cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Statistical Analysis of Industry Structure: An Application to Food Industries

Abstract A stochastic model is used to analyze the changing size distributions of large firms in the food processing and chain store food distributing industries during 1948–1958. The model is shown to have certain predictive usefulness for anticipating changes in these distributions; however, the predictive value of the equilibrium distribution is questioned. An index of size mobility is developed from the model and the value of this index computed for each industry in each year and for the entire decade. The index clearly indicates that firms in the processing sector were characterized by greater relative size mobility than those in the distributing sector over this decade. A number of possible explanations of and deductions from the variability of the indexes, both between industries and over time, are suggested. Although no strong correlations are obtained, the descriptive and predictive value of the technique and the potential fruitfulness of further statistical work on the dynamics of industry struc...
A glorious revolution in stem cell biology.

A newly described Lgr5-expressing cell population is poised to depose the reigning monarch of the follicular hierarchy, the label-retaining cell, to claim the title as stem cell of the hair follicle.
Shallow paleomagnetic directions from historic lava flows, Hawaii

A study designed to examine the basic theory of thermoremanent magnetization acquisition parallel to the earth's ambient magnetic field upon cooling and to evaluate intra-flow variations of very young basalt flows has yielded some startling initial results. Two extensively sampled flows, the 1950 flow of Mauna Loa and the 1972 flow from Mauna Ulu, Kilauea, have been found to have paleomagnetic directions statistically different from the present geomagnetic field direction (PFD) in Hawaii. The 1950 flow shows very consistent, but shallow directions throughout the flow, with a mean inclination 6° shallower than the PFD. Directions from the 1972 flow vary from site to site both along the length of the unit and within vertical sections. Relative between site consistency is low, with all sites but one having paleomagnetic directions distinct from the PFD, however, the mean inclination for this flow, 33.4°, is only about 3° shallower than expected. The source of such anomalous behavior in the recording of ambient field directions is yet unknown, although several possible causes are examined.
Spur Free Dynamic Range Prediction for Phased Array Receivers

Analytical techniques to determine the linearity and spur-free dynamic range (SFDR) for phased array receivers are presented. The proposed method eliminates the need for circuit-level simulation of intermodulation distortion in an N-element receiver by characterizing the array SFDR from the SFDR for a single receive channel. The analysis separates the relative impact of array factor, circuit architecture and channel linearity to assess the spatial sensitivity of the receiver to jamming signals. The proposed techniques are applied to a comparison of RF phase-shifting and LO phase-shifting receivers. RF phase-shifting architectures are shown to offer more uniform jammer rejection over the beam-scanning range given the same receiver linearity constraints.
Seasonal Differences of Depression in Mental Hospital Admissions as Measured by the MMPI

In 160 new hospital admissions, depression as measured by the MMPI was significantly lower in summer than in each of the other seasons.
The importance of obstetricians/ gynecologists in promoting children's unintentional injury prevention: a focus on bicycle helmet use

Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States, as well as for women between the ages of 19 and 39. The leading cause of injury death for these groups is motor vehicle injuries. There are approximately 900 deaths every year related to bicycling, with 40% of these occuring to children between the ages of 5-14. Most of these deaths occur due to collisions with motor vehicles. It has been shown that the use of bicycle helmets prevents the majority of head and brain injuries that occur due to bicycle crashes. While it is true that the pediatrician is an important conduit for information about children's injury prevention, there is also a role for ob/gyns. Many women who visit ob/gyns have children, are expecting children, and/or plan to have children in the near future. In addition, adult women are at risk for many of these same injuries. For these reasons, the ob/gyn and his/her office setting can serve as important vehicles for education. An effective way to get started may be to counsel on bike injuries and deaths and the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. There are several educational sources/materials and helmets that can be obtained free of charge. Successful injury prevention efforts have involved the participation of a wide cadre of professionals, including members of the medical profession. It is important for ob/gyns to consider themselves and their office staffs effective partners in children's injury prevention efforts.
On the isotopic composition of trapped helium and neon in carbonaceous chondrites

Abstract The covariance observed in the isotopic composition of primordial He, Ne and Ar in carbonaceous chondrites can be explained on the basis of simple mass-dependent fractionation.
A Pilot Study on Using Eye Tracking to Understand Assessment of Surgical Outcomes from Clinical Photography

