cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does economic inequality breed political inequality

Does economic inequality generate political inequality? While there is a large literature on the effect of inequality on regime change and support for democracy, there is little research on its eff...
Determination of Structural Anisotropy

Methods are described for specifying and measuring the degree of anisotropy in (a) lineal arrays in two-dimensional space and (b) lineal and areal arrays in three-dimensional space. From a measurement of the anisotropy in these features, it is possible to determine the average shape of grains, cells, or particles provided that there is a common axis of alignment.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Analysis

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the first major dam in the Blue Nile (Abay) River of Ethiopia. GERD is a combination of 175 m high roller compacted concrete gravity dam and a 50 m high concrete faced rock fill saddle dam under construction by Ethiopia. The gravity dam is built across the natural course of the Blue Nile River and the saddle dam provides the design storage and water level due to the relatively low relief of the dam site. The dam is being built at the most downstream site of one of the four potential dam sites proposed by a 1964 feasibility study of the Blue Nile basin development conducted by United States Bureau of Reclamation. The dam has been under construction since 2011 with 70% completed at the beginning of 2018. The installed power generation capacity of 6,000 MW is expected to be generated by 16 Francis Turbines each with 375 MW capacity located at the foot of the main dam. The design flow rate of 4305 m3 s−1 is about 3 times the average flow. At the average flow rate, the expected average annual energy production is 15,700 GWH. The suitability of the dam site, dam design, major components and operations are discussed.
Longboard injuries treated at a level 1 pediatric trauma center.

Abstract Introduction Recreation on longboards is gaining in popularity. The purpose of this study is to detail the injury patterns, treatment and management of children with longboarding injuries seen at a level 1 pediatric trauma center. Methods A retrospective review using our trauma registry from 2006 to 2016 of pediatric patients who sustained injuries while riding a longboard. Results Of 12,920 injured children, 64 (0.5%) were treated for injuries that occurred while riding a longboard. Median age was 14.5 years (IQR 13.6, 15.4) and 84% were male. Fifty-one (80%) suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) including 32 intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), 17 concussions, and 31 skull fractures. Seven (11%) were wearing helmets. Three patients required neurosurgical intervention. Extremity fractures were the most common reason for surgery. Ninety-six percent of patients were admitted to the hospital with a median length of stay of 1 day (IQR 1, 3). All children survived to discharge. Compared with skateboard injuries during the same period, TBI, ICH, concussion, and skull fractures were all greater. Conclusions TBI ranging from concussion to ICH requiring craniotomy is common in children injured while riding a longboard, and greater than rates after skateboarding injuries. Extremity fracture was the most common reason for operative intervention. Level of evidence III.
Regulation of the β-Adrenergic Receptor Signaling Pathway in Sustained Ligand-Activated Preconditioning.

Sustained ligand-activated preconditioning (SLP), induced with chronic opioid receptor (OR) agonism, enhances tolerance to ischemia/reperfusion injury in young and aged hearts. Underlying mechanisms remain ill-defined, although early data implicate phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) during the induction phase, and β2-adrenoceptor (β2-AR), Gs alpha subunit (Gαs), and protein kinase A (PKA) involvement in subsequent cardioprotection. Here, we tested for induction of a protective β2-AR/Gαs/PKA signaling axis with SLP to ascertain whether signaling changes were PI3K-dependent (by sustained cotreatment with wortmannin), and whether the downstream PKA target Rho kinase (ROCK) participates in subsequent cardioprotection (by acute treatment with fasudil). A protected phenotype was evident after 5 days of OR agonism (using morphine) in association with increased membrane versus reduced cytosolic levels of total and phosphorylated β2-ARs; increased membrane and cytosolic expression of 52 and 46 kDa Gαs isoforms, respectively; and increased phosphorylation of PKA and Akt. Nonetheless, functional sensitivities of β2-ARs and adenylyl cyclase were unchanged based on concentration-response analyses for formoterol, fenoterol, and 6-[3-(dimethylamino)propionyl]-forskolin. Protection with SLP was not modified by ROCK inhibition, and changes in β2-AR, Gαs, and PKA expression appeared insensitive to PI3K inhibition, although 5 days of wortmannin alone exerted unexpected effects on signaling (also increasing membrane β2-AR and PKA expression/phosphorylation and Gαs levels). In summary, sustained OR agonism upregulates cardiac membrane β2-AR expression and phosphorylation in association with increased Gαs subtype levels and PKA phosphorylation. While Akt phosphorylation was evident, PI3K activity appears nonessential to OR upregulation of the β2-AR signal axis. This opioidergic remodeling of β2-AR signaling may explain β2-AR, Gαs, and PKA dependence of SLP protection.
Selectivity estimation for range predicates using lightweight models

