cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nucleation and Growth of Tin Hillocks by In Situ Nanoindentation

For several decades, tin whiskers have been a major reliability issue in the microelectronics industry. These single crystalline tin filaments can grow long enough to cause short circuiting and device failure. Although tin whisker/hillock growth is driven by compressive stresses, a mechanistic model of their formation, evolution, and microstructural influence has not been fully developed. In this work, the growth of mechanically induced tin whiskers/hillocks was studied using an in situ nanoindenter and electron backscatter diffraction in a dedicated scanning electron microscope. Electroplated Sn-on-Cu samples were indented and monitored in vacuum to study their growth behavior without the influence of atmosphere. Aging experiments were conducted to study the effect of intermetallics on hillock growth. The grain orientation of the hillocks and the plastically deformed area surrounding the indentation were studied on slabs lifted out of the sample with the use of focused ion beam. High-angle grain boundaries were seen to favor the formation of Sn hillocks. A finite element model was developed to study the evolution of the compressive stress state in the Sn plating and the results showed good agreement with the experimental results.
The role of oxidatively generated DNA fragments in the formation of nucleic acid adducts

2253 The oxidation of nucleic acids plays a significant role in the development of cancer. The direct products of oxidative events are derived from all nucleic acid constituents: the base, sugar and the phosphate linkage. It has long been accepted that base adduction is a primary player resulting from the reaction of endogenous and exogenous substrates with DNA. Evidence has accumulated which reveals the formation of several electrophilic substrates from the oxidative damage of DNA when the target is the 2-deoxyribose moiety. The degradation of sugar based radicals; especially in the presence of oxygen, often results in the formation of small molecules capable of reacting with cellular nucleophiles. Through the study of the C-3’-thymidinyl radical in ssDNA using photocleavable precursors, we have determined that the aerobic degradation of this reactive intermediate results in the formation of several DNA damage fragments capable of forming adducts with nucleophilic cellular inhabitants. This work revealed that due to the flexibility of the single stranded oligonucleotide and the reactivity of the peroxylradical formed by the trapping of oxygen, several different degradation pathways are observed, each leading to a unique electrophilic sugar fragment. The work presented here will elucidate the reactions of several of these fragments with DNA bases and other cellular nucleophiles. The utility of these DNA adducts as biomarkers of oxidative stress will also be investigated.
Determinants of Physical Activity for Latino and White Middle School-Aged Children

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) has long been acknowledged to contribute health benefits among children. However, research has consistently shown that PA declines as children grow older. Thus, this study examined the factors which are associated to children's PA in order to identify potential barriers to PA. METHODS Using data from the KidQuest Program, we conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses on survey data collected from fifth to seventh grade students in a small Midwestern city. RESULTS We found that food knowledge, eating breakfast, and talking with family about eating healthy foods, are positively related to PA. On the other hand, screen time is negatively related to PA. In addition, our results evinced differences between ethnicities and found that Latino children's screen time affects their PA levels more than their white counterpart. CONCLUSIONS There are different factors which can be tapped to increase PA among middle school-aged children. Given the differences between the Latino and white samples especially in screen time, schools should consider individualized intervention, rather than a "one size fits all" program, to increase PA participation.
Utilizing Microbiome and Bioinformatic Tools to Reduce Food Waste in Poultry

