cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Punching out of one's weight class? Cross agreement retaliation in the WTO

Abstract Agreements are expressed in terms of the level of standards, which serves as a proxy for the degree of permitted discretion. A pair of sub-agreements constitutes the treaty. The extent to which preferences of governments entail cross agreement linkages in negotiation are presented. The model is applied to the WTO's DSU, revealing that it contributes to performance of the agreement when a regime is elected desiring weaker commitments. When cross agreement retaliation is more effective than within agreement retaliation is disclosed. This does not depend upon power disparities of the signatories, although implications for the achievement of negotiations may exist. This template helps you to create a properly formatted manuscript.
InnovA: A Cognitive Architecture for Computational Innovation Through Robust Divergence and Its Application for Analog Circuit Design

This paper presents InnovA, a cognitive architecture for creative problem solving in analog circuit design, e.g., topology creation (synthesis), incremental topology modification, and design knowledge identification and reuse. The architectural modules attempt to replicate cognitive human activities, like concept formation, comparison, and concept combination. The architecture uses multiple knowledge representations organized using topological similarity and causality information. Solutions are clustered, so that each cluster represents a specific set of performance tradeoffs, thus a fragment of the Pareto front in the solution space. New structural features are created through variation of existing features. New solutions are created by combining features from the same cluster, distinct clusters, and features that originate a new cluster. The related algorithms are discussed in this paper too. The architecture also incorporates modules mimicking the using of human emotions in memory formation and decision making, but these modules are still under development and are a main direction for our future work. This paper presents a number of examples to illustrate its using in various analog circuit design activities that are hard to be realized with traditional computational methods.
Risk management in pediatric regional anesthesia

Although regional analgesia exerts beneficial effects not only for reducing the stress responses during surgery but also for pain relief after surgery, adverse incidents have occurred even at a low rate. Severe complications such as spinal penetration during epidural block can devastate not only patients, families but also our staffs and we have to avoid such disastrous result absolutely. Retrospective and prospective studies are seldom able to register the precise incident rate of severely injured complication related to regional blocks because the rate is very low. Therefore we have to glean any information from case reports and studies as much as possible. A study has clarified that more epidural cases might be able to reduce the rate of injuring and younger age group is apt to be injured especially in the thoracic region. The report of five cases of severe injuring during epidural blocks from Giaufre's study gave us some important advices. We should not perform epidural blocks in the very young age group and not use air while confirming epidural space by loss of resistance technique and local anesthetics containing even low concentrations of epinephrine. We have to select patients carefully and balance the risk and benefits with the patients.
Flowers of Turonian Magnoliidae and their implications

Recently discovered fossil flowers of Magnoliidae from Atlantic Coastal Plain deposits of Turonian age are considered in the context of the overall fossil record of magnoliid reproductive remains. The assemblage of fossils from these Turonian localities is diverse and affects our understanding of the history of reproductive structures in the Magnoliidae (and in the angiosperms in general). Within Piperales (sensu Cronquist 1981), they include the earliest stamens similar to those of modern Chloranthus. Turonian fossil Magnoliales document early diversity of complicated flowers with numerous spirally arranged organs and laminar stamens and also reveal diversity in Magnoliales with cupulate floral receptacles. In Laurales, there are two taxa of fossil flowers of Lauraceae, and a fossil flower sharing some, but not all, characters with Calycanthaceae. In the context of the overall Cretaceous record of angiosperms, these fossils have important implications with respect to the sequence of appearance of disparate types of floral morphology in Magnoliidae. They also reveal diversity in character complexes now associated with several different modes of insect pollination and suggest that during the Turonian, passive (e.g., wind) dispersal of seeds was important in magnoliid taxa.
CD4 T Cells, CD8 T Cells, and Monocytes Coordinate To Prevent Rift Valley Fever Virus Encephalitis.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an arbovirus that causes disease in livestock and humans in Africa and the Middle East. While human disease is typically mild and self-limiting, some individuals develop severe manifestations, such as hepatitis, hemorrhagic fever, or encephalitis. Encephalitis occurs 2 to 3 weeks after acute illness; therefore, we hypothesized that it was a result of an inadequate adaptive immunity. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we used an attenuated virus (DelNSsRVFV) that does not typically cause disease in mice. We first characterized the normal immune response to infection with DelNSsRVFV in immunocompetent mice and noted expansion of natural killer cells and monocytes, as well as activation of both CD8 and CD4 T cells. Depleting C57BL/6 mice of CD4 T cells prior to DelNSsRVFV infection resulted in encephalitis in 30% of the mice; in encephalitic mice, we noted infiltration of T cells and inflammatory monocytes into the brain. CD4 and CD8 codepletion in C57BL/6 mice, as well as CD4 depletion in CCR2 knockout mice, increased the frequency of encephalitis, demonstrating that these cell types normally contributed to the prevention of disease. Encephalitic mice had similar viral RNA loads in the brain regardless of which cell types were depleted, suggesting that CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, and inflammatory monocytes did little to control viral replication in the brain. CD4-depleted mice exhibited diminished humoral and T cell memory responses, suggesting that these immune mechanisms contributed to peripheral control of virus, thus preventing infection of the brain.IMPORTANCE RVFV is found in Africa and the Middle East and is transmitted by mosquitos or through contact with infected animals. Infected individuals can develop mild disease or more severe forms, such as hepatitis or encephalitis. In order to understand why some individuals develop encephalitis, we first need to know which immune functions protect those who do not develop this form of disease. In this study, we used a mouse model of RVFV infection to demonstrate that CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, and monocytes all contribute to prevention of encephalitis. Their likely mechanism of action is preventing RVFV from ever reaching the brain.
Grants for Processing: A Case Study in Grant Writing and Project Management at the Brooklyn College Archives