Query optimizers depend on selectivity estimates of query predicates to produce a good execution plan. When a query contains multiple predicates, today's optimizers use a variety of assumptions, such as independence between predicates, to estimate selectivity. While such techniques have the benefit of fast estimation and small memory footprint, they often incur large selectivity estimation errors. In this work, we reconsider selectivity estimation as a regression problem. We explore application of neural networks and tree-based ensembles to the important problem of selectivity estimation of multi-dimensional range predicates. While their straightforward application does not outperform even simple baselines, we propose two simple yet effective design choices, i.e., regression label transformation and feature engineering, motivated by the selectivity estimation context. Through extensive empirical evaluation across a variety of datasets, we show that the proposed models deliver both highly accurate estimates as well as fast estimation.
Outcomes after peripheral artery disease intervention among Medicare-Medicaid dual-eligible patients compared with the general medicare population in the Vascular Quality Initiative registry

Objective To determine whether patients from the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) registry who are Medicare–Medicaid dual-eligible have outcomes after surgical intervention with medical devices such as stents for peripheral artery disease comparable to the outcomes of those eligible for Medicare alone. Methods The study cohort included fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries from 2010 to 2015 who underwent peripheral vascular intervention as determined by the VQI. We performed propensity matching between the dual-eligible and non-dual-eligible cohorts. Postintervention use, including imaging, amputation and death, was determined using Medicare claims data. Results Rates of major amputation were higher among dual-eligible patients (13.0% vs 10.5%, p Conclusions Patients with mild forms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), such as claudication, demonstrated similar outcomes regardless of dual-eligibility status. However, those with severe PAD, such as CLI, who were also dual-eligible had both inferior overall survival and amputation-free survival. Minimal differences were observed in process-driven aspects of care between dual-eligible and non-dual-eligible patients, including postoperative imaging. These findings indicate that despite receiving similar care, dual-eligible patients with severe PAD have inferior long-term outcomes, suggesting the Medicaid safety net is not timely enough to benefit from long-term outcomes for these patients.
The Association of Paternal Race and Ethnicity with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in a Contemporary U.S. Cohort.

Objective Maternal racial and ethnic disparities exist in obstetric outcomes. The contribution of paternal race and ethnicity toward obstetric outcomes has been less well documented. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between paternal race and ethnicity and several adverse pregnancy outcomes. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort of birth data from the CDC National Vital Statistics, years 2013—2017. All singleton live births were included in the analysis. Records with missing paternal race and ethnicity were excluded. The primary dependent variables were the following adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes: gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, preterm birth 6 hours of life. The main exposure was paternal race and ethnicity, which was grouped into non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and other. Other race and ethnicity category included: American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander. Univariable and multivariable analyses were done to determine whether paternal race and ethnicity was independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Results A total of 16,482,745 births were included. In univariable analysis, all adverse obstetric outcomes were significantly associated with paternal race and ethnicity. In multivariable analysis, controlling for maternal and paternal demographic characteristics and maternal clinical factors, paternal race and ethnicity remained significantly associated with the majority of the adverse pregnancy outcomes. The strongest association was seen with: (1) paternal non-Hispanic black race and ethnicity, and higher rates of LBW and preterm birth (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.24–1.27 and OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.13–1.15, respectively); (2) paternal Hispanic race and ethnicity and lower rates of 5-minute Apgar's score 6 hours of life (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.77–0.79, and OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.75–0.78, respectively); and (3) other paternal race and ethnicity and higher rates of gestational diabetes, but lower rates of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and assisted ventilation >6 hours of life (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.25–1.27; OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.78–0.80; and OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.78–0.82, respectively). All associations were in comparison to paternal non-Hispanic white race and ethnicity. Conclusion Paternal race and ethnicity has an independent association with adverse obstetric outcomes. The pathway and the extent of the paternal racial influence are not fully understood and deserve additional research.
Developing Inkjet Printed PEDOT/PSS Films for Solar Cells

Inkjet printable and highly conductive PEDOT: PSS films on hydrophobic silicon surface were successfully developed in this work. Contact angle measurements were used to validate the substrate surface treatments for enhanced ink wetting characteristics. The improved wettability of the Si surface promotes easy spreading of the PEDOT:PSS solution, allowing a uniform coverage of the surfaces. Several inkjet printing parameters, including droplet spacing, substrate temperature and number of layers, were explored to study the impact they have on the film thickness and roughness. With an optimized printing setting, the number of surface defects and shunting problems in PEDOT:PSS films were drastically reduced. Lastly, the inkjet printed PEDOT:PSS thin film was implemented into a solar cell structure and proven to be an effective hole transport layer.
Using the exposome to address gene-environment interactions in kidney disease.

