cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FDSOI on Lithium Niobate Using Al 2 O 3 Wafer-Bonding for Acoustoelectric RF Microdevices

Acoustoelectric (AE) effects have long been a subject of investigation for applications in acoustic wave amplifiers and signal processors. Recent developments in wafer-bonding techniques are leveraged to demonstrate heterogeneous integration of semiconductor and piezoelectric materials required in these devices. This work demonstrates amplification of surface acoustic waves in 128° Y-cut lithium niobate with thin film silicon as a semiconductor. A room temperature bonding process that utilizes Al 2 O 3 as an intermediate layer has been developed and applied to the fabrication of AE delay lines. Peak non-reciprocal contrasts of 11.2 dB/mm (normalized) and 9.8 dB (absolute) between forward and reverse traveling waves under the influence of applied dc bias are demonstrated at 460 MHz.
The Viscosity Solution for Hamilton Jacobi Travel Time Dynamics

Travel time is an important concept in various intelligent transportation system applications. A density-based travel time partial differential equation (PDE) based on the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards (LWR) model, and its dynamics are reviewed. The travel time dynamics are an asymmetric, one-sided coupled system of hyperbolic PDEs. Although the model has been derived previously, and its applications have been proposed, important properties of the solution to the travel time PDE are studied for the first time. The travel time PDE has the form of a Hamilton Jacobi equation. For this type of equation, finding a unique solution that is consistent with reality is accomplished by finding its viscosity solution. The main contribution of this paper is the mathematical development of the method for finding the viscosity solution of the given travel time PDE.
Nonribosomal peptide extension by a peptide amino-acyl tRNA ligase

The catalytic use of a small peptide scaffold for the biosynthesis of amino acid-derived natural products is a recently discovered new biosynthetic strategy. During this process, a peptide-amino acyl tRNA ligase (PEARL) adds amino acids to the C-terminus of a small peptide scaffold in an ATP- and tRNA-dependent process. The mechanism of this unusual transformation is currently not known. In this study, we present a detailed biochemical and mechanistic study of TglB (UniProtKB-F3HQJ1), a PEARL that catalyzes the addition of Cys to the C-terminus of the peptide TglA in the biosynthesis of 3-thiaglutamate in the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. TglB recognizes several important residues close to the C-terminus of TglA to perform its activity and is tolerant with respect to the last amino acid of its substrate peptide. The enzyme recognizes the acceptor stem of tRNACys, as micro- and minihelices, truncated versions of full-length tRNACys that contain the acceptor stem, were also accepted. Mutagenesis of conserved residues in TglB identified several key residues for catalysis and did not support the possibility of TglB adopting various ping-pong mechanisms to catalyze the amino acid addition reaction. Using isotopic labeling studies, we demonstrate that ATP is used to directly phosphorylate the C-terminal carboxylate of TglA. Collectively, the data support a general mechanism for the amino acid addition reaction catalyzed by this class of enzyme.
Effects of image focal depth in geometrical lightguide head mounted displays

Waveguide or lightguide has the advantages of light weight, small volume and relatively high efficiency and thus is considered as one of the promising solutions to the optical combiner required for optical see-through augmented reality displays. Although there exist a few commercial products utilizing lightguides as the optical combiners, few works discussed the potential image artifacts caused by the ray bundle collimation errors in lightguides. In this paper, we discussed three causes of collimation errors in the geometrical waveguide: lightguide manufacture tolerance, change of image focal depth, and curved lightguide substrate. Based on the simulation and experiment results of the first two causes, we demonstrated two different types of image artifacts in the geometrical-waveguide-based AR displays.
Epidemiologic Survey of Legionella Urine Antigen Testing Within a Large Wisconsin-Based Health Care System.

