cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the impact of Syrian refugees on earthquake fatality estimations in southeast Turkey

Abstract. The influx of millions of Syrian refugees into Turkey has rapidly changed the population distribution along the Dead Sea Rift and East Anatolian fault zones. In contrast to other countries in the Middle East where refugees are accommodated in camp environments, the majority of displaced individuals in Turkey are integrated into local cities, towns, and villages – placing stress on urban settings and increasing potential exposure to strong earthquake shaking. Yet displaced populations are often unaccounted for in the census-based population models used in earthquake fatality estimations. This study creates a minimally modeled refugee gridded population model and analyzes its impact on semi-empirical fatality estimations across southeast Turkey. Daytime and nighttime fatality estimates were produced for five fault segments at earthquake magnitudes 5.8, 6.4, and 7.0. Baseline fatality estimates calculated from census-based population estimates for the study area varied in scale from tens to thousands of fatalities, with higher death totals in nighttime scenarios. Refugee fatality estimations were analyzed across 500 semi-random building occupancy distributions. Median fatality estimates for refugee populations added non-negligible contributions to earthquake fatalities at four of five fault locations, increasing total fatality estimates by 7–27 %. These findings communicate the necessity of incorporating refugee statistics into earthquake fatality estimations in southeast Turkey and the ongoing importance of placing environmental hazards in their appropriate regional and temporal context.
Changes with Chinese Characteristics: Rural Clan Culture, Clan Communities, and Kinship Relations During Urbanization

This research examines urbanization and its impact on rural clan culture and clan communities, emphasizing normative changes with regard to clan sentiment, family values, filial piety, ancestor worship, decent relations, gender relations, marital relations, patriarchal power, and rituals, which have been long neglected by pioneer studies. As revealed, urbanization has weakened traditional influence among villagers especially the well-educated youths. But the impact is limited in scope and intensity. Migrant workers are still in their rural roots. The current urban development is not sufficient to completely separate them physically and mentally from native clan communities. Traditional culture remains not only in their memory but also in their daily life. China’s urbanization is distinguished from European model thanks to changed technological environment today. New technical conditions in transportation and information make the distance between migrant workers and their villages relatively shorter. Migrant workers’ spiritual communication with their family members, relatives, and local clans is not loosened. Their various links with home-villages do not cut off, but continue to be close and smooth. Urban effects move slowly on them. In the survey, a majority of the respondents expressed traditional viewpoints regarding ancestor worship, xiao (or filial piety), loyalty, clan rituals and clan genealogy, reflecting historical continuity of culture. Although villagers are shifting from the big jia to the small jia, and individualism is rising, jia, being the foundation of the Chinese society and Chinese culture, continues to be of more importance than individuals. Cultural changes bear strong Chinese characteristics.
Discrete Element Method–Based Investigations of Granular Flow in a Pebble Bed Reactor

AbstractIn a pebble bed reactor (PBR) core, nuclear fuel in the form of pebbles moves slowly under the influence of gravity. Due to the dynamic nature of the core, a thorough understanding about slow and dense granular flow of pebbles is required from both a reactor safety point of view and a performance evaluation point of view. In the current study, validation of discrete element method (DEM)–based simulation for the pebble flow in a PBR was carried out. Validation of DEM-based simulations necessitates validation of the employed numerical method of simulating packed structure. Hence, a parametric sensitivity study of packing interaction properties was initially conducted and also validation of the numerical method simulating packed structure at first. The parametric sensitivity analysis suggests that static friction characteristics play an important role from a packed/pebble bed structural characterization point of view. In addition, the simulated packed structure approach has shown a good agreement wit...
Immigrants from Mexico experience serious behavioral and psychiatric problems at far lower rates than US-born Americans

To examine the prevalence of self-reported criminal and violent behavior, substance use disorders, and mental disorders among Mexican immigrants vis-a-vis the US born. Study findings are based on national data collected between 2012 and 2013. Binomial logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between immigrant status and behavioral/psychiatric outcomes. Mexican immigrants report substantially lower levels of criminal and violent behaviors, substance use disorders, and mental disorders compared to US-born individuals. While some immigrants from Mexico have serious behavioral and psychiatric problems, Mexican immigrants in general experience such problems at far lower rates than US-born individuals.
In Defense of Radical Social Constructivism

This article is a response to Alex North's (2016) critique of radical social constructivism (RSC). North claimed that RSC was a movement in counseling that would be monumentally problematic in its future application to counseling theory. In this article, the author defends RSC and posits that RSC is closely aligned with the values of counseling. RSC encourages counselors to look at the social understanding of clients' experiences as paramount to the behaviors they exhibit.
Developing a Palliative Radiation Oncology Service Line: The Integration of Advance Care Planning in Subspecialty Oncologic Care

