cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interfaces and Interphases

Several types of bonds may exist at the juncture between adjacent phases in contact. On the microscale of many composite materials, most desired is a perfect bond along a sharp spatial boundary S of vanishing thickness. It guarantees that both traction and displacement vectors remain continuous on S. Contact between phase surfaces may also involve presence of one or more interphases, thin bonded layers of additional homogeneous phases introduced, for example, as coatings on particles or fibers, or as products of an interfacial chemical reaction. During composites manufacture and/or loading, an interface is expected to transmit certain tractions between adjacent constituents. When the resolved tensile and/or shear stress reaches a high magnitude, the interface may become imperfect by allowing partial or complete decohesion, a displacement jump, possibly accompanied by a distribution of ‘adhesive’ tractions. In an opposite situation, a high compressive stress may cause radial cracking in one of the phases in contact, or in the surrounding matrix. While magnitudes of interface tractions determine material propensity to distributed damage, the work required by either decohesion or radial cracking must be provided by release of potential energy, which is proportional to phase volume Chap. 5. Therefore, small inhomogeneities are less likely sources of damage than large ones.
Predictive value of PET scans in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with rituximab containing regimens

1509 Objectives: Little is known of the predictive value of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) in patients receiving rituximab containing therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential of early and post therapy PET to predict progression-free survival (PFS). Methods: Patients (pts) with newly diagnosed biopsy proven aggressive NHL had baseline and followup PET studies. PET studies were defined as positive if FDG uptake was higher than in the mediastinum or surrounding background. Results: In 10 of 31 pts (32%) mid-therapy PET scans were positive. The mid-therapy PET scan positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity (Se)and specificity (Sp)for predicting progression were 50% (95% CI, 20-80%), 76% (95% CI 52-91%), 50% (95% CI 20-80%), and 76% (95% CI 52-91%), respectively. Five of the 10 pts with positive mid-therapy PET demonstrate negative PET at the end of treatment. The remaining 5 pts exhibited persistent PET positivity, of which 2 eventually died of progressive disease. In the other 3 pts, disease recurrence was biopsy-proven in one patient, one received further chemotherapy and is presently alive and in remission and another patient remains in remission without additional treatment. In 9 of 36 pts (25%) post therapy PET scans were positive. Four of these patients underwent biopsies, that demonstrated persistent disease in 2 pts with T-cell lymphomas and no evidence of lymphoma in 2 pts with DLBCL. The biopsies in these 2 pts demonstrated extensive inflammatory reaction. For post therapy PET, the PPV, NPV, Se and Sp for predicting progression were 66% (95% CI 25-82%), 81% (95% CI 68-97%), 54% (95% CI 31-91%) and 88% (95% CI 61-93%), respectively. Conclusions: Acceptable NPV and Sp but low PPV and Se for mid and post therapy PET are seen in patients with aggressive NHL treated with rituximab. Furthermore, negative mid therapy PET scan cannot guarantee continued response to therapy. Confirmatory biopsies in patients with post therapy positive PET scans is recommended prior to initiation of second line therapy.
High Tc Superconducting Thin Film by Sputtering Process

Y-Ba-Cu-0 and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 high temperature superconductor film was prepared by a sputtering process. Film was deposited on SrTi03 or Mg0 substrate and heat-treated in oxygen. Zero resistance temperature was 88K and 81K for Y-Ba-Cu-0 and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 film, respectively. Stoichiometry was found to be important to obtain high critical temperature in Y-Ba-Cu-0 film. Diffusion of Ba was found at the interface between Y-Ba-Cu-0 film and SrTi03 substrate after the heat-treatment. Zero resistance temperature tended to lower if thickness of the film was less than 0.6um and 0.2um for Y-Ba-Cu-0 and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0, respectively. Reason for such Tc degradation is discussed.
Breaking up isn’t hard to do: Interest on reserves and monetary policy

Abstract In October 2008, the Federal Reserve shifted from a federal-funds-rate target and zero interest on bank reserves to a regime with an identical interest rate on required and excess reserves, set above its targeted federal funds rate. The move established at least two possible regimes of bank behavior. This paper examines the effect of Fed payment of different interest rates on required and excess reserves. It also sketches how the corresponding model of bank behavior can be extended to allow for interbank borrowing and lending along with market-clearing in the interbank loan market. The Fed’s regime shift to banks holding positive excess reserves and minimal interbank lending strengthens the effect on bank credit of its current primary policy instrument, the interest rate on excess reserves, relative to the effect of its previous primary instrument, the federal funds rate. This regime also mitigates impacts of deposit supply shocks on bank credit volatility while boosting the impacts of loan demand shocks. Although the Fed’s payment of interest on required and excess reserves might be rationalized by a shift in the relative source of financial shocks, little basis exists for paying the same interest rate on both types of reserves. Indeed, if the Fed were to retain the post-October 2008 regime, different rates on excess reserves and required reserves could be set to reduce Fed interest payments to banks without compromising the effectiveness of monetary policy.
A Framework for Robust Long-Term Voltage Stability of Distribution Systems

