of tests (1)–(4) for p =2 for studying the bias and facilitating comparisons with powers in the unbiased case. The inferences have been found similar to those in the real case. (Chu and Pillai, Ann. Inst. Statist. Math. 31.
A critique of information processing theories of consciousness

Information processing theories in psychology give rise to “executive” theories of consciousness. Roughly speaking, these theories maintain that consciousness is a centralized processor that we use when processing novel or complex stimuli. The computational assumptions driving the executive theories are closely tied to the computer metaphor. However, those who take the metaphor serious — as I believe psychologists who advocate the executive theories do — end up accepting too particular a notion of a computing device. In this essay, I examine the arguments from theoretical computational considerations that cognitive psychologists use to support their general approach in order to show that they make unwarranted assumptions about the processing attributes of consciousness. I then go on to examine the assumptions behind executive theories which grow out of the computer metaphor of cognitive psychology and conclude that we may not be the sort of computational machine cognitive psychology assumes and that cognitive psychology's approach in itself does not buy us anything in developing theories of consciousness. Hence, the state space in which we may locate consciousness is vast, even within an information processing framework.
Conductivity enhancement in fluorite-structured Ba1−xLaxF2+x solid solutions

The ionic conductivity of single crystals of the fluorite-structured solid solutions Ba1−xLaxF2+x(10−3 <×<0.45) has been studied as a function of temperature and composition in the range 300–900 K. Three regions can be discerned in the concentration dependence of the ionic conductivity: a dilute concentration region (x<10−3), where classic relations between solute content and ionic conductivity hold; an intermediate concentration region (10−3<x≲5×10−2), where large changes occur in the conductivity activation enthalpy and the magnitude of the conductivity; and a concentrated solid solution region (x≳5×10−2) characterized by enhanced ionic motion. In the dilute region the migration enthalpy for interstitial fluoride ions is determined to be 0.714 eV, while a value of 0.39 eV is found for the (LaBaFi)X association enthalpy. The defect chemistry in the intermediate concentration region is shown to be controlled by a superlinear increase of the concentration of mobile defects, while in the concentrated solid solution region a composition-independent amount of ≈1 mole% of interstitial fluoride ions with enhanced mobility, carry the current.
Role of extracellular matrix in insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-2 regulation of IGF-II action in normal human osteoblasts

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) in its native form had little affinity for extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from human or rat osteoblastic cells. However, in the presence of IGFs, IGFBP-2 binding to ECM was markedly enhanced, with IGF-II being more effective than IGF-I. IGF-II-enhanced binding of IGFBP-2 to ECM was specific for IGFBP-2 of the six known IGFBPs. In the presence of IGF-II, IGFBP-2 bound with high affinity to heparin-Sepharose, but not to type I collagen, fibronectin, or laminin. Furthermore, heparin and heparan sulfate, but not chondroitin sulfate, inhibited IGFBP-2/IGF-II binding to ECM. High salt (100 mM NaCl) inhibited, while CaCl(2) enhanced binding of IGFBP-2/IGF-II to ECM. In the presence of ECM, IGFBP-2/IGF-II was as effective as IGF-II alone in stimulating [3H]thymidine and [3H]proline incorporation and in inhibiting apoptosis in cultured human osteoblasts. On the other hand, IGFBP-2 was a potent inhibitor of IGF-II action in human breast and ovarian carcinoma cells. There was no difference between soluble and ECM-associated IGFBP-2 in affinity for IGF-I and IGF-II. These data suggest a unique mechanism for targeting an anabolic IGFBP-2/IGF-II complex in bone.
An Assessment of the Determinants of Religious Participation

Variations in patterns of church attendance are examined for a 1974 national sample of American Protestants and Catholics. Contrary to past results, socioeconomic status and alienation contribute l...
Influence of particle location within plasma and focal volume on precision of single-particle laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy measurements