Within radiation oncology, there is often minimal attention on radiotherapy with palliative benefits due to the overlying focus on curative treatments. Historically at the University of Pennsylvania, advanced-stage patients are cared for by cancer site-specific teams rather than a more rapid treatment service model that focuses on patients' symptom needs and larger clinical issues within a palliative framework. Thus, the University of Pennsylvania created a designated palliative radiation oncology team to focus on the complex medical and relational issues of metastatic cancer patients. Social workers play a critical role in patient and family conversations about advance directives, care needs, and end-of-life goals and fears as treatment regimens and outcomes continue to unfold. The palliative radiation oncology social worker developed and instituted a new, formalized assessment tool called the "palliative radiation oncology psychosocial care plan" in the electronic medical record. A retrospective analysis of 26 palliative radiation oncology patients under treatment between February and August 2016 was conducted. Of these patients treated with palliative radiation, 19% completed an advance directive after the social work intervention. This model highlights advance care planning as a best practice and encourages end-of-life discussions as a routine part of the oncology workflow.
Comparisons of Methods at Hiatal Hernia Repair

In this chapter we will review various controversies in regard to technical aspects of hiatus hernia repair. While the debate is in no matter totally settled, we have attempted to present a succinct review of literature followed by a brief commentary to reflect our opinion.
The conservative surgical treatment of endometriosis: evaluation of pregnancy success with respect to the extent of disease as categorized using contemporary classification systems.

A homogeneous group of 214 infertile women with endometriosis treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1960 to 1979 received conservative surgery as the sole therapeutic modality. Among this group, 115 patients (54%) conceived following surgery; of these conceptions, 109 resulted in a living child. Among 49 patients with secondary infertility, the spontaneous abortion rate was reduced from 49% to 20% after conservative surgery ( P ≤0.01). Three contemporary classification systems were utilized to categorize patients according to the sites and amount of endometriosis at the time of conservative surgery. Those systems suggested by Buttram (Fertil Steril 30:240, 1978) and by Kistner and coauthors (Fertil Steril 28:108, 1977) revealed differences among fecundability rates among the different categories ( P ≤0.01); however, the system suggested by The American Fertility Society (AFS) (Fertil Steril 32:633, 1979) revealed significant differences only if categories were combined (mild plus moderate versus severe plus extensive, P ≤0.05). Nevertheless, the AFS system revealed that pregnancy success was significantly reduced if an ovarian endometrioma was greater than 3cm or had ruptured ( P ≤0.01).
Effect of insulin on the incorporation of C14 from C14-labeled carboxylic acids and bicarbonate into the protein of isolated rat diaphragm.

It is now well established that insulin in vitro enhances the incorporation of labeled amino acids into the protein of isolated rat diaphragm (l-6) ; this stimulating action of insulin on protein synthesis appears not to depend on a simultaneous stimulation by insulin of glucose utilization (4-6). Whether insulin promotes the transfer of labeled amino acid from the medium into the protein of isolated diaphragm by increasing the rate of entry of amino acid from the medium into the cell (4, 7) or by some other means has been uncertain. Manchester and Young (8, 9) have recently shown that Cl4 from pyruvate, ketoglutarate, and bicarbonate can be incorporated by isolated rat diaphragm into certain amino acids of its protein. If insulin stimulates incorporation of amino acids into protein by affecting the rate of their entry into the cell, incorporation of amino acids formed within the cell should not be influenced by insulin. In an attempt to define more precisely the mechanism of the action of insulin in this respect we have studied the effect of insulin on the uptake of 04 from various C14-labeled carboxylic acids and bicarbonate into the protein of isolated rat diaphragm. Our results suggest that insulin stimulates incorporation of amino acids into protein, not by an effect on the rate of their entry into the cell, but by influencing some intracellular process, the details of which are discussed.
From internet “Openness” to “Freedom”: How far has the net neutrality pendulum swung?

Abstract We examine the extent to which the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) 2015 “Open Internet” and 2018 “Restoring Internet Freedom” orders constrain anti-competitive and discriminatory pricing. We show that without regulation of interconnection agreements, and by allowing Internet Service Providers to cap bandwidth while also engaging in “zero rating,” the prescriptive regulations promulgated by the FCC in its 2015 order left the door open for both anti-competitive and discriminatory pricing. Conversely, by undoing the Title II underpinning for its 2015 adopted rules, the FCC may bind itself from being able to remedy anti-competitive or discriminatory pricing in the future.
Modeling and sensitivity analysis of particle impact with a wall with integrated damping mechanisms