Power injection uncertainties in distribution power grids, which are mostly induced by aggressive introduction of intermittent renewable sources, may drive the system away from normal operating regimes and potentially lead to the loss of long-term voltage stability (LTVS). Naturally, there is an ever increasing need for a tool for assessing the LTVS of a distribution system. This paper presents a fast and reliable tool for constructing inner approximations of LTVS regions in multidimensional injection space such that every point in our constructed region is guaranteed to be solvable. Numerical simulations demonstrate that our approach outperforms all existing inner approximation methods in most cases. Furthermore, the constructed regions are shown to cover substantial fractions of the true voltage stability region. This paper will later discuss a number of important applications of the proposed technique, including fast screening for viable injection changes, constructing an effective solvability index and rigorously certified loadability limits.
An Eye-Tracking Method for Directly Assessing Children's Visual-Motor Integration.

Background Visual-motor integration is an integral component of many adaptive behaviors and has been linked to school readiness. In young school-age children, visual-motor integration is typically assessed with the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (Beery VMI), a standardized instrument that measures children's ability to copy 2-dimensional forms. The Beery VMI is scored according to children's final written product, but does not directly measure the process of visual-motor integration that underlies children's form copying. Objective We describe a new way of directly assessing visual-motor integration in real time. We demonstrate how head-mounted eye-tracking technology for young children can be used to describe the dynamics of visual-motor integration when children copy forms. Design This study used a cross-sectional design. Methods Typically developing kindergarten children (N = 20) were tested as they wore an eye-tracker while performing the Beery VMI. Results Participants' success (b = -0.66; SE = 0.08; Cohen f2 = 1.11) and their efficiency in visual (b = 0.29; SE = 0.02; Cohen f2 = 0.55) and motor (b = 0.12; SE = 0.01; Cohen f2 = 0.90) processes during form copying decreased as the stimulus complexity increased. Limitations A small convenience sample was used to determine proof of concept. A larger, more representative sample is necessary to provide generalizable results. Conclusions The new methods used here offer the possibility of more fine-grained assessments of eye-hand coordination in typically developing children and children with such clinical conditions as dysgraphia and developmental coordination disorder.
Judging Under Fire & the Retreat to Facts

Americans tend to worry about how our current polarized political climate will affect the legitimacy of our courts. Often overlooked in this important conversation is a discussion about what a toxic political dialogue can do — and in fact is doing — to the construction of the law itself. This Essay will begin to make the case that judicial decisions themselves change as a result of high-intensity politics. Specifically, I will argue that when judges are “under fire” (to borrow a phrase from Planned Parenthood v. Casey), they tend to cloak their decisions in factual observations about the world that seem neutral and objective, even if that neutrality is an illusion. To build my case, I draw lessons from a comparison with judges in a sister country also plagued with an epic political gridlock — the United Kingdom. I will make several observations stemming from this comparison, and then I will tie them together in a plausible explanatory story. I claim that (1) American law is anchored in factual claims about the way the world works that is very different from judicial decisions in the United Kingdom; (2) U.K. judges have long been protected from public accusations of acting “political” in a way American judges have not; and (3) these two observations are related. An important consequence of a culture that throws political mud on judges, therefore, is that judges will shield themselves from it by anchoring their decisions in “neutral” claims of fact. Thus, the Voting Rights Act is dismantled because of factual evidence (laid out in graphs and charts) that voting patterns have changed over time. Campaign spending is protected by the First Amendment because there is no factual “evidence on the record” that it causes corruption. Even older cases penned when the Justices knew the nation was watching critically (Roe v. Wade and Brown v. Board of Education) rest their rationales on factual claims about the way the world works. Put simply, American judges are using facts as shields from accusations they are behaving politically, and there is every reason to believe this trend will increase as the need to protect themselves continues.
Moderate to vigorous physical activity effect on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

