cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lithium tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate aceto­nitrile adduct

The title compound, poly­[[(aceto­nitrile)­lithium(I)]-μ-triflato], [Li(CF3O3S)(C2H3N)]∞, was synthesized by reaction of LiCF3SO3 with CH3CN and is found to exist as a one-dimensional polymer in the solid state. Each Li+ cation is tetrahedrally coordinated by three oxy­gen donors from three different CF3SO3− anions [Li—O = 1.925 (3), 1.926 (3) and 1.940 (2) A] and one CH3CN nitro­gen donor [Li—N = 2.042 (3) A]. The unit cell has a β angle of 90.064 (3)°, but the Laue symmetry is 2/m. As a result of this, the crystals exist as pseudo-merohedral twins related by the twin law (\overline 100/0\overline 10/001).
In search of personality traits: A multimethod analysis of naturally occurring prosocial and dominance behavior.

Naturally occurring prosocial and dominance behaviors were observed via multiple methods in four groups of adolescents. Individuals varied considerably in their frequency of prosocial and dominance behaviors, regardless of the method employed. These interindividual differences were maintained across situations and over time. The data are consistent with a trait conceptualization of dominance and prosocial behavior. The strength of the present findings suggest that personality researchers need to employ research strategies which extensively observe individuals in the contexts in which they live.
Anticoagulation during pregnancy in patients with a prosthetic heart valve

Effective anticoagulation is mandatory for pregnant women with mechanical heart valves. Oral anticoagulants offer the best maternal protection against thrombosis, but their use might be associated with an appreciable risk of fetal malformations and pregnancy loss. By contrast, heparin derivatives are associated with a reduced risk of fetal damage, but an increased risk of valve thrombosis in the mother, even with appropriate dose adjustment and monitoring of therapeutic efficacy. Given the varying risks of available anticoagulation strategies, and the paucity of data to inform the optimal approach, no single accepted treatment option exists for pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic valves. Although low-molecular-weight heparin is considered more efficacious than unfractionated heparin, treatment failures, even at therapeutic levels of factor Xa inhibition, have been reported. The risk of warfarin-related embryopathy might be overstated, particularly at doses ≤ 5 mg daily. We advocate an individualized anticoagulation strategy that takes into account the patient's preferences, calls for the use of vitamin K antagonists throughout pregnancy (substituted with a heparin derivative only close to term) for those patients at the greatest risk of thromboembolism, and relies on close multidisciplinary collaboration between the cardiac and obstetric care teams.
Comments on "On estimating the orders of an autoregressive moving-average process with uncertain observations"

This correspondence pertains to a modification of Chow's method for estimation of the orders of the autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) model. In connection with the testing of hypotheses, the large-sample estimation of model parameters is discussed with reference to the literature in the field.
Intensity of antiplatelet therapy and percutaneous coronary intervention

Thienopyridine derivatives such as clopidogrel have been shown to reduce the incidence of death in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention when used in conjunction with aspirin. Recently, a new thienopyridine, prasugrel, significantly reduced the primary endpoint of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke to 9.9% compared to 12.1% for clopidogrel. Prasugrel has been shown to be more efficacious than clopidigrel in reducing ischemic events and stent thrombosis, but does cause more life-threatening bleeding in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.
Pulmonary nodules: CT evaluation of enhancement with iodinated contrast material.

PURPOSE: To determine if the degree of enhancement of pulmonary nodules is directly related to the likelihood of malignancy and to the vascularity of the nodule. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Uncalcified 6-40-mm-diameter pulmonary nodules were studied in 163 patients with malignant neoplasm (n = 111), granuloma (n = 43), and benign neoplasm (n = 9). Serial thin-section computed tomography (CT) was performed before and after injection of 100 mL of nonionic contrast material at 2 mL/sec. The maximum level of enhancement was recorded. Eighteen histologic specimens were graded after vascular staining. RESULTS: Malignant neoplasms enhanced (median, 40.0 HU; range, 20-108 HU) significantly more than granulomas and benign neoplasms (median, 12.0 HU; range, -4 to 58 HU) (P < .001). With 20 HU as the threshold for a positive test, sensitivity was 100%; specificity, 76.9%; positive predictive value, 90.2%; negative predictive value, 100%; and accuracy, 92.6% (prevalence of malignancy, 68.1%). Degree of enhancement was sig...
Structure of a β-TrCP1-Skp1-β-Catenin Complex: Destruction Motif Binding and Lysine Specificity of the SCFβ-TrCP1 Ubiquitin Ligase