Abstract Impact of adhesive particles with a wall occurs in many applications, over a wide range of impact speeds. Prediction of whether or not an impacting particle will stick to the wall, and if not prediction of the rebound velocity of the particle, is critical for estimating particle deposition rate and for simulation of particle transport using approaches such as the hard-sphere discrete element method (DEM). The problem is complicated by the fact that several different damping mechanisms act to inhibit particle rebound from the wall, even for the relatively simple case of normal particle impact. While comparisons of theoretical expressions for different damping mechanisms (e.g., viscoelastic damping, squeeze-film damping, plastic damping, van der Waals adhesion, etc.) are typically conducted with consideration of only one damping mechanism, in practice all of these mechanisms must be accounted for to make appropriate comparison of predictions with experimental data. The current paper presents a simplified model that integrates previous theoretical expressions for these different damping mechanisms. The integrated analytical expression yields predictions for particle normal restitution coefficient that are in excellent agreement with experimental data over a wide range of impact velocities. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using the method of variances to examine the influence of different parameters and different damping forces on measures of the restitution coefficient output.
Influence of Home Based Exercise Intensity on the Aerobic Capacity and 1 Year Re-Hospitalization Rate in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of home-based exercise intensity on the aerobic capacity and 1 year re-hospitalization rate in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods: Forty seven patients with CHF (males 33, females 14, age 61.3±9.8 years) participated in this study. The patients were allocated randomly to 3 groups in accordance with home-based exercise intensity: no home based exercise (NHE, 40%, n=19), moderate intensity home-based exercise (MIHE, 43%, n=20), and high intensity home based exercise (HIHE, 17%, n=8). All patients completed the symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) test safely at the cardiac rehabilitation hospital. Results: The NHE group significantly showed lower peak VO2 and a higher VE/VCO2 slope than the MIHE (p<0.05) and HIHE (p<0.01) groups. On the other hand, the NHE group did not show significant differences in the other hemodynamic responses, such as heart rate (HR) max, HR reserve, maximal systolic blood pressure (SBP), and SBP reserve. Nine out of 19 NHE patients (47%) were re-hospitalized related to heart disease and two out of 20 MIHE (10%) patients were re-hospitalized, but nobody in the HIHE group were re-hospitalized within 1 year from the CPX test. Conclusion: In patients with CHF, home-based self-exercise is one of the important factors for reducing the re-hospitalization rate. In addition, improved aerobic capacity is strongly associated with a lower re-hospitalization rate. In particular, re-hospitalized CHF patients showed significant differences in respiratory parameters and hemodynamic parameters compared to the non-re-hospitalized patients.
The Application of Least-Squares Finite-Element Method to Simulate Wave Propagation in Bianisotropic Media

The finite-element method (FEM) has been one of the major numerical techniques for electromagnetics (EM) ever since the introduction of the spurious-free edge element. On the other hand, a so-called least-squares FEM(LSFEM) is becoming increasingly popular due to its unique properties. For instance, the generated stiffness matrix is positive definite. Effort has been made to apply this node-element-based LSFEM to model EM problems, mostly in the theoretical aspect. In this paper, we will use normalized Maxwell’s equations incorporated with the constitutive relations of bianisotropic media, which represents the most general cases in the linear regime. Subsequently, the corresponding variational formulation is derived, followed by the generation of matrix systems. We then implement and validate various boundary conditions. Furthermore, we apply this scheme to simulate wave scattering in the presence of bianisotropic media that are categorized into three types. A good convergence rate and agreement between the LSFEM results and the referenced solutions has been achieved, which proves the Lagrange-element-based LSFEM as a feasible alternative to the edge-element-based FEM currently used in EM modeling.
Cooperation, Competition, and Conflict

Some time ago in the garden of a friend’s house, my 5-year-old son and his chum were struggling over possession of a water hose. (They were in conflict.) Each wanted to use it first to water the garden. (They had a competitive orientation.) Each was trying to tug it away from the other, and both were crying. Each was very frustrated, and neither was able to use the hose to sprinkle the flowers as he had desired. After reaching a deadlock in this tug-of-war, they began to punch one another and call each other names. As a result of their competitive approach, the conflict took a destructive course for both of them—producing frustration, crying, and violence.
Effects of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Deficiency on PCB-77-Induced Impairment of Glucose Homeostasis during Weight Loss in Male and Female Obese Mice.

Background: Lipophilic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulate with obesity, but during weight loss, liberated PCBs act as ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) to negatively influence...
Rocket Propulsion, Classical Relativity, and the Oberth Effect

The role of work and mechanical energy in classical relativity has been a subject of renewed interest in this publication. Here we present a problem that illustrates the relationship between impulse and kinetic energy for a rocket-powered object that can also change its gravitational potential energy. The same introductory physics principles lead to a remarkable result when applied to the mechanics of spaceflight—the Oberth effect—whereby a small impulse can cause a large change in a rocket’s orbital energy without violating any conservation laws.
Intrinsic properties of nitrogen-rich carbon nitride for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract The intrinsic electronic and catalytic properties of two-dimensional (2D) graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and its heterostructures were investigated as a potential oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalyst. g-C3N4 is rich in native pyridinic N and shows favorably interactions toward ORR intermediates, but lacks the ability for efficient charge transfer for practical electrochemical processes. The electronic structures of freestanding g-C3N4 and hetero-bilayers paired with graphene (GN) and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) monolayers were evaluated using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The energy band gap for the g-C3N4/GN bilayer, calculated from the HSE06 hybrid functional, is found to be significantly narrowed.. Moreover, a four-coordinated Fe atom, with Fe anchored by the pyridinic N (Fe-N-C) exists, resembling the GN-based FeN4 motif. The bindings of ORR intermediates at these single Fe atom sites were also found to be tunable, suggesting that there are opportunities to fine-tune g-C3N4-based materials to achieve superior performance as Pt-free electrocatalysts.
The measurement and analysis of stereopsis on children intermittent exotropia after surgery over one year