Appearance changes resulting from breast cancer treatment impact the quality of life of breast cancer survivors, but current approaches to evaluating breast characteristics are very limited. It is challenging, even for experienced plastic surgeons, to describe how different aspects of breast morphology impact overall assessment of esthetics. Moreover, it is difficult to describe what they are looking for in a manner that facilitates quantification. The goal of this study is to assess the potential of using eye-tracking technology to understand how plastic surgeons assess breast morphology by recording their gaze path while they rate physical characteristics of the breasts, e.g., symmetry, based on clinical photographs. In this study, dwell time, transition frequency, dwell sequence conditional probabilities, and dwell sequence joint probabilities were analyzed across photographic poses and three observers. Dwell-time analysis showed that all three surgeons spent the majority of their time on the anterior–posterior (AP) views. Similarly, transition frequency analysis between regions showed that there were substantially more transitions between the breast regions in the AP view, relative to the number of transitions between other views. The results of both the conditional and joint probability analyses between the breast regions showed that the highest probabilities of transitions were observed between the breast regions in the AP view (APRB, APLB) followed by the oblique views and the lateral views to complete evaluation of breast surgical outcomes.
Patterns of Sexual Aggression in a Community Sample of Young Men: Risk Factors Associated with Persistence, Desistance, and Initiation Over a One Year Interval

Many theories have been developed to explain sexual assault etiology in incarcerated and nonincarcerated samples (Gannon, Collie, Ward, & Thakker, 2008; Malamuth, Linz, Heavey, Barnes, & Acker, 1995; Seto & Barbaree, 1997). There is consensus among theorists that sexual assault perpetrators are heterogeneous in regards to motives and offense style, with no one set of risk factors explaining most perpetrators' behavior. Although there is a large literature focused on recidivism among convicted rapists, few researchers have tried to identify patterns of sexual aggression over time (Cale, Lussier, & Proulx, 2009; Lalumiere, Harris, Quinsey, & Rice, 2005; Seto & Barbaree, 1997). The goal of this study is to distinguish risk factors associated with young men's self-reports of continuing (persistence), stopping (desistance), and starting (initiation) sexual aggression against women over a one year time period. The terms sexual aggression and sexual assault are used interchangeably in this paper and are defined as the use of any tactic to obtain some type of sexual activity from someone who is unwilling or unable to consent (Abbey, Parkhill, Clinton-Sherrod, & Zawacki, 2007; Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987; White & Smith, 2004). Although women can be sexually aggressive, the vast majority of perpetrators are male (Tjaden & Thoennes; 1998). This study focuses on perpetration by young, unmarried men because most sexual assaults are committed by young men and marital rape is distinctive in its chronicity and co-occurrence with other forms of violence (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008; Mahoney, 1999; Martin, Taft, & Resick, 2007; Stermac, Del Bove, & Addison, 2001).
Far infrared intervalence tunneling transitions in mixed valence systems

Abstract A vibronic coupling model for mixed valence systems is outlined which permits explicit calculation of the absorption profile of the intervalence band. The model predicts very low energy “tunneling” transitions which should be both observable and interesting.
Integrable and chaotic motions of four vortices I. The case of identical vortices

It is shown that the three-vortex problem in two-dimensional hydrodynamics is integrable, whereas the motion of four identical vortices is not. A sequence of canonical transformations is obtained that reduces the N -degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian, which describes the interaction of N identical vortices, to one with N — 2 degrees of freedom. For N = 3 a reduction to a single degree of freedom is obtained and this problem can be solved in terms of elliptic functions. For N = 4 the reduction procedure leads to an effective Hamiltonian with two degrees of freedom of the form found in problems with coupled nonlinear oscillators. Resonant interaction terms in this Hamiltonian suggest non-integrable behaviour and this is verified by numerical experiments. Explicit construction of a solution that corresponds to a heteroclinic orbit in phase space is possible. The relevance of the results obtained to fundamental problems in hydrodynamics, such as the question of integrability of Euler’s equation in two dimensions, is discussed. The paper also contains a general exposition of the Hamiltonian and Poisson-bracket formalism for point vortices.
Displacement coefficients along the inner boundaries of radially cracked ring segments subject to forces and couples

Displacement results of plane boundary collocation analysis are given for various locations on the inner boundaries of radially cracked ring segments (C-shaped specimens) subject to two complementary types of loading. Results are presented for ratios of outer to inner radius R sub o/R sub i in the range of 1.1 to 2.5, and ratios a/W in the range 0.1 to 0.8 where a is the crack length for a specimen of wall thickness W. By combination of these results the resultant displacement coefficient delta or the corresponding influence coefficient, can be obtained for any practical load line location of a pin loaded specimen.
Large theoretical thermoelectric power factor of suspended single-layer MoS2

We have calculated the semi-classical thermoelectric power factor of suspended single-layer (SL)- MoS2 utilizing electron relaxation times derived from ab initio calculations. Measurements of the thermoelectric power factor of SL-MoS2 on substrates reveal poor power factors. In contrast, we find the thermoelectric power factor of suspended SL-MoS2 to peak at ∼2.8 × 104 μW/m K2 at 300 K, at an electron concentration of 1012 cm−2. This figure is higher than that in bulk Bi2Te3, for example. Given its relatively high thermal conductivity, suspended SL-MoS2 may hold promise for in-plane thin-film Peltier coolers, provided reasonable mobilities can be realized.
Alternative splicing dysregulation secondary to skeletal muscle regeneration.