New exposome-based approaches permit omic-scale characterization of the non-genetic contributors to kidney disease. High-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of plasma and urine samples captures a wide range of exogenous and endogenous metabolites that can be used in combination with genetic risk factors to identify new biomarkers of exposure and therapeutic approaches.
A Qualitative Identification of Gaps in Understanding About Brain Death Among Trainees, Health Care Personnel and Families at an Academic Medical Center.

Background and Purpose:Death by whole brain criteria (brain death) is a clinical diagnosis. We sought to identify aspects of brain death that were unclear to both health care personnel and patient ...
A Hygienic City-Nation: Space, Community, and Everyday Life in Colonial Calcutta

Calcutta, the centre of British imperial power in India, figures in scholarship as the locus of colonialism and the hotbed of anti-colonial nationalist movements. Yet, historians have largely ignored how the city shaped these movements. A Hygienic City-Nation is the first academic work that examines everyday urban formations in the colonial city that informed the broad global forces of imperialism, nationalism, and urbanism, and were, in turn, shaped by them. Drawing on previously unexplored archives of the Calcutta Improvement Trust and neighbourhood clubs, the author uncovers hidden stories of the city at the everyday level of neighbourhoods or paras, where kinship-like ties, caste, religion, and ethnicity constituted new urban modernity. Ghosh focuses on an emergent discourse on Hindu spatial hygiene that powered nationalist pedagogic efforts to train city dwellers in conduct fit for the city-nation. In such pedagogic efforts, upper-caste Bengalis were pitted against the lower-caste working poor and featured as ideal inhabitants of the city: the citizen.
Connecting User Experience to Learning in an Evaluation of an Immersive, Interactive, Multimodal Augmented Reality Virtual Diorama in a Natural History Museum & the Importance of Story

Reported are the findings of user experience and learning outcomes from a July 2019 study of an immersive, interactive, multimodal augmented reality (AR) application, used in the context of a museum. The AR Perpetual Garden App is unique in creating an immersive multisensory experience of data. It allowed scientifically naive visitors to walk into a virtual diorama constructed as a data visualization of a springtime woodland understory and interact with multimodal information directly through their senses. The user interface comprised of two different AR data visualization scenarios reinforced with data based ambient bioacoustics, an audio story of the curator’s narrative, and interactive access to plant facts. While actual learning and dwell times were the same between the AR app and the control condition, the AR experience received higher ratings on perceived learning. The AR interface design features of "Story" and "Plant Info" showed significant correlations with actual learning outcomes, while "Ease of Use" and "3D Plants" showed significant correlations with perceived learning. As such, designers and developers of AR apps can generalize these findings to inform future designs.
The influence of adverse and advantageous childhood experiences during adolescence on young adult health

Abstract Background Research indicates that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to poorer adult health, but less is known how advantageous childhood experiences (counter-ACEs) may neutralize the negative effects of ACEs, particularly in young adulthood. Purpose We examined the independent contributions of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Advantageous Childhood Experiences (counter-ACEs) that occur during adolescence on five young adult health indicators: depression, anxiety, risky sexual behaviors, substance abuse, and positive body image. Participants and setting The sample included 489 adolescents from a large northwestern city in the United States who were 10–13 years at baseline (51 % female). Methods Flourishing Families Project survey data were used for this secondary analysis using structural equation modeling. Adolescents and their parents completed an annual survey. ACEs and counter-ACEs were measured over the first five years of the study. The five health indicators were measured in wave 10 when participants were 20–23 years old. Results Participants had on average 2.7 ACEs and 8.2 counter-ACEs. When both ACEs and counter-ACEs were included in the model, ACEs were not predictive of any of the health indicators and counter-ACEs were predictive of less risky sex (-.12, p Conclusions Counter-ACEs that occur in adolescence may diminish the negative effects of ACEs on young adult health and independently contribute to better health.
High Temperature Welded Thermocouple Preparation and Calibration

Accurate calibration of a welded type-C thermocouple (TC) is vital for the collection of temperature data obtained in extreme temperature testing. An apparatus and procedure were developed that are capable of verifying the calibration of bead-junction type-C thermocouples to the ASTM E230 specification standard from room temperature to 1650 °C. In this paper, existing thermocouple instrumentation techniques are reviewed and a new technique and calibration is presented that allows for high temperature instrumentation.
Occupational Therapy Interventions for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living for Adults With Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review.

