cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coupling Flowing Atmospheric Pressure Afterglow (FAPA) with Differential Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry (DMS-MS) for rapid analysis of solid metal complexes

Abstract Metal-ligand complexes are important analytical targets across environmental, industrial, security, and biological investigations. The various complex forms of these species calls for analytical techniques that can selectively detect them in their native (in-situ) environment. Fieldable screening technologies based on portable mass spectrometry (MS) require simplified sample-preparation and ionization methods. Therefore, various direct ambient desorption/ionization sampling methods, such as the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (FAPA), are of high interest as portable tools and possess the capability to desorb/ionize complexed elemental species. With such sample introduction, matrix from ambient chemicals may interfere with the analyte of interest leading to false-positive detection. Differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) can provide additional post-ionization separation and reduction of interferences. Herein, we explore coupling a FAPA desorption/ionization source with DMS for the first time for metal-ion speciation. The FAPA-DMS hybrid was used for separation and detection of individual ionic species from cobalt and nickel complexes with acetylacetonate in standard mixtures. We observe a concentration dependence of the DMS separation in mixtures. Altered DMS dispersion behavior is attributed to high concentrations of desorbed neutral complexes acting as a gas-phase modifier. For the case of Ni(AcAc)2, solutions deposited from 100 to 1000 μg/mL exhibit good linearity when the DMS is employed. The results described herein suggest a method which may be used in in situ applications for inorganic complex analyses.
Soldier to Student: Exploring the Unique Skills and Challenges Veterans with Disabilities Bring to College

This Work in Progress Paper presents the creation of a codebook that will support a broader study focused on understanding the experiences of veterans with service-connected disabilities as they transition from the military into an undergraduate engineering program. Military careers and engineering student life have stark differences. This exploratory research study aims to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of engineering student veterans with service-connected disabilities as they transition into higher education. To investigate these transitions, we utilized semi-structured narrative interviews with three sophomore engineering students with disabilities. The participants were purposively selected for maximum variability across particular demographic characteristics. In this thematic analysis, we explored the rich narratives of the students’ transitions from military members to undergraduate engineering students by coding the data and organizing the themes as they mapped to the Schlossberg Transition Theory. Further analysis of the data resulted in a codebook consisting of eight codes – two referring to one’s self, three that characterize the transitional situation, one aligned with effective social support, and two codes denoting strategies these student veterans use to overcome the unique challenges associated with their transition from military member to engineering academic. The codebook will be presented in this paper.
Anthropological archaeology and the Viennese students of civilization

In this paper, I explore the parallel trajectories of anthropological archaeological and Austrian economic thought from central Europe to the Anglosphere. I note the work of Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) and Friedrich Hayek (1899–1992). Tracing the influence that similar theoretical perspectives has had on their respective fields, I particularly investigate the concept of methodological individualism within American archaeology in the twentieth century. This work therefore is a general abstract for the various points of contact between Austrian Economics and anthropological archaeology over the course of their intellectual histories.
Parity Models: A General Framework for Coding-Based Resilience in ML Inference

Machine learning models are becoming the primary workhorses for many applications. Production services deploy models through prediction serving systems that take in queries and return predictions by performing inference on machine learning models. In order to scale to high query rates, prediction serving systems are run on many machines in cluster settings, and thus are prone to slowdowns and failures that inflate tail latency and cause violations of strict latency targets. Current approaches to reducing tail latency are inadequate for the latency targets of prediction serving, incur high resource overhead, or are inapplicable to the computations performed during inference. We present ParM, a novel, general framework for making use of ideas from erasure coding and machine learning to achieve low-latency, resource-efficient resilience to slowdowns and failures in prediction serving systems. ParM encodes multiple queries together into a single parity query and performs inference on the parity query using a parity model. A decoder uses the output of a parity model to reconstruct approximations of unavailable predictions. ParM uses neural networks to learn parity models that enable simple, fast encoders and decoders to reconstruct unavailable predictions for a variety of inference tasks such as image classification, speech recognition, and object localization. We build ParM atop an open-source prediction serving system and through extensive evaluation show that ParM improves overall accuracy in the face of unavailability with low latency while using 2-4$\times$ less additional resources than replication-based approaches. ParM reduces the gap between 99.9th percentile and median latency by up to $3.5\times$ compared to approaches that use an equal amount of resources, while maintaining the same median.
The role of character goals and changes in body position in the processing of events in visual narratives