ObjectivesIn chicken harvest, the post-harvest chilling process is a crucial step for food safety. Most facilities use either water immersion chilling (WC) or air chilling (AC) to rapidly cool the chicken. A holistic assessment of the consequences of each method to meat quality and shelf life is necessary to determine the impacts of each method. To address this knowledge gap, a multi-faceted project was conducted to determine how the chilling system influenced the microbial ecology and subsequent deterioration of chicken breasts.Materials and MethodsThe study was conducted using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design to evaluate the impacts of chilling method (AC vs. WC), fabrication method (bone-in vs. boneless; BI vs. BL), and cold storage period (7 vs. 14 d) on the microbial ecology of chicken breasts. A total of 256 chicken carcasses were used for this study. Carcasses were obtained from a commercial processing plant following dressing and a single antimicrobial treatment. Twenty carcasses were removed for sampling as warm carcasses, and the remaining 236 were divided into eight groups for processing (AC-BI, AC-BL, WC-BI, WC-BL tray-wrapped for 7- and 14-d storage). Collection time-points included: warm, post-chilling, post-fabrication, post-storage, and after 3-d retail display. Microbiome samples were collected at each sampling using a PBS rinsate. Then, samples were further processed for microbiome analysis following standard methods, sequenced for the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, and analyzed using the QIIME2 pipeline.ResultsThere were significant differences in microbial diversity between different chilling methods, fabrications methods, and cold storage times. Both chilling methods were different from the warm carcasses based on α diversity metrics, though the two chilling methods were not different from each other. However, there were differences in the β diversity between all three groups. Storage day significantly altered the faith’s phylogenetic α diversity but had no impact on Shannon’s α diversity. By both metrics, the diversity was reduced with increased length of storage, suggesting that a few organisms begin to dominate the product during dark storage. The fabrication methods also resulted in significantly different diversities when phylogenetic metrics (Faith’s, unweighted UniFrac) were used. The products that were sampled prior to dark storage, regardless of chilling method, were dominated by Enterobacteriaceae, while those that were subjected to cold storage were dominated by Pseudomonadaceae. In the stored samples, AC samples tended to have a greater abundance of Moraxellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae than WC.ConclusionThese results suggest that different treatments of chicken breasts, including chilling, fabrication, and storage time, all correspond with changes to the product microbiome. These data will be combined with microbiology, physiochemical, nutritive, and taste and color data as well as a techno-economic analysis to provide a deeper understanding of impacts of processing methods on poultry quality and shelf life.
Evidence of an unusual pattern of polychlorinated biphenyls in the serum of some residents and canines in Paoli, Pennsylvania.

The present study uses gas liquid chromatography (GLC) electron capture detection with packed and capillary columns to detect polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in serum samples from people living near the electric car repair and maintenance facility of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Most of the cohort surveyed had serum patterns similar to patterns for Aroclor 1260 (AR 1260); a small portion (3/89) had patterns indicative of an AR with higher chlorination (e.g., AR 1268). In addition to analyzing serum samples from humans, the authors also analyzed serum samples from canines (pets of some of the subjects). In general, the serum pattern for canines was less descriptive for AR 1260 than the pattern for humans; however, the pattern for several canines (9/16) was that of the higher chlorinated PCBs (e.g., AR 1268). By using mass spectrometry and capillary column GLC, we confirmed the presence of high molecular weight polychlorinated congeners in both human and animal samples. We were not able to show a statistically significant relationship between serum patterns of PCBs in canines and their owners or between canines and certain behavioral traits (e.g., runs free, retrieves, hours outside, hours inside). However, the correlation between PCBs quantified as ARmore » 1268 and canines' residence time was statistically significant.« less
Nuclear Heparanase Regulates Chromatin Remodeling, Gene Expression and PTEN Tumor Suppressor Function

Heparanase (HPSE) is an endoglycosidase that cleaves heparan sulfate and has been shown in various cancers to promote metastasis, angiogenesis, osteolysis, and chemoresistance. Although heparanase is thought to act predominantly extracellularly or within the cytoplasm, it is also present in the nucleus, where it may function in regulating gene transcription. Using myeloma cell lines, we report here that heparanase enhances chromatin accessibility and confirm a previous report that it also upregulates the acetylation of histones. Employing the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation CoMMpass database, we demonstrate that patients expressing high levels of heparanase display elevated expression of proteins involved in chromatin remodeling and several oncogenic factors compared to patients expressing low levels of heparanase. These signatures were consistent with the known function of heparanase in driving tumor progression. Chromatin opening and downstream target genes were abrogated by inhibition of heparanase. Enhanced levels of heparanase in myeloma cells led to a dramatic increase in phosphorylation of PTEN, an event known to stabilize PTEN, leading to its inactivity and loss of tumor suppressor function. Collectively, this study demonstrates that heparanase promotes chromatin opening and transcriptional activity, some of which likely is through its impact on diminishing PTEN tumor suppressor activity.
Long-Term Treatment Outcomes of Primary Alveolar Bone Grafts for Alveolar Clefts: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Background Alveolar bone grafting is utilized to manage alveolar clefts in patients with cleft lip and palate. However, the timing of bone grafting is variable with conflicting evidence supporting the use of primary alveolar bone grafting (PABG) in clinical practice. Primary aim To provide a qualitative systematic review analysis of long-term outcomes after PABG. Materials and methods A qualitative systematic review was performed following the Cochrane Handbook and reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Summative findings were evaluated using Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research to assess the quality of evidence supporting the findings. Results After removing duplication, 2182 publications were identified, and 2131 were excluded after screening through titles and abstracts. Inclusion criteria for this study included patients who underwent PABG at 24 months of age or younger and a minimum of 5 year follow-up. Thirty-two publications met the inclusion criteria and were included for qualitative analysis. Primary outcome measures included cephalometric analysis, bone graft survival, occlusal analysis, hypomineralization, tooth eruption, radiograph analysis, and arch relationships. Four assessment themes were characterized from the systematic review: (1) bone graft survival, (2) craniofacial skeletal relationships, (3) occlusion and arch forms, and (4) recommendations for utilizing PABG in practice. Conclusion The reported systematic review provides evidence that performing PABG leads to poor long-term outcomes related to bone graft survival and maxillary growth restriction despite some reported positive outcomes.
0089 Capturing healing after gender and sexual violence using photo-experiencing and reflective listening (PEARL)