IMPORTANCE Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are important for independence, safety, and productivity, and people with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience IADL limitations. Occupational therapy practitioners should address IADLs with their clients with PD. OBJECTIVE To systematically review the evidence for the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions to improve or maintain IADL function in adults with PD. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, OTseeker, and Cochrane databases from January 2011 to December 2018. Study Selection and Data Collection: Primary inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed journal articles describing Level 1-3 studies that tested the effect of an intervention within the scope of occupational therapy on an IADL outcome in people with PD. Three reviewers assessed records for inclusion, quality, and validity following Cochrane Collaboration and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. FINDINGS Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were categorized into four themes on the basis of primary focus or type of intervention: physical activity, specific IADL-focused, cognitive rehabilitation, and individualized occupational therapy interventions. There were 9 Level 1b, 9 Level 2b, and 4 Level 3b studies. Strong strength of evidence was found for the beneficial effect of occupational therapy-related interventions for physical activity levels and handwriting, moderate strength of evidence for IADL participation and medication adherence, and low strength of evidence for cognitive rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Occupational therapy interventions can improve health management and maintenance (i.e., physical activity levels, medication management), handwriting, and IADL participation for people with PD. Further research is needed on cognitive rehabilitation. This review is limited by the small number of studies that specifically addressed IADL function in treatment and as an outcome. What This Article Adds: Occupational therapy intervention can be effective in improving or maintaining IADL performance and participation in people with PD. Occupational therapy practitioners can address IADL function through physical activity interventions, interventions targeting handwriting and medication adherence, and individualized occupational therapy interventions.
Brain metabolite concentration in pain processing regions is linked with multidimensional morbidity in fibromyalgia - a voxel-wise 3D MR Spectroscopic Imaging study

Fibromyalgia is a multidimensional chronic pain syndrome. It is thought to result mainly from central nervous system dysfunction, but its working mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we applied multi-slice magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) to investigate the relationship between brain metabolite (e.g., combined glutamate and glutamine, Glx; myo-inositol, mIno; and combined N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate; tNAA) levels and the severity of multidimensional clinical/behavioral metrics (e.g., pain catastrophizing, clinical pain severity, and evoked pain sensitivity) in fibromyalgia patients (N=87). Fibromyalgia patients showed greater pain catastrophizing and hyperalgesia compared with age-matched healthy controls (N=40). In fibromyalgia patients, pain catastrophizing scale scores were positively correlated with Glx and tNAA levels in the insular cortex, and were negatively correlated with mIno levels in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Clinical pain severity showed positive correlations with Glx levels in the insular and PCC, and with tNAA levels in the anterior middle cingulate cortex (aMCC), but negatively with mIno levels in the aMCC and thalamus. The level of tNAA in the insular cortex, MCC, PCC, and thalamus, were negatively correlated with evoked pain sensitivity. These results highlight the utility of MRSI in the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying multidimensional aspects of fibromyalgia. This work was supported by the NIH (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases grant R01-AR064367, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health grants R01-AT007550, R61-AT009306, and P01-AT AT009965, and National Center for Research Resources grants P41-RR14075, S10-RR021110, and S10-RR023043). Development of MRSI pulse sequence and processing was funded by NIH/NCI grants K22CA178269 and R01CA211080.
Lensing by Distant Clusters: HST Observations of Weak Shear in the Field of 3C 324*

We present the detection of weak gravitational lensing in the field of the radio galaxy 3C 324 (z = 1.206) using deep HST imaging. From an analysis of the shapes of faint R = 24.5-27.5 galaxies in the field we measure a weak, coherent distortion centered close to the radio source. This shear field most likely arises from gravitational lensing of distant field galaxies by a foreground mass concentration. In the light of previous observations of this region, which indicate the presence of a rich cluster around the radio source, we suggest that the most likely candidate for the lens is the cluster associated with the radio galaxy at z = 1.2. If so, this is the most distant cluster to have been detected by weak shear observations. Such a statement has two important consequences. Firstly, it shows that massive, collapsed structures exist in the high-redshift universe, and secondly that a significant fraction of the R = 24.5-27.5 field galaxy population lies beyond z ~ 1.2.
Alternative Approach for Predicting the Phase Angle Characteristics of Asphalt Concrete Mixtures Based on Recurrent Neural Networks

AbstractLaboratory performance testing of the phase angle of asphalt concrete (AC) mixtures is often expensive and requires enormous human effort and time. To circumvent this problem, several regre...
Justice by Any Other Name: The Right to a Jury Trial and the Criminal Nature of Juvenile Justice in Louisiana

The juvenile justice system has become increasingly punitive in recent decades. While the juvenile justice system has come to resemble the adult system in this way, juveniles facing adjudication nevertheless are denied the essential Sixth Amendment due process right. This Note will argue that the Louisiana Supreme Court decided State ex rel. D.J. incorrectly and, further, will demonstrate that the nation as a whole should revisit the place of juries in juvenile proceedings.
Anxiety Disorders Are Associated With Coronary Endothelial Dysfunction in Women With Chest Pain and Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

Background Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders and are an emerging risk factor for coronary artery disease and its complications. We determine the relationship between having ...
Misdiagnosis prevents accurate monitoring of transmission and burden for sub-critical pathogens: a case study of Plasmodium knowlesi malaria

