cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ECONOMICS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT: CETERIS PARIBUS OR MUTATIS MUTANDIS

Economic theory frequently uses ceteris paribus assumptions to hold complicating variables constant to analyze the effect of one variable on another. Policy-makers must consider effects of policies with other things changing as they will (i.e., mutatis mutandis). Impact assessment can recon- cile the often narrow approach of economic analysis and the need for broad consideration of implications. The methods of impact assessment can pro- vide a proper place for economic analysis in policy assessment and help to assure that a broad range of impacts are included to determine the economic effects of events and decisions.
Using Hospital Discharge Data to Track Inflicted Traumatic Brain Injury

BACKGROUND: Inflicted traumatic brain injury (inflicted TBI) in infants has been the subject of recent preventive interventions, yet the burden of this problem is poorly defined. This article estimates the national incidence of hospitalizations due to inflicted TBI in infants aged Language: en
Effects of estrogen replacement therapy on bone turnover in subchondral bone and epiphyseal metaphyseal cancellous bone of ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys

ERT decreases the severity of OA in OVX cynomolgus monkeys. We show that bone formation is greater in subchondral bone compared with epiphyseal/metaphyseal cancellous bone of the proximal tibia in these animals and that ERT decreases bone formation in both sites. ERT may decrease the risk of OA by decreasing bone formation in the SC bone. Introduction: Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) decreases the risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (OA) in postmenopausal women and has been shown to have direct effects on cells of the bone and cartilage. The effects of ERT have been studied extensively in cancellous bone, but subchondral (SC) bone directly beneath the articular cartilage has not been specifically evaluated. Materials and Methods: Adult feral female cynomolgus monkeys were bilaterally ovariectomized (OVX) to simulate menopause; treated with ERT, soy phytoestrogens (SPE), or no hormones (OVX control group) for 3 years; and labeled with calcein before necropsy. At necropsy, the proximal tibias of 20 randomly selected animals from each treatment group were embedded in bioplastic and sectioned. Areas and labels were measured in a carefully defined region of the SC bone and epiphyseal/metaphyseal cancellous (EMC) bone, and derived dynamic and static indices were compared between the SC and EMC bone and among the three treatment groups. Student's t-tests and ANOVA were used to compare the data. Results and Conclusions: In both the SC and EMC bone, most of the values for the dynamic indices were highest in the OVX control group, intermediate in the SPE group, and lowest in the ERT group. The mineralizing surface, double-labeled surface, and bone formation rate (surface referent) were significantly higher in the SC bone compared with the EMC bone in the OVX control group. The trabecular bone volume was higher in the SPE-treated group compared with the OVX control group. In conclusion, the bone turnover indices were higher in the SC bone compared with the EMC bone, and ERT decreased these indices in both sites. In addition, SPE was protective against loss of bone volume.
Receptor-Binding and Oncogenic Properties of Polyoma Viruses Isolated from Feral Mice

Laboratory strains of the mouse polyoma virus differ markedly in their abilities to replicate and induce tumors in newborn mice. Major determinants of pathogenicity lie in the sialic binding pocket of the major capsid protein Vp1 and dictate receptor-binding properties of the virus. Substitutions at two sites in Vp1 define three prototype strains, which vary greatly in pathogenicity. These strains replicate in a limited fashion and induce few or no tumors, cause a disseminated infection leading to the development of multiple solid tumors, or replicate and spread acutely causing early death. This investigation was undertaken to determine the Vp1 type(s) of new virus isolates from naturally infected mice. Compared with laboratory strains, truly wild-type viruses are constrained with respect to their selectivity and avidity of binding to cell receptors. Fifteen of 15 new isolates carried the Vp1 type identical to that of highly tumorigenic laboratory strains. Upon injection into newborn laboratory mice, the new isolates induced a broad spectrum of tumors, including ones of epithelial as well as mesenchymal origin. Though invariant in their Vp1 coding sequences, these isolates showed considerable variation in their regulatory sequences. The common Vp1 type has two essential features: 1) failure to recognize “pseudoreceptors” with branched chain sialic acids binding to which would attenuate virus spread, and 2) maintenance of a hydrophobic contact with true receptors bearing a single sialic acid, which retards virus spread and avoids acute and potentially lethal infection of the host. Conservation of these receptor-binding properties under natural selection preserves the oncogenic potential of the virus. These findings emphasize the importance of immune protection of neonates under conditions of natural transmission.
Effects of salinity and flooding on seedlings of cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto)