A growing body of research is beginning to understand how people comprehend sequential visual narratives. However, previous work has used materials that primarily rely on visual information (i.e., they contain minimal language information). The current work seeks to address how visual and linguistic information streams are coordinated in sequential image comprehension. In experiment 1, participants viewed picture stories and engaged in an event segmentation task. The extent to which critical points in the narrative depicted situational continuity of character goals and continuity in bodily position was manipulated. The likelihood of perceiving an event boundary and viewing latencies at critical locations were measured. Experiment 1 was replicated in the second experiment, without the segmentation task. That is, participants read the picture stories without deciding where the event boundaries occurred. Experiment 1 indicated that changes in character goals were associated with an increased likelihood of segmenting at the critical point, but changes in bodily position were not. A follow-up analysis, however, revealed that over the course of the entire story, changes in body position were a significant predictor of event segmentation. Viewing time, however, was affected by both goal and body position shifts. Experiment 2 corroborated the finding that viewing time was affected by changes in goals and body positions. The current study shows that changes in body position influence a viewer’s perception of event structure and event processing. This fits into a growing body of research that attempts to understand how consumers of multimodal media coordinate multiple information streams. The current study underscores the need for the systematic study of the visual, perceptual, and comprehension processes that occur during visual narrative understanding.
Quality Assessment of Peer-Produced Content in Knowledge Repositories Using Big Data and Social Networks: The Case of Implicit Collaboration in Wikipedia

This research provides a method for quality assessment of peer-produced content in knowledge repositories using a complementary view of collaboration. Using the definition of collaboration as the action of working with someone to produce something, we identify the aspects of collaboration that the present research on online communities does not consider. To this end, we introduce and define the concept of implicit collaboration and then identify two dimensions and four possible areas of collaboration. In each area, we identify the relevant social network that captures collaboration. Using customized measures on each of the networks that capture various aspects of collaboration, we quantify the utility of implicit collaboration in assessing article quality. Experiments conducted on the complete population of graded English language Wikipedia articles show that all the identified measures improve the predictive accuracy of the existing models by 11.89 percent while improving the class-wise precision by 9-18 percent and the class-wise recall by 5-26 percent. We also find that our method complements the existing quality assessment approaches well. Our research has implications for developing automated quality assessment methods for peer-produced content using big data and social networks.
From computer literacy to cyber-literacy

As part of a major change in our general education program, our institution has shifted the focus of our traditional non-majors computing course. We have replaced the Introduction to Computers course, which focuses on computer literacy, with a course called Web Expressions, which focuses on cyber-literacy. This shift in focus involves major pedagogical and conceptual changes which we think are more suited to today's technology and societal needs than the traditional course. This shift comes at a time when computing departments face a general loss of enthusiasm toward computing as a major. We are finding that the new course has excited students about technology in ways that our old course never did. We are hopeful that the new course will be useful in recruiting new students to the discipline. In this paper, we present details about the course as well as some of the motivating factors behind the changes we have made.
Issues in Hydraulic Design of Sanitary Sewers

AbstractVarious protocols are used in the hydraulic design of sanitary sewers, with key differences related to the assurance of self-cleansing, and the selection of Manning’s n. Analyses reported i...
Students' Use of Metacognitive Skills in Undergraduate Research Experiences in Computational Modeling

This Work in Progress paper in the Research category studies undergraduate students use of higher order metacognitive skills while engaging in computational modeling engineering research. Policymakers, universities and other key stakeholders have promoted ‘authentic learning experiences’ including undergraduate research experiences as a vehicle for the cognitive and metacognitive development of undergraduates. Indeed, undergraduate research experiences in STEM fields have been demonstrated to have positive effects including enhanced technical skills development and greater persistence in STEM degrees. However, specific research is needed to understand how metacognitive skills are engaged during undergraduate research experiences. Further, work on undergraduate research experiences has typically focused on science research, and relatively little work has been done to understand student development during research experiences in engineering and computational fields. To address this gap, we have initiated a qualitative study of undergraduate researchers within a computational modeling engineering research group at a large midwestern university. Here, we share preliminary results from semi-structured interviews of undergraduate student researchers and their supervisors. The research and implications of our work are grounded within a cognitive apprenticeship framework and will provide insight into how best to support the cognitive and metacognitive development of undergraduate engineering researchers.
Proton beam therapy utilization in adults with primary brain tumors in the United States.

Abstract The utilization of proton beam therapy (PBT) as the primary treatment of adults with primary brain tumors (APBT) was evaluated through query of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) between the years 2004 and 2015. International Classification of Diseases for Oncology code for each patient was stratified into six histology categories; high-grade gliomas, medulloblastomas, ependymomas, other gliomas, other malignant tumors, or other benign intracranial tumors. Demographics of the treatment population were also analyzed. A total of 1,296 patients received PBT during the 11-year interval for treatment of their primary brain tumor. High-grade glioma, medulloblastoma, ependymoma, other glioma, other malignant, and other benign intracranial histologies made up 39%, 20%, 13%, 12%, 13%, and 2% of the cohort, respectively. The number of patients treated per year increased from 34 to 300 in years 2004 to 2015. Histologies treated with PBT varied over the 11-year interval with high-grade gliomas comprising 75% and 45% at years 2004 and 2015, respectively. The majority of the patient population was 18–29 years of age (59%), Caucasian race (73%), had median reported income of over $63,000 (46%), were privately insured (68%), and were treated at an academic institution (70%). This study characterizes trends of malignant and benign APBT histologies treated with PBT. Our data from 2004 through 2015 illustrates a marked increase in the utilization of PBT in the treatment of APBT and shows variability in the tumor histology treated over this time.
Rescheduling Nonurgent Care in Radiology: Implementation During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