The effect of the location of particles within the plasma volume on the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy signal for single-particle measurements is investigated. Three methods of collecting plasma emission are compared to determine the influence of plasma imaging on particle hit detection rates and signal precision. Imaging larger regions of the plasma volume improves particle detection rates. Spatial integration of the signal from the entire plasma volume tends to reduce uncertainty in the signal caused by variability in the location of particles within the plasma. Additionally, the use of spatially resolved measurements is found to maximize the particle detection efficiency. The use of spatially resolved measurements gives information about the location of particles within the plasma, which could be used to develop improved hit detection criteria, and to improve the precision of single-particle measurements.
Computer-aided design of digital optical computers using free-space interconnects

Abstract A recognized model for a digital optical computer consists of arrays of optical logic gates interconnected in free space with regularpatterns. This model simplifies optical hardware but complicates the process of designing digital circuits since connections cannotbe abstracted away until a final layout is required, as is the case for conventional digital electronics technology. The RutgersOptical Computing Project explores digital design problems for optical computing and provides computer-aided design tools thatassist the computer designer. Two areas of interest are considered here: digital optical circuit design, and avoiding device faults. Background For an all-optical digital computer, optical logic gates are needed as well as optical interconnects. One particular optical logic gateis considered here, the self electro-optic effect device (SEED) [1] shown in Figure 1. The SEED is based on an electrically coupledoptical modulator and detector pair, and is made up of approximately 1200 alternating layers of GaAs and GaA1As in an 8im thickquantum well structure placed inside a PIN photodiode detector as shown in Figure 1. When light is applied to the detector, acurrent is generated that reduces the potential across the quantum well. When a strong enough current is created, the positivefeedback allows the device to retain its state after the light source is removed. A variation of the SEED is the symmetric-SEED (S-SEED) [2] which is used in a testhed all-optical processor at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey [3]. A functionallayout of the crossover interconnect [4] that can interconnect SEEDS is shown in Figure 2. A two-dimensional input image issplit into two identical copies. One copy is imaged onto a mirror where it is reflected back through the system to the output plane.The second copy is permuted according to the period of the prism array and is combined with the output image. The interconnect iscustomized by setting masks in the image planes that block light at selected locations. An optical computing model based on theS-SEED optical logic gates and the optical crossover interconnect is shown in Figure 2.
Mimicry between neurokinin-1 and fibronectin may explain the transport and stability of increased substance P immunoreactivity in patients with bone marrow fibrosis.

Bone marrow (BM) fibrosis may occur in myeloproliferative diseases, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloma, and infectious diseases. In this study, the role of substance P (SP), a peptide with pleiotropic functions, was examined. Some of its functions—angiogenesis, fibroblast proliferation, and stimulation of BM progenitors—are amenable to inducing BM fibrosis. Indeed, a significant increase was found in SP-immunoreactivity (SP-IR) in the sera of patients with BM fibrosis (n = 44) compared with the sera of patients with hematologic disorders and no histologic evidence of fibrosis (n = 46) (140 ±12 vs 18 ±3; P < .01). Immunoprecipitation of sera SP indicated that this peptide exists in the form of a complex with other molecule(s). It was, therefore, hypothesized that SP might be complexed with NK-1, its natural receptor, or with a molecule homologous to NK-1. To address this, 3 cDNA libraries were screened that were constructed from pooled BM stroma or mononuclear cells with an NK-1 cDNA probe. A partial clone (clone 1) was retrieved that was 97% homologous to the ED-A region of fibronectin (FN). Furthermore, sequence analyses indicated that clone 1 shared significant homology with exon 5 of NK-1. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis indicated co-migration of SP and FN in 27 of 31 patients with BM fibrosis. Computer-assisted molecular modeling suggested that similar secondary structural features between FN and NK-1 and the relative electrostatic charge might explain a complex formed between FN (negative) and SP (positive). This study suggests that SP may be implicated in the pathophysiology of myelofibrosis, though its role would have to be substantiated in future research.
An Instrument for Simultaneous Measurement of Optical Rotatory Dispersion, Circular Dichroism and Absorbance

Abstract An instrument is described which permits the three functions, ORD, CD, and absorbance, to be measured in a single scan. Preliminary results are given for testosterone spectra.
Harold J. Laski: A Current Analysis