Sabal palmetto (Walt.) Lodd. ex Schultes (cabbage palm) dominates the coastal limit of many forests in North Florida and Georgia, United States. Changes in saltwater flooding due to sea level rise have been credicted with pushing the coastal limit of cabbage palms inland, eliminating regeneration before causing death of mature trees. Localized freshwater discharge along the coast causes different forest stands to experience tidal flooding with waters that differ in salinity. To elucidate the effect of such variation on regeneration failure under tidal flooding, we examined relative effects of flooding and salinity on the performance of cabbage palm seedlings. We examined the relationship between seedling establishment and degree of tidal inundation in the field, compared the ability of seedlings to withstand tidal flooding at two coastal sites that differed in tidal water salinity, and investigated the physiological responses of cabbage palm seedlings to salinity and flooding in a factorial greenhouse experiment. Seedling survival was inversely correlated with depth and frequency of tidal flooding. Survival of seedlings at a coastal site flooded by waters low in salinity [c. 3 parts per thousand (ppt)] was greater than that at a site flooded by waters higher in salinity (up to 23 ppt). Greenhouse experiments revealed that leaves of seedlings in pots flushed twice daily with salt solutions of 0 ppt and 8 ppt exhibited little difference in midmorning net CO2 assimilation rates; those flushed with solutions of 15 ppt and 22 ppt, in contrast, had such low rates that they could not be detected. Net CO2 assimilation rates also declined with increasing salinity for seedlings in pots that were continuously inundated. Continuous root zone inundation appeared to ameliorate effects of salinity on photosynthesis, presumably due to increased salt concentrations and possibly water deficits in periodically flushed pots. Such problems associated with periodic flushing by salt water may play a role in the mortality of cabbage palm seedlings in the field. The salinity range in which plant performance plummeted in the greenhouse was consistent with the salinity difference found between our two coastal study sites, suggesting that variation in tidal water salinity along the coast plays an important role in the ability of cabbage palm seedlings to withstand tidal flooding.
Structure and function of kidney water channels

Structure and function of kidney water channels. There is now firm evidence that water transporting proteins are expressed in renal and extrarenal tissues. In the kidney, proximal-type (CHIP28) and collecting duct (WCH-CD) water channels have been identified. We have cloned three kidney cDNAs with homology to the water channel (aquaporin) family, including a mercurial-insensitive water channel (MIWC), and a glycerol-transporting protein (GLIP) in collecting duct basolateral membrane. To elucidate water transporting mechanisms, a series of molecular and spectroscopic studies were carried out on purified CHIP28 protein and expressed chimeric and mutated CHIP28 cDNAs. The results indicate that CHIP28 transports water selectively, that CHIP28 monomers are assembled in membranes as tetramers, but that individual monomers function independently. Monomers contain multiple membrane-spanning helical domains. Based on these data and recent electron crystallography results, a model for water transport is proposed in which water moves through narrow pores located within individual CHIP28 monomers.
DEATH KINETICS OF PATHOGENS IN A PASTA PRODUCT

The death kinetics of Salmonellae anatum NF3 and Staphylococcus aureus 196E were determined as a function of temperature and water activity (aw). Death kinetics were measured in a solid medium composed of a semolinaegg dough which was mixed at constant temperature in a Brabender Farinograph bowl. First order death kinetics were found at all conditions. The results showed that a maximum in resistance to heat occurred in the range of aw of 0.75–0.80 for both organisms with a four- to tenfold increase in resistance respectively. These results show that to insure safety from pathogens, intermediate moisture food components may have to be pasteurized before mixing to the lower aw.
4 Diagnostic challenges in acromegaly: a case-based review

Acromegaly is a rare, chronic condition caused by sustained and unregulated oversecretion of growth hormone (GH), usually attributed to a pituitary adenoma. Prolonged exposure to excessive amounts of GH and its target hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), results in pronounced metabolic changes and tissue enlargement that ultimately lead to increased morbidity and early mortality. As early diagnosis of acromegaly can have substantial beneficial effects on quality of life and overall survival for patients, it is important that the tests used to diagnose the condition are accurate, with highly reproducible results. The first kits used to measure GH and IGF-1 were radioimmunoassay, with many limitations that necessitated the development of more sensitive tools. Newer assays, although better than previous assays, are far from ideal. Simple changes that may improve the testing process include the adoption of mass units for GH interpretation and the use of a single recombinant calibrant. Furthermore, the conversion factors and reference ranges used to describe the normal limits for GH and IGF-1 levels require refinement. Physicians should be aware of the GH and IGF-1 assays used in their reference laboratories, and ensure that they know the appropriate assay cut-off values, to avoid misinterpreting results.
A generic and reconfigurable test paradigm using Low-cost integrated Poly-Si TFTs

In this work, we propose a novel low power, process tolerant, generic and reconfigurable test structure to reduce the test cost, improve diagnosability and verifiability of complex VLSI systems. The test structure contains a variety of configurable design-for-test units designed with low cost low temperature poly crystalline silicon thin film transistors (LTPS TFTs) that are fabricated on a separate substrate (e.g., polymer, glass etc). The proposed test circuits do not consume any silicon area because they can be integrated on the chip using 3-D technology. This reconfigurable test paradigm eliminates the need to re-design the BIST components that may vary from one processor generation to another.
Water-Compatible Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Conversion of Carbohydrates to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in a Biphasic Solvent System