Abstract Objective To meet hospital preparedness for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ACR recommended delay of all nonemergent tests and elective procedures. The purpose of this article is to report our experience for rescheduling nonemergent imaging and procedures during the pandemic at our tertiary academic institution. Methods We rescheduled the nonemergent imaging and procedures in our hospitals and outpatient centers from March 16 to May 4, 2020. We created a tiered priority system to reschedule patients for whom imaging could be delayed with minimal clinical impact. The radiologists performed detailed chart reviews for decision making. We conducted daily virtual huddles with discussion of rescheduling strategies and issue tracking. Results Using a snapshot during the rescheduling period, there was a 53.4% decrease in imaging volume during the period of March 16 to April 15, 2020, compared with the same time period in 2019. The total number of imaging studies decreased from 38,369 in 2019 to 17,891 in 2020 during this period. Although we saw the largest reduction in outpatient imaging (72.3%), there was also a significant decrease in inpatient (40.5%) and emergency department (48.9%) imaging volumes. Discussion The use of multiple communication channels was critical in relaying the information to all our stakeholders, patients, referring physicians, and the radiology workforce. Teamwork, quick adoption, and adaptation of changing strategies was important given the fluidity of the situation.
An evolving perspective on the dynamic brain: Notes from the Brain Conference on Dynamics of the brain: Temporal aspects of computation

Ultimately, the diversity of research presented at this Brain Conference revealed that we are at an exciting juncture in the study of the brain: theoretical and empirical progress has afforded a view of the building blocks of dynamic computation in neural systems. The research presented provided a compelling picture of how transient neural activity can represent space, time and various features of a task, be it an abstract experimental manipulation or a naturalistic feature in a social setting such as communication or mating. The frontier is now to press forward in our understanding of how dynamic computation in the brain is flexibly controlled, and what mechanisms allow the reliable propagation of transient patterns of activity across different circuit architectures and in different environmental conditions. One of the key concepts for debate that emerged was the tension between invariance and flexibility: neural dynamics are naturally constrained by specific local connections, brain architecture and biophysical mechanisms, yet time and again throughout the meeting, researchers presented patterns of neural population activity that displayed surprisingly similar dynamics despite different model systems, different stimuli, and different tasks and global behavioral states. Continuing the search to find the fundamental mechanisms by which dynamic neural activity is flexibly controlled to produce these diverse behaviors will be an exciting next chapter for the field.
"Ozmín y Daraja" como contrafacción picaresca del ideal morisco

Although the story of Ozmin and Daraja integrates the canonical trinity of the so-called Moorish novel, its insertion as a story framed in a picaresque novel necessarily conditions its reading. Without being an exercise in generic hybridization, both its spirit and the configuration of the Moorish protagonist denote certain features that refer not only to the Moorish and Byzantine novels - well-known references - but to that same picaresque novel that serves as a narrative framework and is It also inspires in the theme of the Lazarillo. That is why we dare to suggest a kind of genetic contamination, at least on a moral level, of Ozmin: according to our proposal, Aleman would have configured his Moorish knight with one eye on the gallant Abindarraez and the other on Lazaro Gonzalez Perez, who likewise he was serving as a model to develop the character of Guzmanillo. This narrative experiment wants to be at the same time an expression of a certain positioning in front of the Moorish problem on the part of an author presumably a convert.
Hits-based attentional neural model for abstractive summarization

Abstract Automatic abstractive summary generation is still an open problem in natural language processing field. Conventional encoder–decoder model based abstractive summarization methods often suffer from repetition and semantic irrelevance. Recent studies apply traditional attention or graph-based attention on the encoder–decoder model to tackle the problem, under the assumption that all the sentences in the original document are indistinguishable from each other. But in a document, the same words in different sentences are not equally important, i.e., the words in a trivial sentence are less important than the words in a salient sentence. Based on it, we develop a HITS-based attention mechanism in this paper, which fully leverages sentence-level and word-level information by considering sentences and words in the original document as authorities and hubs. Based on it, we present a novel abstractive summarization method, with Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence to refine the attention value, meanwhile we propose a comparison mechanism in summary generation to further improve the summarization performance. When evaluated on the CNN/Daily Mail and NYT datasets, the experimental results demonstrate the improvement of summarization performance and show the performance of our proposed method is comparable with that of the other summarization methods. Besides, we also conduct experiments on CORD-19 dataset (COVID-19 Open Research Dataset) which is a biomedical domain dataset, and the experimental results show great performance of our proposed method compared with that of the other state-of-the-art summarization methods.
The origins of the Syrian conflict: Climate change and human security