The SCF ubiquitin ligases catalyze protein ubiquitination in diverse cellular processes. SCFs bind substrates through the interchangeable F box protein subunit, with the >70 human F box proteins allowing the recognition of a wide range of substrates. The F box protein beta-TrCP1 recognizes the doubly phosphorylated DpSGphiXpS destruction motif, present in beta-catenin and IkappaB, and directs the SCF(beta-TrCP1) to ubiquitinate these proteins at specific lysines. The 3.0 A structure of a beta-TrCP1-Skp1-beta-catenin complex reveals the basis of substrate recognition by the beta-TrCP1 WD40 domain. The structure, together with the previous SCF(Skp2) structure, leads to the model of SCF catalyzing ubiquitination by increasing the effective concentration of the substrate lysine at the E2 active site. The model's prediction that the lysine-destruction motif spacing is a determinant of ubiquitination efficiency is confirmed by measuring ubiquitination rates of mutant beta-catenin peptides, solidifying the model and also providing a mechanistic basis for lysine selection.
The Redox Chemistry of 4-benzoyl-N-methylpyridinium Cations in Acetonitrile with and Without Proton Donors: The Role of Hydrogen Bonding

In anhydrous CH3CN, 4-benzoyl-N-methylpyridinium cations undergo two reversible, well-separated (ΔE1/2 ∼ 0.6 V) one-electron reductions in analogy to quinones and viologens. If the solvent contains weak protic acids, such as water or alcohols, the first cyclic voltammetric wave remains unaffected while the second wave is shifted closer to the first. Both voltammetric and spectroelectrochemical evidence suggest that the positive shift of the second wave is due to hydrogen bonding between the two-electron reduced form of the ketone and the proton donors. While the one-electron reduction product is stable both in the presence and in the absence of the weak-acid proton donors, the two-electron reduction wave is reversible only in the time scale of cyclic voltammetry. Interestingly, at longer times, the hydrogen bonded adduct reacts further giving nonquaternized 4-benzoylpyridine and 4-(α-hydroxybenzyl)pyridine as the two main terminal products. In the presence of stronger acids, such as acetic acid, the secon...
Molecular analysis of EMS-induced frizzled mutations in Drosophila melanogaster.

The frizzled (fz) gene of Drosophila is essential for the development of normal tissue polarity in the adult cuticle of Drosophila. In fz mutants the parallel array of hairs and bristles that decorate the cuticle is disrupted. Previous studies have shown that fz encodes a membrane protein with seven putative transmembrane domains, and that it has a complex role in the development of tissue polarity, as there exist both cell-autonomous and cell nonautonomous alleles. We have now examined a larger number of alleles and found that 15 of 19 alleles display cell nonautonomy. We have examined these and other alleles by Western blot analysis and found that most fz mutations result in altered amounts of Fz protein, and many also result in a Fz protein that migrates aberrantly in SDS-PAGE. We have sequenced a subset of these alleles. Cell nonautonomous fz alleles were found to be associated with mutations that altered amino acids in all regions of the Fz protein. Notably, the four cell-autonomous mutations were all in a proline residue located in the presumptive first cytoplasmic loop of the protein. We have also cloned and sequenced the fz gene from D. virilis. Conceptual translation of the D. virilis open reading frame indicates that the Fz protein is unusually well conserved. Indeed, in the putative cytoplasmic domains the Fz proteins of the two species are identical.
Evaluating consistency between BPEL specifications and functional requirements of complex computing systems using the NFR approach

Complex computing systems are usually composed of several subsystems interacting with each other. The functional requirements of the system being developed can be captured by BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) specifications, which are obtained from UML (Unified Modeling Language) diagrams. The captured BPEL specifications can be simulated in an environment such as NetBeans. The functional requirements of a complex system are known to change throughout the development due to changes in client's needs. Consistency between the BPEL specifications and the functional requirements is important to ensure that the system developed based on BPEL specifications satisfies the client's needs. In this paper we employ the NFR Approach, where NFR stands for non-functional requirements, to evaluate this consistency. We apply this approach to an example complex system, namely, the elevator control system, by first listing the functional requirements, capturing the requirements in BPEL, and evaluating the consistency between them using the NFR Approach. Based on this evaluation we are able to determine changes needed to BPEL specifications to match the functional requirements, justify the reasons for changes to the BPEL, and keep historical record of changes performed to the specifications during the system development process. It is our belief that practitioners in both industry and academia will find the NFR Approach to consistency evaluation a significant aid during complex systems development.
ANA CELIA ZENTELLA , Growing up bilingual: Puerto Rican children in New York . Oxford (UK) & Cambridge (MA): Blackwell, 1997. Pp. ix, 323. Pb $24.95.