AbstractThis article describes the process of finding the right grant to meet the needs of a processing project, the application and peer review process, and the experience of administering the gra...
Approximate spectral gaps for Markov chains mixing times in high dimensions

This paper introduces a concept of approximate spectral gap to analyze the mixing time of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms for which the usual spectral gap is degenerate or almost degenerate. We use the idea to analyze a class of MCMC algorithms to sample from mixtures of densities. As an application we study the mixing time of a Gibbs sampler for variable selection in linear regression models. Under some regularity conditions on the signal and the design matrix of the regression problem, we show that for well-chosen initial distributions the mixing time of the Gibbs sampler is polynomial in the dimension of the space.
Mitochondrial translocation of cyclin C stimulates intrinsic apoptosis through Bax recruitment

Intrinsic apoptosis requires mitochondrial outer membrane disruption triggered by recruitment, activation, and oligomerization of the Bcl-2 homology protein Bax. Following oxidative stress, we demonstrated that the transcriptional regulator cyclin C is released into the cytosol where it directs mitochondrial fragmentation and efficient apoptotic induction. This study reveals that cytoplasmic cyclin C is required for both normal Bax activation and its efficient mitochondrial localization. This activity appears direct as cyclin C co-immunoprecipitates with active Bax in stressed cells and binds recombinant Bax in vitro. In addition, stable cyclin C-Bax association requires the fission complex. Pharmacologically stimulating cyclin C nuclear release is sufficient for Bax association and their mitochondrial localization in the absence of any stress signals. However, these cells do not undergo cell death as Bax fails to oligomerize. These data support a model that cyclin C association defines an initial step in Bax mitochondrial recruitment and provides a physical connection between the fission and apoptotic factors. This strategy allows the cell to discriminate stress-induced fission able to recruit Bax from other types of mitochondrial divisions.
Xanthogranulomatous Sialadenitis, an Uncommon Reactive Change is Often Associated with Warthin’s Tumor

Xanthogranulomatous sialadenitis (XGS) is rare in salivary glands and only reported in the literature as single cases. Here we report a cohort of four cases with XGS and summarize the clinicopathologic features of these cases. All four patients had persistent mass lesions concerning for neoplasm. In two patients (patient 1 and 3), the initial fine needle aspirations (FNAs) contained oncocytic cells consistent with or suspicious for Warthin’s tumor, but follow-up FNAs showed only inflammation and/or debris indicating tumor infarction after FNA. All patients eventually had surgical resection. Histologically, all cases contained abundant macrophages with necrosis and fibroblastic proliferation. Warthin’s tumor with a grossly identifiable tumor nodule (0.7 cm) was noted in patient 1 and a microscopic focus (0.2 cm) of Warthin’s tumor was identified in patient 3. No identifiable tumor was observed in patient 2 and 4. There are a total of 10 XGS cases in the literature (including four from this series) and Warthin tumor was identified in 50% of reported cases of XGS, suggesting that XGS is an uncommon reactive process to spontaneous or procedure-induced infarction of Warthin tumor. As a diagnostic mimicker for malignancy, a thorough examination and generous sampling of surgical resection specimen is warranted, although a benign salivary gland neoplasm, commonly Warthin’s tumor, is often identified.
Experimental pancreas transplantation

Abstract Animal models are an important method of scientific research. Progress in clinical transplantation was made much in part due to experimental animal models which helped to evolve the surgical techniques and methods of engraftment and eventually created a path toward human transplantation. In the field of pancreas transplantation, animal models have also provided a better understanding of transplant immunology, graft rejection, immunosuppressive therapy, and methods of organ preservation.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with bicuspid aortic valve stenosis: national trends and in-hospital outcomes.