Water-compatible lanthanide-based Lewis acids for the efficient conversion of glucose and other carbohydrates to produce 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were demonstrated in a biphasic reactor using sec-butyl phenol as the extracting solvent. The reaction of glucose dehydration to HMF was found to proceed under near-neutral conditions (pH = 5.5) and a moderately high yield of 42 mol % could be obtained. The combined catalytic system also showed effectiveness to convert other polysaccharides to HMF. Furthermore, the aqueous phase was recycled and used for multiple times without significant loss of catalytic performance.
Re-Uniting African American Scholars, Practitioners and the Community

ABSTRACT That African American communities are too often desolate places where it seems, in Hurston's words, “life has been and gone,” argues for increasingly creative community development strategies. This paper presents an historically-based, corporate empowerment model designed to address the desolation, by re-uniting scholars, practitioners and other community stakeholders for collective benefit and empowerment. Through an African-centered evaluative discussion, the authors assume the professional risk of sharing an outcome that may be viewed as a failure. The efficacy of the model, juxtaposed against the continued powerlessness of African American scholars, practitioners and communities, is explored. Practice challenges and implications are discussed.
The differing biogeochemical and microbial signatures of glaciers and rock glaciers

Glaciers and rock glaciers supply water and bioavailable nutrients to headwater mountain lakes and streams across all regions of the American West. Here we present a comparative study of the metal, nutrient, and microbial characteristics of glacial and rock glacial influence on headwater ecosystems in three mountain ranges of the contiguous U.S.: the Cascade Mountains, Rocky Mountains, and Sierra Nevada. Several meltwater characteristics (water temperature, conductivity, pH, metals, nutrients, complexity of dissolved organic matter (DOM), and bacterial richness and diversity) differed significantly between glacier and rock glacier meltwaters, while other characteristics (Ca, Fe, SiO2 concentrations, reactive nitrogen, and microbial processing of DOM) showed distinct trends between mountain ranges regardless of meltwater source. Some characteristics were affected both by glacier type and mountain range (e.g., temperature, ammonium (NH4 ) and nitrate (NO3 ) concentrations, and bacterial diversity). Due to the ubiquity of rock glaciers and the accelerating loss of the low-latitude glaciers, our results point to the important and changing influence that these frozen features place on headwater ecosystems.
A 20-Year Review of 75 Cases of Salivary Duct Carcinoma

Importance Salivary duct carcinoma is a rare, aggressive malignancy of the salivary glands. Owing to its rare nature, clinical data are limited, and only a few clinical studies comprise more than 50 patients. Objective To review the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s experience with salivary duct carcinoma over a 20-year period, focusing on demographics, presentation, treatment, and outcome. Design, Setting, and Participants This investigation was a retrospective cohort study in a multihospital institution with tertiary referral. A pathology database was reviewed for all cases of histopathologically diagnosed salivary duct carcinoma from January 1, 1995, to October 20, 2014. Patients who were referrals for pathology review only and were never seen at the institution were excluded. In total, 75 study patients were identified. The electronic medical record was reviewed for details regarding demographics, presentation, treatment, and outcome, including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). This study was supplemented with a review of the institution’s Head and Neck Oncology Database for further clinical details. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome measures consisted of OS and DFS. Results The study sample comprised 75 participants with a mean age at diagnosis of 66.0 years (age range, 33-93 years), and 29% (n = 22) were female. Most primary tumors were from the parotid gland (83%), with the next most frequent site being the submandibular gland (12%). Overall, 41% of the cases were carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma. Rates of other histologic features included the following: perineural invasion (69%), extracapsular spread (58%), ERBB2 (formerly HER2 ) positivity (31%) (62% of those who were tested), and vascular invasion (61%). The median OS was 3.1 years, and the median DFS was 2.7 years. Univariate Kaplan-Meier survival analyses demonstrated that facial nerve sacrifice and extracapsular spread were associated with lower OS (2.38 vs 5.11 years and 2.29 vs 6.56 years, respectively) and DFS (2.4 vs 3.88 years and 1.44 vs 4.5 years, respectively). Although underpowered, multivariable analysis demonstrated significantly worse OS in patients with N2 and N3 disease (hazard ratio [HR] 8.42, 95% CI, 1.84-38.5) but did not show significantly worse DFS or OS for facial nerve sacrifice or extracapsular spread. There was no association between ERBB2 positivity and survival and no difference in survival between patients receiving radiation therapy vs radiation therapy plus chemotherapy. No patients had recurrence or distant metastasis after 5 disease-free years. Conclusions and Relevance Salivary duct carcinoma is an aggressive disease. A large number of cases in this review were carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma and had classic negative prognostic indicators, such as perineural invasion, vascular invasion, and extracapsular spread. ERBB2 positivity was not associated with any difference in survival. Facial nerve involvement appears to indicate worse prognosis, as does nodal stage higher than N1. Recurrence and metastasis after 5 years are rare.
ONTOGENY OF INTEGRATED SKULL GROWTH IN THE COTTON RAT SIGMODON FULVIVENTER.