Objective Dysregulation of alternative splicing has become a molecular hallmark of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), in which neonatal splice variants are expressed in adult skeletal muscle. Splicing dysregulation is induced by RNA containing expanded CUG repeats expressed from the expanded mutant allele by sequestration of muscleblindlike 1 (MBNL1) protein within nuclear RNA foci and increased CUGBP, ELAV-like family member 1 (CELF1) protein levels. Dysregulated splicing has also been identified in other neuromuscular disorders, suggesting either that diseases with different molecular causes share a common pathogenic mechanism or that dysregulated splicing can also be a common secondary consequence of muscle degeneration and regeneration. Methods In this study, we examined regulation of alternative splicing in 4 different mouse models of muscular dystrophy, including DM1, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, congenital merosin-deficient muscular dystrophy, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and 2 myotoxin (cardiotoxin and notexin) muscle injury models. Results We show that DM1-like alternative splicing dysregulation and altered expression of MBNL1 and CELF1 occur in non-DM1 mouse models of muscular dystrophy and muscle injury, most likely due to recapitulation of neonatal splicing patterns in regenerating fibers. In contrast, CELF1 was elevated in nuclei of mature myofibers of the DM1 model, consistent with a primary effect of pathogenic RNA expression. Interpretation Splicing dysregulation in DM1 is a primary effect of RNA containing expanded CUG repeats. However, we conclude that splicing changes can also be observed secondary to muscle regeneration, and this possibility must be taken into account when evaluating cause-effect relationships between dysregulated splicing and disease processes. Ann Neurol 2010;
Residential energy monitoring and computerized surveillance via utility power flows

The author notes that all novel technologies have the potential to affect society in a complex manner, with both beneficial and detrimental consequences. He considers an illustrative case study: a nonintrusive appliance load monitoring technique that can provide vital information to help avoid future energy crises, but can also be used for surveillance purposes. He notes that there appears to be a significant potential for the technology to be abused. The danger that the technology might eventually lead to an erosion of civil liberties and privacy rights leaves its developers in an ethical quandary. The author examines how this technology should be controlled. >
Polarization Sensors And Controllers For Coherent Optical Communication Systems

In this invited tutorial review paper, I discuss the various options available to match the state of polarization of the signal and local oscillator waves in a coherent fiber optical communication system. The various advantages and disadvantages of each technique are discussed and directions for further work are identified.
Size effect semimetal to semiconductor transition

Abstract Semimetallic Bi 8 Te 7 S 5 changes into a semiconductor as a result of size effect quantization. In crystals of thicknesses 20 atoms or less an energy gap appears, and it increases with decreasing thickness. These energy gaps have been measured.
Growth, crystallization, and room temperature photoluminescence of Er2O3 thin films

Room temperature photoluminescence (RT PL) has been obtained from Er2O3 thin films fabricated via reactive sputtering of Er metal in Ar/O2 and subsequently annealed. Upon annealing, the PL spectra develop maxima at 1549 nm and 1541 nm for films treated at 650 degrees C and 1020 degrees C, respectively. Crystallization at high temperature results in RT PL and a lifetime of approximately 10 ms at 4K.
Control of the Flexural Axis of a Wing with Piezoelectric Actuation

loop. This system embeds a haptic system into the rear spar of the wing, the effects of which are adjustable by means of a gain parameter. The analysis presented in this paper shows the feasibility of the design and effectiveness of an unoptimized configuration, relocating the flexural axis by approximately 22%. This preliminary analysis establishes that the presented structural-parameter-actuation design, termed flexural-axis control, is practical and realizable.
Hypernatremia in diabetic ketoacidosis

The elevated blood glucose in DKA creates an osmotic gradient which typically results in hyponatremia. Many patients present with elevated serum sodium concentrations in DKA and very little is known about these patients. We questioned if these patients represent a ‘sicker’ population than those with normal or low serum sodium concentrations. The objective of this study was to characterise those patients who develop elevated corrected serum sodium levels in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). A retrospective medical record review was done of all episodes of DKA at The Children's Hospital of Alabama between January 1992 and June 1994. All cases of DKA were in patients less than 17 years of age. Among the 79 study entries which consisted of 52 separate individuals 46% female (n=36) 54% male (n=43), 11 patients were admitted for more than one episode of DKA, 27% (n=21) were patients with new onset diabetes and 73% (n=58) were patients with a prior history of diabetes mellitus. Of the corrected serum concentrations of sodium, 85% (n=67) were less than 149 mmol/L. In the patients with corrected serum sodium concentrations greater than 149 mmol/L (n=12), 35% (n=4) were African-American and 65% (n=8) Caucasian, which was representative of the overall study population race distribution. Sixty seven per cent (n=8) of the hypernatremic patients were male, 33% (n=4) female. Patients with new onset diabetes were more likely to present with elevated concentrations of sodium in serum than known diabetic patients (t=5.52, p=0.02); 33% (n=7) of the patients with new-onset diabetes were hypernatremic. No association was found between corrected sodium and age (t=0.31, p=0.76), duration of symptoms (t=0.42, p=0.68) or serum urea nitrogen concentration which was used as a marker for level of hydration (t=1.48, p=0.14). Duration of symptoms was found to be longer among patients with new onset diabetes (ZT=4.31, p < 0.001) and patients presenting with elevated serum concentration of sodium (ZT=2.20, p=0.028). We conclude that patients with new onset diabetes are more likely to present with elevated sodium values unrelated to age or level of hydration.
Risk Stratification of Individuals with the Brugada Electrocardiogram: A Meta-Analysis