Background: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is considered the most common congenital heart disease and the main etiology of aortic valve stenosis (AS) in young adults. Although transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is routinely used in high- and intermediate-risk patients with AS, BAV patients with AS were excluded from all pivotal trials that led to TAVR approval. We sought, therefore, to examine in-hospital outcomes of patients with BAV who underwent TAVR in comparison with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample from 2011 to 2014, we identified patients with BAV with International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision-CM code 746.4. Patients who underwent TAVR were identified using ICD-9 codes 35.05 and 35.06 and those who underwent SAVR were identified using codes 35.21 and 35.22 during the same period. Results: A total of 37,052 patients were found to have BAV stenosis. Among them, 36,629 patients (98.8%) underwent SAVR, whereas 423 patients (1.14%) underwent TAVR. One-third of enrolled patients were female, and the majority of the patients were White with a mean age of 65.9 ± 15.1 years. TAVR use for BAV stenosis significantly increased from 0.39% in 2011 to 4.16% in 2014 (P < 0.001), which represents a 3.77% overall growth in procedure rate. The median length of stay decreased significantly throughout the study period (mean 12.2 ± 8.2 days to 7.1 ± 5.9 days, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between SAVR and TAVR groups in the in-hospital mortality (0% vs. 5.9%; adjusted P = 0.119). Conclusion: There is a steady increase in TAVR use for BAV stenosis patients along with a significant decrease in length of stay.
LOCALIZATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE 5′ END OF ADENOVIRUS-2 FIBER mRNA

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the localization and characterization of the 5′ end of adenovirus-2 fiber mRNA. Adenovirus-2 mRNAs are composed of RNA segments transcribed from noncontiguous regions of the Ad2 genome. In the case of late mRNA sequences encoded at map positions, 16.6, 19.6, and 26.6 become joined to form a common leader sequence at the 5′ end of the major mRNAs. One of these, from which the major structural protein, fiber, is translated, has been studied in detail. The 5f end of the mRNA has been precisely localized on the Ad2 genome, and the nucleotide sequences of segments of the genome and mRNA containing the 5f end has been derived. Fiber mRNAs are heterogeneous at their 5′ ends and in addition to the common tripartite leader sequence, species contain additional leader components. In an experiment described in the chapter, cDNA was prepared by reverse transcription of the fiber mRNA and cloned into pBR322 plasmid. Analysis of DNA from one of this clone helped deriving the nucleotide sequences of the entire leader region.
Impact of interim PET on Hodgkin lymphoma treatment outcome and survival in clinical practice.

e20017Background: FDG avidity above liver on interim PET (PET2) during frontline ABVD is considered a marker of impending treatment failure and an indication to switch to an intensified regimen. Ho...
Spatial variability in Mussels used to assess base level nitrogen isotope ratio in freshwater ecosystems

Freshwater mussels have been used to establish base level nitrogen isotope ratio values (δ15N) used in trophic position and food web studies in freshwater ecosystems. In this study, we assess the variability introduced when using unionid mussels in this manner by investigating the spatial variation in δ15N values in mussels from different locations in shallow freshwater ponds, and also differences in δ15N in different tissue types in the mussels. Results from the analysis of adductor, foot and a section of the mantle tissues from mussels across all ponds showed that adductor tissue was consistently enriched by about 1‰ versus the mantle and foot. The foot showed the least variability which, coupled with ease in obtaining consistent samples, led us to select this tissue type for subsequent analysis. The six ponds included in the study had average mussel δ15N values ranging from 4.9‰ to 11.9‰. Four of the six ponds showed no significant within pond differences between δ15N values from mussels collected at different sampling sites. The range of mussel δ15N values obtained from within ponds showed that using data from a single mussel to assess baseline δ15N values would result in the introduction of a maximum error of 0.56 of a trophic level to subsequent trophic position calculations.
Quest for Ideal Composite Biomarkers for Response to Immunotherapies

In the Checkmate 275 study, composite biomarkers appear to better predict response to immunotherapy over individual ones. Nevertheless, the path forward needs consensus guidelines for biomarker interpretation. Thereafter prospective validation with real-time, serial bio-specimen collection along with the development of composite biomarker models leads to the goal of personalized therapy.
Changes in equity of bikeshare access and use following implementation of income-eligible membership program & system expansion in Greater Boston

Abstract Introduction While bikeshare programs represent a promising platform for promoting physical activity and health, critics are concerned about their equity. In 2018, Greater Boston launched a low-income bikeshare membership program and expanded the number of available stations. This study examines: 1) changes in equity of station access and 2) changes in equity of bikeshare use as a result of the equity initiative. Methods We used publicly available trip history data to identify stations and trips during the pre-intervention (July 2013–December 2017) and intervention (January 2018–July 2019) periods. Using five transit and environmental justice indicators, we categorized census block groups by bikeshare need, then examined the number of block groups with full access to a station before and during the intervention. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the change in probability of a trip starting or ending in a high need block group during the intervention period. Results Following the implementation of Boston's equity initiative, bikeshare access and use increased across the city, although gains were smallest for communities most in need of access to alternative transportation options. Conclusions Boston's bikeshare system is an important public health and physical activity promotion opportunity. However, further improvements are needed to promote equity in access and use.
Seeing the Whole Person: An Integrated Social Studies Approach to Intercultural Understanding and Civic Deliberation