Objective To explore the long-term therapy effect of children intermittent exotropia after surgery and the impact factors of acquired foveolar stereoscopic vision. Methods A total of 216 children with intermittent exotropia aged 4-15 years were accepted the orthopia surgery. Before the surgery and 1 month or over 1 year after the surgery, position of eye, binocular vision and far and near stereoscopic vision were determined. The averaged years of following up were 3.68. Re- suits One year or longer after the surgery, 90.74% of all the children acquired the near stereoscopic vision less than 60 ＂, while 74.07% acquired the far stereoscopic vision less than 60 ＂. The far and near foveolar stereoscopic visions had no significant difference. According to the age of the pa- tients, they were divided into three groups, including less than 6 years old group, 6-9 years old group and more than 9 years old group. There was no significance in far and near foveolar stereo- scopic visions among the three groups. For a long time after operation, 150 （69.44%） patients were orthotopic, 66 （30.56%） patients were not fully orthotopic. The tested positive of near stereoscopic vi- sion less than 60 ＂ had no significance between orthotopic patients and nor fully orthotopic patients. The tested positive of the far stereoscopic vision less than 60 ＂ in orthotopic patients was 80.00%,while that in nor fully orthotopic patients was 60.61%. The difference of the test positive was signif- icant （x^2=12.17, P 〈0.01）. The logistic analysis showed that the tested positive of the far foveolar ste- reoscopic visions was associated with whether the patients were with far stereoscopic vision before surgery. Orthotopic maintain long-term after surgery was associated with the tested positive of foveo- lar stereoscopic vision. Conclusions The far and near stereoscopic vision are improved after chil- dren intermittent exotropia surgery without age influence. The impact factor of far foveolar stereo- scopic vision formation is eye position regression. The far stereoscopic vision before surgery is bene- ficial for foveolar stereoscopic vision formation after surgery. So the best opportunity for the surgery is before the loss of far stereoscopic vision. Key words: Intermittent exotropia; Children; Stereoscopic vision; Surgery
GUCY2D mutations in retinal guanylyl cyclase 1 provide biochemical reasons for dominant cone-rod dystrophy but not for stationary night blindness.

Mutations in the GUCY2D gene coding for the dimeric human retinal membrane guanylyl cyclase (RetGC) isozyme RetGC1 cause various forms of blindness, ranging from rod dysfunction to rod and cone degeneration. We tested how the mutations causing recessive congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB), recessive Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA1), and dominant cone–rod dystrophy-6 (CORD6) affected RetGC1 activity and regulation by RetGC-activating proteins (GCAPs) and retinal degeneration-3 protein (RD3). CSNB mutations R666W, R761W, and L911F, as well as LCA1 mutations R768W and G982VfsX39, disabled RetGC1 activation by human GCAP1, -2, and -3. The R666W and R761W substitutions compromised binding of GCAP1 with RetGC1 in HEK293 cells. In contrast, G982VfsX39 and L911F RetGC1 retained the ability to bind GCAP1 in cyto but failed to effectively bind RD3. R768W RetGC1 did not bind either GCAP1 or RD3. The co-expression of GUCY2D allelic combinations linked to CSNB did not restore RetGC1 activity in vitro. The CORD6 mutation R838S in the RetGC1 dimerization domain strongly dominated the Ca2+ sensitivity of cyclase regulation by GCAP1 in RetGC1 heterodimer produced by co-expression of WT and the R838S subunits. It required higher Ca2+ concentrations to decelerate GCAP-activated RetGC1 heterodimer—6-fold higher than WT and 2-fold higher than the Ser838-harboring homodimer. The heterodimer was also more resistant than homodimers to inhibition by RD3. The observed biochemical changes can explain the dominant CORD6 blindness and recessive LCA1 blindness, both of which affect rods and cones, but they cannot explain the selective loss of rod function in recessive CSNB.
Gamma Ray Burst Beaming Constraints from Afterglow Light Curves: GRB 970508

The beaming angle (zeta) is the main uncertainty in gamma ray burst energy requirements today. We summarize predictions for the light curves of beamed bursts, and model the R band light curve of GRB 970508 to derive zeta > 30 degrees. This yields an irreducible minimum energy requirement of 3.4 times 10^{49} ergs to power the afterglow alone.
Low-Dose Total Skin Electron Beam Therapy Combined With Mogamulizumab for Refractory Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome.