Ecological factors no doubt contributed to the outbreak of the popular uprising in Syria during the momentous winter of 2010–11. Yet how they did so remains in dispute. Environmental scientists, ph...
Galton's Quincunx: Probabilistic causation in developmental behavior genetics

Abstract In what sense are associations between particular markers and complex behaviors made by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and related techniques discoveries of, or entries into the study of, the causes of those behaviors? In this paper, we argue that when applied to individuals, the kinds of probabilistic ‘causes’ of complex traits that GWAS-style studies can point towards do not provide the kind of causal information that is useful for generating explanations; they do not, in other words, point towards useful explanations of why particular individuals have the traits that they do. We develop an analogy centered around Galton's “Quincunx” machine; while each pin might be associated with outcomes of a certain sort, in any particular trial, that pin might be entirely bypassed even if the ball eventually comes to rest in the box most strongly associated with that pin. Indeed, in any particular trial, the actual outcome of a ball hitting a pin might be the opposite of what is usually expected. While we might find particular pins associated with outcomes in the aggregate, these associations will not provide causally relevant information for understanding individual outcomes. In a similar way, the complexities of development likely render impossible any moves from population-level statistical associations between genetic markers and complex behaviors to an understanding of the causal processes by which individuals come to have the traits that they in fact have.
Proximal correlates of suicidal ideation among transgender and gender diverse people: A preliminary test of the three-step theory

Introduction Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience higher rates of suicidal ideation than their cisgender peers; however, very little is known about factors that proximally relate to suicidal ideation in this population. This limited understanding may be due to the lack of theory-guided studies that are capable of testing proximal correlates of suicidal ideation among TGD people. Methods We tested the first two steps of the three-step theory (3ST) of suicide using daily survey data from a sample of 38 TGD people over 30 days. Results A total of 836 daily surveys were collected (73.3% compliance). Multilevel modeling supported the first and second step of the 3ST. Psychological pain and hopelessness interacted to predict same-day suicidal ideation, with psychological pain positively associating with ideation only at average and high levels of hopelessness. Furthermore, psychological pain that outweighed connectedness was moderately associated with suicidal ideation among those with high levels of hopelessness and psychological pain. Conclusion The 3ST of suicide shows promise for explaining and guiding interventions to reduce suicidal ideation in this vulnerable population.
Ostwald, Wilhelm 1853–1932

Wilhelm Ostwald was born on September 2, 1853 in Riga, the capital city of Latvia, to German immigrant parents. He studied chemistry at the University of Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia) where he received his Ph.D. in 1878 and lectured at the Polytechnicum in Riga. In 1887, he moved to the University of Dresden in Germany where he remained until his early retirement in 1906.
Association of Characteristics of the Learning Environment and US Medical Student Burnout, Empathy, and Career Regret.

Importance Previous studies have shown that medical student mistreatment and burnout are common. However, few longitudinal data exist to describe how mistreatment and other learning environment experiences are associated with subsequent burnout and other student characteristics. Objective To examine the association between mistreatment and perceptions of the learning environment with subsequent burnout, empathy, and career regret among US medical students. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study analyzed data from the 2014-2016 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Medical School Year 2 Questionnaire (Y2Q) and 2016-2018 AAMC Graduation Questionnaire (GQ). Medical students from 140 allopathic medical schools who responded to both AAMC surveys were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed from December 1, 2019, to January 11, 2021. Exposures Self-reported medical student mistreatment (eg, experiences of negative behaviors and discrimination related to sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation) and perceptions of the learning environment (Medical School Learning Environment Survey subscales for faculty, emotional climate, and student-student interactions). Main Outcomes and Measures Burnout, empathy, and career regret as measured by Oldenburg Burnout Inventory data for burnout, Interpersonal Reactivity Index scores for empathy, and a single item assessing career regret. Results Data from 14 126 medical students were analyzed; 52.0% were women, and the mean (SD) age was 27.7 (2.9) years at graduation. Mistreatment was reported by 22.9% of respondents on the Y2Q. In multivariable analysis adjusted for Y2Q measures, mistreatment reported on the Y2Q was associated with a higher exhaustion score (1.81 [95% CI, 1.60-2.02]), a higher disengagement score (0.71 [95% CI, 0.58-0.84]), and higher likelihood of career regret on the GQ (186 of 989 [18.8%]; all P < .001). A more positive emotional climate reported on the Y2Q was associated with a lower exhaustion score (for each 1-point increase, -0.05 [95% CI, -0.08 to -0.02]; P = .001) and lower disengagement score (for each 1-point increase, -0.04 [95% CI, -0.06 to -0.02]; P < .001) on the GQ. More positive faculty interactions on the Y2Q were associated with higher empathy score on the GQ (for each 1-point increase, 0.02 [95% CI, 0.01-0.05]; P = .04). Better student-student interactions were associated with lower odds of career regret during year 4 of medical school (odds ratio for each 1-point increase, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.95-1.00]; P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this cohort study suggest that medical students who experienced mistreatment and perceived the learning environment less favorably were more likely to develop higher levels of exhaustion and disengagement, lower levels of empathy, and career regret compared with medical students with more positive experiences. Strategies to improve student well-being, empathy, and experience should include approaches to eliminate mistreatment and improve the learning environment.
Examining undergraduates’ text-based evidence identification, evaluation, and use