In an expedition inside culture, participants are asked to engage with people of different experiences and cultures, to learn from human difference and embrace human commonality, utilizing citizenship and inspiring agency to find new solutions to common problems—arguably developing capacity for leadership. Especially in our current era of political, social, and cultural polarization and tumult, exacerbated by the isolation of COVID-19 precautions, how we prepare participants for this experience matters. It is tempting to look at culture through only historical lenses, yet the human experience is comprised of much more than stories of the past, and we need a more holistic approach through the lens of integrated social studies for deeper understanding. We are linked by our shared values and human decision-making process that considers issues in terms of these values, dictated by lessons of the past (history), an interaction with our environment (geography), allocation of scarce resources (economics), and a concern for building a stable society for our children (civics). Leadership involves cognizance, communication, and choices based on this intersectionality of values. In order to meet the goals of an expedition inside culture, we must consider all the social studies for human systems analysis. Participants are better prepared to respectfully and productively engage with other peoples when they have researched into the historical, geographic, economic, and civic roots of the host culture. The following will discuss in greater detail, the need for preparatory discussions within the core topics of social study: history, geography, economics, and civics, as well as how to prepare expedition participants in each strand of social studies through course resources and authentic instructional strategies.
Why Women Protest: Women's Movements in Chile

Why do women protest? Under what conditions do women protest on the basis of their gender identity? Professor Baldez answers in terms of tipping, timing and framing. She relies on the concept of tipping to identify the point at which diverse organizations converge to form a women's movement. She argues that two conditions trigger this mobilization among women: partisan realignment, understood as the emergence of a new set of issues around which political elites define themselves, and women's decision to frame realignment in terms of widely held norms about gender difference. To illustrate these claims, she compares two very different women's movements in Chile: the mobilization of women against President Salvador Allende (1970–3) and that against General Augusto Pinochet (1973–90). Despite differences between these two movements, both emerged amidst a context of partisan realignment and framed their concerns in terms of women's exclusion from the political arena.
Is a periodic table of the elements for organization behavior possible

Illis paper tries to show that if there can be anything analogous to a basic set of 'elements' for organization behavior, then those elements must be founded , if only in part, on a psychological base that is adequate to the task. The paper does not contend that all of the complexities of organization behavior can be reduced to psychology, but rather, that an integration of Jungian Personality Psychology and Transactional Analysis provides a necessary basis for a deeper introspection into the nature of complex organization behavior.
Inhibition by Neurotoxic Phospholipases A2 of Synaptosomal Uptake of γ-Aminobutyric Acid

: A comparison has been made of the abilities of several neurotoxic and nontoxic phospholipases A2 from snake venoms to inhibit the intake of γ-aminobutyric acid into synaptosomes from rat cerebral cortex. The neurotoxic phospholipases A2 inhibited GABA uptake more than the nontoxic enzymes did. However, there was a poor correlation between the measured specific enzyme activity of a phospholipase A2 and its ability to inhibit the uptake of GABA.
Being Mindful about Mindfulness: An Invitation to Extend Occupational Engagement into the Growing Mindfulness Discourse

This paper provides a rationale for the recognition of mindfulness in the occupational science discourse. There is a plethora of diverse scholastic interest in mindfulness, however not within the occupational science discipline. Mindfulness has a natural fit with occupation; its informal practice of awareness cultivation facilitates heightened engagement in and attunement to activity and the formal practice of mindfulness through meditation is itself an occupation. This paper reviews mindfulness and its contribution to enhancement of life quality and personal well-being. Additionally it speculates why mindfulness is not adequately represented in occupational science literature and research, and provides rationale for the inclusion of mindfulness into the discipline's field of investigation. In constructing this rationale, mindfulness is differentiated from the psychological concepts of flow, consciousness, and presence which in the literature are more commonly associated to participation in occupation. Th...
Between History and Anthropology: Stigma, the Subaltern and Leprosy in China