Abstract Purpose Management of patients with refractory mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome (SS) is often challenging, as available therapies lack durable response and consistent activity across disease compartments. Combining low-dose total skin electron beam therapy (LD-TSEBT) upfront with mogamulizumab could optimize the clinical outcome of these patients. LD-TSEBT is effective in clearing skin disease, and mogamulizumab is an antitumor immunotherapy with long-term tolerability, suggesting its potential as a maintenance therapy after maximal response. We examine the combination regimen in patients with SS who were previously treated. Methods and Materials Two patients with SS were treated with combination LD-TSEBT and mogamulizumab. Both patients received mogamulizumab 1 mg/kg weekly × 4 and then bi-weekly; LD-TSEBT (12 Gy) was initiated within 2 days of starting mogamulizumab and given over 2-3 weeks. Safety and clinical response were evaluated. Results Total skin electron beam therapy plus mogamulizumab (TSE-Moga) was well-tolerated without any unanticipated adverse events. Patient 1 (T4N2bM0B2) was a 63-year-old woman with 4 prior systemic therapies; time to global response with TSE-Moga was 9 weeks. Patient 2 (T4NxM0B2) was a 75-year-old man with 5 prior systemic therapies; time to global response was 4 weeks. Both patients lacked global response to their prior therapies but achieved global complete response (blood and skin) with TSE-Moga. After a follow-up of 72 weeks and 43 weeks, respectively, global complete response continued. Conclusions TSE-Moga demonstrated excellent tolerability and promising clinical activity with ongoing global complete responses in 2 patients with refractory SS. This encouraging experience supports our ongoing clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of TSE-Moga in mycosis fungoides and SS.
Culture media promoting sporulation of rice kernel smut fungus Tilletia barclayana

Rice kernel smut, caused by Tilletia barclayana, is an important fungal disease in rice worldwide. It can cause considerable losses of yield and milling quality in epidemic years. Having a culture medium able to stimulate the sporulation of the fungus is desirable for in vitro, greenhouse and field studies. However, no research has been conducted to develop optimal culture media for the growth and sporulation of T. barclayana. In this research, studies were conducted using four isolates of the fungus to evaluate various agar media, carbon sources, and incubation periods on the growth and sporulation of this fungus. Of the six culture media evaluated, rice bran agar (RBA) was the best medium in promoting sporulation, producing secondary sporidia of up to 1.95 × 106 sporidia/ml, while the water agar-only medium produced the least number of secondary sporidia (< 2 × 105 sporidia/ml). Potato dextrose agar (PDA) and potato sucrose agar (PSA) were the two media most effective in stimulating mycelial growth. Carbon source (sucrose, dextrose, and D-sorbitol) in culture media significantly affected the sporulation of the fungus but not mycelium growth. Incubation at 28 °C for 2 weeks under a 12 h light – 12 h darkness cycle resulted in the greatest sporulation of the four incubation periods (1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks) evaluated. The best culture medium and incubation time identified from this study could help facilitate the preparation of conidial inoculum for in vitro, greenhouse and field studies of kernel smut in rice.
A damaging function ΔKd for analyzing FCG and R-ratios in metallic materials

Abstract This paper presents a damaging stress intensity function ΔKd for analyzing R-ratio effects on fatigue crack growth (FCG) in metallic materials under constant amplitude loading. The proposed formulation is based on the sum of strain and complementary energy and its role in FCG rate behavior in threshold and Paris region at R-ratios ranging from −2 to 0.97. It doesn’t invoke a crack closure assumption or fitting parameters for R 0.7 it utilizes an experimentally determine correction factor, which accounts for the excessive forward plastic zone (FPZ) size and its role on FCG process.
Chapter VII Radiorespirometric Methods

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the radiorespirometric methods. The term “radiorespirometry” refers to a class of methods by which respiratory activity of a biological system is measured by means of radiotracer techniques. The advantages of the radiorespirometric are (1) the measurement of the production of respiratory CO 2 from microorganisms utilizing a 14 C-labeled substrate in a complex medium comprising all necessary nutritional requirements, (2) using 14 C-specifically labeled substrates to determine the rate and extent of the conversion of individual carbon atoms of the substrate to respiratory 14 CO 2 , (3) it is possible to trace the fate of substrates in the formation of respiratory 14 C and the biosynthesis of cellular constituents and fermentation products. It is believed that radiorespirometry will become a more common laboratory method for studies in the area of microbial physiology.. The radiorespirometric experiments involving continuous substrate feeding provide one with much more refined data pertaining to the kinetics of catabolic mechanisms. It is anticipated that this type of experiment will be used more extensively in the future in studies on cell catabolism of various carbonaceous substrates, regulation of catabolic mechanisms, developmental physiology, and numerous other areas.
Mitigating Public Health Risks from an Agroterror Attack