Because development is epigenetic, diverse aspects of morphology are integrated during ontogeny. Using the method of thin-plate splines, and the decomposition of these splines by their principal warps, we examine the ontogeny of integrated features of skull growth of the cotton rat, Sigmodon fulviventer as observed in landmark locations in the ventral view. Postnatal growth of the skull in Sigmodon is not adequately described by the familiar contrast between relatively rapid facial elongation and slow, precocial growth of the cranial base. No developmental units corre- sponding to "facial skull" and "cranial base" emerge from analysis of geometric shape change. Rather, skull growth is both more integrated and more complex, exhibiting both skull-wide inte- gration and locally individualized regions. Like skull shape, integration has an ontogeny; different regions of the skull can be partitioned into developmentally individualized parts in different ways at different ages. The effective count of individualized parts decreases substantially before weaning occurs, suggesting that the integration required by the functionally demanding activity of chewing gradually develops before the functional transition occurs. Our description of skull growth and integration does not depend upon arbitrary a priori choices about what to measure; rather, we base our decomposition of the whole into parts upon results of the data analysis. Our approach com- plicates the study of heterochrony, but, because it expresses the spatiotemporal organization of ontogeny, it enables the study of heterotopy.
Effects of Omitting Conclusions in Advertisements to Involved and Uninvolved Audiences

In two experiments, the authors manipulated the audience's level of involvement in processing an advertisement and whether the advertisement was open-ended (i.e., did not include an explicit conclu...
Emotional Connotations of Diatonic Modes

In this experiment, participants (nonmusicians) heard pairs of melodies and had to judge which of the two melodies was happier. Each pair consisted of a single melody presented in two different diatonic modes (Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, or Phrygian) with a constant tonic of C; all pairs of modes were used. The results suggest that modes imply increasing happiness as scale-degrees are raised, with the exception of Lydian, which is less happy than Ionian. Overall, the results are best explained by familiarity: Ionian (major mode), the most common mode in both classical and popular music, is the happiest, and happiness declines with increasing distance from Ionian. However, familiarity does not entirely explain our results. Familiarity predicts that Mixolydian would be happier than Lydian (since they are equally similar to Ionian, and Mixolydian is much more common in popular music); but for almost half of our participants, the reverse was true. This suggests that the “sharpness” of a mode also affects its perceived happiness, either due to pitch height or to the position of the scale relative to the tonic on the “line of fifths”; we favor the latter explanation.
Medical computing in the 1980s. Operating system and programming language issues.

Operating systems and programming languages differ widely in their suitability for particular applications. The diversity of medical computing needs demands a diversity of solutions. Compounding this diversity is the decentralization caused by evolution of local computing systems for local needs. Relevant current trends in computing include increased emphasis on decentralization, growing capabilities for interconnection of diverse systems, and development of common data base and file server capabilities. In addition, standardization and hardware independence of operating systems, as well as programming languages and development of programmerless systems, continue to widen application opportunities.
Psychosocial Aspects of Obesity

This article is the sixth in a series of the comorbidities of childhood obesity and reviews psychosocial aspects with a focus on weight-based victimization and discrimination stemming from weight bias and stigma. Outcomes from these bullying and discriminatory experiences are pervasive and impact youth across all settings, including school. Lastly, this article provides recommendations on how to reduce bias and stigma to better serve these students in the school environment.
Hypercalcemia in Carcinoma of the Prostate: Case Report and Review of the Literature

AbstractHypercalcemia developed In a man with recurrent adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Serum calcium became normal soon after bilateral orchiectomy and the patient was free of disease 18 months later. The absence of radiographically detectable bone metastases in this patient suggested a humoral mechanism for the hypercalcemia. Orchiectomy may be an effective treatment for hypercalcemia complicating prostatic carcinoma.
Spatial-temporal patterns of viral amplification and interference initiated by a single infected cell.