Maintaining surveillance of emerging infectious diseases presents challenges for monitoring their transmission and burden. Incomplete observation of infections and imperfect diagnosis reduce the observed sizes of transmission chains relative to their true sizes. Previous studies have examined the effect of incomplete observation on estimates of pathogen transmission and burden. However, each study assumed that, if observed, each infection was correctly diagnosed. Here, I leveraged principles from branching process theory to examine how misdiagnosis could contribute to bias in estimates of transmission and burden for emerging infectious diseases. Using the zoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi malaria as a case study, I found that, even when assuming complete observation of infections, the number of misdiagnosed cases within a transmission chain for every correctly diagnosed case could range from 0 (0 - 4) when R0 was 0.1 to 86 (0 - 837) when R0 was 0.9. Data on transmission chain sizes obtained using an imperfect diagnostic could consistently lead to underestimates of R0, the basic reproduction number, and simulations revealed that such data on up to 1,000 observed transmission chains was not powered to detect changes in transmission. My results demonstrate that misdiagnosis may hinder effective monitoring of emerging infectious diseases and that sensitivity of diagnostics should be considered in evaluations of surveillance systems.
Relating Essential Proteins to Drug Side-Effects Using Canonical Component Analysis: A Structure-Based Approach.

The molecular mechanism of many drug side-effects is unknown and difficult to predict. Previous methods for explaining side-effects have focused on known drug targets and their pathways. However, low affinity binding to proteins that are not usually considered drug targets may also drive side-effects. In order to assess these alternative targets, we used the 3D structures of 563 essential human proteins systematically to predict binding to 216 drugs. We first benchmarked our affinity predictions with available experimental data. We then combined singular value decomposition and canonical component analysis (SVD-CCA) to predict side-effects based on these novel target profiles. Our method predicts side-effects with good accuracy (average AUC: 0.82 for side effects present in <50% of drug labels). We also noted that side-effect frequency is the most important feature for prediction and can confound efforts at elucidating mechanism; our method allows us to remove the contribution of frequency and isolate nov...
Mutation Induced Functional Alterations in CCR6 – a GPCR Mediator of Inflammation

The chemokine receptor subfamily of GPCRs plays a central role in the migration of immune cells. Family member C-C Chemokine Receptor 6 (CCR6) is associated with the trafficking of the pro-inflamma...
Experimental study of Internet stability and backbone failures

In this paper, we describe an experimental study of Internet topological stability and the origins of failure in Internet protocol backbones. The stability of end-to-end Internet paths is dependent both on the underlying telecommunication switching system, as well as the higher level software and hardware components specific to the Internet's packet-switched forwarding and routing architecture. Although a number of earlier studies have examined failures in the public telecommunication system, little attention has been given to the characterization of Internet stability. We provide analysis of the stability of major paths between Internet Service Providers based on the experimental instrumentation of key portions of the Internet infrastructure. We describe unexpectedly high levels of path fluctuation and an aggregate low mean time between failures for individual Internet paths. We also provide a case study of the network failures observed in a large regional Internet backbone. We characterize the type, origin, frequency and duration of these failures.
Predictive tree: An efficient index for predictive queries on road networks

Predictive queries on moving objects offer an important category of location-aware services based on the objects' expected future locations. A wide range of applications utilize this type of services, e.g., traffic management systems, location-based advertising, and ride sharing systems. This paper proposes a novel index structure, named Predictive tree (P-tree), for processing predictive queries against moving objects on road networks. The predictive tree: (1) provides a generic infrastructure for answering the common types of predictive queries including predictive point, range, KNN, and aggregate queries, (2) updates the probabilistic prediction of the object's future locations dynamically and incrementally as the object moves around on the road network, and (3) provides an extensible mechanism to customize the probability assignments of the object's expected future locations, with the help of user defined functions. The proposed index enables the evaluation of predictive queries in the absence of the objects' historical trajectories. Based solely on the connectivity of the road network graph and assuming that the object follows the shortest route to destination, the predictive tree determines the reachable nodes of a moving object within a specified time window T in the future. The predictive tree prunes the space around each moving object in order to reduce computation, and increase system efficiency. Tunable threshold parameters control the behavior of the predictive trees by trading the maximum prediction time and the details of the reported results on one side for the computation and memory overheads on the other side. The predictive tree is integrated in the context of the iRoad system in two different query processing modes, namely, the precomputed query result mode, and the on-demand query result mode. Extensive experimental results based on large scale real and synthetic datasets confirm that the predictive tree achieves better accuracy compared to the existing related work, and scales up to support a large number of moving objects and heavy predictive query workloads.
Highly excited hydrogen in microwaves: Measurements on the externally driven bound electron at the classical threshold for chaos