The past two years have seen the publication of three books on linguistic practices among different Puerto Rican communities in the United States, and Zentella's book is one of the three. The other two are Urciuoli 1996 and Torres 1997. This sudden wealth within a particular disciplinary domain seemingly proves the first part of Gordon Lewis's (1963) pronouncement that Puerto Ricans are among the most researched peoples in the United States; but the sensitive ideological insights that guide Zentella's ethnography and analyses will certainly contribute to undermining the second part of his statement – that they are nonetheless the least understood. The books by Urciuoli and Torres are likewise valuable in this sense; but obviously, they are not under review here. Her documentation of the uses of language among Puerto Ricans in a New York City barrio greatly enhances our understanding of the Puerto Rican experience, as its meaning and place within “mainstream” US society is defined and contested through struggles over linguistic ideologies and practices.
Low-Cost Peptide Microarrays for Mapping Continuous Antibody Epitopes

With the increasing need for understanding antibody specificity in antibody and vaccine research, pepscan assays provide a rapid method for mapping and profiling antibody responses to continuous epitopes. We have developed a relatively low-cost method to generate peptide microarray slides for studying antibody binding. Using a setup of an IntavisAG MultiPep RS peptide synthesizer, a Digilab MicroGrid II 600 microarray printer robot, and an InnoScan 1100 AL scanner, the method allows the interrogation of up to 1536 overlapping, alanine-scanning, and mutant peptides derived from the target antigens. Each peptide is tagged with a polyethylene glycol aminooxy terminus to improve peptide solubility, orientation, and conjugation efficiency to the slide surface.
Properties of gap junction channels formed of connexin 45 endogenously expressed in human hepatoma (SKHep1) cells

We have evaluated the voltage dependence and unitary conductance of gap junctional channels that were recorded in a clone isolated from the hepatoma cell line SKHep1. In this clonal population (designated SKHep1A), Northern blots, immunoprecipitation, and immunohistochemical staining demonstrated the expression of connexin (Cx) 45; no other gap junction protein was identified by these techniques, although weak hybridization with Cx40 was detected. Macroscopic junctional conductance (gj) in these cells was low, averaging 1.3 nS, and was steeply voltage dependent. Parameters of voltage sensitivity were as follows: voltage at which voltage-sensitive conductance is reduced by 50%, 13.4 mV; steepness of relation, 0.115 (corresponding to 2.7 gating charges), and voltage-insensitive fraction of residual to total conductance approximately 0.06. Unitary conductance (gamma j) of these junctional channels averaged 32 +/- 8 pS; although gamma j was independent of transjunctional voltage (Vj), at high Vj values (> 50 mV), smaller conductance values were also detected. Open probabilities of the 30-pS channels at various Vj values closely matched the predicted voltage-dependent component of macroscopic gj, the residual conductance at high Vj might be attributable to the smaller conductance events. The voltage dependence of human Cx45 gap junction channels is as steep as that seen for channels formed by Xenopus Cx38 and is much steeper than that previously reported for channels formed of the highly homologous chick Cx45 and for other mammalian connexins expressed either endogenously or exogenously.
Application of mycotoxin RM's in method development and quality assurance

New analytical methodology for determining aflatoxin M1 in milk has been validated using the Eurpean Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) aflatoxin M1 in powdered milk certified reference material (CRM). Good agreement with the certified values for aflatoxin M1 were obtained using an immunoaffinity column clean-up procedure for the preparation of milk samples. This demonstrated the validity of this novel approach. Similarly, using the CRM's a fully automated sample handling procedure utilising robotics was validated for making routine aflatoxin determinations. The use of CRM's has now become part of the normal quality assurance procedure for survey work for aflatoxin M1 in milk, and CRM's are analysed ‘blind’ for every 15 survey samples.
A DNA-Based Nanomechanical Device Used to Characterize the Distortion of DNA by Apo-SoxR Protein

DNA-based nanomechanical devices can be used to characterize the action of DNA-distorting proteins. Here, we have constructed a device wherein two DNA triple crossover (TX) molecules are connected by a shaft, similar to a previous device that measured the binding free energy of integration host factor. In the present case, the binding site on the shaft contains the sequence recognized by SoxR protein, the apo-form of which is a transcriptional activator. Another active form is oxidized [2Fe-2S] SoxR formed during redox sensing, and previous data suggest that activated Fe-SoxR distorts its binding site by localized DNA untwisting by an amount that corresponds to about two base pairs. A pair of dyes report the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signal between the two TX domains, reflecting changes in the shape of the device upon binding the protein. The TX domains are used to amplify the signal expected from a relatively small distortion of the DNA binding site. From FRET analysis of apo-SoxR binding, the effect of apo-SoxR on the original TX device is similar to the effect of shortening the TX device by 2 bp. We estimate that the binding free energy of apo-SoxR on the DNA target site is 3.2-6.1 kcal/mol.
Some Confounding Effects of Forced-Choice Scales

than by known characteristics of the scaling devices. Under proper experimental conditions the forced-choice scale has the advantages of easier data processing and ability to force an attitude from respondents who, because of laziness, may not express one. However, forcing an attitude from a respondent who has no knowledge of the attitude object or considers the scale to be irrelevant confounds unawareness and indifference. The experiment described here shows the effect of this confounding on the central tendency and variance of attitude measurements. The ability to predict physical behavior from attitude measures is greatly reduced when the measures confound several mental states. The attitude scored by the respondent is determined by more than his evaluation of the object. Additional determinants of his attitude score are his awareness of the attitude object, his intensity of feeling toward the object, his ability to discriminate between scale items, and the social rewards (or risks) in verbalizing his attitudes. Also, the respondent's action tendency toward the object would seem to be determined by his attitude structure, which includes not only his attitudes but also their relative weights in the decision process. This discussion is limited to the confounding of unawareness and indifference.
Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy

Pregnancy produces many hemodynamic alterations of the cardiovascular system. Consideration of these alterations must be given in the management of pregnant patients with cardiac disease. This article reviews the cardiovascular hemodynamic alterations of pregnancy, and the management of pregnant patients with specific cardiac lesions.
Venous Thromboembolism Following Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction

Venous thromboembolic events (VTE) are a significant source of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Its incidence following microsurgical breast reconstruction ranges from 0.8 to 3.4 %. Several factors have been associated with an increased risk, including the presence of malignancy, major operative intervention, immobility, among others. Various models of risk assessment have been developed over the years in order to categorize patients in terms of VTE risk according to the presence of predisposing factors. The best and most accepted way to manage VTE is with preventive measures, these include the use of sequential compressive devices, pharmacologic agents such as unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin, and early ambulation. Recently, we have developed the first enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol specific to this patient population, aimed at decreasing surgical morbidity and at improving quality of care.
Ion-Beam Processing of Ion-Implanted Si

Substrates can undergo major temperature excursions during ion implantation if they are not well heat sunk. At power densities on the order of 50 watts per cm−2 radiatively cooled Si will melt in a matter of seconds. Such power densities can be maintained over a few sq. cms with many of the beams produced by even the moderate current machines currently used for doping Si and the III-V’s. We have made use of this fact to study pulsed ion-beam annealing of implanted Si. Two types of studies have been carried out. In the first, 5–20 sec proton irradiations were done at power densities of 3–35 watts cm−2 to produce sample temperatures of 500 to 1100°C. 2×1016 cm−2 280 keV B, BF2, As and P implants were annealed in this manner. Sheet resistances, ρs, versus power density curves were obtained for each ion and compared to psρs vs T data obtained for furnace annealed companion samples. In the second study the 2×1016cm−2 280 keV implants were carried out at progressively higher current densities so that the dopant beam itself raised the sample temperature to 500–1000°C. For each ion (other than B) it was possible to obtain power densities which resulted in self-annealing implants whose sheet resistances were as low as those obtained with the optimal furnace anneal. Details of the experiments, electrical and physical properties of the pulsed ion-beam annealed layers and device applications will be presented in this paper.
AVO Inversion Using the Zoeppritz Equation for PP Reflections

In the past, various approximations to the Zoeppritz equations have been derived and used in conventional AVO inversion. These approximations have accuracy limited to small angles, and the number of invertible elastic parameters is limited to two or three (the so-called twoor three-term AVO). Although inapplicable near the critical angle, plane-wave reflection coefficients (RCs) given by Zoeppritz equations are closed form and accurate for models without critical angles. We propose using the “exact” elastic Zoeppritz equations to do AVO inversion for reflections without critical angles. We compare the PP RCs calculated by finite differencing (FD), the Zoeppritz equation, and some classical approximations. For inversion, the Frechet derivatives can be calculated analytically, and least-squares amplitude fitting is able to invert for the density ratio and three velocity ratios at the reflector. This algorithm is useful for inversion of long-offset PP reflections.
Detection tasks in nuclear power plant operation: Vigilance decrement and physiological workload monitoring

Nuclear power plant (NPP) operators perform a variety of tasks that differ in mental workload. These include detection tasks that may be vulnerable to vigilance decrement. The present study used a simulation of NPP operation to investigate possible loss of vigilance during detection. Metrics used to assess operator functioning included subjective measures of workload and stress, physiological indices of workload, and objective performance. Detection, checking and response implementation tasks were compared, in the context of a simulated operational scenario. Study findings suggested three conclusions. First, detection imposed higher subjective workload and distress than other tasks, but physiological data suggested more complex differences between tasks. Second, vigilance decrements in detection performance were observed within 5-min task 'steps'. However, analyses of physiological metrics suggested that multiple temporal processes may operate. Third, there were consistent individual differences in task-induced workload responses. Implications of the findings for evaluating NPP interface designs and monitoring operators are discussed. Language: en
Creating network resilience against disasters using Service Level Agreements