This study examines three core processes in undergraduates’ reasoning about four different evidence types (i.e., anecdotal, observational, correlational, and causal). In particular, we examine undergraduates’ processes of evidence identification, evaluation, and selection of evidence to include in writing and how these manifest across different evidence types. Undergraduates’ justifications for their evidence evaluations and selections were also examined. Results showed that students were successfully able to differentiate anecdotal evidence from other types of quantitative evidence and rated anecdotal evidence as least convincing. At the same time, we found that undergraduates were not able to differentiate among the other three types of evidence (i.e., descriptive/observational, correlational, causal) effectively. Moreover, a variety of criteria were identified in undergraduates’ justifications for evidence evaluation and selection. Undergraduates commonly evaluated evidence based on its essential features as well as the methods used for its collection, although justifications differed across evidence types. Undergraduates also commonly considered its essential features when selecting evidence to include in writing. At the same time, undergraduates frequently mismatched the type of evidence provided (e.g., correlational) and its essential characteristics (e.g., describing it as causal). Future directions and instructional implications are discussed.
The gamma subunit of R-phycoerythrin and its possible mode of transport into the plastid of red algae

R-phycoerythrin is the major light-harvesting pigment protein of most red algal phycobilisomes. It is composed of three pigmented polypeptide subunits, the alpha, beta, and gamma. While alpha and beta phycoerythrin subunits are each unique in the red alga Aglaothamnion neglectum, there are two different gamma subunits with distinct molecular masses. Both gamma subunits are pigmented by virtue of covalently attached linear tetrapyrroles. The amino acid sequence of one of the gamma subunits, as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone, has no significant similarity to any known sequence in the data bases. This result is surprising, since the gamma subunit of phycoerythrin is thought to have a function that is similar to cyanobacterial linker polypeptides. The A. neglectum gamma subunit is synthesized as a 36-kDa precursor protein that is processed at the amino terminus to yield a 33-kDa mature protein. The amino-terminal extension was able to direct the pea small subunit of Rubisco into isolated pea chloroplasts. This result suggests that red algae transport proteins into the plastid by a mechanism similar to that of higher plants. There are significant changes in levels of mRNA encoding the gamma 33 subunit when A. neglectum is grown under different conditions of illumination and in nitrogen-deficient medium. These changes parallel those previously observed for transcripts encoding the alpha and beta phycoerythrin subunits. Hence, there may be coordinated expression of nuclear and plastid-encoded phycoerythrin subunit genes.
The Standard Picture and its Discontents

In this paper, I argue that there is a picture of how law works that most legal theorists are implicitly committed to and take to be common ground. This Standard Picture (SP, for short) is generally unacknowledged and unargued for. SP leads to a characteristic set of concerns and problems and yields a distinctive way of thinking about how law is supposed to operate. I suggest that the issue of whether SP is correct is a fundamental one for the philosophy of law, more basic, for example, than the issue that divides legal positivists and anti-positivists, at least as the latter issue is ordinarily understood. The goals of the paper are fourfold: 1) to identify and articulate in some detail the Standard Picture; 2) to show that SP is widely held and has important consequences for other debates in the philosophy of law; 3) to show that SP leads to a serious theoretical problem; 4) to sketch an alternative picture that promises to avoid this problem. I emphasize the modesty of these goals in one respect. I make no claim to refute SP or to fully develop and defend an alternative picture.
Friction and wear performance of low-friction carbon coatings under oil lubrication