Risk Stratification of Individuals. Objectives: We performed a meta-analysis of prognostic studies of patients with a Brugada ECG to assess predictors of events. Background: The Brugada syndrome is an increasingly recognized cause of idiopathic ventricular fibrillation; however, there is wide variation in the prognosis of patients with the Brugada ECG. Methods and Results: We retrieved 30 prospective studies of patients with the Brugada ECG, accumulating data on 1,545 patients. Summary estimates of the relative risk (RR) of events (sudden cardiac death [SCD], syncope, or internal defibrillator shock) for a variety of potential predictors were made using a randomeffects model. The overall event rate at an average of 32 months follow-up was 10.0% (95% CI 8.5%, 11.5%). The RR of an event was increased (P < 0.001) among patients with a history of syncope or SCD (RR 3.24 [95% CI 2.13, 4.93]), men compared with women (RR 3.47 [95% CI 1.58, 7.63]), and patients with a spontaneous compared with sodium-channel blocker induced Type I Brugada ECG (RR 4.65 [95% CI 2.25, 9.58]). The RR of events was not significantly increased in patients with a family history of SCD (P = 0.97) or a mutation of the SCN5A gene (P = 0.18). The RR of events was also not significantly increased in patients inducible compared with noninducible by electrophysiologic study (EPS) (RR 1.88 [95% CI 0.62, 5.73], P = 0.27); however, there was significant heterogeneity of the studies included. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a history of syncope or SCD, the presence of a spontaneous Type I Brugada ECG, and male gender predict a more malignant natural history. Our findings do not support the use of a family history of SCD, the presence of an SCN5A gene mutation, or EPS to guide the management of patients with a Brugada ECG. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 17, pp. 577-583, June 2006) meta-analysis, Brugada syndrome, sudden cardiac death, risk stratification, prospective studies
Condenser-Transducer Configuration for Improving Radiation Efficiency of Near-Field Optical Transducers

Near-field radiation efficiency of the ridge waveguide transducer is investigated in the vicinity of a recording magnetic medium. Near-field radiation from a ridge waveguide transducer is expressed in terms of power density quantities. This allows us to quantify the near-field radiation efficiency from the near-field transducer with respect to the input optical power. Finite element method (FEM), which is capable of modeling focused beams, is used to simulate various geometries involving ridge waveguides. The incident electric field near the focal region is determined using a Gaussian beam expression and Richards-Wolf vector field equations for low NA and high NA beams, respectively. First, the ridge waveguide transducer is placed at the focal point of an optical lens system. The maximum value of the absorbed optical power in the recording medium is 1.6*10-4 mW/nm3 for a 100 mW input optical power. Finally, the ridge waveguide is placed adjacent to a solid immersion lens but separated by a low-index dielectric layer. For this case, the maximum value of the absorbed optical power in the recording medium is 7.5*10-4 mW/nm3 for a 100 mW input optical power. The improvement in the transmission efficiency is a result of two factors: 1. Increased incident electric field over the transducer surface due to increased NA of the optical system, 2. Surface plasmon enhancement obtained by placing a low-index dielectric material between the solid immersion lens and ridge waveguide.
Social Context and Economic Biases in Representation

This article explores the role of political context in shaping economic biases in representation—the degree to which wealthy citizens’ views are more strongly represented than poorer citizens’ views in the choices of policymakers. I develop a general model that explains why poorer citizens will be better represented relative to the rich in certain political contexts than others, arguing that the relative representation of the poor will be stronger in contexts that make the views of the poor relevant and accessible to policymakers. I then derive several specific hypotheses that flow from this model and test these hypotheses through a study of the dyadic relationships between citizens and their representatives in the U.S. Congress. The results show that poorer citizens are better represented relative to the rich in Congressional districts that are electorally competitive, have low median incomes, have relatively equal distributions of incomes, have a significant organized labor presence, and are represented...
A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Academic Motivation Scale With Black College Students

The factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was examined with a sample of 578 Black college students. A confirmatory factor analysis of the AMS was conducted. Results indicated that the hypothesized seven-factor model did not fit the data. Implications for future research with the AMS are discussed.
Prevention of adverse cardiac remodeling to volume overload in female rats is the result of an estrogen-altered mast cell phenotype