the highly anthropological mission of ‘‘provincializing Europe’’ (p. 16) 1 from historiographies of South and Southeast Asia. Here, she explicitly challenges ‘‘the master narrative of modernity as defined by ‘European’ experience’’ (p. 16) by filling ‘‘a remarkable lacuna in the modern history of leprosy as a global question’’ (p. 6). As medical anthropologists, we heartily applaud any effort to address this ‘‘lacuna,’’ the space that China and the Chinese diaspora should occupy in leprosy’s global history. However, as ‘‘remarkable’’ as this ‘‘lacuna’’ may be, so too is it a remarkable task for any single author to fill it. We recognize in this text a clarion call for ethnography to occupy those gaps that are left bare in the study of leprosy in China due to the necessarily limited reach of Leung’s historical method. Leung’s first chapter assembles a comprehensive inventory of the disease’s Chinese etiology. She explains that the early categorizations used to describe leprosy often encompassed (a) what we now know to be other diseases and (b) Hansen’s disease, the nonstigmatizing global health term today for the biomedical understanding of leprosy. Rather than attempt to isolate leprosy’s original point of entry into China’s written records, the author traces the nosological development of the dafeng, li/lai and mafeng categories ‘‘on their own terms’’ (p. 18). This is a culturally appropriate ethnohistorical strategy that provides readers with the necessary tools to approach an indigenized understanding of leprosy in China. It is asking a lot, however, for any one chapter to serve such an ambitious task.
Infrastructure investment and rural economic development: an evaluation of USDA's Broadband Loan Program.

We empirically evaluate whether participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Broadband Loan Program, which began making loans in 2002, has had measurable positive impacts on zip code-level economic outcomes. Using difference in differences and propensity score matching program evaluation techniques, we find that loans made in 2002 and 2003 under the Pilot Broadband Loan Program have had a substantial positive impact on employment, annual payroll, and the number of business establishments in recipient communities. However, a more spatially disaggregated analysis reveals that the positive economic impacts of the pilot program are driven primarily by the outcomes in communities located closest to urban areas. Finally, we find no evidence that loans received as part of the current Broadband Loan Program have had a measurable positive impact on recipient communities, possibly because not enough time has elapsed for the impacts of the current Broadband Loan Program to have emerged.
Requirements for αd in IgG Immune Complex-Induced Rat Lung Injury

αd is a newly cloned adhesion molecule that forms a heterodimer with CD18. The requirement for αd in IgG immune complex-induced lung injury in rats has been evaluated by the use of blocking polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to rat αd. Using whole lung extracts, Northern and Western blot analyses have revealed up-regulation of mRNA and αd protein in inflamed lungs. Immunostaining has revealed the presence of αd in lung tissue and in alveolar macrophages as early as 1 h after initiation of the inflammatory reaction. When polyclonal rabbit Ab to rat αd was coinstilled into lung together with Ab to BSA, lung injury (as determined by leakage of [ 125 I]albumin into lung parenchyma) was significantly diminished. In parallel, there was reduced accumulation of neutrophils recoverable in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. These findings were associated with reduced levels of TNF-α as well as NO 2 − /NO 3 − in BAL fluids. A hamster mAb to rat αd was also protective in this lung injury model. Anti-αd inhibited in vitro production of NO 2 − /NO 3 − by rat alveolar macrophages (stimulated with LPS and IFN-γ) by approximately 60%. These data suggest that, in the lung inflammatory model employed, αd up-regulation occurs in lung macrophages and is necessary for expression of TNF-α, recruitment of neutrophils, and full development of lung injury.
Chiral Gauge Models on a Lattice

Chiral gauge groups acting on a lattice fermion field are constructed such that all fermion modes (doublers) have the same charge. Details are given for an abelian axial gauge group within a perturbative framework. An action based on this group correctly reproduces the continuum gauge-current anomaly, while preserving global chiral symmetry, locality, rotational symmetry and hermiticity. A Wess-Zumino-like scalar field enters naturally to enforce exact chiral gauge invariance. The degeneracy amongst the doublers can be lifted as in a vector model.
Achieving Equity in Higher Education: The Unfinished Agenda

AbstractIn this retrospective account of their scholarly work over the past 45 years, Alexander and Helen Astin show how the struggle to achieve greater equity in American higher education is intimately connected to issues of character development, leadership, civic responsibility, and spirituality. While shedding some light on a variety of questions having to do with fairness and equity, this research has not succeeded in removing the structural barriers to progress among underrepresented groups. Accordingly, the authors advocate that colleges and universities focus greater attention on developing student values and other personal qualities that will produce a new generation of citizens who are committed to creating a more just and equitable society.
Skin cancer of the head and neck with clinical perineural invasion