Many-photon n-changing transitions in electrically polarized highly excited hydrogen atoms have been studied experimentally [1-4] as well as theoretically using both classical theory [5-6] and quantum theory [4-7]. The experiments involve stretching the atom along the direction of an applied external static electric field, and then driving its electron by a linearly polarized microwave field directed along the stretching direction. This configuration results in close to one-dimensional behavior, making possible the many-state numerical quantum calculations needed to investigate possible quantum correspondences to various features of the system's classical nonlinear dynamics.
Lens crystallins and their genes: diversity and tissue-specific expression

The soluble proteins--or crystallins--that constitute the bulk of the cellular, transparent eye lens are encoded by a surprisingly diverse group of genes. Several crystallin genes generate further heterogeneity by producing more than one polypeptide, in which they use different mechanisms. Some crystallin genes are lens specific (e.g., alpha A and gamma), while others show only lens preference (alpha B and enzyme/crystallins); all the crystallin genes are temporally and spatially regulated in the developing lens. Transfection and transgenic mouse experiments, identifying DNA regulatory elements in the 5' flanking region and in one case (delta) in an intron, point to transcriptional control as the primary basis for the tissue- and differentiation-specific expression of crystallin genes. Crystallin promoters have been used to target foreign genes to the lens in transgenic and chimeric mice. Such gene transfer experiments have been used to create tumors and ablate specific cells in the lens. The identificati...
Why Ellipsoid Constraints, Ellipsoid Clusters, and Riemannian Space-Time: Dvoretzky's Theorem Revisited

In many practical applications, we encounter ellipsoid constraints, ellipsoid-shaped clusters, etc. A usual justification for this ellipsoid shape comes from the fact that many real-life quantities are normally distributed, and for a multi-variate normal distribution, a natural confidence set (containing the vast majority of the objects) is an ellipsoid. However, ellipsoids appear more frequently than normal distributions (which occur in about half of the cases). In this paper, we provide a new justification for ellipsoids based on a known mathematical result – Dvoretzky’s Theorem.
Inter-annual changes in the benthic community structure of riffles and pools in reaches of contrasting gradient

The inter-annual variation in the structure of the benthic community of riffles and pools was evaluated in contrasting geomorphic settings. The community structure of riffles and pools was a function of habitat, reach gradient, and discharge and was taxon specific. In years of below average peak discharge, riffles had higher taxon richness than pools (66 versus47) but richness was similar between habitats during a year of average discharge (56 versus 54). The percentage composition of oligochaetes and elmid beetles was more variable inter-annually in pools and low gradient reaches than in high gradient reaches. Differences in the percentage of collector-gatherers and scrapers in riffles and pools appeared related to inter-annual differences in discharge regimes. Two components of the annual discharge regime appear to differentially affect the composition of the benthic community in the snowmelt dominated stream studied: the magnitude of the annual peak discharge and the duration and timing of the period of extended high flow.
Distance and time effect on shear bond strength of brackets cured with a second-generation light-emitting diode unit.

Abstract Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate increasing exposure times and distance between source (light-emitting diode) and adhesive composite on the shear bond strength (SBS) of stainless steel brackets. Materials and Methods: Stainless steel maxillary incisor brackets (3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) were bonded to the facial surfaces of 120 bovine incisors. The bond of each specimen in eight randomly divided groups was tested to failure using an Instron Universal Testing Machine (Instron Corp, Canton, Mass). The mode of failure was evaluated using the adhesive remnant index (ARI). Results: There were significant SBS differences between exposure times; 5-second exposures were significantly less than at 20-and 40-second exposures; SBS increased in a curvilinear fashion. Significant differences were recorded neither in the frequencies of ARI scores nor the SBS in relation to distance. Significant differences in the frequencies of ARI scores were observed when comparing the 5-second cure time ...
2‐Trimethylsilyl‐1,3‐dithiane

[13411-42-2] C7H16S2Si (MW 192.46) InChI = 1S/C7H16S2Si/c1-10(2,3)7-8-5-4-6-9-7/h7H,4-6H2,1-3H3 InChIKey = BTTUMVHWIAXYPJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (precursor of dithioketene acetals1 which are good substrates for both cationic2 and anionic3 cyclization processes; the anion reacts with unsaturated ketones and aldehydes to give vinyl dithioketene acetals that can be used as dienes4 or for the preparation of substituted α,β-unsaturated alkyl ketones;5 alkylation of the anion provides a general synthesis of acylsilanes6, 7) Physical Data: bp 54–55 °C/0.17 mmHg. Solubility: insol H2O; sol organic solvents. Form Supplied in: commercially available. Preparative Method: prepared by alkylation of 2-Lithio-1,3-dithiane with Chlorotrimethylsilane (eq 1).1 (1) Handling, Storage, and Precautions: use in a fume hood.
Displaced orbital roof fractures: presentation and treatment.