Previously, we have reported sex differences in the cardiac remodeling response to ventricular volume overload whereby male and ovariectomized (OVX) female rats develop eccentric hypertrophy, and intact (Int) female rats develop concentric hypertrophy. In males, this adverse remodeling has been attributed to an initial cascade of events involving myocardial mast cell and matrix metalloproteinase activation and extracellular collagen matrix degradation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of female hormones on this initial cascade. Accordingly, an aortocaval fistula (Fist) was created in 7-wk-old Int and OVX rats, which, together with sham-operated (sham) controls, were studied at 1, 3, and 5 days postsurgery. In Int-Fist rats, myocardial mast cell density, collagen volume fraction, endothelin (ET)-1, stem cell factor (SCF), and TNF-α remained at control levels or were minimally elevated throughout the study period. This was not the case in the OVX-Fist group, where the initial response included significant increases in mast cell density, collagen degradation, ET-1, SCF, and TNF-α. These events in the OVX-Fist group were abolished by prefistula treatment with a mast cell stabilizer nedocromil. Of note was the observation that ET-1, TNF-α, SCF, and collagen volume fraction values for the OVX-sham group were greater than those of the Int-sham group, suggesting that the reduction of female hormones alone results in major myocardial changes. We concluded that female hormone-related cardioprotection to the volume stressed myocardium is the result of an altered mast cell phenotype and/or the prevention of mast cell activation.
Comments on "In defense of J.A. Stratton" by J.R. Wait

Comments are made on the above-named work (see ibid., vol.30, no.4, p.590, Nov. 1988). Attention is given to whether Stratton considered the problem of obtaining solutions of the complete electromagnetic fields for transients in lossy media trivial. >
Transmediastinal permanent ventricular pacing: a comparison with the transvenous method

Abstract A previous report from this institution demonstrated the mechanical superiority of the transthoracic pacemaker over the transvenous, but the former had a much higher morbidity. Since 1968 a transmediastinal extrapleural operation has been used in preference to thoracotomy for permanent epicardial pacing. This report compares 161 patients having 82 transmediastinal (TM) and 100 transvenous (TV) pacemaker electrode implantations. Significant operation-related complications occurred in 17% of the TM group and 19% of the TV group; 1 hospital death occurred in each group. Satisfactory ventricular pacing was established in 100% of the TM patients and 95% of the TV group, including 6% who required electrode repositioning. Pacing was not satisfactory in 5% of the TV group, and conversion to an epicardial system was necessary. Late electrode failure occurred in 24% of the TV group but in only 4% of the TM patients. Erosion or infection of the pacemaker system occurred in 23% of the TV and 7% of the TM patients. The results of this study indicate that the TM method is more reliable than the TV in establishing and maintaining permanent cardiac pacing and that the morbidity in TM as compared with TV implantations is almost the same.
RDF Object Type and Reification in the Database

The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a standard for representing information that can be identified using a Uniform Resource Identifier. In particular, it is intended for representing metadata about Web resources. RDF is being used in numerous application areas, including Life Sciences, Digital Libraries, and Intelligence. The RDF data structure is a directed graph or network. Current solutions to managing RDF data utilize flat relational tables for database storage. This paper presents an alternative approach to managing RDF data in the database. We introduce a new object type for storing RDF data. The object type is built on top of the Oracle Spatial Network Data Model (NDM), which is Oracles network solution in the database. This exposes the NDM functionality to RDF data, allowing RDF data to be managed as objects and analyzed as networks. Reification, a means of providing metadata for the RDF data, puts a strain on storage. We present a streamlined approach to representing reified RDF data for faster retrievals. An RDF object type and reification in the database provide the basic infrastructure for effective metadata management.
The temporal dimension of risk

If returns are stationary, then the risk of an asset in any time frequency can be estimated from the risk of the asset in any other time frequency through a simple linear rescaling. This implies that short-term risk carries reliable information about long-term risk, and both data frequencies and investment horizons are irrelevant when evaluating an asset’s risk. However, most series of stock returns are nonstationary, which if ignored may lead investors to make significant mistakes. Using recent data from fourteen European securities markets, I show that investors that mistakenly assume stationarity are bound to underestimate the total and systematic risk (and overestimate the risk-adjusted returns) of European stocks. The underestimation of total risk ranges between .25% and 2.18% a month, and averages almost 1% a month. © 2000 Bureau of Economic and Business Research, University of Illinois. All rights reserved.
Impingement mixing in reaction injection molding

Impingement mixing is the unique feature of the reaction injection molding (RIM) process but mixheads are largely designed by trial and error. To visualize the impingement process we have taken high speed photographs. To characterize mixing quality we have followed adiabatic temperature rise of mixtures, varying Reynolds number, mixhead geometry and the reaction rate. These results are examined in terms of a simplified model which includes both fluid mechanical and polymerization aspects of the problem.
A Light-activated Theranostic Nanoagent for Targeted Macrophage Ablation in Inflammatory Atherosclerosis