ABSTRACT When viruses infect their host cells, they can make defective virus-like particles along with intact virus. Cells coinfected with virus and defective particles often exhibit interference with virus growth caused by the competition for resources by defective genomes. Recent reports of the coexistence and cotransmission of such defective interfering particles (DIPs) in vivo , across epidemiological length and time scales, suggest a role in viral pathogenesis, but it is not known how DIPs impact infection spread, even under controlled culture conditions. Using fluorescence microscopy, we quantified coinfections of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing a fluorescent reporter protein and its DIPs on BHK-21 host cell monolayers. We found that viral gene expression was more delayed, infections spread more slowly, and patterns of spread became more “patchy” with higher DIP inputs to the initial cell. To examine how infection spread might depend on the behavior of the initial coinfected cell, we built a computational model, adapting a cellular automaton (CA) approach to incorporate kinetic data on virus growth for the first time. Specifically, changes in observed patterns of infection spread could be directly linked to previous high-throughput single-cell measures of virus-DIP coinfection. The CA model also provided testable hypotheses on the spatial-temporal distribution of the DIPs, which remain governed by their predator-prey interaction. More generally, this work offers a data-driven computational modeling approach for better understanding of how single infected cells impact the multiround spread of virus infections across cell populations. IMPORTANCE Defective interfering particles (DIPs) compete with intact virus, depleting host cell resources that are essential for virus growth and infection spread. However, it is not known how such competition, strong or weak, ultimately affects the way in which infections spread and cause disease. In this study, we address this unmet need by developing an integrated experimental-computational approach, which sheds new light on how infections spread. We anticipate that our approach will also be useful in the development of DIPs as therapeutic agents to manage the spread of viral infections.
Open Na+ channel blockade: multiple rest states revealed by channel interactions with disopyramide and quinidine

In voltage-clamp studies of atrial myocytes exposed to disopyramide or quinidine, pulse-train stimulation revealed use-dependent block that increased with increased pulse amplitude. Use-dependent block also became negligible at hyperpolarized holding potentials (< -150 mV), consistent with either rapid unbinding at the holding potential or trapping of the drug in a drug-complexed rest conformation followed by rapid unbinding during the next channel opening event. To explore the unbinding properties of hypothetically different rest-blocked conformations, we exposed cells to a postdepolarization "conditioning" potential after channels had become fully inactivated so as to vary the transition to different hypothetical rest-blocked channels. Pulse-train stimulation from -130 to -30 mV generated only a small amount of use-dependent block. Inserting a 120-ms subthreshold (e.g., -100 mV) postdepolarization conditioning potential before return to -130 mV increased use-dependent block. The fraction of steady-state block exhibited a bell-shaped dependence on the conditioning potential. These results are consistent with the existence of a mixture of rest-blocked channel conformations, each having direct access to the blocked-inactivated state. These intermediate rest conformations display radically different drug unbinding rates.
Reaching Out of the Box: Effective Emergency Care Requires Looking Outside the Emergency Department

Patients do not start to exist when they arrive at the door of our emergency departments (ED), nor do they stop existing when they leave. Instead, before they fall ill or become injured they live and exist somewhere and when they are discharged from our care they will likely return to that same somewhere. As emergency providers (EPs), our attention must be focused on the patients in front of us, but fundamentally the details of this “somewhere” directly affect our ability to provide safe and effective emergency care. Specifically, both patient-specific factors like homelessness, immigration status, living situation, or insurance coverage, and structural factors arising from broader community and societal forces like food deserts, community violence, and poor housing quality can strongly impact both emergency presentations and our ability to safely and effectively discharge patients. Here, we argue that our duty as EPs extends beyond the four walls of our EDs into life in our communities, and that understanding and addressing the unique strengths and needs of the communities we serve is a crucial component of our ability to provide effective emergency care.
Comment on “Reconciliation of the Devils Hole climate record with orbital forcing”

Moseley et al's (Reports, 8 January 2016, p. 165) preferred-Termination-II age is subjective, as evidenced by variation in their Termination-II ages of 2500 years per meter. Termination-II-age bias decreases to zero at ~1.5 meters below the present-day water table, if one assumes linear variation with core-sample height. Maintaining the required gradient of thorium isotope 230Th over 3.6 meters for 1000 years, much less 10,000 years, seems exceedingly unlikely.
Prescribing to Older Adults

This chapter focuses on methods of appropriate prescribing of drugs to older adults. Pharmacokinetic changes observed in older adults which affect drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion are discussed. Pharmacodynamic changes associated with aging are also discussed as they relate to drug therapy. Recommendations on appropriate prescribing and deprescribing are highlighted and related to preventing adverse drug events. Tables from the updated 2015 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria are included for your reference.
Geographic Variation of Plant Circadian Clock Function in Natural and Agricultural Settings

The increasing demand for improved agricultural production will require more efficient breeding for traits that maintain yield under heterogeneous environments. The internal circadian oscillator is essential for perceiving and coordinating environmental cues such as day length, temperature, and abiotic stress responses within physiological processes. To investigate the contribution of the circadian clock to local adaptability, we have analyzed circadian period by leaf movement in natural populations of Mimulus guttatus and domesticated cultivars of Glycine max. We detected consistent variation in circadian period along a latitudinal gradient in annual populations of the wild plant and the selectively bred crop, and this provides novel evidence of natural and artificial selection for circadian performance. These findings provide new support that the circadian clock acts as a central regulator of plant adaptability and further highlight the potential of applying circadian clock gene variation to marker-assisted breeding programs in crops.
Incarcerated umbilical cord hernia containing the gallbladder