This study was done to review the diagnosis and surgical treatment of displaced orbital roof fractures at a major trauma center
Fertility, gender, and health: Contributions toward a comparative anthropology of reproduction

Devisch, Rene. Weaving the Threads of Life: The Khita GynEcoLogical Healing Cult among the Yaka. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. x + 334 pp. including references and index. $19.95 paper...
COMBINATORIAL SIGNALING BY TWISTED GASTRULATION AND DECAPENTAPLEGIC

The Twisted Gastrulation (TSG) protein is one of five secreted proteins required to pattern the dorsal part of the early Drosophila embryo. Unlike the Decapentaplegic (DPP) protein that is required to pattern the entire dorsal half of the embryo, TSG is needed only to specify the fate of the dorsal midline cells. Here we have misexpressed the tsg gene with different promoters to address its mechanism of action and relationship to DPP. When expressed in a ventral stripe of cells, TSG protein can diffuse to the dorsalmost cells and can rescue the dorsal midline cells in tsg mutant embryos. Despite elevated levels that exceed that exceed those needed for biological activity, there was no change in dorsal midline or lateral cell fates under any conditions tested. We conclude that TSG does not modulate an activity gradient of DPP. Instead, it functions in a permissive rather than instructive role to elaborate cell fates along the dorsal midline after peak levels of DPP activity have 'primed' cells to respond to TSG. The interaction between TSG and DPP defines a novel type of combinatorial synergism.
A historical view of nonsense triplets.

Memoirs are a tricky literary genre, even for towering figures such as Sydney Brenner ([1][1]) (“A scientific kokopelli,” B. Edgar, Books et al. , 7 Dec., p. [2103][2]). His accomplishments are so extensive that a small correction of the record on nonsense triplets and their suppressor genes
Online Examination of Language Performance in Normal and Neurologically Impaired Adults

This article describes how we and others have exploited online methodology to investigate normal and disordered language processing in adults. Online tasks can be used to measure effects occurring ...
Recent developments in tile/fiber calorimetry

Abstract At the '93 Elba Calorimeter Conference, final results on R & D for the CDF plug upgrade were presented. Much new work was also reported on alternate schemes which allow for higher sampling frequency and simple, modular construction. Some highlights in waveshifter fiber developments are presented here with emphasis on differences between the Shish-Kebab and the CDF design.
Molecular and cellular heterogeneity of Wilms' tumor

We developed a Wilms' tumor-cell culture system to investigate the molecular basis of nephrogenesis and oncogenesis. Several distinct fractions of cells were isolated and characterized from the same tumor specimen. The cells exhibited striking differences in morphology, immunocytochemical staining profiles and cytogenetics. One fraction contained cells with features of epithelium; other cell fractions resembled partially differentiated mesenchyme (blastema or stroma). While the Wilms' tumor-suppressor gene WT1 was not altered, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and an insertion in intron I of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene occurred in the tumor and the cultured cell types. LOH for RB was detected only in the cultured cells. These findings are consistent with a model of tumor initiation in a pluripotent cell that is able to undergo subsequent differentiation along multiple different lines and which mimics normal nephrogenesis.
Targeted High-Efficiency, Homogeneous Myocardial Gene Transfer

Myocardial gene therapy continues to show promise as a tool for investigation and treatment of cardiac disease. Progress toward clinical approval has been slowed by limited in vivo delivery methods. We investigated the problem in a porcine model, with an objective of developing a method for high efficiency, homogeneous myocardial gene transfer that could be used in large mammals, and ultimately in humans. Eighty-one piglets underwent coronary catheterization for delivery of viral vectors into the left anterior descending artery and/or the great cardiac vein. The animals were followed for 5 or 28 days, and then transgene efficiency was quantified from histological samples. The baseline protocol included treatment with VEGF, nitroglycerin, and adenosine followed by adenovirus infusion into the LAD. Gene transfer efficiency varied with choice of viral vector, with use of VEGF, adenosine, or nitroglycerin, and with calcium concentration. The best results were obtained by manipulation of physical parameters. Simultaneous infusion of adenovirus through both left anterior descending artery and great cardiac vein resulted in gene transfer to 78+/-6% of myocytes in a larger target area. This method was well tolerated by the animals. We demonstrate targeted, homogeneous, high efficiency gene transfer using a method that should be transferable for eventual human usage.
Influence of dietary lipids on agonistic and affiliative behavior in Macaca fascicularis.