e24151Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common intractable side effect of oxaliplatin treatment that presents with numbness, tingling, and nerve pain in both hands ...
High Levels of Psychological Resilience Associated With Less Disease Activity, Better Quality of Life, and Fewer Surgeries in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND Stress and depression are risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exacerbations. It is unknown if resilience, or one's ability to recover from adversity, impacts disease course. The aim of this study was to examine the association between resilience and IBD disease activity, quality of life (QoL), and IBD-related surgeries. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study of IBD patients at an academic center. Patients completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale questionnaire, which measures resilience (high resilience score ≥ 35). The primary outcome was IBD disease activity, measured by Mayo score and Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI). The QoL and IBD-related surgeries were also assessed. Multivariate linear regression was conducted to assess the association of high resilience with disease activity and QoL. RESULTS Our patient sample comprised 92 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 137 patients with Crohn disease (CD). High resilience was noted in 27% of patients with UC and 21.5% of patients with CD. Among patients with UC, those with high resilience had a mean Mayo score of 1.54, and those with low resilience had a mean Mayo score of 4.31, P < 0.001. Among patients with CD, those with high resilience had a mean HBI of 2.31, and those with low resilience had a mean HBI of 3.95, P = 0.035. In multivariable analysis, high resilience was independently associated with lower disease activity in both UC (P < 0.001) and CD (P = 0.037) and with higher QoL (P = 0.016). High resilience was also associated with fewer surgeries (P = 0.001) among patients with CD. CONCLUSIONS High resilience was independently associated with lower disease activity and better QoL in patients with IBD and fewer IBD surgeries in patients with CD. These findings suggest that resilience may be a modifiable factor that can risk-stratify patients with IBD prone to poor outcomes.
Extreme-Ultraviolet Emission in Abell 1795, Abell 2199, and the Coma Cluster

We report new EUV data on the cluster of galaxies Abell 1795. These data were taken well away from a detector defect which could have compromised earlier results on this cluster. Our new observations confirm the validity of the original data set. However, we find our results are strongly influenced by the variation of the telescope sensitivity over the field of view and upon the details of the subtraction of the EUV emission from the X-ray plasma. We investigate these effects using our new data and archival data on Abell 1795, Abell 2199, and the Coma Cluster. When we use the appropriate correction factors, we find there is no evidence for any excess EUV emission in Abell 1795 or Abell 2199. However, we do find extended EUV emission in the Coma Cluster using our new analysis procedures, confirming that in at least this cluster some as yet unidentified process is operative.
Safe Learning-based Model Predictive Control under State- and Input-dependent Uncertainty using Scenario Trees

The complex and uncertain dynamics of emerging systems pose several unique challenges that need to be overcome in order to design high-performance controllers. A key challenge is that safety is often achieved at the expense of closed-loop performance. This is particularly important when the uncertainty description is provided in the form of a bounded set that is estimated offline from limited data. Replacing this bounded set with a learned state- and input-dependent uncertainty enables representing the the variation of uncertainty in the model throughout the state space, thus improving closed-loop performance. Gaussian process (GP) models are a good candidate for learning such a representation; however, they produce a nonlinear and nonconvex description of the uncertainty set that is difficult to incorporate into currently available robust model predictive control (MPC) frameworks. In this work, we present a learning- and scenario-based MPC (L-sMPC) strategy that systematically accounts for feedback in the prediction using a state- and input-dependent scenario tree computed from a GP uncertainty model. To ensure that the closed-loop system evolution remains safe, we also propose a projection-based safety certification scheme that ensures the control inputs keep the system within an appropriately defined invariant set. The advantages of the proposed L-sMPC method in terms of improved performance and an enlarged feasible region are illustrated on a benchmark double integrator problem.
Pilot Executive Functioning Intervention in Epilepsy: Behavioral and Quality of Life Outcomes.

Objective To examine changes in emotional and behavioral functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following a web-based executive functioning (EF) intervention open pilot trial (e.g., Epilepsy Journey) for adolescents with epilepsy. Methods Adolescents with an established diagnosis of epilepsy, EF deficits, and without developmental disorders participated in a single-arm trial of Epilepsy Journey. Epilepsy Journey is a gamified, online learning environment comprised of 10 learning modules targeting EF deficits (e.g., working memory, organization) and tailored to epilepsy with accompanying telehealth problem-solving sessions. Adolescents completed questionnaires assessing emotional and behavioral functioning and HRQOL at baseline, posttreatment, and 2 follow-ups . Longitudinal mixed models and logistic regression analyses were used for these secondary analyses. Results 39 adolescents were recruited for Epilepsy Journey (Mage=15.3 years; 67% female; 87% White: Non-Hispanic; 39% experienced seizures in the past 3 months). Preliminary data indicate significant improvements in caregiver-reported Externalizing symptoms, Behavioral Symptom Index scores and Adaptive Skills from baseline to 5-month follow-up. Significant improvements were observed for caregiver-reported Mood/Behavior and self-reported Impact, Cognitive Functioning, Executive Functioning, and Sleep subscales of the PedsQL Epilepsy Module. Clinically significant improvements (e.g., clinical/at-risk to normative levels) in behavioral and quality of life domains were also noted. Conclusion Epilepsy Journey appears to contribute to changes in emotional and behavioral functioning and HRQOL in adolescents with epilepsy. Given the proof of concept trial format of this study, an important future direction is to conduct a randomized controlled trial with a larger, generalizable cohort of adolescents with epilepsy.
Exception to the Le Chatelier Principles

The ammonia synthesis reaction provides an interesting and well-known exception to the principle of Le Chatelier. We present a new analysis of this exception that is conceptually more straightforward than previous approaches. We consider in what direction the reaction shifts for both infinitesimal and finite changes from an initial equilibrium state. We also discuss a corrected general statement of Le Chatelier's Principle.
Sparse, Efficient, and Semantic Mixture Invariant Training: Taming In-the-Wild Unsupervised Sound Separation.