Purpose Legionella pneumophila pneumonia is a life-threatening, environmentally acquired infection identifiable via Legionella urine antigen tests (LUAT). We aimed to identify cumulative incidence, demographic distribution, and undetected disease outbreaks of Legionella pneumonia via positive LUAT in a single eastern Wisconsin health system, with a focus on urban Milwaukee County. Methods A multilevel descriptive ecologic study was conducted utilizing electronic medical record data from a large integrated health care system of patients who underwent LUAT from 2013 to 2017. A random sample inclusive of all positive tests was reviewed to investigate geodemographic differences among patients testing positive versus negative. Statistical comparisons used chi-squared or 2-sample t-tests; stepwise regression followed by binary logistic regression was used for multivariable analysis. Positive cases identified by LUAT were mapped to locate hotspots; positive cases versus total tests performed also were mapped by zip code. Results Of all LUAT performed (n=21,599), 0.68% were positive. Among those in the random sample (n=11,652), positive cases by LUAT were more prevalent in the June-November time period (86.2%) and younger patients (59.4 vs 67.7 years) and were disproportionately male (70.3% vs 29.7%) (P<0.0001 for each). Cumulative incidence was higher among nonwhite race/ethnicity (1.91% vs 1.01%, P<0.0001) but did not remain significant on multivariable analysis. Overall, 5507 tests were performed in Milwaukee County zip codes, yielding 82 positive cases by LUAT (60.7% of all positive cases in the random sample). A potential small 2016 outbreak was identified. Conclusions Cumulative incidence of a positive LUAT was less than 1%. LUAT testing, if done in real time by cooperative health systems, may complement public health detection of Legionella pneumonia outbreaks.
Batch-Fabricated WSe₂-on-Sapphire Field-Effect Transistors Grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Stepper-based batch fabrication of top-gated field-effect transistors (FETs) is demonstrated on few-layer WSe2-on-sapphire grown by chemical vapor deposition. This article reports the electrical characterization of 94 transistors with three different transistor structures. ON-/ OFF-current ratios exceeding 105 at room temperature with noise-floor-limited gate current and contact-limited ON-current density of 15 nA/ $\mu \text{m}$ was achieved for FETs using a structure in which the gate overlaps the source and drain contacts. Two transistors with open channel access regions are used to allow ion doping through polyethylene oxide: cesium perchlorate (PEO: CsClO4) to induce electron and hole conductivity and allow characterization of the intrinsic FET characteristics. In these geometries, the ON-current increased by four orders of magnitude with ON-/ OFF-current ratio greater than 106 at ${V}_{\text {DS}} = -0.05$ V, compared to gate overlapped FETs. An analytic 2-D FET model was used to model the full current-voltage characteristics. This allowed the field-effect mobility to be extracted revealing the gate and drain field dependence for the first time. The fit of the measured characteristics from subthreshold to saturation is made with only four fitting parameters, revealing a field-dependent electron mobility ranging from 1 to 2.6 cm2/Vs.
Development of a high cell density transient CHO platform yielding mAb titers greater than 2 g/L in only 7 days.

We developed a simple transient Chinese Hamster Ovary expression platform. Titers for a random panel of 20 clinical monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) ranged from 0.6 to 2.7 g/L after 7 days. Two factors were the key in obtaining these high titers. First, we utilized an extremely high starting cell density (20 million cells/ml), and then arrested further cell growth by employing mild hypothermic conditions (32°C). Second, we performed a 6-variable Design of Experiments to find optimal concentrations of plasmid DNA (coding DNA), boost DNA (DNA encoding the XBP1S transcription factor), transfection reagent (polyethylenimine [PEI]), and nutrient feed amounts. High coding DNA concentrations (12.5 mg/L) were found to be optimal. We therefore diluted expensive coding DNA with inexpensive inert filler DNA (herring sperm DNA). Reducing the coding DNA concentration by 70% from 12.5 to 3.75 mg/L did not meaningfully reduce mAb titers. Titers for the same panel of 20 clinical mAbs ranged from 0.7 to 2.2 g/L after reducing the coding DNA concentration to 3.75 mg/L. Finally, we found that titer and product quality attributes were similar for a clinical mAb (rituximab) expressed at very different scales (volumes ranging from 3 ml to 2 L).
PUFF, PUFF, PASS: The Effect of Racial Prejudice on White Americans’ Attitudes towards Marijuana Legalization

This research aims to enhance our understanding of the relationship between racial prejudice and White Americans’ views on cannabis legalization. The recent legalization of recreational cannabis in a handful of states, along with many other states legalizing medical cannabis in recent years, has catapulted the flowering plant back into the spotlight and nightly news cycles. Given the historically racist propaganda used to criminalize the plant, it follows that Whites’ support for legalization may be associated with racial prejudice. Using data from the General Social Survey data from 1972–2018, we find that different forms of racial prejudice have a negative effect on Whites’ support for cannabis legalization generally. Additionally, as the negative effect of overt, old-fashioned racism diminishes over time and across birth cohorts it is supplanted by the more subtle laissez-faire racism. In conclusion, we discuss the implication of the relationship between racial prejudice and views on marijuana for the increasingly complicated racial dynamics surrounding cannabis legalization.
PeakMatcher: Matching Peaks Across Genome Assemblies