Amorphous carbon coatings with very low friction properties were recently developed at Argonne National Laboratory. These coatings have shown good promise in mitigating excessive wear and scuffing problems associated with low-lubricity diesel fuels. To reduce the negative effect of sulfur and other lubricant additives in poisoning the after-treatment catalyst, a lubricant formulation with a low level of sulfur may be needed. Exclusion of proven sulfur-containing extreme pressure (EP) and antiwear additives from oils will require other measures to ensure durability of critical lubricated components. The low-friction carbon coating has the potential for such applications. In the present study, we evaluated the friction and wear attributes of three variations of the coating under a boundary lubrication regime. Tests were conducted with both synthetic and mineral oil lubricants using a ball-on-flat contact configuration in reciprocating sliding. Although the three variations of the coating provided modest reductions in friction coefficient, they all reduced wear substantially compared to an uncoated surface. The degradation mode of oxidative wear on the uncoated surface was replaced by a polishing wear mode on the coated surfaces.
Anal sphincter pressure characteristics

Summary A simple method for recording pressures in the anal sphincter during distention at rest and during voluntary contraction is presented. The resting sphincter resists distention until a resting yield pressure is reached, after which further distention of the sphincter produces no further pressure rise. Maximal sphincter pressure is reached by voluntary contraction only after the recording balloon has been distended to the volume needed to reach the resting yield pressure. The ability of the sphincter to resist distention appears to be the mechanism for maintaining continence at rest; however, contraction of the voluntary component of the anal sphincter can forcibly close the sphincter when distended and thereby maintain continence. Of 48 subjects studied, all 14 with incontinence were found to have normal resting yield pressures, but maximal sphincter pressures varied depending upon the cause of incontinence. Most patients with incontinence had low maximal sphincter pressure, but incontinence was not invariable with low maximal sphincter pressure. It is possible to differentiate patients with incontinence as the result of abnormalities of the voluntary component of the anal sphincter from those patients with incontinence of other cause.
Endoscopic treatment of an impacted pancreatic duct stone using a balloon catheter for electrohydraulic lithotripsy without pancreatoscopy

Obstructing main pancreatic duct (PD) stones represent a challenge for endoscopic removal because they are frequently impacted within the duct, are hard, and process sharp edges. Multiple series have been published demonstrating that removal of obstructing stones in the main PD can improve symptoms in the majority of patients with chronic pancreatitis. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has become an accepted technique to facilitate stone clearance when standard endoscopic methods fail. More recently, direct contact lithotripsy with the use of smaller caliber endoscopes has been described as an alternative to ESWL. Limited experience suggests that intraductal electrohydraulic lithotripsy under direct endoscopic visualization with a small caliber pancreatoscope results in successful fragmentation of PD stones that have been refractory to standard endoscopic methods or ESWL. Herein, we report the use of intraductal electrohydraulic lithotripsy to fragment a large obstructing PD stone guided only by fluoroscopy without the utilization of a pancreatoscope.
The effects of Ca2+ and calmodulin on adenylyl cyclase activity in plasma membranes derived from neural and non-neural cells.

Abstract The regulation of adenylyl cyclase activity by varying concentrations of Ca 2+ was examined in plasma membrane preparations derived from a number of neural and non-neural cells. Enzyme activity in neural tissue (i.e. cerebellum) neural-derived pheochromocytoma PC12 cells and certain endocrine cells (i.e. pancreatic RINm5f and parathyroid cells) was stimulated by physiologic concentrations of Ca 2+ by a calmodulin (CaM)-dependent mechanism. In contrast, adenylyl cyclase activity in non-neural cells (e.g. platelets and GH 3 cells) was not stimulated by Ca 2+ . In these latter sources, enzyme activity was inhibited by increasing concentrations of Ca 2+ , independent of CaM. In liver membranes, Ca 2+ and/or CaM did not alter adenylyl cyclase activity. These results demonstrate that the effects exerted by physiologic concentrations of Ca 2+ on adenylyl cyclase activity range from CaM-dependent stimulation of activity to no effect, to CaM-independent inhibition of activity. The actions of Ca 2+ on adenylyl cyclase may be major contributors to the various synergistic or antagonistic interactions that are seen between cAMP-generating and Ca 2+ -mobilizing systems.
Biliteracy acquisition in Kannada and English: A developmental study

This study investigated the contribution of decoding and language comprehension sub-skills to Kannada and English biliteracy development over three years in multilingual students in urban low-income communities in one large city in India. Syllabic awareness, phonemic awareness and decoding skills were measured in Grades 3–5 (Time 1), and participants were followed to Grades 6–8 (Time 2), when their oral language comprehension and reading comprehension skills were tested. Hierarchical regression results revealed that: (1) both syllabic and phonemic awareness predicted Kannada decoding scores; however, only phonemic awareness predicted English decoding scores; (2) decoding ability from Time 1 and language comprehension skills from Time 2 made unique contributions to reading comprehension skills at Time 2 in both languages; (3) there were significant cross-linguistic relationships between corresponding reading sub-skills at both times; and (4) there was an independent contribution of Kannada decoding to Engl...
Cargo binding activates myosin VIIA motor function in cells