The list of potential agents that could be used in an agroterror attack on crops and vegetation is quite broad. Although food monitoring has theoretical potential to prevent an outbreak of disease due to the natural or intentional contamination of foods, many practical issues make it unfeasible to build a robust monitoring program to safeguard the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Given our limited ability to detect contaminated food products before they enter commerce, the interval between the occurrence of a food system event, its detection, and the subsequent response by the public health system is a key determinant of the potential impact. Although most foodborne outbreaks are localized and are investigated and controlled by local or state public health authorities, multi jurisdictional events may be large, widespread and require coordination between multiple state and federal agencies. However, strong leadership by individual states in multi state investigations will promote faster and better targeted mitigation strategies. Following an attack on the food system, the size, scope, and severity of the event will be the key elements involved in the move from response to recovery. The speed with which such an attack is recognized and controlled will affect all these measures. In this regard, enhancing the capacity of our foodborne disease surveillance system to rapidly investigate all foodborne disease outbreaks will be critical to positioning our food system for a rapid recovery from an agroterrorism event. Keywords: agroterrorism; foodborne diseases; outbreaks; public health preparedness; mathematical modeling; interdependencies; urveillance; zoonoses
Suppressive Oligodeoxynucleotides Inhibit Th1 Differentiation by Blocking IFN-γ- and IL-12-Mediated Signaling

Repetitive TTAGGG motifs present at high frequency in mammalian telomeres can suppress Th1-mediated immune responses. Synthetic oligonucleotides (ODN) containing TTAGGG motifs mimic this activity and have proven effective in the prevention/treatment of certain Th1-dependent autoimmune diseases. This work explores the mechanism by which suppressive ODN block the induction of Th1 immunity. Findings indicate that these ODN inhibit IFN-gamma-induced STAT1 phosphorylation and IL-12-induced STAT3 and STAT4 phosphorylation. As a result, T-bet expression is reduced as is the maturation of naive CD4+ cells into Th1 effectors. These changes indirectly support the generation of Th2-dominated immune responses. Suppressive ODN may thus represent a novel approach to influence the Th1:Th2 balance in vivo.
Loading models in flexible manufacturing systems

Abstract In this paper two different approaches to planning and scheduling in the classicalmanufacturing systems are overviewed. Based on these approaches, a planning and scheduling methodology for Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) is presented. One of the most important problems in the FMS methodology, the machine loading problem, is discussed to a great extent. Four models of the loading problem are formulated. Some of the algorithms for solving the loading problems are also discussed.
An introduction to beamstrahlung and disruption

In this lecture we review the current understanding of the beam-beam interaction in e/sup +/e/sup -/ linear colliders. Strictly speaking, the two effects, disruption and beamstrahlung, during beam-beam interaction are coupled. This is self-evident because without deflection there would be no radiation, and with radiation during bending the remaining trajectory of particles would not be the same. Fortunately, in a large range of beam parameters the average disruption angles are rather small, and the emission of hard photons are relatively rare. For these reasons the two effects can be isolated from each other to the first degree of accuracy, and our study of the issue can be greatly simplified. This happens also to be the development historically. We discuss the effects associated with disruption with negligible beamstrahlung. Here, an important parameter, the disruption parameter D, is introduced. We then discuss the maximum and rms disruption angles. The analytic scaling laws for D >> 1 and D << 1 are then compared with simulation results. Next we investigate the enhancement of luminosity due to disruption. Together with the aspect ratio R identical to sigma/sub x//sigma/sub y/, the two parameters define a scaling law for luminosity enhancement, H/sub D1/, due to themore » mutual pinching of the e/sup +/e/sup -/ bunches where the effective beam size sigma/sub x/sigma/sub y/ is reduced. Next we discuss beamstrahlung with negligible disruption. First we review the nature of beamstrahlung by describing the novel features of the problem. These specific features are then compared with the known radiation phenomena with emphasis on their similarities and differences. 36 refs.« less
HU-331 Is a Catalytic Inhibitor of Topoisomerase IIα

Topoisomerases are essential enzymes that are involved in DNA metabolism. Topoisomerase II generates transient DNA strand breaks that are stabilized by anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin, causing an accumulation of DNA damage. However, doxorubicin causes cardiac toxicity and, like etoposide and other topoisomerase II-targeted agents, can induce DNA damage, resulting in secondary cancers. The cannabinoid quinone HU-331 has been identified as a potential anticancer drug that demonstrates more potency in cancer cells with less off-target toxicity than that of doxorubicin. Reports indicate that HU-331 does not promote cell death via apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, caspase activation, or DNA strand breaks. However, the precise mechanism of action is poorly understood. We employed biochemical assays to study the mechanism of action of HU-331 against purified topoisomerase IIα. These assays examined DNA binding, cleavage, ligation, relaxation, and ATPase activities of topoisomerase IIα. Our results demonstrate ...
WntD is a feedback inhibitor of Dorsal/NF-κB in Drosophila development and immunity