When reference genome assemblies are updated, the peaks from DNA enrichment assays such as ChIP-Seq and FAIRE-Seq need to be called again using the new genome assembly. PeakMatcher is an open-source package that aids in validation by matching peaks across two genome assemblies using the alignment of reads or within the same genome. PeakMatcher calculates recall and precision while also outputting lists of peak-to-peak matches. PeakMatcher uses read alignments to match peaks across genome assemblies. PeakMatcher finds all read aligned to one genome that overlap with a given list of peaks. PeakMatcher uses the read names to locate where those reads are aligned against a second genome. Lastly, all peaks called against the second genome that overlap with the aligned reads are found and output. PeakMatcher groups uses the peak-read-peak relationships to discover 1-to-1, 1-to-many, and many-to-many relationships. Overlap queries are performed with interval trees for maximum efficiency. We evaluated PeakMatcher on two data sets. The first data set was FAIRE-Seq (Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements Sequencing) of DNA isolated embyros of the mosquito Aedes aegypti [2, 4]. We implemented a peak calling pipeline and validated it on the older (highly fragmented) AaegL3 assembly [5]. PeakMatcher matched 92.9% (precision) of the 121,594 previously-called peaks from [2, 4] with 89.4% (recall) of the 124,959 peaks called with our new pipeline. Next, we applied the peak-calling pipeline to call FAIRE peaks using the newer, chromosome-complete AaegL5 assembly [3]. PeakMatcher found matches for 14 of the 16 experimentally-validated AaegL3 FAIRE peaks from [2, 4]. We validated the matches by comparing nearby genes across the genomes. Nearby genes were consistent for 11 of the 14 peaks; inconsistencies for at least two of the remaining peaks were clearly attributable to differences in assemblies. When applied to all of the peaks, Peak-Matcher matched 78.8% (precision) of the 124,959 AaegL3 peaks with 76.7% (recall) of the 128,307 AaegL5 peaks. The second data set was STARR-Seq (Self-Transcribing Active Regulatory Region Sequencing) of Drosophila melanogaster DNA in S2 culture cells [1]. We called STARR peaks against two versions (dm3 and r5.53) of the D. melanogaster genome [6]. PeakMatcher matched 77.4% (precision) of the 4,195 dm3 peaks with 94.8% (recall) of the 3,114 r5.53 peaks. PeakMatcher and associated documentation are available on GitHub (https://github.com/rnowling/peak-matcher) under the open-source Apache Software License v2. PeakMatcher was written in Python 3 using the intervaltree library.
Hyperfine-Enhanced Gyromagnetic Ratio of a Nuclear Spin in Diamond

The nuclear spin gyromagnetic ratio can be enhanced by hyperfine coupling to the electronic spin. Here we show wide tunability of this enhancement on a 15N nuclear spin intrinsic to a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. We perform control of the nuclear spin near the ground state level anti-crossing (GSLAC), where the enhancement of the gyromagnetic ratio from the ground state hyperfine coupling is maximized. We demonstrate a two order of magnitude enhancement of the effective nuclear gyromagnetic ratio compared to the value obtained at 500 G, a typical operating field that is suitable for nuclear spin polarization. Finally, we show that with strong enhancements, the nuclear spin ultimately suffers dephasing from the inhomogeneous broadening of the NMR transition frequency at the GSLAC.
Design for the crowd: Patriotism and protest in Union Square, by Joanna Merwood-Salisbury: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2019

In 2011, Occupy Wall Street, an income inequality protest group, chose Zuccotti Park in the heart of the lower Manhattan Financial District as the site of a demonstration. No one could have anticip...
Influenza Vaccine Failure Associated With Age and Immunosuppression

BACKGROUND The influenza vaccine is one of the best ways to prevent influenza infection, but little is known about influenza vaccine failure. METHODS This study evaluated patients admitted for acute respiratory illness during 2015-2019 influenza seasons to compare vaccinated influenza-negative to vaccinated influenza-positive patients. Statistical analyses were performed with STATA and R using Pearson χ 2, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS Of 1236 enrolled patients vaccinated for influenza, 235 (19%) tested positive for influenza. Demographics, vaccines, and comorbidities were similar between groups except for morbid obesity (13% influenza negative vs 8%, P = .04), and immunosuppression (63% influenza positive vs 54%, P = .01). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated older patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.10) and immunosuppressed patients (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.15-2.12) were at increased risk for influenza despite immunization. When evaluated by influenza subtype, immunosuppression increased the risk for influenza A/H3N2 (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.25-2.75). CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated increased risk of influenza vaccine failure in older patients and immunosuppressed patients. These groups are also at increased risk for influenza complications. To improve protection of patients against influenza illnesses, more effective vaccines and strategies are needed.
Caught in the Act: How Corporate Scandals Hurt Employees

Using a sample of corporate scandals and data from the website Glassdoor, we study how negative reputation shocks affect the relationship between firms and their employees. Worker sentiment declines sharply and persistently following scandals, driven by diminished perceptions of management and culture. While base earnings and fringe benefits remain unchanged, variable compensation falls 6 percent, with less-experienced workers bearing the largest reductions. Consistent with the decreases in job satisfaction and compensation, we find that average labor productivity drops and that firms may face more difficulty filling job vacancies. Our results demonstrate that rank-and-file employees are adversely impacted by corporate misconduct.
Gatekeeping beliefs, intent, and behavior among homeless youth

No research has explored the potential of homeless youth to serve as gatekeepers for suicide prevention purposes. This study described and examined associations between gatekeeping beliefs (i.e. pr...
Crk adaptor proteins are necessary for the development of the zebrafish retina.