Abstract A 16 day-old boy infant with an umbilical mass underwent operative exploration of the umbilicus. The mass proved to be a gallbladder incarcerated in a hernia of the umbilical cord. Distinguishing an omphalocele from an umbilical cord hernia is not obvious and can be arbitrary. Morphologically, the two terms both describe congenital abdominal wall defects covered by a membrane, typically containing abdominal organs. Subtle differences and clinical features between omphalocele and umbilical cord hernia are highlighted in this report.
Determining the population affinity of an unprovenienced human skull for repatriation

Abstract An archaeological assessment was carried out on an unprovenienced human skull recovered in eastern Idaho, exhibiting cranial deformation and peri-mortem application of a red pigment. A combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) identified the major and trace elements present in the red pigment as natural cinnabar. Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes from teeth and bone suggest a mostly C3 plant-based diet with subsidiary consumption of salmon or marine resources, and a regional geographic transition between early life and late adulthood. Radiocarbon dating determined the approximate age of the skull to be between 600 and 700 years old, and ancient mitochondrial DNA assessment identified characteristics of haplogroup B, one of four major Native American mitochondrial DNA lineages, which is consistent with the osteological analyses.
The New design argument and God

This paper aims at a critical discussion and evaluation of a new version of the teleological or design argument for the existence of God advanced by Brandon Carter. In this discussion I shall concentrate on his claims and arguments to “Long Number Coincidences and the Anthropic Principle in Cosmology,”[1] limiting myself to what is called the Strong anthropic principle and leaving aside the even stronger Final anthropic principle. In his paper he makes the following fundamental claims respecting the Strong anthropic principle.
Characterization techniques for graphene

Techniques for thorough characterization of graphene by spectroscopic and microscopic methods are examined in depth in this chapter. The focus of this chapter is how to distinguish graphene, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide, which are frequently (inappropriately) termed “graphene.” The second goal of these characterizations is to analyze the size, number of layers, and extent of defects. The spectroscopic methods are reviewed include absorption, Raman, X-ray photoelectron, and infrared spectroscopy. Among these Raman spectroscopy stands out, and is recognized as a “fingerprint technique” to characterize graphene. The capabilities of these methods to examine graphene suspended in a liquid or directly in the solid state are considered, as this is crucial for biological applications. The possible errors with these methods due to drying, aggregation, and interference from exfoliating or stabilizing agents and suggestions to minimize these errors are examined. The microscopic techniques, cannot directly distinguish graphene from its chemically oxidized counterparts, however, thickness, lateral size, and basal plane modifications can be obtained. Combining all these techniques, the nature of graphene and its composites are more fully analyzed at the atomic level, which enables designing and predicting novel engineered graphene materials.
Cell biology of the chloroplast symbiosis in sacoglossan sea slugs

Chloroplasts removed from their species of origin may survive for various periods and even photosynthesize in foreign cells. One of the best studied and impressively long, naturally occurring examples of chloroplast persistence, and function inside foreign cells are the algal chloroplasts taken up by specialized cells of certain sacoglossan sea slugs, a phenomenon called chloroplast symbiosis or kleptoplasty. Among sacoglossan species, kleptoplastic associations vary widely in length and function, with some animals immediately digesting chloroplasts, while others maintain functional plastids for over 10 months. Kleptoplasty is a complex process in long-term associations, and research on this topic has focused on a variety of aspects including plastid uptake and digestive physiology of the sea slugs, the longevity and maintenance of symbiotic associations, biochemical interactions between captured algal plastids and slug cells, and the role of horizontal gene transfers between the sea slug and algal food sources. Although the biochemistry underlying chloroplast symbiosis has been extensively examined in only a few slug species, it is obvious that the mechanisms vary from species to species. In this chapter, we examine those mechanisms from early discoveries to the most current research.
What kind of a federal mandate is the endangered species act

This article examines the mandate reputation of the Endangered Species Act in its implementation context. Federal wildlife funding programs and laws are treated as messages to state wildlife agencies, and variety among state environmental conditions and agency management decisions shape the interpretation of federal messages. Innovations in planning for habitat protection in state, coastal zone, and county land use are treated as adaptations to the difficulties of conventional implementation. The Endangered Species Act's significance as a federal mandate is found to be questionable. The federal role as a regulator of endangered species protection is argued to be legitimate, but flexibility and collaboration with state and local interests in wildlife planning are also called for.
Disordered Vortex Phases in YBa2Cu3O7−δ

The disordered vortex phases induced by line and point pinning in YBa2Cu3O7−δ are explored. At high defect densities, only a single disordered solid separated from the liquid phase by a melting line is observed. At low defect densities the topology of the phase diagram changes dramatically, with a vortex lattice phase adjoining disordered phases at high or low field. Critical points at the termination of the first-order melting line separate the lattice and the disordered phases. The line defect disordered phases follow the expected Bose glass behavior, while the point defect disordered phases do not exhibit the expected vortex glass behavior.
Earth science: Volcanic tremor wags on.