Regulating the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) family of transcription factors is of critical importance to animals, with consequences of misregulation that include cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases and developmental defects1. Studies in Drosophila melanogaster have proved fruitful in determining the signals used to control NF-κB proteins, beginning with the discovery that the Toll/NF-κB pathway, in addition to patterning the dorsal–ventral axis of the fly embryo, defines a major component of the innate immune response in both Drosophila and mammals2,3. Here, we characterize the Drosophila wntD (Wnt inhibitor of Dorsal) gene. We show that WntD acts as a feedback inhibitor of the NF-κB homologue Dorsal during both embryonic patterning and the innate immune response to infection. wntD expression is under the control of Toll/Dorsal signalling, and increased levels of WntD block Dorsal nuclear accumulation, even in the absence of the IκB homologue Cactus. The WntD signal is independent of the common Wnt signalling component Armadillo (β-catenin). By engineering a gene knockout, we show that wntD loss-of-function mutants have immune defects and exhibit increased levels of Toll/Dorsal signalling. Furthermore, the wntD mutant phenotype is suppressed by loss of zygotic dorsal. These results describe the first secreted feedback antagonist of Toll signalling, and demonstrate a novel Wnt activity in the fly.
Service observing and data quality control: some lessons learned from the Hubble Space Telescope

Service mode observing simultaneously provides convenience, observing efficiency, cost-savings, and scheduling flexibility. To effectively optimize these advantages, the observer must exactly specify an observation with no real time interaction with the observatory staff. In this respect, ground-based service-mode observing and HST observing are similar. There are numerous details which, if unspecified, are either ambiguous or are left to chance, sometimes with undesirable results. Minimization of ambiguous/unspecified details is critical to the success of both HST and ground-based service observing. Smart observing proposal development tools which ave built in flexibility are therefore essential for both the proposer and the observatory staff. Calibration of the science observations is also an important facet of service observing. A centralized calibration process, while resource-intensive to install and maintain, is advantageous in several ways: it allows a more efficient overall use of the telescope, guarantees a standard quality of the observations, and makes archival observations more easily usable, greatly increasing the potential scientific return from the observations. In order to maximize the scientific results from an observatory in a service mode operations model, the observatory needs to be committed to performing a standard data quality evaluation on all science observations to assist users in their data evaluation and to provide data quality information to the observatory archive. The data quality control process at STScI adds value to the HST data and associated data products through examination and improvement of data processing, calibration, and archiving functions. This functionality is provided by a scientist who is familiar with the science goals of the proposal and assists its development throughout, from observation specification to the analysis of the processed data. Finally, archiving is essential to good service observing, because a good archive helps improve observing efficiency by not allowing unnecessary duplication of observations.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
LONGITUDINAL MICROFIBRILLAR ALIGNMENT IN THE WALL OF CYLINDRICAL NITELLA RHIZOIDAL CELLS: OBSERVATION UNDER POLARIZING AND INTERFERENCE MICROSCOPES

Polarizing and interference microscopes were employed to measure overall orientation of microfibrils and dry matter (expressed in optical thickness) in the cell wall of Nitella rhizoids. The microfibrils are aligned predominantly parallel to the cell's long axis (positively birefrengent), except in the apical dome where the arrangement appears to be random. The optical thickness, however, is greater at the very tip and the base region. The wall contains about 5060% of acid extractable amorphous, noncrystalline substance. This extraction does not make a significant change in the alignment, but the remaining dry matter becomes less at the tip and increases slightly toward the base. The alignment parallel to the direction of cell growth in the rhizoidal cell is different from that of the elongating Nitella internodal cell where the alignment is transverse. THE NITELLA PLANT has two kinds of cylindrical cells: 1) internodal and lateral ("leaf') cells which contain chloroplasts, and 2) chloroplast-free rhizoidal cells. In spite of similarities in their geometric characteristics and their overall unidirectional elongation, internodal and rhizoidal cells have different growth kinetics. The internodal cell elongates by means of diffuse growth (Green, 1954); while the rhizoidal cell elongates by means of tip growth of its apical dome. In the latter case the expansion is greatest at the very tip of the dome and decreases toward the base (Chen, 1973). As far as the internodal cell wall is concerned, Green (1958a, b, 1960) observed that during cell elongation, wall microfibrils were deposited predominantly in the transverse direction (i.e., perpendicular to the direction of elongation). Later, Gertel and Green (1977) suggested some physical factors governing the oriented microfibril apposition. Nitella also has a dome-shaped apical cell at the tip of shoots. Green (1965) and Green and King (1966) demonstrated that growth in such a cell was tipgrowth similar to that of the rhizoid tip and that the wall microfibrillar orientation was random, except at the base where it was transverse. The rhizoidal cell is cylindrical with a domeshaped apex. In the present study the microfibrillar arrangement of the rhizoid wall was investigated to see whether the microfibrillar arrangement in the cylindrical part is similar
Theory of induced-torque anomalies in potassium

The nonsaturating, four-peak pattern of induced torque observed in spherical potassium samples has been a challenging puzzle for many years. It is found that this behavior can be quantitatively explained by an anisotropic Hall coefficient. This provides further confirmation of the broken translation symmetry of the ground state of potassium, i.e., a charge-density-wave structure.
Physical growth and development, neurological maturation, and behavioral functioning in two Ecuadorian Andean communities in which goiter is endemic. II. PTC taste sensitivity and neurological maturation.