Background The development of the central nervous system (CNS) requires critical cell signaling molecules to coordinate cell proliferation and migration in order to structure the adult tissue. Chicken tumor virus #10 Regulator of Kinase (CRK) and CRK-like (CRKL) are adaptor proteins with pre-metazoan ancestry and are known to be required for patterning laminated structures downstream of Reelin (RELN), such as the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. CRK and CRKL also play crucial roles in a variety of other growth factor and extracellular matrix signaling cascades. The neuronal retina is another highly laminated structure within the CNS that is dependent on migration for proper development, but the cell signaling mechanisms behind neuronal positioning in the retina are only partly understood. Results We find that crk and crkl have largely overlapping expression within the developing zebrafish nervous system. We find that their disruption results in smaller eye size and loss of retinal lamination. Conclusions Our data indicate that Crk adaptors are critical for proper development of the zebrafish neural retina in a crk/crkl dose-dependent manner.
Associations Between Gun Storage Practices and Parenting Practices: A Pennsylvania Study

This study examines how parenting practices might relate to home gun storage practices, even after accounting for sociodemographic correlates found in past research. First, parenting practices of personal gun owners, household gun owners, and nonowners are compared. Second, the study identifies associations among parenting practices, household gun storage, and juvenile access to household firearms. Data were obtained in October 2019 through an online survey of 525 Pennsylvania parents of youth ages 12–17. Respondents were selected to mirror Pennsylvania demographics. Results indicated no differences in parenting practices based on household gun ownership. Yet, personal gun ownership was associated with more inconsistency in discipline and poor monitoring and supervision. Poor supervision and monitoring were not associated with firearm storage practices. Parents who reported poorer supervision and monitoring were more likely to allow their child gun access. There was no link between parental involvement and household firearm practices. Parents who used inconsistent discipline also had inconsistent firearm storage practices. Positive discipline and communication were associated with storing guns locked.
Trends in Substance Use in Two United States Communities during Early COVID-19 Lockdowns Based on Wastewater Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic provoked community anxiety and stress-related disorders and increased drug-related emergency admissions and overdose deaths. The unprecedented disruption in transportation and stay-at-home orders caused a global disruption in the supply and distribution of drugs that impacted both prescription and illicit drug users. In this study, the trend in consuming 10 major illegal drugs and 19 prescription drugs of potential abuse was determined during the early four months of the COVID-19 pandemic in two communities in western Kentucky and northern Tennessee using wastewater-based epidemiology. The hydrocodone consumption rate increased by 72% (up to 430 mg/d/1000 people) in both communities that aligned with convenient opioid access through teleprescription-approved refills. However, a limited supply and a consequent increase in the cost of drugs significantly curtailed the consumption of illicit stimulants (methamphetamine, 16%;cocaine, 42%). Moreover, the increased use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants suggests elevated community anxiety that overall warrants robust neuropsychiatric screening and treatment programs. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to determine trends in consumption of diverse illicit and prescription drugs during the stay-at-home early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in United States communities. © 2021 American Chemical Society.
Medical Response and Factors Leading to Violent Death in the United States Incarcerated Population.

ABSTRACT Background This study aims to characterize trauma-associated deaths in the United States prison system. We hypothesize that incarcerated victims are less likely to receive appropriate medical care compared to the non-incarcerated. Methods We utilized 2015-2017 National Violent Death Reporting System data. Victims were classified by whether they were seen by emergency medical services, in the emergency room, or hospitalized prior to death, with the latter considered higher levels of care. Propensity score matching was used to compare highest level of care received by incarcerated versus non-incarcerated victims with similar age, sex, race/ethnicity, weapon type, and state where the incident occurred. Results Of 101,054 victims, 1229 (1.2%) were incarcerated at the time of fatal injury; 64.4% died by suicide. For suicide, the proportion of minority victims was higher in the incarcerated compared to the non-incarcerated population, but the opposite was true of homicide. Firearms were more commonly used in the non-incarcerated population. After Propensity score matching, we found that incarcerated victims received higher levels of medical care following suicide (P Conclusions Contrary to our hypothesis, overall, incarcerated victims received similar levels of medical care as compared to non-incarcerated victims following lethal injury. However, this fails to account for the highly supervised setting of prisons. Our findings reinforce that violence prevention methods should be tailored to specific populations.
Effective Microphone Array Placement in Interactive Whiteboards for Smart Meeting Rooms

Smart meeting rooms now incorporate several innovative speech and language applications. Identifying optimal hardware for enabling these applications continues to be a challenge even today. Many factors such as background noise, microphone placement, furniture and equipment in meeting rooms impact the effectiveness of the speech and language applications. In this paper we recommend and assess a novel linear 8-microphone array placement at the interactive whiteboard via speaker data captured at various points in the meeting room. Results are generated by using a speech recognition algorithm which indicate if the microphone array used is capable to capture far-field audio resulting in a high enough accuracy. Our results indicate a high enough ASR accuracy range (between 75%-90%) is possible by placing the linear microphone array at the interactive whiteboard.
The Induction, Expression and Modulation of Radiation Induced Oncogenesis in vitro in Diploid Human and Rodent Cells