Building networks that are resilient to natural disasters and other geographically correlated events involves both proactive network design and remediation after the event. Network provisioning is one of the steps used to provide redundancy and diversity in networks that are key elements in resilient network design. Once the disaster has occurred, remediation may include rerouting of the most important services affected by the event. Both components involve understanding the quality of service that may be affected, knowing which services are critical, and having an understanding of the geographic events that may impact the network. Furthermore, if resources are limited following the disaster, how do we select which services to reroute? In this work, we propose to use Service Level Agreements (SLA) to provide much of the information necessary to solve the provisioning and rerouting problems. On the provisioning side, the SLAs will provide the required system response time, availability and survivability of a service. On the remediation side, the SLA can provide the priority of a service to restore and reroute. We present mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) models and heuristics to show how the most important services are provisioned and rerouted to be available in the event of a geographic disaster. Our approaches are found to be more efficient than other priority-based approaches.
Luteal phase deficiency after completely normal follicular and periovulatory phases.

Luteal phase defect (LPD) accounts for a significant proportion of reproductive disorders, however its etiology is still debated. A prospective study was performed on 37 ovulatory women to determine whether LPD can occur in cycles characterized by completely normal folliculogenesis. Criteria for normal folliculogenesis included: a gradual rise of serum estradiol, a luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, the presence of a dominant follicle that disappeared, an increase of serum progesterone, and normal serum levels of prolactin, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, follicle-stimulating hormone, and LH. Thirty of 37 women fulfilled the above mentioned strict criteria and underwent endometrial biopsy in the late luteal phase. Seven of 30 (23%) demonstrated a delay in endometrial development and all had normal hormonal and ultrasonographic parameters of folliculogenesis and ovulation. Women with delayed endometrial development demonstrated slightly longer follicular phases (17.0±1.1 versus 14.5±0.3 days). Perfectly normal follicular and periovulatory events may be followed by deficient luteal phases.
Fixation of Chromosomal Rerrangements

The genome represents a central element in understanding biological organization and evolutionary process. Whether comparisons are made between karyotypes of closely related species or genome maps of distantly related organisms, there is clear evidence for the occurrence of chromosomal rearrangements. Differences in genome arrangement must arise through chromosomal mutations, and fixation of new chromosomal variants within populations. Mechanisms dictating the fixation of chromosomal rearrangements are not understood, and consequences of such changes are even less clear. Here, I review several key issues concerning the fixation of chromosomal rearrangements, and present empirical analyses of a newly derived Robertsonian fusion present in Drosophila americana.
Adsorption of RNA Onto AGED Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate (COM)

We studied the interaction of COM and ribonucleic acid (RNA), by adsorbing RNA onto the COM surface and inhibiting crystal growth. The choice of RNA as an adsorbate was two-fold: (i) it is of interest in urolithiasis, and (ii) it is a useful model for the study of adsorption of linear polyelectrolytes because of the existing detailed understanding of its physical chemistry.
Finite-Difference Calculations of Three-Dimensional Laminar Buoyant Flows Based on Curvilinear Non-orthogonal Coordinates

This paper presents a control volume-based finite-difference method for heat transfer and fluid flow calculations in arbitrary three-dimensional geometry in non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinates on a local basis in which vectors and tensors of the governing equations are all expressed in the general curvilinear coordinates. Examples are given for problems of natural convection in such three-dimensional enclosures as parallelepipeds and horizontal cylinders with arbitrarily located internal baffles.
Self-Inversive Cubic Curves

Let γ denote an irreducible nonsingular cubic curve which inverts onto itself with respect to a circle ω with center X. Depending on the type of γ, we show that γ inverts onto itself via a second circle orthogonal to ω or that γ inverts onto itself via two additional circles υ, η with ω,υ,η mutually orthogonal. To accomplish this an algebra (γ,δ) with a ternary operation δ is defined on the points of γ by setting δ(a,b,c) equal to the fourth point, counting multiplicities, on circle (a,b,c) and on γ. If * is the binary operation defined on the points of γ by setting a*b equal to the third point, counting multiplicities, on the line [a,b] and on γ, we show that δ(a,b,c) = X*((X*a)*(b*c)). This equation is used extensively to determine automorphisms of (γ,δ) and to discuss subalgebras.
Writing scientific articles like a native English speaker: concise writing for Portuguese speakers.

As post-doctoral fellow in 2013, I published an editorial based on my experience as a translator, called “Writing scientific articles like a native English speaker: top ten tips for Portuguese speakers” (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2014(03)(01) 1. It focused on the repeated “simple” mistakes I observed while revising manuscripts of Brazilian friends and colleagues. I did not predict the editorial would receive as much attention as it did on social media. It speaks to Brazilian researchers’ quest for representation on the international scientific platform and the ever-growing number of Brazilian publications in international journals.
Applying evolutionary genetics to developmental toxicology and risk assessment.