Myosin VIIA, thought to be involved in human auditory function, is a gene responsible for human Usher syndrome type 1B, which causes hearing and visual loss. Recent studies have suggested that it can move processively if it forms a dimer. Nevertheless, it exists as a monomer in vitro, unlike the well-known two-headed processive myosin Va. Here we studied the molecular mechanism, which is currently unknown, of activating myosin VIIA as a cargo-transporting motor. Human myosin VIIA was present throughout cytosol, but it moved to the tip of filopodia upon the formation of dimer induced by dimer-inducing reagent. The forced dimer of myosin VIIA translocated its cargo molecule, MyRip, to the tip of filopodia, whereas myosin VIIA without the forced dimer-forming module does not translocate to the filopodial tips. These results suggest that dimer formation of myosin VIIA is important for its cargo-transporting activity. On the other hand, myosin VIIA without the forced dimerization module became translocated to the filopodial tips in the presence of cargo complex, i.e., MyRip/Rab27a, and transported its cargo complex to the tip. Coexpression of MyRip promoted the association of myosin VIIA to vesicles and the dimer formation. These results suggest that association of myosin VIIA monomers with membrane via the MyRip/Rab27a complex facilitates the cargo-transporting activity of myosin VIIA, which is achieved by cluster formation on the membrane, where it possibly forms a dimer. Present findings support that MyRip, a cargo molecule, functions as an activator of myosin VIIA transporter function.
First order periodic differential difference equations

where q(t) = XT--, q, exp(;it) is a real valued function with a continuous second order derivative and is periodic of period T = 2~. The constants a, d > 0, and T are all real numbers. The case m which d and T are rationally related has been considered in earlier papers [7], [lo]. In Section 2 we shall obtain estimates for d(h), as given by (2.16), along certain lines in the complex plane. Let N(M) denote the number of roots of the equation a(x) = 0 which have real parts equal to or greater than M. Here roots of multiplicity r are counted Y times. Then in Section 3 we show that there exists a decreasing sequence {b,} of real numbers, lim b, = -to, such that the number of characteristic exponents of (1.1) with real parts equal to or greater than b, is just N(b,). Here exponents corresponding to invariant spaces of dimension Y are counted Y times. This result is established by first obtaining in Theorem 3.2 a representation result for the Green’s function G(t, s). As in earlier papers for higher order equations [3] one may then extend the representation result to general solutions and establish the statement concerning characteristic exponents. The argument in Section 3 proceeds by considering equation (1 .l) as a perturbation of the equation L(x(t)) FCC Lqt) u.x(t A) -q&t) _-: 0 (l-2) by the term W4) = -(q(t) 90) 44. (1.3)
The use of staphylococcal protein A in the mixed agglutination test

Abstract A mixed agglutination (MA) test employing staphylococcal protein A (SpA) instead of an antiglobulin reagent has been developed for the detection of IgG antibodies bound to cell-surface antigens. In the SpA MA test, a single indicator system may be used for the detection of IgG antibodies from several mammalian species. The sensitivity of this test compares favorably with that of the conventional MA test in the detection of most mammalian IgG. The main advantage of the SpA MA test is its usefulness in the study of antigens on cells which bear Fc receptors. The conventional MA test cannot be conducted with such cells because of adherence of antibody-coated indicator erythrocytes.
Lovastatin Disrupts Early Events in Insulin Signaling: A Potential Mechanism of Lovastatins Anti-Mitogenic Activity

Abstract The mechanism by which lovastatin lowers cholesterol levels is well characterized but little is known about its anti-mitogenic and anti-tumorigenic mechanism. Here we demonstrate that lovastatin disrupts early events in the mitogenic signaling pathways of insulin. Insulin treatment (200 nM) of quiescent HIR rat-1 fibroblasts results in an 8-fold stimulation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3-K) activity. Overnight pretreatment of cells with lovastatin (20 μM) inhibits insulin stimulation of PI-3-K activity by 75%. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting experiments using antibodies against the regulatory subunit of PI-3-K (p85), phosphotyrosine, and insulin receptor α and β subunits demonstrate that lovastatin inhibits the association of p85 with tyrosine phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate-1 and the β subunit of the insulin receptor. Furthermore, lovastatin dramatically reduces (70-100%) the level of tyrosine phosphorylated insulin receptor β subunit following insulin stimulation. These results clearly demonstrate that lovastatin disrupts early events of insulin mitogenic signaling by reducing the levels of tyrosine phosphorylated β subunit and suggest that this disruption is a potential mechanism for the anti-mitogenic effect of lovastatin.
Spin-isospin asymmetry in nucleon structure