Techniques developed to identify radiation induced oncogenesis in cultured rodent cells have enabled the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the oncogenic potential of radiation and the identification of factors which modulate these events. Because of the revelance to estimating human cancer risk development of analogous systems using diploid human cells is of great importance. Recently we have shown for the first time that human diploid cells can be transformed in vitro by X irradiation into malignant cells which give rise to tumors in animals. The frequency of human cell transformation is lower compared to that observed in animal cells given the same dose.
The Rise and the Demise of the Absolute Dominion Doctrine for Groundwater

We live in a world with ever greater water shortages driven by a combination of factors: growing human populations, increasing per capita water usage, and accelerating climate disruption. In coping with these shortages, groundwater will play a central role, if only because the greater part of fresh water on the planet Earth is found underground. As a result, we see greater and greater attention — including legal attention — given to groundwater across the United States. In many respects this is because the law in some states is still rooted in legal principles established in the nineteenth century — an era of pervasive ignorance about groundwater.A good deal of legal confusion about groundwater persists. Statutes, judicial opinions, tradition, and pragmatism have provided numerous definitions that generally ignore the fact that the division of surface and groundwater into separate legal categories, as well as the subdivision of groundwater into several additional legal categories (such as “percolating water” and “underground streams”), contradicts scientific hydrology. These old classifications, however, remain embedded in the law. Lawyers and jurists have developed a body of law for percolating groundwater, the first approach to which was variously called the “absolute dominion” rule, “the absolute ownership,” or the “rule of capture.” This article uses the term “absolute dominion,” generally including within that term decisions or arguments that use either of the other two terms.In the common-law tradition, the absolute dominion doctrine dates at least from 1836. Today, the absolute dominion doctrine has largely disappeared from the common law world. The doctrine survives most strongly and most clearly in Indiana, Maine, and Texas. Even in those jurisdictions, however, the doctrine’s reach has been limited legislatively and judicially. Elsewhere, the doctrine is far weaker if it exists at all. Continuing modification is the least that can be expected from courts and legislatures wherever the rule purportedly survives; complete abandonment is more likely. In this article, I summarize the rise and fall of the absolute dominion doctrine, noting the doctrine’s initial widespread adoption in the common law world and its characteristic features, followed by a description of its abandonment throughout most of the United States. Particular attention is given to the intense struggle over the rule in Texas. The article also notes some of the possible roles that federal law could play before drawing some conclusions about the future of the doctrine in the United States.
Satellite Stabilization using Space Leeches

This paper presents the control algorithm for a satellite stabilization using a space leech. The space leech is assumed to have n reaction wheels with known moments of inertia about their axis of rotation. All mass properties of the satellite are assumed unknown The proposed control algorithm brings the satellite to a specified attitude trajectory.
Results and advantages of a spatially-variable technology for crop yield

The Field Grid Sense system was adapted to locate and record crop yield in the field. Accurate measurement of yield in spatially variable fields is needed to achieve maximum profitability in crop production. The harvester system is composed of a laptop computer, data acquisition system, fifth wheel, and an ultrasonic level sensor assembled on a combine. The fifth wheel, in combination with travel lanes, is used to identify yield with position where yield is determined by the change of grain volume in the combine hopper. Yield maps can be generated from the collected data and then used as a production management tool in conjunction with other field characteristic information.
Gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase activity is not rate limiting for carnitine biosynthesis in the human infant

Carnitine biosynthesis was assessed in human infants by measuring changes in plasma carnitine concentration and rates of urinary carnitine excretion after infants were fed carnitine-free formulas with and without added epsilon-N-trimethyl-L-lysine or gamma-butyrobetaine. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that carnitine biosynthesis in the human infant is regulated by substrate availability rather than activity of gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase, the final enzyme in the carnitine biosynthetic pathway. Ten infants were fed carnitine-free formula supplemented with either 500 microM epsilon-N-trimethyl-L-lysine or 500 microM gamma-butyrobetaine for 14 d. Plasma carnitine concentration and rate of urinary carnitine excretion were measured in infants before and after this period. Plasma carnitine concentration increased twofold when infants were fed either epsilon-N-trimethyl-L-lysine and increased threefold when infants were fed gamma-butyrobetaine. The rate of carnitine excretion doubled when infants were fed epsilon-N-trimethyl-L-lysine and increased 30-fold when infants were fed gamma-butyrobetaine. Absorption of epsilon-N-trimethyl-L-lysine was verified by demonstrating increased urinary excretion of epsilon-N-trimethyl-L-lysine in infants fed this substrate. We conclude that gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase activity is not rate limiting for carnitine biosynthesis in the human infant. Development of renal and hepatic gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase activity was determined in necropsy tissue from individuals of various ages. It was verified that gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase activity is developmentally regulated in the liver, but not in the kidney. The clinical relevance of this observation is diminished in view of the results of the in vivo studies of carnitine biosynthesis in infants.
A metagenomic analysis of triclosan resistant bacteria in Alum Creek, Westerville OH (776.5)