Whatever other disputes there may be concerning Harold J. Laski, one of the most controversial figures in modern political theory, all will agree that he has a unique talent for infuriating his political opponents. Not content with the quiet of the university cloister, he has noisily intruded himself into the arena of the life we like to call the practical. His media are books and periodicals, the platform of the political partisan, the radio and speeches delivered at the banquet tables of the intellectuals.
Rapid detection of outbreak Escherichia coli O157 and Salmonella on alfalfa sprouts by immunomagnetic capture and time-resolved fluorescence

Commercially available alfalfa seeds were inoculated with low levels (approximately 4 CFU/g) of pathogenic bacteria and sprouted at 25C. At 48 h, the spent irrigation water and sprouts were separately transferred to brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and enriched for 4 h at 37C and 160 rpm. Specific immunomagnetic beads (IMB) were then applied to capture the E. coli O157 or Salmonella in the enriched media. Separation and concentration of captured pathogens were achieved using magnetic particle concentrators (MPC). IMB captured E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. then formed sandwiched complexes with europium (Eu) labeled anti-E. coli O157 antibodies and samarium (Sm) labeled anti-Salmonella antibodies, respectively. After washing the complexes, the lanthanide labels were extracted out from the complexes by specific chelators to form strongly fluorescent Eu- and Sm-chelates. The specific time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) associated with Eu or Sm was measured to estimate the extent of capture of the E. coli O157 and Salmonella, respectively. The results indicated that the approach could detect E. coli O157 and many Salmonella spp. from spent irrigation water or sprouts grown from contaminated seeds. Nontargeted bacteria, e.g., native microflora present on the untreated seeds and inoculated Aeromonas and Citrobacter, exhibited no cross-reactivity and counts were not significantly different from background fluorescence of the IMB alone. Since pathogen detection was achieved within 6 h, the assay could detect contamination levels as low as 4 CFU/g of seeds and it showed no cross-reactivity with nonpathogenic microflora present on the sprouts, the developed methodology could be used as a rapid, sensitive and specific screening process for E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. in sprouts and their irrigation water.
Evaluation of Two Mead-related Models of Adult Respiratory Impedance Based on IOS Data

This paper introduces two new models of the respiratory system, the Mead-Cw model and the Mead-C1 model which are closely related to the well-known 7-component Mead model. These 6-component models are intermediate in complexity when compared to the 5-component augmented RIC (or Mead-Cw-C1) and the 7-component Mead model. Like for other well-known respiratory system models, their component parameters can be derived from impulse oscillometry data of healthy and sick adults. Their modeling errors as well as other important factors were compared with the RIC, extended RIC, augmented RIC and Mead models. The two new models yielded the lowest errors compared to the other models, except for the Mead model. However, the Mead-C1 model and the Mead-Cw model also yielded unreasonably large values for Cw and C1, respectively, which are known disadvantages of the Mead model.
Dynamics of selected pre-existing polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in municipal wastewater sludge under anaerobic conditions

Abstract Despite the rapid, widespread accumulation of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in our surroundings, their environmental fate has been largely unknown. In the present study, most common congeners (BDE 47, 99, 100, 138, 153, 154, 183 and 209) were investigated for their dynamics in municipal sewage sludge under mesophilic condition (37 °C). In anaerobic batch cultures, the concentrations of BDE 47, 99, 100 and 209, exhibited significant decreases (by 22–40% from their initial concentration), whereas the levels of the other congeners, BDE 138, 153, 154 and 183, remained stable during a 238-d incubation. However, in a parallel study conducted in a pilot-scale anaerobic sludge digester, loss of all eight congeners was observed. The present study indicates that certain PBDE congeners undergo a significant mass decrease under anaerobic conditions.
Exclusive use of acid citrate dextrose for anticoagulation during extracorporeal photopheresis in patients with contraindications to heparin: An effective protocol