Abstract Purpose: To review treatment and outcomes in 62 patients with clinical and/or gross evidence of perineural invasion from skin cancer of the head and neck. Methods and Materials: Sixty-two patients received radiotherapy at the University of Florida as part or all of their treatment between January 1965 and April 1995. All patients had clinical signs and symptoms of perineural involvement and/or documentation of tumor extending to grossly involve nerve(s). Twenty-one patients underwent therapy for previously untreated lesions, including 12 who received radiotherapy alone and nine who had surgery with postoperative radiotherapy. Forty-one patients underwent therapy for recurrent lesions, including 18 treated with radiotherapy alone and 23 who received preoperative or postoperative radiotherapy. Results: Factors on multivariate analysis that predicted local control included patient age, previously untreated vs. recurrent lesions, presence of clinical symptoms, and extent of radiotherapy fields. Recurrence patterns were predominantly local; 26 of 31 patients (84%) who developed local recurrence after treatment had recurrent cancer limited to the primary site. Conclusions: Many patients with skin cancer and symptomatic perineural invasion have disease that is incompletely resectable. Approximately half these patients will be cured with aggressive irradiation alone or combined with surgery. Age, prior treatment, and clinical symptoms influence the likelihood of cure.
Complex eigensolutions of coupled flexural and longitudinal modes in a beam with inclined elastic supports with non-proportional damping

Abstract Structure borne vibration and noise in an automobile are often explained by representing the full vehicle as a system of elastically coupled beam structures representing the body, engine cradle and body subframe where the engine is often connected to the chassis via inclined viscoelastic supports. To understand more clearly the interactions between a beam structure and isolators, this article examines the flexural and longitudinal motions in an elastic beam with intentionally inclined mounts (viscoelastic end supports). A new analytical solution is derived for the boundary coupled Euler beam and wave equations resulting in complex eigensolutions. This system is demonstrated to be self-adjoint when the support stiffness matrices are symmetric; thus, the modal analysis is used to decouple the equations of motion and solve for the steady state, damped harmonic response. Experimental validation and computational verifications confirm the validity of the proposed formulation. New and interesting phenomena are presented including coupled rigid motions, modal properties for ideal angled roller boundaries, and relationships between coupling and system modal loss factors. The ideal roller boundary conditions when inclined are seen as a limiting case of coupled longitudinal and flexural motions. In particular, the coupled rigid body motions illustrate the influence of support stiffness coupling on the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. The relative modal strain energy concept is used to distinguish the contribution of longitudinal and flexural deformation modes. Since the beam is assumed to be undamped, the system damping is derived from the viscoelastic supports. The support damping (for a given loss factor) is shown to be redistributed between the system modes due to the inclined coupling mechanisms. Finally, this article provides valuable insight by highlighting some technical issues a real-life designer faces when balancing modeling assumptions such as rigid or elastic formulations, proportional or non-proportional damping, and coupling terms in multidimensional joint properties.
Thermal Helix-coil Transition in Poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate

THE thermally induced transition of solvated poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate (PBG) molecules from a helical to a random coil configuration has been the subject of recent investigations1–3. Similar transitions, brought about by temperature or by other changes, occur in several poly-amino-acids4, and the general phenomenon has been treated theoretically by a number of authors5.
Spectrum and prevalence of cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) mutations in a cohort of unrelated patients referred explicitly for long QT syndrome genetic testing

Background Mutations in the RyR2 -encoded cardiac ryanodine receptor/calcium release channel cause type 1 catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT1). Objectives Because CPVT and concealed long QT syndrome (LQTS) phenotypically mimic one other, we sought to determine the spectrum and prevalence of RyR2 mutations in a cohort of unrelated patients who were referred specifically for LQTS genetic testing. Methods Using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and direct DNA sequencing, targeted mutational analysis of 23 RyR2 exons previously implicated in CPVT1 was performed on genomic DNA from 269 unrelated patients (180 females, average age at diagnosis 24 ± 17 years) who were referred to Mayo Clinic's Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory for LQTS genetic testing. Previously, comprehensive mutational analysis of the five LQTS-associated cardiac channel genes proved negative for this entire subset of patients now designated as "genotype-negative" LQTS referrals. Results Fifteen distinct RyR2 mutations (14 missense, 1 duplication/insertion, 12 novel) were found in 17 (6.3%) of 269 patients. None of these mutations were present in 400 reference alleles. Two mutations localized to the calstabin-2 (FKBP12.6) binding domain. Upon review of the clinical records, the referral diagnosis for all 17 patients was "atypical" or "borderline" LQTS. Conclusion Putative pathogenic CPVT1-causing mutations in RyR2 were detected in 6% of unrelated, genotype-negative LQTS referrals. These findings suggest that CPVT may be underrecognized among physicians referring patients because of a suspected channelopathy. A diagnosis of "atypical LQTS" may warrant consideration of CPVT and analysis of RyR2 if the standard cardiac channel gene screen for LQTS is negative.
THERMOCHEMICAL VALUES OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS FROM AB INITIO CALCULATIONS. 1. ENTHALPIES OF FORMATION OF ETHERS AND ALCOHOLS