Triclosan (TCS) is a widely used biocidal agent that is found in various watersheds. The objective of this study is to analyze how the occurrence of TCS impacts bacterial resistance and to gather m...
Nonmedically indicated induction vs expectant treatment in term nulliparous women

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes in nulliparous women with nonmedically indicated inductions at term vs those expectantly treated. Study Design Data were obtained from maternal and neonatal charts for all deliveries on randomly selected days across 25 US hospitals over a 3-year period. A low-risk subset of nulliparous women with vertex nonanomalous singleton gestations who delivered 38 0/7 to 41 6/7 weeks were selected. Maternal and neonatal outcomes for nonmedically indicated induction within each week were compared with women who did not undergo nonmedically indicated induction during that week. Multivariable analysis was used to adjust for hospital, maternal age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, cigarette use, and insurance status. Results We found 31,169 women who met our criteria. Neonatal complications were either less frequent with nonmedically indicated induction or no different between groups. Nonmedically indicated induction was associated with less frequent peripartum infections (odds ratio [OR], 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.98) at 38 weeks of gestation and less frequent third- and fourth-degree lacerations (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.42–0.86) and less frequent peripartum infections (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49–0.90) at 39 weeks of gestation. Nonmedically indicated induction was associated with a longer admission-to-delivery time by approximately 3-4 hours and increased odds of cesarean delivery at 38 (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.08–2.08) and 40 weeks (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.15–1.46) of gestation. Conclusion At 39 weeks of gestation, nonmedically indicated induction is associated with lower maternal and neonatal morbidity than women who are expectantly treated.
Influence of gas packing and orientation on FTIR activity for CO chemisorption to the Cu paddlewheel.

In situ Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is able to probe structural defects via site-specific adsorption of CO to the Cu-BTC (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) metal-organic framework (MOF). The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of CO chemisorbed to Cu-TDPAT (TDPAT = 2,4,6-tris(3,5-dicarboxylphenylamino)-1,3,5-triazine) is virtually identical to Cu-BTC, suggesting CO chemisorbs to the open metal site at the axial position of the copper paddlewheel that is the building unit of both MOFs. Yet, despite an increased gravimetric CO : Cu ratio, CO chemisorbed to Cu-TDPAT is FTIR inactive. We rule out the presence of residual solvent, thermal degradation, adsorption temperature, and ligand-induced electronic effects at the adsorption site. TPD at increased pressure suggests the multiple CO per Cu site rearrange in Cu-TDPAT as a dynamic function of temperature and pressure. Thus, the FTIR inactivity of CO chemisorbed to Cu-TDPAT is attributed to orientation and/or packing of the CO relative to the Cu binding site. The results suggest dynamic chemisorption complicate extension of a site-specific in situ FTIR probe of gas adsorption. For both Cu-BTC and Cu-TDPAT, the in situ FTIR probe is a less sensitive probe of defects than X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption.
Calcium Sulfate as a Mandibular Implant

Mandibular reconstruction has posed significant problems, particularly when dealing with loss of mandibular substance. Various implant substances have been utilized in attempts to repair mandibular defects. These have included metals, synthetic material, and organic substances. All have posed significant problems, particularly with rejection and inability of the implant to develop a stable fusion with the surrounding bone. Recently, calcium sulfate has been successfully used as an implant in frontal sinuses, mastoid cavities, and, in one report, as a mandibular implant. The present study looks at the ability of calcium sulfate to induce osteoneogenesis in canine mandibles with and without the presence of a periosteal covering around the implant. Infection somewhat limited the success of the study, but in those animals without major infections, successful replacement of the calcium sulfate by normal bone occurred both with and without the presence of periosteum.
Comparative actions of phenytoin and other anticonvulsant drugs on potassium- and veratridine-stimulated calcium uptake in synaptosomes

The actions of phenytoin and several anticonvulsants drugs on veratridine-stimulated (Na-dependent) and K-stimulated (Na-independent) Ca uptake were studied in isolated nerve terminals (synaptosomes) from rat cerebral cortex. Phenytoin inhibits both veratridine- and K-induced Ca uptake but is more potent against veratridine. Inhibition of veratridine-stimulated Ca uptake by phenytoin appears to be a competitive relationship, whereas the interaction between K and phenytoin is noncompetitive. Hydroxyphenyl-phenylhydantoin, mephenytoin and ethylphenylhydantoin have actions similar to phenytoin but all are substantially less potent. Carbamazepine, phenobarbital, diazepam and lidocaine also inhibit veratridine- and K-stimulated Ca uptake, but ethosuximide and valproic acid are ineffective. Only carbamazepine and lidocaine have a relatively selective action against veratridine which is similar to phenytoin, and only these three drugs are active at concentrations which approximate their clinically effective anticonvulsant blood levels. The results of this study, in conjunction with reported data, suggest that phenytoin inhibits Na and Ca conductances in nervous tissue by separate and probably independent mechanisms. The present data also lead to the hypothesis that inhibition of Na uptake (perhaps associated with inhibition of Ca uptake) in nervous tissues is a mechanism of action responsible for some of the selective antiepileptic effects and/or analgesic effects of phenytoin, carbamazepine and lidocaine.
Philanthropy as Political Liquidation