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) routinely uses heparin for anticoagulation. For patients with contraindications to heparin, alternative anticoagulation using acid citrate dextrose (ACD-A) has been reported to be safe and effective. However, detailed ECP protocols that exclusively use ACD-A anticoagulation and minimize citrate toxicity have not yet been published. We report a protocol that completely replaces heparin with ACD-A for ECP, which was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and our experience since its implementation. ECP was performed with the UVAR XTS photopheresis system using ACD-A and control of the rate of citrate infusion. Calcium gluconate solution was administered prophylactically and as needed for symptoms of citrate toxicity. The medical records of patients who underwent ECP using the ACD-A protocol between January 2003 and July 2006 were reviewed. The incidence and severity of citrate toxicity and the technical data for all procedures were analyzed. During this period, 94 ECP procedures were performed with ACD-A anticoagulation on five patients. All patients tolerated the procedures well without significant complications. Only minimal symptoms of citrate toxicity (grade 1) were observed in 24.5% of all procedures; symptoms resolved promptly following administration of additional calcium gluconate. In conclusion, an effective protocol for ECP using ACD-A anticoagulation exclusively in patients with contraindications to heparin employs continuous monitoring of flow rates and prophylactic administration of calcium gluconate to minimize citrate toxicity.
Vienna in the Age of Uncertainty: Science, Liberalism, and Private Life

Deborah R. Coen, Vienna in the Age of Uncertainty: Science, Liberalism, and Private Life. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. xii + 352 pp. 22 halftones. $45.00. ISBN-13 978-0-226-11172-8. ...
Physical structures of Tn10-promoted deletions and inversions: Role of 1400 bp inverted repetitions

We report here the physical structures of deletions and inversions promoted by the translocatable tetracycline-resistance element Tn10. DNA/DNA heteroduplex and restriction enzyme analyses of alterations in the genome of bacteriophage lambda suggest that both types of DNA alterations almost always originate at the internal termini of the 1400 bp terminal inverted repetitions of Tn10. Tn10-promoted deletions remove a single contiguous DNA segment beginning at one such terminus; Tn10-promoted inversions are more complex, and involve both an inversion and a specific deletion of Tn10 DNA.
The Challenging Pelvic Examination

While there is a large body of evidence on the effectiveness of Pap smears for cervical cancer screening and on screening for cervical gonorrhea and Chlamydia, there is sparse evidence to support other portions of the pelvic examination and little guidance on examination logistics. Maximizing comfort should be the goal; lubrication use and careful speculum selection and insertion can ease this intrusive procedure. This is particularly important in adolescent and menopausal women, sexual minorities, obese women, women with disabilities, and women with a history of trauma or prior instrumentation affecting the genitalia. We review the evidence and provide guidance to minimize physical and psychological discomfort with pelvic examination.
A Science Data System approach for the SMAP mission

Though Science Data System (SDS) development has not traditionally been part of the mission concept phase, lessons learned and study of past Earth science missions indicate that SDS functionality can greatly benefit algorithm developers in all mission phases. We have proposed a SDS approach for the SMAP Mission that incorporates early support for an algorithm testbed, allowing scientists to develop codes and seamlessly integrate them into the operational SDS. This approach will greatly reduce both the costs and risks involved in algorithm transitioning and SDS development.
Serum leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 binds cytochrome c and inhibits antibody detection of this apoptotic marker in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) has been implicated as a serum marker for aberrant apoptosis and, thus, has considerable clinical potential. Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) we found that the sensitivity of Cyt c detection is reduced in the presence of serum. The inhibitory factor responsible was purified from both fetal bovine serum and human serum employing standard chromatography procedures followed by affinity chromatography on Affi-Gel 10-bound Cyt c. In SDS-PAGE, bands at 44 kD and 50 kD were observed for the bovine and human proteins, respectively. Mass spectrometry analysis identified the serum inhibitory factor as leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 (LRalpha2GP1). This identification may lead to a modified ELISA to quantify total Cyt c in patients' sera. LRalpha2GP1 is the first extracellular ligand for Cyt c that has been identified. A physiological function associated with binding is suggested.
Tyrosine phosphorylation of protein kinase D2 mediates ligand-inducible elimination of the Type 1 interferon receptor