Supervised neural network training has led to significant progress on single-channel sound separation. This approach relies on ground truth isolated sources, which precludes scaling to widely available mixture data and limits progress on open-domain tasks. The recent mixture invariant training (MixIT) method enables training on in-the wild data; however, it suffers from two outstanding problems. First, it produces models which tend to over-separate, producing more output sources than are present in the input. Second, the exponential computational complexity of the MixIT loss limits the number of feasible output sources. These problems interact: increasing the number of output sources exacerbates over-separation. In this paper we address both issues. To combat over-separation we introduce new losses: sparsity losses that favor fewer output sources and a covariance loss that discourages correlated outputs. We also experiment with a semantic classification loss by predicting weak class labels for each mixture. To extend MixIT to larger numbers of sources, we introduce an efficient approximation using a fast least-squares solution, projected onto the MixIT constraint set. Our experiments show that the proposed losses curtail over-separation and improve overall performance. The best performance is achieved using larger numbers of output sources, enabled by our efficient MixIT loss, combined with sparsity losses to prevent over-separation. On the FUSS test set, we achieve over 13 dB in multi-source SI-SNR improvement, while boosting single-source reconstruction SI-SNR by over 17 dB.
Interpreting infertility: Medical anthropological perspectives: Introduction

Medical anthropology contributes significantly to the exploration of human reproduction. While infant morbidity and mortality as well as AIDS however have been explored to a great extent by medical anthropologists reproductive morbidity of infertility ectopic pregnancy and pregnancy loss through miscarriage and stillbirth have been largely overlooked by the community. This short paper introduces an issue of Social Science and Medicine focusing upon the cultural ramifications and interpreting the experiences of infertile women in Cameroon India Egypt and the US. The studies demonstrate that infertility for women is usually marked by anxiety and fear normative pressures to conceive social stigmatization and exhaustive searches for therapy which tend to be ritualistic risky and ethically complex. Infertility often affects womens moral identities and the local moral worlds in which they live. The papers will also link the consequences of infertility with kinship inheritance marriage and divorce patterns household residence patterns economic production religion cosmology gender relations and notions of the body health and illness.
Video Modeling and Prompting: A Comparison of Two Strategies for Teaching Cooking Skills to Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

Self-operated video prompting and video modeling was compared when used by three secondary students with mild intellectual disabilities as they completed novel recipes during cooking activities. Alternating between video systems, students completed twelve recipes within their classroom kitchen. An alternating treatment design with a follow-up and withdrawal probe was used to illustrate the effectiveness of both systems on each student's independent task performance. Results indicated increased independence following video system use by all three students with video modeling more effective for two students and video prompting more effective for the third. Future directions for research are presented.
Induced second-class form factors in Σ - β decay

A study of induced second-class currents emerging as a consequence of broken SU(3) flavor symmetry in ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ \ensuremath{\beta} decay is presented. Working within the framework of the MIT bag model, all form factors describing the ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n weak transition are calculated, including QCD vertex corrections to order ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{s}$. It is found that the weak-electric dipole form factor ${g}_{2}$ is suppressed by confinement effects to be approximately -0.1. This is shown to have a negligible effect on the electron asymmetry ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{e}$, and hence strengthens the case that recent data for ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{e}$ in ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ \ensuremath{\beta} decay are consistent with Cabibbo-model predictions.
TDMEC, a new measure for evaluating the image quality of color images acquired in vision systems

In robotic imaging systems, images are often subject to additive Gaussian noise and additive noise in the color components during image acquisition. These distortions can arise from poor illumination, excessive temperatures, or electronic circuit noise. Imaging sensors required to perform real time enhancement of images that is best suited to the human visual system often need parameter selection and optimization. This is achieved by using a quality metric for image enhancement. Most image quality assessment algorithms require parameter selection of their own to best assess the image quality. Some measures require a reference image to be used alongside the test image for comparison. In this article, we introduce a no-parameter no-reference metric that can determine the best visually pleasing image for human visual perception. Our proposed metric is algorithm independent such that it can be utilized for a variety of enhancement algorithms. Measure of enhancement methods can be categorized as either spatial or transform domain based measures. In this article, we present a DCT transform domain measure of enhancement to evaluate color images impacted by additive noise during image acquisition in robotics applications. Unlike the spatial domain measure of enhancement methods, our proposed measure is independent of image attributes and does not require parameter selection. The proposed measure is applicable to compressed and non-compressed images. This measure could be used as an enhancement metric for different image enhancement methods for both grayscale and the color images.
Low copper and dietary sucrose drive fibrosis pathways in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease (1116.11)

Nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing in prevalence worldwide with the affected US population estimated near 30%. However, the molecular changes that drive NAFLD and its progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis are not well understood. Recently, a negative correlation has been observed between copper (Cu) status and NAFLD/NASH severity in patients, while rodent models fed low-Cu diets also develop NAFLD pathology. The relationship between Cu status and liver disease is further complicated by consumption of simple sugars such as sucrose. We investigated effects of marginal Cu deficiency independently and in combination with 30% w/v sucrose in a mature rat model of NAFLD. Significant reductions of hepatic and serum Cu (p = 2, p < 0.02), while rats fed low-Cu/high sucrose also develope...
Web-based curriculum improves residents' knowledge of health care business.

Background Curricular options for teaching and evaluating surgery residents' outcomes in systems-based practice are limited. A Web-based curriculum, MDContent, developed collaboratively by experts in business and surgery, provides learning experiences in the business of health care. The purpose of this study is to describe surgery residents' experience and learning outcomes associated with the curriculum. Study Design Twenty-eight PGY3 to 6 general and plastic surgery residents were enrolled in the Web-based curriculum. Twenty-two residents (79%) completed the pretest, 11 modules, the post-test, and the course evaluation by the end of 1 year. The pretest and the post-test were 30-item multiple-choice exams based on a blueprint of the curricular objectives. Descriptive statistics were calculated on course evaluation and module completion data. Paired t -tests were used to compare pre- and post-test performance. Content analysis was performed on course evaluation written responses. Results Residents' performance on the multiple choice exam improved significantly (p = 0.0001) from the pre-test (mean 59%, SD 12.1) to the post-test (mean 78%, SD 9.4), with an average gain of 19 percentage points. Participants rated their Web-based learning experience as very positive, with a majority of residents agreeing that the content was well organized, relevant, and an excellent learning experience around content not taught elsewhere in medical school or residency. Conclusions Participation in a Web-based curriculum on health care business improves surgery residents' knowledge about health care business concepts and principles. Residents with varying levels of interest in health care business provide positive ratings about their learning experience and indications that lessons learned would be applied in their clinical practice. MDContent is a feasible and effective method for teaching and assessing systems-based practice concepts.
LAPAROSCOPIC PARTIAL NEPHRECTOMY FOR HILAR TUMORS

ABSTRACTPurpose: Partial nephrectomy for hilar tumors represents a technical challenge not only for laparoscopic, but also for open surgeons. We report the technical feasibility and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) for hilar tumors.Materials and Methods: Between January 2001 and September 2004, 25 of 362 patients (6.9%) undergoing LPN for tumor, as performed by a single surgeon, had a hilar tumor. We defined hilar tumor as a tumor located in the renal hilum that was demonstrated to be in actual physical contact with the renal artery and/or renal vein on preoperative 3-dimensional computerized tomography. En bloc hilar clamping with cold excision of the tumor, including its delicate mobilization from the renal vessels, followed by sutured renal reconstruction was performed routinely.Results: Laparoscopic surgery was successful in all cases without any open conversions or operative re-interventions. Mean tumor size was 3.7 cm (range 1 to 10.3), 4 patients (16%) had a solitary...
Dominance and reproductive success among nonhuman animals: A cross-species comparison

Abstract This paper updates and extends Dewsbury's (1982) review of the literature on dominance and reproductive success (RS). The findings from approximately 700 studies are included, over two thirds of which were unavailable to Dewsbury. In order to give a highly condensed and yet meaningful overview, the main findings are represented in four tables, one for male nonprimates, one for female nonprimates, one for male primates, and one for female primates. In the tables for males, findings are analyzed in terms of six different indicators of RS, and in the tables for females, in terms of eight RS indicators. Outside the primate order, evidence largely supported the hypothesis that high-ranking males enjoy greater RS than do subordinate males. For females, studies are more evenly divided between those supporting the hypothesis that high rank and RS are positively correlated and those indicating no significant rank-RS relationship. This may reflect both the lower saliency of hierarchical relationships among females, as well as the lower variability in RS among females, relative to males. Among primates, a complex picture has emerged, especially in the case of males. Much of the complexity appears due to the importance of age and seniority in affecting dominance rank. Also, in some primate species, female preferences for sex partners seem to have little to do with the male's dominance rank, at least at the time mating takes place. Nevertheless, the majority of studies suggest that high- to middle-ranking males have at least a slight lifetime reproductive advantage over the lowest ranking males.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dibutyl phthalate disrupt dorsal-ventral axis determination via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in zebrafish embryos.