A new model for volcanic tremor has a magma column, surrounded by gas bubbles, oscillating or 'wagging' back and forth. The model reconciles several observations of this characteristic signal. See Letter p.522 Low frequency volcanic tremor is a common feature of explosive volcanism and a key ingredient in assessments of volcanic hazard. Most models for volcanic tremor rely on specific properties of the geometry, structure and constitution of volcanic conduits, as well as the gas content of the erupting magma. Mark Jellinek and David Bercovici use a model of a silicic magma rising in a conduit as a columnar plug to demonstrate that, for most geologically relevant conditions, the magma column will oscillate or 'wag' against the restoring force of a highly vesicular annulus of sheared bubbles at observed tremor frequencies. They also find that the frequencies produced are relatively insensitive to the conduit structure and geometry.
Silicene Quantum Dots: Synthesis, Spectroscopy, and Electrochemical Studies.

Organically functionalized silicene quantum dots (SiQDs) were synthesized by chemical exfoliation of calcium silicide and stabilized by hydrosilylation with olefin/acetylene derivatives forming Si–CH2–CH2– or Si–CH═CH– interfacial bonds. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements showed that the resultant SiQDs were ca. 2 nm in diameter and consisted of ca. four atomic layers of silicon. The structure was further characterized by 1H and 29Si NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements. In photoluminescence measurements, the SiQDs exhibited a strong emission at 385 nm and the intensity varied with the interfacial linkage. In electrochemical measurements, both ethynylferrocene- and vinylferrocene-functionalized SiQDs exhibited a pair of well-defined voltammetric peaks at +0.15 V (vs Fc+/Fc) in the dark for the redox reaction of the ferrocene/ferrocenium couple; yet under UV photoirradiation, an additional pair of voltammetric peaks appeared at −0.41 V, most likely b...
Nonlinear Relationship Between Health Factors and Health Outcomes

The relationship between Health Factors and Health Outcomes is a topic of great practical importance in the understanding of the genesis of and solution to the problem of health disparities. We have investigated the data compiled by the Population Health Institute of the University of Wisconsin and contained within the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's "County Health Rankings and Roadmaps" with special reference to Arizona. We found that the relationships are complex, non-linear and in many instances counterintuitive. There exists a nonlinear model "signature" specific to each state as well as the counties within each state. The surprisingly better Health Outcomes in Yuma County than what would normally be expected from the Health Factors indicate that the transformational function that converts Health Factors into Health Outcomes may be more important than the Health Factors themselves. This transformational function approach allows new understanding for such anomalies in Health Outcomes.
Characterization of Distributions Based on the ‘Scores’ Arising in the Theory of Rank Tests

Let X1,…,XN be N independent random variables. Let HO denote the hypothesis that these random variables have a common probability density f, which is absolutely continuous and is such that \(\int_{ - \infty }^\infty {\left| {f'\left( x \right)} \right|dx < \infty } .\) We define the scores aN (i,f), i = 1,2,…,N, as aN (i,f) = E {-f’(XN (i))/f (XN (i))}, where \(X_n^{\left( 1 \right)} < \ldots < X_N^{\left( N \right)}\) is the ordered sample based on X1,…,XN. It is well known that a locally most powerful rank test for testing HO against the alternative hypothesis that the Xi’s have the joint density given by (3) below, where f is known and N = m+n, is given by the critical region of the form (4). This is essentially the standard testing problem concerning two samples differing in location. The question is whether or not the knowledge that the above test is locally most powerful rank test for testing HO against (3) characterizes the underlying density f. This question is answered here in part by showing that the knowledge of the scores aN(i,f), i = 1,2,…,N, for all N ≥ 2, does in fact characterize the density f up to a location parameter. A similar result is established for the scale parameter case. The methods used here could easily apply to rank tests for other situations. Finally, it is also indicated how the knowledge of a part of the scores (i.e. not necessarily for all N ≥ 2) can still characterize the underlying f.
Action of One-Dimensional Quasimonochromatic Electric Fields on Coulomb Emitters

The first theoretical paper on the calculation of the radiation spectrum of a quantum system under the action of QEFs was published in 1933 by Blochinzew [3.1]. He analyzed the splitting of a model hydrogen line (consisting of only one Stark component) in a field E 0 cos ωt and showed that the line splits into, in general, an infinite number of satellites separated from the line center by the frequencies Δω = ±ω, ±2ω, ..., ±pω, .... Actually QSs of a quantum system were found for the first time in [3.1] (without using this terminology). In this chapter, further results concerning the profiles of hydrogen-like spectral line under the action of a single- or multimode one-dimensional QEF are given. The possibilities for the implementation of these results in plasma diagnostics are also discussed. The main results of Chap. 3 are contained in [3.2–9].
Collision Strategies for Robot Retreat and Resistance