The threat of all-encompassing market mentalities lies within some of the very activities often assumed to transcend them or at least provide alternatives, undermining our truly political capacities to inhabit a world larger than our individual selves. The primary focus of philanthropic behavior is now the self, and the characteristics each donor wishes to portray or claim, rather than communal solidarity. Turning to Hannah Arendt’s portrait of the ways the social realm devours the political, this article explores how civil society has become a vehicle for a consumerism that transforming personal attachments into publicity, and co-opts what appears to be worldly concern into another marketplace for individual gratification.
Drag acts of transitional performance: sex, religion and memory in Pedro Almodóvar's La mala educación and Ventura Pons's Ocaña, retrat intermitent

AbstractThis article explores the category of memory in relation to the body, sex and religion in the post-Franco transitional years through a queer theoretical framework. Focusing on Pedro Almodovar's La mala educacion (2004) and the Catalan documentary Ocana, retrat intermitent (1978) by Ventura Pons, this work considers how the role and performance of drag and cross-dressing in both films function as a technology of memory to rethink the body as script and religion as sex. Drawing on queer theoretical frameworks, this article argues that the embodied subject in drag subverts the normative trajectories of memory and, in the context of post-Franco Spain, poses challenges to religion, politics and body, in effect, reimagining the body's relationship to memory to produce a counterhegemonic space. In other words, the desire for memory is the desire for experience, which becomes foregrounded through the affective performance of the queer and transgressive subjects present in both films.
Release of lipoprotein cholesterol esters by the isolated perfused rat liver.

The livers of normal rats and those fed cholesterol were perfused for 6 h with a synthetic medium plus washed erythrocytes. Labeled mevalonic acid was added to the system at the beginning of the perfusion. The lipoproteins of d < 1.063 and d 1.063–1.21 released by the normal liver had a gross lipid composition similar to those fractions of rat serum. The normal liver released 1.5 μmoles of cholesterol esters over a 6-h period. The d 1.063–1.21 lipoprotein cholesterol esters contained a greater proportion of polyunsaturated esters both by mass and radioactivity than the d < 1.063 fraction. The composition of the cholesterol esters released was similar to that of rat serum. The liver of the cholesterol-fed rat released much greater amounts of lipid than the normal liver. The bulk of the lipids were found in the d < 1.063 fraction. Most (90%) of the cholesterol esters released were in the d < 1.063 fraction and were of the monounsaturated type. A greater amount of [14C]cholesterol was incorporated into lipoprotein cholesterol esters by the liver of the cholesterol-fed rat than the normal rat. The cholesterol ester labeling data showed that the livers of both types of rats preferentially incorporated newly synthesized polyunsaturated esters into the d 1.063–1.21 lipoprotein fraction. The liver and lipoprotein arachidonate specific activities greatly exceeded the specific activity of the other cholesterol esters; it approached the specific activity of the free fraction. The liver linoleate, saturated, and monounsaturated esters had a lower specific activity than the lipoprotein cholesterol esters. The amount of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase activity present in the perfusate at 2, 4, and 6 h was very low and could account for only 10% or less of the perfusate esters. The data of the present report suggest that in the rat the liver can synthesize and release cholesterol esters in the virtual absence of the lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase enzyme, and that multiple pools of cholesterol esters exist within the liver cell.
Effects of Long-Term Training on Aided Speech-Recognition Performance in Noise in Older Adults

Purpose This study examined how repeated presentations of words in noise affected understanding of both trained and untrained words in noise (in isolation and in sentences). Method Eight older list...
Food stamps and the time cost of food preparation

Using a structural model of time allocation between household production and market work, I estimate the shadow wage of household production. I combine data from the American Time Use Survey and the Current Population Survey’s Food Security Supplement to estimate the time cost as well as the total cost of food preparation at home. Using information on whether a household received food stamp benefits, I compare actual food stamp recipients’ time cost to those who do not receive food stamp benefits. Previous literature that also uses American Time Use Survey data suggests that “typical” food stamp recipients incur a higher time cost of preparing food at home. I cannot confirm this finding using actual data on food stamp recipients and non-recipients. In fact, the lower shadow wage of household production of food stamp recipients more than offsets the larger amount of time spent preparing food at home, generating lower time cost of food preparation for them.
Effects of the dynamite charge on the deliberations of deadlocked mock juries