Abstract The canonical Wnt / β - catenin signaling pathway is critical during early teleost development for establishing the dorsal–ventral axis. Within this pathway, GSK-3β, a key regulatory kinase in the Wnt pathway, regulates β-catenin degradation and thus the ability of β-catenin to enter nuclei, where it can activate expression of genes that have been linked to the specification of the dorsal–ventral axis. In this study, we describe the morphological abnormalities that resulted in zebrafish embryos when axis determination was disrupted by environmental contaminants. These abnormalities were linked to abnormal nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the developmental abnormalities and altered nuclear β-catenin accumulation occurred when embryos were exposed to commercial GSK-3β inhibitors. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to commercially available GSK-3 inhibitors (GSK-3 Inhibitor IX and 1-azakenpaullone), or common environmental contaminants (dibutyl phthalate or the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons phenanthrene and fluorene) from the 2 to 8-cell stage through the mid-blastula transition (MBT). These embryos displayed morphological abnormalities at 12.5 h post-fertilization (hpf) that were comparable to embryos exposed to lithium chloride (LiCl) (300 mM LiCl for 10 min, prior to the MBT), a classic disruptor of embryonic axis determination. Whole-mount immunolabeling and laser scanning confocal microscopy were used to localize β-catenin. The commercial GSK-3 Inhibitors as well as LiCl, dibutyl phthalate, fluorene and phenanthrene all induced an increase in the levels of nuclear β-catenin throughout the embryo, indicating that the morphological abnormalities were a result of disruption of Wnt / β - catenin signaling during dorsal–ventral axis specification. The ability of environmental chemicals to directly or indirectly target GSK-3β was assessed. Using Western blot analysis, the ability of these chemicals to affect enzymatic inhibitory phosphorylation at serine 9 on GSK-3β was examined, but no change in the serine phosphorylation state of GSK-3β was detected in exposed embryos. Furthermore, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dibutyl phthalate had no direct effect on the in vitro kinase activity of GSK-3β. While developmental abnormalities resulting from these axis-disrupting contaminants were linked to β-catenin accumulation in nuclei, the details of the disruption of this signaling pathway remain unknown. Since phenanthrene and fluorene as well as other hydrocarbons have been shown to disrupt axial development in sea urchin embryos, and since axis determination and the Wnt / β - catenin signaling pathway are highly conserved, we propose that these environmental contaminants may impact embryo development through a similar mechanism across phyla.
4QReworked Pentateuch C and the Literary Sources of the Temple Scroll: A New (Old) Proposal 1

Abstract This essay proposes a new understanding of the literary history of the Temple Scroll in light of its relationship with 4QReworked Pentateuch C (4Q365 + 365a). It begins from the argument that 4QRP C includes the five fragments labeled 4Q365a (4QTemple?), and that 4QRP C should be regarded as an expanded edition of the Pentateuch. Substantial parallels between 4QRP C (both 4Q365 and 4Q365a) and the Temple Scroll raise the possibility that an expanded Pentateuch resembling 4QRP C could have constituted the main source with which the Temple Scroll’s redactor worked. This proposal departs from the usual understanding of the Scroll as comprised of several lightly-reworked, independent sources. Instead, it situates the composition of the Temple Scroll more firmly in the context of the ongoing scribal reworking of scripture in the Second Temple period.
The influence of camera angle on comprehension and retention of pictorial events.

A subset of formal compositional principles was examined in the context of narrative pictorial events. Slide stories were constructed of six common events in which characters were depicted from three camera angles: low angle, eye-level, and high angle. After presentation, subjects evaluated the characters, recalled the stories, and engaged in a recognition task. Camera angle influenced subjects’ evaluation and retention of the stories in accordance with aesthetic principles. Camera angle had significant, predictable effects on judgments of the physical and personal characteristics of the characters, on recall of these characteristics, and on recall of the gist of the stories themselves. Recognition memory for camera angle was significantly less accurate than recognition memory for the characters. Subjects used the available visual information to construct coherent story representations, and, although camera angle strongly influenced the construction of these representations, specific camera angle information became less accessible.
Acute myocardial infarction and ischemic injury during surgery for coronary artery disease.

Summary The incidence of myocardial infarction, acute ischemic injury, and associated serum enzyme abnormalities has been evaluated in four operations involving the coronary circulation. The highest incidence of infarction was associated with internal mammary implantation (Vineberg procedure). There was no significant difference in the incidence of infarction, ischemic injury, or abnormal enzyme levels between patients with stable angina and those with unstable angina who had vein bypass surgery. In operations involving combined vein bypass grafting and valve replacement surgery, the incidence of abnormal serum enzyme elevations was higher than in any other procedure. The incidence of infarction and acute ischemic injury in combined operations was similar to that in other procedures but this may have been due to the difficulty in the ECG diagnosis of infarction in this group of patients, most of whom had abnormal preoperative ECGs.
Acetate Metabolism in Cell Suspension Cultures