Abstract Evolutionary thinking continues to challenge our views on health and disease. Yet, there is a communication gap between evolutionary biologists and toxicologists in recognizing the connections among developmental pathways, high-throughput screening, and birth defects in humans. To increase our capability in identifying potential developmental toxicants in humans, we propose to apply evolutionary genetics to improve the experimental design and data interpretation with various in vitro and whole-organism models. We review five molecular systems of stress response and update 18 consensual cell–cell signaling pathways that are the hallmark for early development, organogenesis, and differentiation; and revisit the principles of teratology in light of recent advances in high-throughput screening, big data techniques, and systems toxicology. Multiscale systems modeling plays an integral role in the evolutionary approach to cross-species extrapolation. Phylogenetic analysis and comparative bioinformatics are both valuable tools in identifying and validating the molecular initiating events that account for adverse developmental outcomes in humans. The discordance of susceptibility between test species and humans (ontogeny) reflects their differences in evolutionary history (phylogeny). This synthesis not only can lead to novel applications in developmental toxicity and risk assessment, but also can pave the way for applying an evo-devo perspective to the study of developmental origins of health and disease.
Restructuring and Arms Reduction in the World Economy

This “keynote” chapter describes the international economic setting prevailing in late summer, 1990. The uncertainties of the military operation in the Gulf, together with economic reform in Europe, both West and East, gave rise to concern about the health of the international economy. Recession was under way or about to begin in some countries, and a general world slowdown was already being felt. This particular set of circumstances made international coordination of economic policy difficult. But after the prevailing cyclical correction, it was felt that the world economy could cope with restructuring in many countries and take advantage of pending technological improvements to embark on a new expansion in the final decade of the 20th century.
Ratio of dietary rumen degradable protein to rumen undegradable protein affects nitrogen partitioning but does not affect the bovine milk proteome produced by mid-lactation Holstein dairy cows

Little is known about the bovine milk proteome or whether it can be affected by diet. The objective of this study was to determine if the dietary rumen degradable protein (RDP):rumen undegradable protein (RUP) ratio could alter the bovine milk proteome. Six Holstein cows (parity: 2.5 ± 0.8) in mid lactation were blocked by days in milk (80 ± 43 d in milk) and milk yield (57.5 ± 6.0 kg) and randomly assigned to treatment groups. The experiment was conducted as a double-crossover design consisting of three 21-d periods. Within each period, treatment groups received diets with either (1) a high RDP:RUP ratio (RDP treatment: 62.4:37.6% of crude protein) or (2) a low RDP:RUP ratio (RUP treatment: 51.3:48.7% of crude protein). Both diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic (crude protein: 18.5%, net energy for lactation: 1.8 Mcal/kg of dry matter). To confirm N and energy status of cows, dry matter intake was determined daily, rumen fluid samples were collected for volatile fatty acid analysis, blood samples were collected for plasma glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate, urea nitrogen, and fatty acid analysis, and total 24-h urine and fecal samples were collected for N analysis. Milk samples were collected to determine the general milk composition and the protein profile. Milk samples collected for high-abundance protein analysis were subjected to HPLC analysis to determine the content of α-casein, β-casein, and κ-casein, as well as α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin. Samples collected for low-abundance protein analysis were fractionated, enriched using ProteoMiner treatment, and separated using sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE. After excision and digestion, the peptides were analyzed using liquid chromatography (LC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The LC-MS/MS data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS (version 9.4, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) and adjusted using the MULTTEST procedure. All other parameters were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. No treatment differences were observed in dry matter intake, milk yield, general milk composition, plasma parameters, or rumen volatile fatty acid concentrations, indicating no shift in total energy or protein available. Milk urea N and plasma urea N concentrations were higher in the RDP group, indicating some shift in N partitioning due to diet. A total of 595 milk proteins were identified, with 83% of these proteins known to be involved in cellular processes. Although none of the low-abundance proteins identified by LC-MS/MS were affected by diet, feeding a diet high in RUP decreased β-casein, κ-casein, and total milk casein concentration. Further investigations of the interactions between diet and the milk protein profile are needed to manipulate the milk proteome using diet.
Marijuana use during pregnancy: A comparison of trends and correlates among married and unmarried pregnant women.