When juries report that they are deadlocked, judges often deliver the dynamite charge, a supplemental instruction that urges jurors to rethink their views in an effort to reach a unanimous verdict. The present study evaluated the impact of this procedure on 378 subjects who participated in 63 deadlocked mock juries. Results indicated that the dynamite charge caused jurors in the voting minority to feel coerced and change their votes, reduced the pressure felt by those in the majority, and hastened the deliberation process in juries that favored conviction. These findings raise serious questions concerning the use of this controversial charge.
Courts and Scientific Exchange in the Long Seventeenth Century

Courts and Scientific Exchange in the Long Seventeenth Century (hosted by the UCLA Center for Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Studies and held at the Clark Memorial Library on 12–13 May 2006).
Contact level probing and transistor characterization - a new fault isolation technique - for identifying leakage fails

This paper describes how contact level probing and transistor characterization-a new fault isolation technique-helped to identify subtle defects in very large multifinger n-channel transistors. The defects caused leakage fails (0.5 μA to 3 μA) in 95nm technology DRAM devices. After deprocessing the die to contact level, DC probe pads were placed at the contact level by focused ion beam, which avoids having to use expensive nanoprobing tools, such as atomic force probing, to touch the very small contacts.
Chemistry of the phenoxathiins II. Synthesis of 1-azaphenoxathiin

The synthesis of 1-azaphenoxathiin, the parent ring system of a recently reported class of novel CNS agents is described. The 13C-nmr spectrum and its assignment are also reported as a model for structure confirmation studies.
Utility-based dynamic control of batch processing systems

Most research studies in semiconductor manufacturing systems are focused on optimizing performance which is to minimize cycle time and tardiness. However, in long production cycles, the utility (value) of commodities vary depending on the time after an epoch such as due-date which affects contractual penalties and loss of customer goodwill. It is necessary to reflect utility of commodities at decision epoch to decide on the optimal strategy such as minimum batch size in MBS (minimum batch size) model or optimal processing epoch in DBH (dynamic batching heuristic) model. This research explores how utility can be used to strategically control MBS model and DBH model.
Investment allocation and population growth

Coneiderase por 10 general que el objetivo mas importante de los programas de desarrollo economico es el aumento del ingreso por habitante. Aunque por dejinicion las variaciones del ingreso por habitante estan determinadas por las variaciones del agregado ingreso y poblacion, el «manejo» consciente de la variable poblacion con el objeto de alcanzar mayores aumentos del ingreso por habitante, considerase que se escapa comunmente del dominio propio de la politica economica. Pero las tendencias evolutivas de la poblacion no son inmutables; es posible concebirmedidas de politica economica destinadas a infiuir en ellas en un sentido determinado. Desprendese de ella que, en el plano puramente economico, puede encontrarse un argumento a favor, o en contra, de una politica antinatalista comparando los costos economicos de semejante politica con los benejicios economicos derivados de la misma.
Nanocomposite of polypyrrole and alumina nanoparticles as a coating filler for the corrosion protection of aluminium alloy 2024-T3

Abstract Aluminium (Al) alloys such as 2024-T3 are widely used in industry as low weight construction materials with excellent mechanical properties. Until recently corrosion protection of Al alloys was carried out with coatings containing hexavalent chromium (Cr6+). However, Cr6+ is a health and environmental hazard and has to be replaced. Intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP) technology is the promising alternative to chromate coating technology because of good corrosion protection properties of ICPs, their moderate cost and good environmental compatibility. In this paper we report successful attempt of making nanocomposite comprised of alumina nanoparticles modified by polypyrrole for the purpose of corrosion protection of Al alloy. Modified nanoparticles were used as coating filler. Coating was designated to perform as an active barrier to electrolyte diffusion. Properties of the coating were examined by adhesion test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, X-rays elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Inhibition of Protein Phosphatase Activity Induces p53-dependent Apoptosis in the Absence of p53 Transactivation

Inhibitors of type 1 and type 2A protein phosphatases were used to examine the involvement of protein phosphorylation in regulating the functions of endogenous p53. Exposure of Balb/c 3T3 cells to okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, increased the phosphorylation of p53 without changing p53 levels. Okadaic acid treatment enhanced the binding of p53 to a consensus DNA target sequence and caused a 5-8-fold increase in p53 transcriptional activity. Transient expression of SV40 small tumor antigen, a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A, caused a 4-fold increase in p53 transcriptional activity. Incubation of Balb/c 3T3 cells with okadaic acid also induced programmed cell death in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Decreases in viability, morphological changes, and the appearance of DNA fragmentation were dependent on p53 since cells lacking functional p53 were resistant to okadaic acid-induced apoptosis. The p53-dependent apoptosis induced by okadaic acid was rapid and did not require p53 transcriptional activity. The fact that SV40 small tumor antigen did not induce apoptosis provides additional evidence that p53 transcriptional activity is not sufficient for p53-mediated apoptosis. These results indicate that signaling pathways involving protein phosphorylation play critical roles in controlling the apoptotic activity of p53. Furthermore, a basal level of protein phosphatase 1 or 2A activity is necessary to prevent p53-dependent apoptosis.