The synthesis and utility of a multimodal theranostic nanoagent based upon magnetofluorescent nanoparticles for the treatment of inflammatory atherosclerosis is described. These particles are modified with near-infrared fluorophores and light-activated therapeutic moieties, which allow for the optical determination of agent localization and phototoxic activation at spectrally distinct wavelengths. The resulting agent is readily taken up by murine macrophages in vitro and is highly phototoxic, with an LD(50) of 430 pM. Intravenous administration results in the localization of the nanoagent within macrophage-rich atherosclerotic lesions that can be imaged by intravital fluorescence microscopy. Irradiation of the atheroma with 650 nm light activates the therapeutic component and results in eradication of inflammatory macrophages, which may induce lesion stabilization. Importantly, these agents display limited skin photosensitivity, are highly efficacious, and provide an integrated imaging and therapeutic nanoplatform for atherosclerosis.
Decomposition of hazardous organic materials in the solidification/stabilization process using catalytic-activated carbon.

The application of a catalytic-activated carbon to the solidification/stabilization (S/S) process for immobilization of phenol and 2-chlorophenol and catalytic decomposition was investigated. The eAect of the catalytic-activated carbon, in amounts of 0.25‐1% (by dry sand wt.), on the leaching of phenol and 2-chlorophenol was studied. H2O2 was added as a source of oxygen in the amounts of 1 or 5%, with respect to liquid solution weight. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) leaching tests showed that adding the catalytic-activated carbon to the S/S matrix significantly reduced the leachability of both phenol and 2-chlorophenol. Only trace amounts of phenol were found in the leaching solution, while the concentration of 2-chlorophenol was below the detection limit of the gas chromatography (GC). Without addition of the catalytic-activated carbon, 87% of the phenol and 92% of the 2-chlorophenol leached. Additional tests on TCLP leachate solutions using GC-mass spectrometry indicated the existence of simple, less hazardous, hydrocarbons, including alcohol. Catalytic-activated carbons treated with phenol in the presence of H2O2 were also analyzed using time of flight-secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). Results indicate that the phenol aromatic ring was broken by the catalytic reaction. # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Southern attraction, southern attractions: a photographic essay

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the ways various tourist attractions in the American South are presented to and experienced by tourists.Design/methodology/approach – A sequence of photographs, made at tourist attractions across the south, is presented. Accompanying each photograph is a paragraph‐length text that draws from and expands upon information available in the visual image. In these texts, various observations about tourism in the south are made.Findings – The paper comments upon the tourist experience in the south and highlights the central roles of historical tourism, heritage tourism, civil rights tourism, and cultural tourism. Highlights the problematic nature of packaging the region's sometimes troublesome past for tourist consumption.Research limitations/implications – Because the findings are grounded in photographs made by the author, they are inherently “anecdotal” in character.Originality/value – This original photographic essay shows and comments upon a wide va...
The control of the specificity of CD4 T cell responses: thresholds, breakpoints, and ceilings.

It has been known for over 25 years that CD4 T cell responses are restricted to a finite number of peptide epitopes within pathogens or protein vaccines. These selected peptide epitopes are termed “immunodominant”. Other peptides within the antigen that can bind to host MHC molecules and recruit CD4 T cells as single peptides are termed “cryptic” because they fail to induce responses when expressed in complex proteins or when in competition with other peptides during the immune response. In the last decade, our laboratory has evaluated the mechanisms that underlie the preferential specificity of CD4 T cells and have discovered that both intracellular events within antigen presenting cells, particular selective DM editing, and intercellular regulatory pathways, involving IFN-γ, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and regulatory T cells, play a role in selecting the final peptide specificity of CD4 T cells. In this review, we summarize our findings, discuss the implications of this work on responses to pathogens and vaccines and speculate on the logic of these regulatory events.
Direct mapping of acoustics to phonology: On the lexical encoding of front rounded vowels in L1 English– L2 French acquisition:

It is well known that adult US-English-speaking learners of French experience difficulties acquiring high /y/–/u/ and mid /œ/–/ɔ/ front vs. back rounded vowel contrasts in French. This study examin...
Analysis of window-observation recurrence data

Many systems experience recurrent events. Recurrence data are collected to analyze quantities of interest, such as the mean cumulative number of events. Methods of analysis are available for recurrence data with left and/or right censoring. Due to practical constraints, however, recurrence data are sometimes recorded only in windows. Between the windows are gaps over which the process cannot be observed. This article extends existing statistical methods, both nonparametric and parametric, to window-observation recurrence data. The nonparametric estimator requires minimum assumptions but will be inconsistent if the size of the risk set is not positive over the entire period of interest. No such difficulty arises when using a parametric model for the recurrence data. For cases in which the size of the risk set is zero for some period of time, we propose and compare two alternative hybrid estimators. We illustrate the methods with two example applications.
Correlation of diafiltration sieving behavior of lysozyme-BSA mixtures with osmotic second virial cross-coefficients