Abstract Background/purpose While recent evidence indicates increases in marijuana use among adult women in the United States (US), important questions remain with respect to marijuana use during pregnancy. This study examines trends and correlates of prenatal marijuana use and the effects of marijuana-specific risk/protective factors on marijuana use trends using a nationally representative sample. Method Data were derived from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005–2014), a nationally representative survey that included 3640 married and 3987 unmarried pregnant women in the United States. The significance of marijuana use trends was tested using logistic regression analyses while adjusting for complex sampling design effects and controlling for sociodemographic and marijuana-specific factors. Results From 2005–2014, marijuana use prevalence among unmarried pregnant women increased by 85% from 5.4% to 10.0% while the prevalence among married pregnant women remained stable (mostly under 1.5%). The increasing trend among unmarried pregnant women was associated with their lower disapproval and risk perceptions of marijuana use. In addition, past-year anxiety (AOR = 3.30, 95% CI = 1.87-5.82) and depression (AOR = 3.85, 95% CI = 2.33-6.36) diagnoses were linked with marijuana use among unmarried, but not married, pregnant women. Discussion Increased attention should be paid to reducing prenatal marijuana use among unmarried women. Findings also suggest the need to attend to unmarried pregnant women’s mental health problems as well as their physical health-risk behaviors.
Second Breakdown and Robustness of Vertical and Lateral GaN Power Field‐Effect Transistors

Robustness of GaN power field-effect transistors, including the vertical UMOSFET, vertical DMOSFET, and lateral p-AlGaN gate HEMT is studied by analyzing their safe operating areas (SOA) using finite-element-analysis device simulation. At off-state gate voltages, the devices are forced into high-voltage, high-current avalanche breakdown. Assuming isothermal conditions at 300 K, the simulated DMOSFET SOA exhibits high robustness, while the UMOSFET and the p-AlGaN gate HEMT experiences current snapback. The simulated robustness of both the DMOSFET and the UMOSFET degrades when realistic temperature dependence is included in the non-isothermal case, with current filamentation in high dissipation areas, leading to a more pronounced current snapback.
Modifying hydrogen-bonded structures by physical vapor deposition: 4-methyl-3-heptanol

We prepared films of 4-methyl-3-heptanol by vapor depositing onto substrates held at temperatures between Tdep = 0.6Tg and Tg, where Tg is the glass transition temperature. Using deposition rates between 0.9 and 6.0 nm/s, we prepared films about 5 μm thick and measured the dielectric properties via an interdigitated electrode cell onto which films were deposited. Samples prepared at Tdep = Tg display the dielectric behavior of the ordinary supercooled liquid. Films deposited at lower deposition temperatures show a high dielectric loss upon heating toward Tg, which decreases by a factor of about 12 by annealing at Tg = 162 K. This change is consistent with either a drop of the Kirkwood correlation factor, gk, by a factor of about 10, or an increase in the dielectric relaxation times, both being indicative of changes toward ring-like hydrogen-bonded structure characteristic of the ordinary liquid. We rationalize the high dielectric relaxation amplitude in the vapor deposited glass by suggesting that depositions at low temperature provide insufficient time for molecules to form ring-like supramolecular structures for which dipole moments cancel. Surprisingly, above Tg of the ordinary liquid, these vapor deposited films fail to completely recover the dielectric properties of the liquid obtained by supercooling. Instead, the dielectric relaxation remains slower and its amplitude much higher than that of the equilibrium liquid state, indicative of a structure that differs from the equilibrium liquid up to at least Tg + 40 K.
Recent Advances in the Development of PET and SPECT Tracers for Brain Imaging

Abstract Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are radiotracer-based noninvasive imaging techniques that provide quantitative binding information on specific target areas of interest. PET and SPECT have been proven to be particularly valuable for imaging targets in the central nervous system, enabling receptor occupancy measurements and dose selection for clinical candidates. In this review, we compare the advantages and limitations of these two imaging modalities; highlight recent advances in the PET field including new tools and design principles to facilitate tracer development and novel PDE10a, ORL1, and FAAH PET tracers; and review recent data in the field of SPECT in brain imaging.
Symmetry Reduction of Ordinary Differential Equations Using Moving Frames

The symmetry reduction algorithm for ordinary differential equations due to Sophus Lie is revisited using the method of equivariant moving frames. Using the recurrence formulas provided by the theo...
Prospects for cooperative security arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region

The concept of multilateral dialogue on Asia-Pacific security is attracting increasing support. This results from the improvement of relations among most of the major powers, the growing awareness of the problems that can best be addressed through cooperation, and the development of more realistic proposals for multilateral dialogue. The best approach to cooperative security is to utilize a combination of channels, including the ASEAN Regional Forum for discussion of region-wide and Southeast Asian issues, a parallel forum for dialogue on Northeast Asia, consideration of some security problems in APEC, and a recognized unofficial dialogue on regional strategic questions.
Band Anticrossing and Related Electronic Structure in III–N-V Alloys