A semitheoretical calculation of enthlapies of formation has been applied to alcohols and ethers. The calculation involves two steps. In the first step the ab initio energy for the conformer of lowest energy is converted into an estimate of the formal steric enthalpy (FSE). In the second step the FSE is combined with the formal bond enthalpy (FBE) to generate an estimate of ΔHf°. The group increments for calculating the FBE values are derived from experimental enthalpies of formation. FSE values and FBE values are defined in terms of standard molecules. Calibration requires minimal calculation, and the procedure is readily generalized to other classes of compounds. The calculation is group isodesmic. Three basis sets were used: 3-21G, 6-31G*, and 6-31G**. Electron correlation was performed with single point estimates using MP2 (Moeller−Plesset, truncated at the quadratic expansion) with geometry optimized with HF 6-31G**. For a selection of molecules geometry optimizations were also performed with the MP...
Reality as enchantment—a theory of repetition

(1984). Reality as enchantment—a theory of repetition. Rhetoric Review: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 165-174.
Impact of the number of negative nodes on disease-free survival in colorectal cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Between 1995 and 1999, we observed an increasing number of nodes being recovered from colorectal specimens. Patients with colorectal cancer were studied to determine whether increasing the number of negative nodes recovered would better stage the patient and more accurately predict disease-free survival. METHODS: All patients undergoing colorectal resection with curative intent between 1995 and 1999 at a tertiary referral hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor stage, grade, number of nodes recovered, and the association of these factors with disease-free survival was analyzed. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-five patients with M0 disease undergoing surgical resection of carcinoma of the colon or rectum were studied. There was no statistically significant difference in tumor stage or grade during the study period. A statistically significant increase in the mean number of nodes recovered was observed during the study period. Node-positive patients did substantially worse than node-negative individuals. When compared with a national cancer registry (OncoPool), we observed a significantly greater number of nodes sampled in our study population and a statistically significant improved disease-free survival between our node-negative patients and that of the national cancer registry population. CONCLUSION: The extent of the pathologic assessment of the nodal status of colorectal cancer patients as determined by the number of nodes examined affects disease-free survival. The need for quality control for uniform pathologic assessments is critical.
Instrumentation systems for commercial building energy efficiency

America's 4.7 million commercial buildings account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. energy consumption. Studies estimate that commercial building instrumentation and control systems that can provide energy management and control, HVAC commissioning, HVAC fault detection, and lighting management have the potential to reduce up to 30% energy consumption. The most significant key enabler for this progress is future instrumentation systems that can be deployed in commercial buildings with the proper balance of life cycle cost and performance. A synopsis of an ongoing ORNL R&D activity involving advanced instrumentation designed for deploying in single-story and two-story flexible research platforms at ORNL is presented. This includes low cost wireless sensor networks (WSN), energy management and control, intelligent building fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), and advanced control methodologies and how they can be applied to existing buildings as a retrofit strategy.
Deviant Acts by Complex Organizations: Deviance and Social Control at the Organizational Level of Analysis1

The study of deviance and social control can be expanded to recognize that (1) organizations, not just individuals, commit deviant acts, and (2) other organizations have responsibilities for preven...
The long-lasting impact of adolescents’ deviant friends on suicidality: a 3-year follow-up perspective

Background During adolescence, friends are increasingly important for support and values. Do friends also have a long-term impact on suicidality? This study explored the role of friendship problems (e.g., social isolation) and deviant friends during late adolescence on suicidal ideation and behavior 3 years later.
Resolving ambiguity: Effects of biasing context in the unattended ear

Abstract Ambigous sentences and a disambiguating context sentence were dichotically presented to subjects who were instructed to attend to the channel over which the ambiguous sentences were presented. Subjects were required to paraphrase the sentence in the attended channel immediately upon its presentation. The disambiguating material (in the unattended channel) was presented at a level 5 to 10 db less intense than the attended channel; in post-test reports subjects were unable to produce any information about the content of the unattended channel. Nonetheless, for four types of ambiguity tested, the bias contexts significantly influenced the interpretation of the ambiguous sentences. This result is taken to indicate both that there is structural analysis of the material in the unattended channel and that, during their input, multiple readings are computed for ambiguous sentences.
Poverty over the family life cycle

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics is used to investigate vulnerability to poverty over the family life cycle. An examination of 1981–83 interview years reveals that family life cycle stage is a significant predictor of poverty status. Two-parent families are more vulnerable to poverty in the childbearing stage, and also when they are launching children. Female-headed families are more vulnerable to poverty when younger children are present in the household. Reasons for these different vulnerabilities to poverty are given, and the implications of these findings are discussed.
Calculating Gibbs free energies of transfer from Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations

The partitioning of the ternary systems n-pentane/n-heptane/(helium or argon) at ambient conditions is investigated using configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulations in the Gibbs ensemble. The results demonstrate that this approach yields very precise partition constants and free energies of transfer. Simulations are carried out to study the dependence of the n-pentane partitioning with respect to the carrier gas, the system size, and the overall solute concentrations. None of the changes of variables, within the ranges used here, has a significant effect on the alkane partitioning. However, chemical potentials calculated via Widom's ghost particle insertions show a strong number dependence for phases containing relatively few molecules of a given type. This problem originates from the fact that the chemical potential is calculated for a concentration of real particles plus one ghost particle that is systematically larger than the equilibrium concentration. A simple correction term is suggested to account for this problem.
The Skin: Where Malaria Infection and the Host Immune Response Begin