The role of protein-protein interactions in membrane separations of protein mixtures remains incompletely understood, largely due to the difficulty of characterizing protein self- and, especially, cross-association. Recently, a novel technique, cross-interaction chromatography, has been developed to measure weak protein cross-association in terms of the osmotic second virial cross-coefficient. In this work the relationship between protein cross-association and the sieving behavior of lysozyme in the presence of BSA has been investigated. Sieving coefficients were measured using a stirred diafiltration cell over a range of pH and ionic strength, and a striking correlation between the lysozyme sieving and second virial cross-coefficients for BSA/lysozyme mixtures has been found: when the protein cross-interactions are most attractive (negative second virial cross-coefficient), the lysozyme sieving coefficients are lowest, and vice versa. The correlation between the sieving and second virial cross-coefficients may be due to the physically similar environments in the chromatography and filtration experiments since one protein is passed through a concentrated region of the second protein either immobilized on the column or accumulated at the membrane surface, and the migration rate of the mobile protein in both cases is influenced by protein cross-association. This study represents the first time that molecular interactions in binary mixtures have been related directly to filtration behavior, and may provide a useful approach to optimize the separation of other binary protein mixtures.
Analysis and optimization of randomized gossip algorithms

We study the distributed averaging problem on an arbitrary network with a gossip constraint, which means that no node communicates with more than one neighbour in every time slot. We consider algorithms which are linear iterations, where each iteration is described by a random matrix picked i.i.d. from some distribution. We derive conditions that this distribution must satisfy so that the sequence of iterations converges to the vector of averages in different senses. We then analyze a simple asynchronous randomized gossip algorithm for averaging, and show that the problem of optimizing the parameters of this algorithm for fastest convergence is a semi-definite program. Finally we study the relation between Markov chains and the averaging problem, and relate the averaging time of the algorithm to the mixing time of a related Markov chain on the graph.
Dendritic and Natural Killer Cell Subsets Associated with Stable or Declining CD4+ Cell Counts in Treated HIV-1–Infected Children

Background. Natural killer (NK) cells and plasmacytoid and myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) are depleted, and their function impaired, in advanced adult human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection. Studies in perinatally infected children are lacking. Methods. Percentages of NK cells and plasmacytoid and myeloid DCs were evaluated by flow cytometry. Forty children with perinatal HIV-1 infection were compared with 11 age-matched, uninfected children. Plasmacytoid and myeloid DC function was evaluated by activation-induced cytokine secretion. Results. Virally suppressed children had normal levels of circulating plasmacytoid and myeloid DCs and total NK cells but had sustained depletion of a mature (CD3 - /161 + /56 + /16 + ) NK cell subset and decreased interferon-a secretion by plasmacytoid DCs. Despite similar viral loads, percentages of myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs and mature NK cells were significantly lower in viremic children with a history of decreasing CD4 + cell percentages, compared with children with stable CD4 + cell counts. Conclusions. Children achieve partial reconstitution of myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs and NK cells during viral suppression; irrespective of viral load, a clinical history of decreasing CD4 + cell percentage is associated with greater depletion of these subsets. We hypothesize that the evaluation of selected innate-immunity effector cells may serve as a marker of CD4 + cell loss in pediatric HIV-1 infection.
OnabotulinumtoxinA and AbobotulinumtoxinA Dose Conversion: a Systematic Literature Review.

Objective This systematic review was performed to elucidate dosing practices, dosing conversions, and related outcomes from randomized, controlled trials that directly compared onabotulinumtoxinA (ONA) and abobotulinumtoxinA (ABO) at various dose conversion ratios for therapeutic use in movement disorders. Methods A systematic review of three medical literature databases (PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE) was performed to identify relevant comparative clinical studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published in the English language between January 1991 and January 2015. Studies that met predefined inclusion criteria were selected for formal data extraction and quality assessment. Results A total of 182 manuscripts were identified, of which four were included for analysis. Targeted clinical applications included neurological disorders. The studies compared ONA to ABO dose conversion ratios of 1:2.5 (n = 1), 1:3 (n = 2), and 1:4 (n = 2). One study compared both 1:3 and 1:4 ratios. An ONA:ABO conversion factor of 1:2.5 was associated with similar efficacy and side effects. An ONA:ABO ratio of 1:3 provided similar or higher efficacy, but an increased rate of adverse effects, and an ONA:ABO ratio of 1:4 was associated with higher efficacy, but with an excessive rate of intolerable side effects. Conclusion A dose conversion ratio of ONA to ABO between 1:2.5 and 1:3.0 provides comparable safety and efficacy for therapeutic movement disorders chemodenervation procedures.
Pathophysiology of Carotid Atherosclerosis