Cell suspension cultures of Paul9s Scarlet rose were grown over a 14-day period, during which a 50-fold increase in fresh weight occurred. Three phases could be recognized from weight, DNA determinations, and microscopic examination. From days 0 to 7, cell division was accompanied by cell expansion; from days 7 to 10, only cell expansion occurred; and from days 10 to 14, there was no further growth. When acetate-1- 14 C was supplied continuously to 4-day and 12-day cells, 14 C was readily incorporated into lipid, CO 2 , organic acids, amino acids, and protein. In the older cells, relatively greater amounts of 14 C were recovered in organic and amino acids, and accumulation of 14 C in these components continued after a steady rate of incorporation of 14 C into protein and 14 CO 2 had been established. Glutamate- 14 C was the most heavily labeled compound recovered after a pulse of acetate-1- 14 C in both cell types and was depleted when acetate-1- 14 C was removed, particularly rapidly in 4-day cells. 14 C was rapidly lost from the malate- 14 C labeled during the pulse of acetate-1- 14 C in 4-day cells, whereas malate- 14 C continued to increase in 12-day cells after the pulse. Glutamate- 14 C was shown to be the source of the 14 C accumulating in malate in 12-day cells. Several other soluble amino acids were labeled during a pulse of acetate- 14 C in both cell types. After the pulse most of the 14 C lost from these was recovered in the corresponding amino acid in protein, showing that only protein precursor pools had been labeled. The behavior of asparagine was exceptional since its 14 C content increased after the pulse and no turnover was apparent. The kinetics of labeling of aspartate, malate, and CO 2 showed that oxaloacetate generated in the tricarboxylic acid cycle following the pulse was not in equilibrium with aspartate.
Seasonal fouling and oyster setting on asbestos plates in Broad Creak, Talbot County, Maryland, 1963–65

Weekly setting frequencies of oysters, bryozoans, barnacles, mussles, and flatworms were observed in Broad Creak, Talbot County, Maryland, during 1963, 1964, and 1965 on asbestos-plate collectors. Except for an early oyster set in 1965, all species set in greatest numbers at approximately the same time in a given year, but the height of the peak of setting intensity varied from year to year. Oysters and mussels were more abundant on the undersurface when collectors were 4 inches apart, and on the upper surface when they were 1 inch apart. Setting of barnacles, bryozoans, and flatworms was greater on the undersurface of all plates. In one year of testing (1963), oyster setting was similar on shells and plates. It is recommended that shells be planted in Broad Creek during the first week of July to catch seed oysters.
Eighteenth‐Century Cartographic Studies: A Brief Survey

Eighteenth-century cartographic studies is a interdisciplinary field that has been and continues to be shaped by the Foucauldian approach popularized by J. B. Harley, who argues for a decidedly political and ideological interpretation of the map and its history. Within this theoretical paradigm, the map is seen as a form of knowledge that facilitates the hegemonic and unilateral exercise of power, especially as it relates to the formation of the British nation-state and its colonies. Recent work, however, has called this approach to the history of cartography into question by arguing for a more expansive and pluralistic understanding of the map and its place within eighteenth-century British society. Works exploring the intersection of cartographic and literary studies have broadened the field by moving away from the previous model in which the map was seen only as an expression of British national and imperial power.
The asymptotic distribution of singular values with applications to canonical correlations and correspondence analysis

Let Xn, n = 1, 2, ... be a sequence of p × q random matrices, p ≥ q. Assume that for a fixed p × q matrix B and a sequence of constants bn → ∞, the random matrix bn(Xn − B) converges in distribution to Z. Let ψ(Xn) denote the q-vector of singular values of Xn. Under these assumptions, the limiting distribution of bn (ψ(Xn) − ψ(B)) is characterized as a function of B and of the limit matrix Z. Applications to canonical correlations and to correspondence analysis are given.
Elder Abuse: A Review

Elder abuse exists in many forms: physical, emotional, financial, and sexual; neglect; and self-neglect. As many as 2.5 million older people are abused each year, and the number of cases will likely increase as this population grows. Elder abuse receives less attention than other forms of domestic violence, and fewer than 10% of cases are reported. Although all states have legislation addressing elder abuse, financial support for evaluation and protective services is lacking. Most states have mandatory reporting; however, it may infringe on the autonomy of competent geriatric individuals. Physicians infrequently report elder abuse because they are not familiar with reporting laws, fear offending patients, are concerned with time limitations, and believe they do not have appropriate evaluation skills. Victims often have low self-esteem, blame themselves for the abuse, and do not want to admit their vulnerabilities or betray their families. The "caregiver stress hypothesis," which suggests abuse stems from caregiver stress and resentment resulting from chronic care of dependent geriatric patients, is a misconception. Abuse is actually better correlated with the emotional and financial dependence of the caregivers on the geriatric victims. Older patients are most commonly abused by the people with whom they live. Older men and women have similar per capita abuse rates. Assessment and management should be supportive without assigning blame and should focus on both the patient and the caregiver. Patients in immediate danger should be hospitalized or placed in emergency shelters. Suspected abuse should be reported directly to the appropriate state agency, which can provide a thorough long-term assessment.
Thermodynamics of statherin adsorption onto hydroxyapatite.