Infection by malaria parasites begins with the inoculation of sporozoites into the skin of the host. The early events following sporozoite deposition in the dermis are critical for both the establishment of malaria infection and for the induction of protective immune responses. The initial sporozoite inoculum is generally low, and only a small percentage of these sporozoites successfully reach the liver and grow to the next life cycle stage, making this a significant bottleneck for the parasite. Recent studies highlight the importance of sporozoite motility and host cell traversal in dermal exit. Importantly, protective immune responses against sporozoites and liver stages of Plasmodium are induced by dendritic cells in the lymph node draining the skin inoculation site. The cellular, molecular, and immunological events that occur in the skin and associated lymph nodes are the topic of this review.
Line shapes for laser-induced collisions

The two-state model of laser-induced collisions introduced by Gudzenko and Yakovlenko is shown to lead to cross sections with a universal behavior in terms of the variables $z=|{C}_{3}|{E}_{0}{v}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{3}{5}}{|{C}_{6}|}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{2}{5}}$ and $d=\ensuremath{\delta}{|{C}_{6}|}^{\frac{1}{5}}{v}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{6}{5}}\mathrm{sgn}({C}_{6})$. In terms of a physical description the dimensionless frequency-detuning variable is $d\ensuremath{\propto}$ (detuning of the laser from the large-$R$ resonance) (time of collision at the Weisskopf radius). The dimensionless variable $z$ is independent of laser frequency and measures the power dependence of the cross section. It is in fact proportional to $\ensuremath{\int}{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\infty}}^{t}\frac{{C}_{3}{E}_{0}\mathrm{dt}}{R{(t)}^{3}}$ evaluated at an impact parameter given by the ${b}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}={(\frac{{C}_{6}}{v})}^{\frac{1}{5}}\ensuremath{\propto}$ Weisskopf radius = impact parameter where the phase shift due to the Van der Waals potential becomes $\ensuremath{\pi}$. Above, $\frac{{C}_{3}{E}_{0}}{{R}^{3}}$ is the coupling parameter at intranuclear separation $R$ and ${E}_{0}$ is the laser field amplitude. The cross section is of the form $\ensuremath{\sigma}={(\frac{|{C}_{6}|}{v})}^{\frac{2}{5}}H(d,z)$, where $H(d,z)$ is tabulated in detail. For large laser fields (i.e., $zg2$), the line shape for collisions at a particular relative velocity $v$, laser field amplitude ${E}_{0}$, and detuning (from the large-$R$ resonance frequency), $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ becomes symmetric about $\ensuremath{\delta}=0$ with the width decreasing with increasing laser power. The physical reason for the symmetric $H(d,z)$ at large $z$ is shown to be the decreased importance of curve-crossing effects for large positive $d$ corresponding to the onset of adiabatic behavior and the increased importance of contributions to $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ from such large impact parameters that the Van der Waals shifts can be neglected. Correspondingly, at large $z$ the linewidth is due entirely to time-of-collision effects. When $z\ensuremath{\ge}2$, both the long-range version of the atom-atom interaction and the assumption of straight-line orbits are excellent because of the dominant contribution to $\ensuremath{\delta}$ from impact parameters g 15 \AA{}.
Rituximab Treatment of Dysproteinemias Affecting the Kidney: A Review of Three Cases

The renal diseases associated with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits constitute a diverse range of clinical and pathological entities. Renal prognosis is variable, and there currently are no standard treatment regimens. We describe the effect of rituximab treatment on 3 patients with renal insufficiency and proteinuria with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits associated with glomerulonephritis on renal biopsy. Two patients with hypertension and chronic lymphocytic leukemia had a membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis pattern on kidney biopsy associated with monoclonal immunoglobulin G deposits. Both patients experienced partial remission of their disease and 1 patient was able to come off hemodialysis therapy after treatment with 7 and 11 biweekly doses of rituximab, 375 mg/m2, in addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker. Both patients subsequently experienced relapse of their hematologic and renal diseases and eventually progressed to end-stage renal disease and death. A third patient had diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis with immunoglobulin Gλ deposits on renal biopsy. She was treated with an angiotensin receptor blocker and two 1,000-mg infusions of rituximab separated by 2 weeks, with sustained partial remission at 18 months' follow-up. Rituximab therapy, in addition to corticosteroids and angiotensin blockade, may improve the clinical course of patients with renal diseases associated with dysproteinemias, delaying the onset of end-stage renal failure or other adverse outcomes. Additional clinical studies should be planned.