Stroke continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people suffer stroke worldwide annually and of these, 5 million die, and another 5 million are permanently disabled. In the United States, about 795,000 people suffer from stroke, and 143,579 people die from stroke annually. In Canada, stroke accounted for 7% of all deaths in 2000, and in Europe, nearly 650,000 stroke deaths occur per year.1
Mechanism of enzymatic activation and epigenetic function of the automodification reaction catalyzed by PARP-1

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 2780 We have determined the kinetics of PARP-1 automodification and the possible epigenetic function of the auto-poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reaction catalyzed by PARP-1 [EC [2.4.2.30][1]] in transcriptional eukaryotic regulation by p53, a tumor suppressor protein. Enzymatic analysis of PARP-1 initial automodification reaction rates with the Hanes-Wilkinson plot was consistent with a sequential-ordered kinetic mechanism. Formation of the catalytically competent enzyme complex favored DNA-binding and PARP-1 dimerization first, followed by βNAD+ binding. The reaction rate also increased with characteristic substrate saturation kinetics as a function of nicked double stranded (ds) DNA. Saturating levels of nicked dsDNA resulted in a higher enzymatic efficiency, e.g., kcat/km , due to both, an increase in the rate constant ( kcat ) and a decrease in the binding affinity for βNAD+ (kNAD ). Therefore, we conclude that nicked ds DNA is a hetero-allosteric activator of PARP-1 dimerization and auto-poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. Furthermore, in the presence of wild type p53, we observed that the automodification reaction of PARP-1, as well as the covalent poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of the tumor suppressor protein reduced the ability of the heterologous polypeptide acceptor to recognize its DNA sequence-specific binding site as judged by Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays. In light of the high frequency of p53 single point mutations in different types of cancer, one must carefully evaluate the molecular interplay between PARP-1 and p53, two different DNA strand break sensors that are subject to epigenetic poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. How these two “guardian angels” of genomic integrity, one constitutive (PARP-1) and one inducible (p53) gene products, regulate gene expression in immortally transformed cells, should open interesting avenues for tumor-specific chemotherapy. In summary, our results are consistent with the conclusion that the kinetic pathway to the formation of a catalytically competent quaternary complex of PARP-1 (kinetic mechanism) determines the poly(ADP-ribose) protein acceptor specificity, the efficiency of protein-bound ADP-ribose polymerization, and the regulation of maintenance of genomic integrity and transcriptional epigenetic regulation of p53-dependent gene expression. [1]: pending:yes
Clinics and the Public Interest in the Reform of Japanese Legal Education

This paper looks at the reform of Japanese law schools from the point of view of the social justice mission set by law for Japanese lawyers. Though clinical legal education is widely accepted to be a great vehicle for training lawyers oriented to public-interest work, several institutional and economic barriers exist to the implementation of such curricula in the new Japanese law schools. Tracing the development of clinical legal education and legal education reform in Japan, this paper analyzes the ways in which legal education reform was intended to advance social justice through lawyering, particularly through widespread attention to practical and clinical legal education, and what barriers schools face in achieving that goal.
OECD Tax Competition Proposal: Higher Taxes and Less Privacy

In this report, Mitchell critiques the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's "Towards Global Tax Cooperation: Progress in Identifying and Eliminating Harmful Tax Practices," and, more generally, its campaign against jurisdictions with lower taxes than those imposed by its members.
Discovery of Azaindole Ureas as a Novel Class of Bacterial Gyrase B Inhibitors

The emergence and spread of multidrug resistant bacteria are widely believed to endanger human health. New drug targets and lead compounds exempt from cross-resistance with existing drugs are urgently needed. We report on the discovery of azaindole ureas as a novel class of bacterial gyrase B inhibitors and detail the story of their evolution from a de novo design hit based on structure-based drug design. These inhibitors show potent minimum inhibitory concentrations against fluoroquinolone resistant MRSA and other Gram-positive bacteria.
Closed-Form Approximation to Annual Failure Probabilities

Accurate and time-efficient methods for computing annual failure probabilities are important for effective implementation of performance-based and reliability-based optimal design. This work provides a general approximate closed-form solution to compute the annual failure probability of components or systems. We show an application of the proposed approach to an example elasto-plastic SDOF system and compare the solution with those obtained numerically and using an alternative approximate closed-form solution currently available in the literature. We find that the proposed approximate closed-form performs better than the one in particular at low ductility levels. The proposed solution also gives insights into the physical phenomena by expressing failure probability in the terms of key parameters.
Conceptual implications of kinship terminological systems: Special problems and multiple analytic approaches

I raise issues concerning Jones' Seneca analysis, its relationship to analyses of Dravidian-, Crow-, and Omaha-type systems. These affect the convincingness of his kinship study, and thus the wider conclusions that he wants to draw regarding human cognition and language.