Type 1 interferons (including IFNα/β) activate their cell surface receptor to induce the intracellular signal transduction pathways that play an important role in host defenses against infectious agents and tumors. The extent of cellular responses to IFNα is limited by several important mechanisms including the ligand-stimulated and specific serine phosphorylation-dependent degradation of the IFNAR1 chain of Type 1 IFN receptor. Previous studies revealed that acceleration of IFNAR1 degradation upon IFN stimulation requires activities of tyrosine kinase TYK2 and serine/threonine protein kinase D2 (PKD2), whose recruitment to IFNAR1 is also induced by the ligand. Here we report that activation of PKD2 by IFNα (but not its recruitment to the receptor) depends on TYK2 catalytic activity. PKD2 undergoes IFNα-inducible tyrosine phosphorylation on specific phospho-acceptor site (Tyr-438) within the plekstrin homology domain. Activated TYK2 is capable of facilitating this phosphorylation in vitro. Tyrosine phosphorylation of PKD2 is required for IFNα-stimulated activation of this kinase as well as for efficient serine phosphorylation and degradation of IFNAR1 and ensuing restriction of the extent of cellular responses to IFNα.
Men and Women with Bisexual Identities Show Bisexual Patterns of Sexual Attraction to Male and Female “Swimsuit Models”

Do self-identified bisexual men and women actually show bisexual patterns of sexual attraction and interest? To answer this question, I studied bisexual men’s and women’s sexual attraction to photographed male and female “swimsuit models” that varied in attractiveness. Participants (663 college students and gay pride attendees, including 14 self-identified bisexual men and 17 self-identified bisexual women) rated their degree of sexual attraction to 34 male and 34 female swimsuit models. Participants’ viewing times to models were unobtrusively assessed. Results showed that bisexual men and women showed bisexual patterns of attraction and viewing times to photo models, which strongly distinguished them from same-sex heterosexual and homosexual participants. In contrast to other groups, which showed evidence of greater male than female category specificity, bisexual men and women did not differ in category specificity. Results suggest that there are subsets of men and women who display truly bisexual patterns of sexual attraction and interest.
Use of electric logs to estimate water quality of pre-tertiary aquifers

Electric logs provide a means of estimating ground-water quality in areas where water analyses are not available. Most of the methods for interpreting these logs have been developed for the petroleum industry and are most reliable in saline aquifers (concentration of dissolved solids as sodium chloride greater than about 50,000 mg/l). The resistivity-porosity and spontaneous-potential methods were evaluated to determine if they could be applied to identify zones of fresh water (concentration of dissolved solids as sodium chloride less than 1,000 mg/l) in three potential aquifers in central Wyoming. The potential aquifers have different lithologies–sandstone, clayey sandstone, and carbonate. The two methods generally were reliable predictors of water quality in the sandstone and carbonate potential aquifers. In the clayey sandstone potential aquifer, predictions of the dissolved-solids concentration using the two methods differed by more than an order of magnitude in several cases. When the resistivity values are corrected for the presence of clay and shale as identified on a natural gamma log, the agreement between the results of the two methods improved by an average of 58 percent.
Brechtian Hip-Hop: Didactics and Self-Production in Post-Gangsta Political Mixtapes

Focusing on the shortcomings of existing aesthetic approaches to rap music, this article seeks to understand current developments within political rap through a heuristic and fundamentally nonappro...
The Frontiers of Pastoral Clinical Education

work of the Institute of Religion in the Texas Medical Center. From that point I should like for us to look backward briefly at the history of pastoral clinical training and then forward to the opportunities and responsibilities which lie ahead. The Texas Medical Center is located in Houston, Texas. "It was conceived as a means of integrating and cobrdinating education, research and patient care as a health team, so that the citizens of the entire state might have the best possible facilities for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation." The Texas Medical Center occupies 164 acres with schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry and various hospital and medical facilities. Its present investments are more than $74,000,000 and probably will double within a few years. It is composed at present of Baylor University College of Medicine, the University of Texas Dental College, M. D. Anderson Cancer and Tumor Research Hospital, four general hospitals, two children's hospitals, two schools of nursing, a postgraduate school of medicine, the school of public health, the proposed new City-County Hospital, the Jesse H. Jones Library and soon probably two mental hospitals. Nearby and to be cooperating in the program is the Memorial Baptist Hospital and probably later the Veterans Administration Hospitals. The Texas Medical Center is fast becoming one of the foremost medical centers in America and the world. The clinical situation thus provided for training in the field of religion and health is unusually extensive, perhaps unexcelled. Ever since 1936 when Dr. Seward Hiltner published Religion and Health for the commission of that name in the Federal Council
Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Mycoplasma genitalium protein MG289.