This chapter presents the effect of N on the electronic band structure in dilute III-N-V nitrides in terms of a band anti-crossing interaction between highly localized N states and the extended conduction band states of the semiconductor matrix. The interaction leads to a splitting of the conduction band into two non-parabolic sub-bands. The downward shift of the lower sub-band edge relative to the valence band is responsible for the reduction of the fundamental band gap. The profound effects on the optical and electrical properties of the dilute nitrides, such as the significant increase in the electron effective mass and the drastic decrease in the electron mobility can all be quantitatively account for using this model. The band anti-crossing (BAC) model not only explains the unusual optical and electronic properties of Highly Mismatched Alloys (HMAs) but also to predict new effects that have been later experimentally confirmed. The approach is however, limited to the review of properties of group III-N-V alloys, it is emphasized that these alloys are only a sub group of a much broader class of materials whose electronic structure is determined by the anti-crossing interaction.
Systems of Care in North America

Child and adolescent mental health care in North American has historically gotten lost somewhere between pediatrics and psychiatry. Although child mental health clinicians share a population of concern with pediatricians and other primary care providers, child psychiatry is not considered a pediatric medicine specialty area but rather a psychiatric one. The bulk of the psychiatric “business”, however, deals with adults and, therefore, has closer ties to internal medicine than to child psychiatry. This creates a no-man’s land organizationally, where service need and responsibility are disconnected (Rae-Grant 1986). Adding to the disconnect are the barriers of stigma (families experiencing shame when their child has a mental illness) and scarcity. (The subspecialty of child psychiatry produces very few doctors compared to other medical specialties, and both the training of psychiatric nurses and that of clinical social workers is focused on adults.)
Photodimerization and Photocycloaddition Reactions Yielding Cyclobutanes

The formation of dimers and cycloaddition products upon irradiation of compounds containing olefinic bonds constitutes one of the first types of photochemical reactions observed. Early workers were dependent mainly upon irradiation in sunlight, often for periods of several months (varying as to the season) to obtain small yields of products. Laborious separation and purification often led to the elucidation of the gross structure of these products, but since the excellent physical tools commonly available to the present-day photochemist were lacking, the stereochemistry of the products often remained completely obscure. A review of the reactions discovered and investigated prior to the rapid acceleration in photochemical progress of the past twenty years is given by Mustafa.(1)
Advancing cybersecurity education: pink elephant unicorn

Pink Elephant Unicorn (PEU) is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) cybersecurity competition targeted at anyone who has a drive to learn about cybersecurity. Tasks included puzzle development, trivia creation, play zone development, tutorial creation, and Facebook CTF development. PEU aims to increase the quantity of individuals with an understanding and/or interest in cybersecurity. Post competition surveys help ensure PEU meets participant needs.
Top-down or bottom up: decreased stimulus salience increases responses to predictable stimuli of auditory thalamic neurons.

KEY POINTS Temporal imprecision leads to deficits in the comprehension of signals in cluttered acoustic environments, and the elderly are shown to use cognitive resources to disambiguate these signals. To mimic ageing in young rats, we delivered sound signals that are temporally degraded, which led to temporally imprecise neural codes. Instead of adaptation to repeated stimuli, with degraded signals, there was a relative increase in firing rates, similar to that seen in aged rats. We interpret this increase with repetition as a repair mechanism for strengthening the internal representations of degraded signals by the higher-order structures. ABSTRACT To better understand speech in challenging environments, older adults increasingly use top-down cognitive and contextual resources. The medial geniculate body (MGB) integrates ascending inputs with descending predictions to dynamically gate auditory representations based on salience and context. A previous MGB single-unit study found an increased preference for predictable sinusoidal amplitude modulated (SAM) stimuli in aged rats relative to young rats. The results suggested that the age-degraded/jittered up-stream acoustic code may engender an increased preference for predictable/repeating acoustic signals, possibly reflecting increased use of top-down resources. In the present study, we recorded from units in young-adult MGB, comparing responses to standard SAM with those evoked by less salient SAM (degraded) stimuli. We hypothesized that degrading the SAM stimulus would simulate the degraded ascending acoustic code seen in the elderly, increasing the preference for predictable stimuli. Single units were recorded from clusters of advanceable tetrodes implanted above the MGB of young-adult awake rats. Less salient SAM significantly increased the preference for predictable stimuli, especially at higher modulation frequencies. Rather than adaptation, higher modulation frequencies elicited increased numbers of spikes with each successive trial/repeat of the less salient SAM. These findings are consistent with previous findings obtained in aged rats suggesting that less salient acoustic signals engage the additional use of top-down resources, as reflected by an increased preference for repeating stimuli that enhance the representation of complex environmental/communication sounds.
Linking Soil Water Adsorption to Geotechnical Engineering Properties

Geotechnical engineering properties such as elastic modulus, small-strain shear modulus, and thermal conductivity are governed by soil fundamental properties such as specific surface area, cation exchange capacity, suction stress, and matric potential. The linkages between geotechnical properties and soil fundamental properties can be established through the use of soil water retention mechanisms of capillarity and adsorption. This chapter highlights some of the advances in establishing such linkages in the past decade. Future research challenges, opportunities, and potential pathways are also provided.