The current study evaluates the hypothesis, derived from previous investigations, that alterations in dietary fat and cholesterol influence the social behavior of monkeys. Subjects were 62 adult male, cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) assigned originally to an investigation of atherosclerosis regression. This study thus involves a secondary analysis of data derived from an investigation conducted for another purpose. Animals were housed for 14 months' in social groups of five individuals each and initially fed a diet very high in saturated fat and cholesterol to induce coronary artery atherosclerosis. Monkeys were then exposed for 28 months to one of three conditions; (1) a moderately high-fat, high-cholesterol diet and an unstable social environment (in which monkeys were switched among groups monthly); (2) a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and an unstable social environment; and (3) a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and a stable social environment. A comparison of animals living in unstable groups revealed that those consuming the low-fat diet exhibited more overt aggression (P < 0.001) and overt submission (P < 0.01) than did monkeys eating the high-fat diet. A second comparison involved only those animals living in stable social units. These monkeys, while consuming the low-fat diet, engaged in more aggression and submission (Ps < 0.05), spent less time in passive body contact or within touching distance (Ps < 0.001), and spent more time alone (P < 0.001) than they had initially while consuming a very high-fat diet. The current investigation is the first on this topic to include measures of social behavior in animals both before and after a reduction in dietary fat. The findings that such a reduction is associated with increased agonism and decreased affiliation may help explain the epidemiologic association in human beings between low or reduced plasma cholesterol concentrations and a high incidence of violence-related mortality. More generally, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that there is a negative feedback adaptation providing for appropriate changes in behavior in response to periodic dietary privation. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Laminar flow of a wetting liquid along the corners of a predominantly gas-occupied noncircular pore

Abstract The problem of low Reynolds number wetting liquid flow in a noncircular capillary occupied predominantly by a nonwetting gas phase is separated into individual corner flow problems and solved numerically. The solution is presented in terms of a dimensionless flow resistance, β, which is tabulated as a function of corner geometry (half angle and degree of roundedness), surface shear viscosity, and contact angle. The effect of corner geometry and contact angle is to change the cross-sectional area available for flow, while the surface shear viscosity affects the boundary condition at the gas-liquid interface. The dimensionless flow resistance is shown to increase with increasing half angle, degree of roundedness, surface shear viscosity, and contact angle. Finally, it is demonstrated htat the error resulting from the use of the hydraulic-diameter approximation for the corner flow problem is on the order of 50% or higher.
Alcohol and drug involvement after adolescent treatment and functioning during emerging adulthood

This study identified patterns of alcohol and other drug (AOD) involvement during the decade following adolescent AOD treatment and developmental outcomes in emerging adulthood. AOD and psychosocial variables were assessed at 8 time points from adolescence into adulthood (n = 153; 41.2% women) in an inpatient treatment sample of alcohol and other drug dependent teens. Latent class growth analysis identified six trajectories based on alcohol and substance use frequency which were consistent with developmental transitions and validated by measures of dependency symptoms. While few differences were evident at intake, the educational, occupational and interpersonal attainments were differentially associated with the alcohol/drug trajectories as youth transitioned into adulthood. High rates of high school graduation (71.1%), professional occupations (45.2%), marriage/cohabitation (48.5%), and financial responsibility for children (F[5,27] = 2.75, p=.02) were evident for those with the least alcohol and drug involvement. More severe drug use trajectories were associated with higher rates of dependence, incarceration and more treatment at the final period of assessment. Outcomes of the trajectory of frequent alcohol involvement were distinct from combined alcohol and drug use. These findings highlight the long term diversity of substance use outcomes following adolescent treatment and suggest that identification of these patterns of use following treatment can help clarify the developmental impact of youth alcohol and drug use on outcomes in young adulthood.
Cocirculation of infectious diseases on networks

We consider multiple diseases spreading in a static configuration model network. We make standard assumptions that infection transmits from neighbor to neighbor at a disease-specific rate and infected individuals recover at a disease-specific rate. Infection by one disease confers immediate and permanent immunity to infection by any disease. Under these assumptions, we find a simple, low-dimensional ordinary differential equations model which captures the global dynamics of the infection. The dynamics depend strongly on initial conditions. Although we motivate this Rapid Communication with infectious disease, the model may be adapted to the spread of other infectious agents such as competing political beliefs, or adoption of new technologies if these are influenced by contacts. As an example, we demonstrate how to model an infectious disease which can be prevented by a behavior change.
A mixed-variable continuously deforming finite element method for parabolic evolution problems. Part I: The variational formulation for a single evolution equation

The objective of the research presented here was to develop a generic adaptive computational method for porous media evolution problems that involve coupled heat flow, fluid flow and species transport processes with sharply defined phase-change interfaces. In this paper we examine the general least squares variational approach and develop the conceptual framework for a rate least squares variational formulation of a continuously deforming mixed variable finite element method for solving highly non-linear time-dependent partial differential equations. In Part II of this paper1 we extend the formulation given here for a single evolution equation to a system of coupled evolution equations. In Part III2 we discuss in detail the numerical procedures that were implemented in a computer program and present several numerical examples that demonstrate the performance of this computational method.