Mycoplasma genitalium is a human pathogen that is associated with non­gonococcal urethritis in men and cervicitis in women. The cloning, expression, purification and crystallization of the protein MG289 from M. genitalium strain G37 are reported here. Crystals of MG289 diffracted X-rays to 2.8 A resolution. The crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 49.7, b = 90.9, c = 176.1 A. The diffraction data after processing had an overall R merge of 8.7%. The crystal structure of Cypl, the ortholog of MG289 from M. hyorhinis, has recently been determined, providing a reasonable phasing model; molecular replacement is currently under way.
Thermal interaction effect on nucleation site distribution in subcooled boiling

Abstract An experimental work on subcooled boiling of refrigerant, R134a, to examine nucleation site distributions on both copper and stainless steel heating surfaces was performed. In order to obtain high fidelity active nucleation site density and distribution data, a high-speed digital camera was utilized to record bubble emission images from a view normal to heating surfaces. Statistical analyses on nucleation site data were done and their statistical distributions were obtained. Those experimentally observed nucleation site distributions were compared to the random spatial Poisson distribution. The comparisons showed that, rather than purely random, active nucleation site distributions on boiling surfaces are relatively more uniform. Experimental results also showed that on the copper heating surface, nucleation site distributions are slightly more uniform than on the stainless steel surface. This was concluded as the results of thermal interactions between nucleation sites with different solid thermal conductivities. A two dimensional thermal interaction model was then developed to quantitatively examine the thermal interactions between nucleation sites. The results give a reasonable explanation to the experimental observation on nucleation site distributions.
Scaling issues in ferroelectric barium strontium titanate tunable planar capacitors

We report on the geometric limits associated with tunability of interdigitated capacitors, specifically regarding the impact of a parasitic non-tunable component that necessarily accompanies a ferroelectric surface capacitor, and can dominate the voltage-dependent response as capacitor dimensions are reduced to achieve the small capacitance values required for impedance matching in the X band. We present a case study of simple gap capacitors prepared and characterized as a function of gap width (i.e., the distance between electrodes) and gap length (i.e., the edge-to-edge gap distance). Our series of measurements reveals that for gap widths in the micrometer range, as gap lengths are reduced to meet sub-picofarad capacitance values, the non-tunable parasitic elements limit the effective tunability. These experimental measurements are supported by a companion set of microwave models that clarify the existence of parallel parasitic elements.
Finite Element Modeling of Repair Cartilage Beneath a Protective Layer

Significant efforts are being devoted to the creation of replacement tissue for repair of defects in articular surfaces. Some success has been realized; yet, the normal zonal characterstics of articular cartilage throughout its thickness and normal material properties have not been reproduced in vitro in scaffolds nor in vivo in repairing defects. The fate of such transplanted scaffolds in vivo may be doomed mechanically from the outset if material properties of sufficient quality are not developed. The superficial tangential zone (STZ) has been shown to play a critical role in supporting axial loads and retaining fluids (Glazer and Putz, 2002, Torzilli, et al, 1983, Torzilli, 1993). Previous models have demonstrated excessive axial deformation of repair cartilage without the STZ (Smith, et al 2001, Wayne, et al, 1991) Additionally, modeling the STZ of normal cartilage as transversely isotropic has yielded better agreement with indentation experimental results than isotropic models (Korhonen, et al, 2002, Mow, et al, 2000, Cohen, et al, 1993). This study uses finite element analysis to model the STZ with a preferred direction parallel to the articulating surface, thereby simulating a “split-line” direction. The in-plane directions are modeled normal to the “split-line” direction and the articulating surface. Normal and repairing defects are modeled with the importance of the STZ emphasized.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A new technique for acquiring three-dimensional orofacial nonspeech movements

A new video-based motion analysis system is described that permits acquisition of kinematic patterns from multiple structures (upper lip, lower lip, and jaw), movement patterns to be captured in three dimensions, and acquisition of non-speech orofacial movement patterns without restricting natural head motion. The importance of acquiring three-dimensional lip and jaw movements during nonspeech (e.g., oral opening-closing and chewing motions) movements is emphasized.