Statherin is a salivary protein that inhibits the nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite crystals in the supersaturated environment of the oral cavity. The thermodynamics of adsorption of statherin onto hydroxyapatite crystals have been characterized here by isothermal titration calorimetry and equilibrium adsorption isotherm analysis. At 25 °C, statherin adsorption is characterized by an exothermic enthalpy of ∼3 kcal/mol that diminishes to zero at ∼25% surface coverage. The initial heat of statherin adsorption increases with temperature, displaying a positive heat capacity change of 194 ± 7 cal K-1 mol-1 at 25 °C. The heat of adsorption during this initial phase is strongly dependent on the buffer species, and from the differential heats of buffer ionization, it can be calculated that approximately one proton is taken up by the crystal or protein upon adsorption. The free energy of adsorption is dominated at all coverages by a large positive entropy (≥23 cal K-1 mol-1), which may be partially due to th...
Comparison of SARS and NL63 Papain-Like Protease Binding Sites and Binding Site Dynamics: Inhibitor Design Implications

The human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the NL63 coronaviruses are human respiratory pathogens for which no effective antiviral treatment exists. The papain-like cysteine proteases encoded by the coronavirus (SARS-CoV: PLpro; NL63: PLP1 and PLP2) represent potential targets for antiviral drug development. Three recent inhibitor-bound PLpro structures highlight the role of an extremely flexible six-residue loop in inhibitor binding. The high binding site plasticity is a major challenge in computational drug discovery/design efforts. From conventional molecular dynamics and accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) simulations, we find that with conventional molecular dynamics simulation, PLpro translationally samples the open and closed conformation of BL2 loop on a picosecond–nanosecond timescale but does not reproduce the peptide bond inversion between loop residues Tyr269 and Gln270 that is observed on inhibitor GRL0617 binding. Only aMD simulation, starting from the closed loop conformation, reproduced the 180° ϕ–Ψ dihedral rotation back to the open loop state. The Tyr–Gln peptide bond inversion appears to involve a progressive conformational change of the full loop, starting at one side, and progressing to the other. We used the SARS-CoV apo X-ray structure to develop a model of the NL63-PLP2 catalytic site. Superimposition of the PLP2 model on the PLpro X-ray structure identifies binding site residues in PLP2 that contribute to the distinct substrate cleavage site specificities between the two proteases. The topological and electrostatic differences between the two protease binding sites also help explain the selectivity of non-covalent PLpro inhibitors.
The possibility of recipient-harming, donor-benefiting transfers with more than two countries

The possibility of a commodity transfer among nations which simultaneously benefits the donor and harms the recipient is examined. An example of a three-country exchange economy is presented where a transfer may be made which gives the counter-intuitive result. The result is then explained.
Comparison of botulinum toxins A and B in the aesthetic treatment of facial rhytides.

Botulinum toxin injections have become a popular treatment for minimizing or eliminating facial wrinkles. After injection, the toxin acts to paralyze or weaken facial mimetic muscles. Two antigenically distinct serotypes, botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) and botulinum toxin type B (BTX-B), are currently available. BTX-A is a lyophilized powder preparation requiring reconstitution; BTX-B is a ready-to-use liquid formulation. Both agents produce the same resultant clinical effect (i.e., muscle weakening). However, in addition to differences with respect to formulation, they are pharmacologically distinct in terms of molecular size, cellular mechanism of action, and species sensitivity. BTX-A has been used for aesthetic purposes for more than 10 years. Clinical studies and observations have shown that it is an effective agent for treating hyperkinetic facial lines. BTX-B was approved for use in cervical dystonia in 2000, but it has been used off-label to treat facial wrinkles as reported in several open-label studies. These preliminary dose-ranging studies have demonstrated that BTX-B is also effective. Both agents are extremely safe nonsurgical modalities for hyperkinetic facial lines. This article reviews the pharmacology and molecular features of BTX-A and BTX-B and highlights some of the key clinical studies that have been published to date with these two agents.
AN ELEMENTARY DERIVATION OF PHASE FLUCTUATIONS OF AN OPTICAL WAVE IN THE ATMOSPHERE

This paper presents an elementary derivation of the basic phase statistics of an optical wave (both plane and spherical) propagating in a turbulent medium. The results are general in that they apply to an arbitrary passive spatially homogeneous turbulent medium. Explicit application of the analysis is directed to the atmosphere where we obtain the well known results of Tatarskii and others. The present approach provides an intuitive appreciation of the physical behavior of optical wave propagation through a medium which exhibits a spatially random index of refraction. As such, it is complementary to the rigorous mathematical derivations that appear in the literature.© (1976) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.