PTC (phenylthiocarbamide) taste sensitivity was correlated with a measure of visual-motor maturation in children six to 15 years of age in two Ecuadorian Andean communities in which goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) and cretinism are endemic. The children in one population received injections of iodine in oil IM in 1966 while the children in the other population did not. The correlations between PTC taste sensitivity and visual-motor maturation were significant in both sex groups in the non-iodized population, but not in the iodized population. There was also a significant increase in taste sensitivity with age in the non-iodized, but not the iodized, population. The data support the hypothesis that the sensitive “tasters” of PTC limit their ingestion of naturally occurring goitrogens and are at an adaptive advantage with respect to the less sensitive “tasters” and “non-tasters” in this area in which iodine intake is low and the consumption of food crops containing naturally occurring goitrogens is high.
Hypergeometric series solutions of some anticlastic deformation problems

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der allgemeinen Behandlung antiklastischer Durchbiegungsprobleme. Von Karmans Gleichung fur grosse Durchbiegungen und antiklastische Deformation wurden mit Hilfe der Frobeniusschen Methode gelost. Fur Platten, deren Dicke proportional einer beliebigen Potenz des Abstandes vom Plattenrand ist, wurden Losungen in Form allgemeiner hypergeometrischer Funktionen ausgearbeitet. Numerische Resultate fur antiklastische Deformation werden fur verschiedene Plattendicken prasentiert.
Brainstem ischemic damage following occlusion of the blood vessels in the rat's posterior cerebral circulation

Progression of ischemic damage was investigated immunohistochemically in neural dendrites using microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) as a dendritic marker in the rat's brainstem. Neuronal soma and dendrites were clearly stained by this protein but some structures such as axonal bundles, glia and endothelial cells were not visualized. When the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) was occluded unilaterally for 30 min, a wide ischemic lesion was detected in the occluded side of the brainstem and was observed as a loss of reaction to MAP2. After ischemia for 2 h, loss of reaction in the perikarya and dendrites was seen to expand to the ipsilateral (occluded side) cochlear nucleus. When the basilar artery was blocked, ischemic damage in the vestibular nucleus was more intense than that in the cochlear nucleus. In all specimens studied, differences in anatomical blood supply demonstrated selective tissue vulnerability for ischemic damage.
Understanding the factors that affect a woman’s selection of her gynecologic surgeon and obstetrician

Abstract Objective: To elicit information on the process used by patients to select an obstetrician or gynecologist and to identify the physician attributes that are important to them. Methods: A prospective, case-control study was performed at a university-based medical center. A survey was designed for obstetric and gynecologic surgery patients and distributed to women undergoing delivery or gynecologic surgery. Results: Over a 2-month period, 532 surveys were distributed and 153 were completed for a 29% response rate. Gynecologic surgery patients consulted more physicians before selecting a provider (1.0 ± 0.2 versus 0.3 ± 0.1 physicians, P = 0.0001) and placed a higher priority on physician reputation (92% versus 76%, P = 0.007). The obstetric patients placed more emphasis on physician communication skills (96% versus 84%, P = 0.02) and office associates (72% versus 54%, P = 0.02). A number of physician attributes were important to both groups, including responsiveness (95%), professionalism (94%), and confidence (94%). Least important to the combined groups were insurance (58%), office location (46%), gender (38%), and age (15%). Conclusions: Obstetric patients considered physician communication skills and office associates important whereas gynecologic surgery patients sought physician reputation and were more likely to “doctor shop.” Understanding what patients seek out in their provider can help physicians better meet their needs.
Quaternary paleoecology of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Snake River Plain, Idaho.

Plant and animal fossils have been recovered from several different types of sediment at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Based on woodrat middens and pollen from cave sediments, the Holocene vegetation history has been one of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe that became increasingly similar to shadscale (Atriplex spp.) steppe, culminating ca. 7000 years ago. A radiocarbon date on snail shells from ''ancient'' Lake Terreton shows that the basin was filled as recently as 700 years ago. Fossils of aquatic organisms were found in aeolian sediments, indicating that lake and stream sediments may be an important source of the aeolian sediment at the INEL.
Two Novel and Efficient Approaches to Synthesis of Enantiopure Dipeptide β-Turn Mimetics: Indolizidinone Amino Acids

Indolizidinone amino acids 1 (Figure 1) have been proposed to mimic or induce β-turn secondary structural features for peptides and proteins [1, 2]. It has been demonstrated that incorporation of some of these scaffolds into biologically active peptides has led to peptide mimetic ligands with enhanced activities and metabolic stabilities [1, 2]. However, the lack of efficient methods for the asymmetric synthesis of these compounds is one of the major bottlenecks in the field. Recently we have developed two novel approaches for the synthesis of such compounds in high stereoselectivity.