Abstract The deep-inelastic scattering structure function ratio F 2 n / F 2 p and the nucleon spin asymmetries are found to be strongly x-dependent. In the context of the parton model, the observed inhomogeneities mean that quarks with different flavors and spins carry different fractions of the nucleon momentum. We show that all of these asymmetry effects can be qualitatively understood in terms of the admixtures of excited-state configurations in the nucleon wave function due to color hyperfine interactions.
Household Food Insecurity and Children's Behaviour Problems: New Evidence from a Trajectories-Based Study

This study examined the association between household food insecurity (insufficient access to adequate and nutritious food) and trajectories of externalising and internalising behaviour problems in children from kindergarten to fifth grade using longitudinal data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a nationally representative study in the USA. Household food insecurity was assessed using the eighteen-item standard food security scale, and children's behaviour problems were reported by teachers. Latent growth curve analysis was conducted on 7,348 children in the ECLS-K, separately for boys and girls. Following adjustment for an extensive array of confounding variables, results suggest that food insecurity generally was not associated with developmental change in children's behaviour problems. The impact of food insecurity on behaviour problems may be episodic or interact with certain developmental stages. Language: en
The authenticity of James Maury's account of Patrick Henry's speech in the parsons’ cause

The Rev. James Maury wrote the only account of Patrick Henry's speech in the Parsons’ Cause. The reliability of the account is suspect because of its incompleteness and because of Maury's personal interest in the trial at which Henry delivered the celebrated speech. This essay represents an effort to authenticate Maury's account by examining the trustworthiness of the reporter and the internal and external evidences of the reliability of the speech report. The essay concludes with observations about Henry's oratory which authentication of the Maury account supports and which illustrate the usefulness of textual authenticity studies to the rhetorical critic.
In Vitro DEXA-BMD Measurements Affected by Type of Soft Tissue Surrogate

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), the technique most widely used to assess skeletal integrity, is routinely performed on cadaveric tissue to ensure that the bone mineral densities (BMD) of the test specimens are representative of the target patient population for a particular orthopaedic device [1]. It is well established that DEXA-BMD measurements are sensitive to the amount of fat and other soft tissue present in the region of interest [2]. Recognizing that the removal of perivertebral soft tissue may affect DEXA-BMD readings of in vitro cadaveric specimens, biomechanics researchers have used various “torso surrogates” to simulate the removed tissue and x-ray attenuation. These include: 1) submersion of spinal sections in a physiological saline bath, 2) surrounding spinal sections with gel-filled packs, and 3) packing rice-filled bags around spinal sections and within the internal cavity of eviscerated torsos [3, 4]. It is unknown whether these inter-study differences in technique affect in vitro DEXA measurements. Given the prevalence of soft tissue artifacts in vivo, the goal of this study is to examine the sensitivity of in vitro DEXA-BMD to the quantity and composition of soft tissue surrogates. This work is the first step in a broader study to develop a set of best practices for DEXA scanning of cadaveric tissue.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Putting together an MHC class I molecule

Formation of MHC class I complexes involves proper folding of the subunits, their assembly and interaction with peptides. Several proteins contributing to this process have been described, but a number of questions remain, in particular those concerning early folding steps and interactions with peptide in the course of biosynthesis.
A quantum chemical study of ZrO2 atomic layer deposition growth reactions on the SiO2 surface

Abstract Zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) is one of the leading candidates to replace silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) as the gate dielectric for future generation metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) based nanoelectronic devices. Experimental studies have shown that a 1–3 monolayer SiO 2 film between the high permittivity metal oxide and the substrate silicon is needed to minimize electrical degradation. This study uses density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the initial growth reactions of ZrO 2 on hydroxylated SiO 2 by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The reactants investigated in this study are zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl 4 ) and water (H 2 O). Exchange reaction mechanisms for the two reaction half-cycles were investigated. For the first half-reaction, reaction of gaseous ZrCl 4 with the hydroxylated SiO 2 surface was studied. Upon adsorption, ZrCl 4 forms a stable intermediate complex with the surface SiO 2 –OH ∗ site, followed by formation of SiO 2 –O–Zr–Cl ∗ surface sites and HCl. For the second half-reaction, reaction of H 2 O on SiO 2 –O–Zr–Cl ∗ surface sites was investigated. The reaction pathway is analogous to that of the first half-reaction; water first forms a stable intermediate complex followed by evolution of HCl through combination of a Cl atom from the surface site and an H atom from H 2 O. The results reveal that the stable intermediate complexes formed in both half-reactions can lead to a slow film growth rate unless process parameters are adjusted to lower the stability of the complex. The energetics of the two half-reactions are similar to those of ZrO 2 ALD on ZrO 2 and as well as the energetics of ZrO 2 ALD on hydroxylated silicon. The energetics of the growth reactions with two surface hydroxyl sites are also described.