The best collision strategy for a robot is avoidance. If avoidance is not possible or feasible the next best strategy, under certain circumstances, may be 1) partial judicious retreat in order to ameliorate the consequences of collision, or 2) to resist the collision impact in order to maintain stability. The retreat and resistance strategies share common elements of design: sensory requirements, processing and transformations modules, and control structures. Much of the system design is amenable to microprocessor based implementation. The subject of this chapter is to present the technical implementation of both of these strategies via an example, and to discuss a microprocessor realization of them. The article is divided into six sections. Section 1 introduces the two strategies and the technical issues via an example. Section 2 is concerned with pre-collision sensing and estimation requirements. Section 3 deals with the sensory requirements after collision. Section 4 presents the control requirements. Section 5 offers some illustrative numerical simulations of retreat or resistance. Section 6 summarizes the major attributes of the retreat and resistance strategies.
Methotrexate Resistance, Gene Amplification, and Somatic Cell Heterogeneity

This review describes properties of the acquisition of resistance to methotrexate in cultured somatic cells as a consequence of amplification of the dihydrofolate reductase gene. We propose that gene amplification occurs following overreplication of DNA in a single cell cycle as a result of perturbation of the regulation of DNA synthesis. Cells surviving this process may contain multiple chromosomal changes. A similar phenomenon may partially underlie the progressive heterogeneity of tumor cell populations and the increase in heterogeneity of cellular responses during aging.
TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY | Morphological Abnormalities Associated with Genetic Epilepsies

The relationships between structural brain abnormalities and epilepsy are poorly understood. Even in genetically-determined epilepsies, it is often unclear whether a neuropathological feature is causally related to seizure activity or is a secondary effect. We illustrate these two possibilities, using two genetic mouse ‘knockout’ models – p35−/−and Kv1.1−/−. In p35−/−mice, the gene deletion causes an abnormal pattern of brain development; this primary structural dysplasia in turn produces electrical and behavioral seizures. In Kv1.1−/−mice, the gene deletion is directly responsible for neuronal hyperexcitability and epilepsy, and neuropathological features appear secondarily as a result of intense recurrent seizure activity. Understanding the distinction between these two structure–function relationships is particularly important as we consider the development of novel therapies and points of intervention during epileptogenesis.
The Structural Analysis of the Components of Alginic Acid and the Effects of Their Metal Ion Complexation as Determined by NMR

Alginic acids are microbial exopolysaccharides that are composed of 1,4-linked s-D-mannuronosyl (ManA) and α-L-guluronosyl (GulA) residues (1,2). The polymers are found to be widely distributed in nature, occurring as products of various seaweeds. Additionally, alginate is a major extracellular product of a number of bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruglnosa and Azotobacter vlnelandii. Depending upon the source, alginate may vary in composition, occurring with differing ratios of mannuronate to guluronate (1). In bacterial alginate, various Open image in new window Figure 1 The chemical structure of alginic acid. degrees of acetylation may be found. The well known ability of alginate solutions to form gels upon crosslinking with calcium ions has led to an important commercial role for alginates as pharmaceutical adjuvants (suspending and thickening agents, sustained release matrices, tablet binders, enteric coatings), and as phase-stabilizers in foods and beverages (3,4). Medicinally, alginate is useful in proprietary antacid and antiulcer preparations. Probably less widely recognized is the central role that alginate plays in the morbidity and mortality of cystic fibrosis (C.F., 3). C.F. patients are extremely prone to infection by mucoid (alginate-producing) strains of Pseudomonas. In the lung, the organism produces copious quantities of alginate, which scavenges calcium ions to form a viscous, intractable matrix that has been compared to a 1% agarose gel.
Partisan Media Selectivity and Partisan Identity Threat: The Role of Social and Geographic Context

There is growing concern about the polarizing impact of citizens primarily choosing sources of political information consistent with their existing partisan perspective. Although research has begun...
Acknowledging Potential in Preservice Teachers’ Collaborative Practices

ABSTRACTWhen the research team began its qualitative exploration of what and how a cohort of preservice elementary/early childhood teachers’ in the University of California, Los Angeles' IMPACT Urban Teacher Residency Program learned, the 12-member team did not anticipate the degree to which preservice teachers would credit peers in their learning. On the urging of participants, the team began to systematically consider peer interactions. Curious about coherence in teacher education experiences, the team also attended to the program’s promotion of collaborative approaches. This article details ways that preservice teachers collaborated, inside the classroom and beyond, to support their learning and teaching. It also explores university features that supported collaboration including curricular inclusions, cohort models, student-centered seminars, mentor relationships, consistent modeling and feedback, and placement swaps. Findings suggest that peer relationships may be especially important to preservice t...