Statement of purpose While photo-elicitation has been described as a promising method to explore complex emotional topics such as trauma healing, few methods incorporate a trauma-informed approach grounded in feedback from participants who have experienced violence firsthand. The purpose of this study therefore was to create and evaluate a new trauma-informed photo-elicitation method, Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening (PEARL). Methods/Approach PEARL involves the use of a photography focusing prompt and subsequent activity-based interview to capture day-to-day healing experiences and emotions. We used a concurrent mixed methods approach with 17 survivors of gender and sexual violence to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using PEARL to explore one’s healing journey. Results Overall, participants enjoyed the uniqueness of PEARL and found it a non-triggering way to engage with difficult material. Of note, participants said that they fully agreed that the interview covered the most important aspects of the topic for them (N=17) and that it was the correct investigative approach (n=14). Participants also noted that PEARL helped them understand how to improve their situation (n=15) and gave them new ways of looking at their problems (n=14). Conclusion With careful application, PEARL is a survivor-centered method that allows researchers to get a glimpse at survivor healing experiences through the collection of both visual and narrative data. Future research should explore PEARL not only as a potential data collection technique, but also as an intervention to promote active healing engagement in survivors of gender and sexual violence. Significance While PEARL was created for survivors of sexual violence, it can be applied to understand a wide array of violence experiences. Learning from those who have been victims of violence first hand can help reveal the roots of violence in our society and how we can ultimately prevent it.
Deep learning based quantitative property-consequence relationship (QPCR) models for toxic dispersion prediction

Abstract It is crucial for emergency responders to makes a quick and accurate prediction of toxic chemical dispersions, which can lead to massive injuries and casualties. In this study, a toxic dispersion database is constructed by PHAST simulations, which consist of 30,022 toxic release scenarios of 19 chemicals. A quantitative consequence prediction model is then developed based on this database to efficiently and accurately predict dispersion downwind distances. Random forest, gradient boosting, and deep neural network algorithms are implemented and compared to find the best performing method for the model construction. The deep neural network is found to have the highest accuracy with the test set R2 higher than 0.994 and RMSE less than 0.1 for all key dispersion ranges. The developed toxic dispersion prediction models can be used to quickly generate instant toxic dispersion range estimations for any toxic chemicals at much lower computational costs.
Constitutive equations for electrorheological fluids based on molecular dynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the first physics principle to derive constitute equations for electrorheological (ER) fluids based on molecular dynamics. The computer simulations are applied to investigate the structure of ER fluids. The formation of structure is driven by dipolar interactions, viscous drag forces, and brownian motions. Molecular simulations on this model have shown that the ER fluid can readily form the body-centered tetragonal (bct) lattice under a strong electric field. Several other computer simulations on a similar model are reported. In the extensive simulations, the detail of the induced ER structure under various conditions is examined. The results indicate that ER fluids under an electric field may develop into five different structures under different conditions. In a weak electric field, ER fluids can move from a liquid state to a nematic liquid crystal state, which only has ordering in the field direction, but no ordering in other directions. This ordering indicates chain formation along the field direction. In both liquid and liquid crystal states, the columnar particle density remains uniform. When the electric field is strong and the thermal fluctuation is weak or moderate, ER fluids develop into a bct lattice. The simulation also provides information about the solidification and the chain formation time in ER fluids.
Unidirectionality in ad-hoc networks: a simulation study

This paper is to study the impact on performance on using unidirectional links, in addition to bidirectional links, in ad-hoc networks. The study offers a better understanding on the future routing protocol design for ad-hoc networks. By using unidirectional links in addition to bidirectional links, the routing performance will improve greatly. To accurately evaluate the use of unidirectional links, both unidirectional and bidirectional links in the random graph and the Euclidean graph approaches are investigated. The random graph approach, where node connection and link direction are the only concerns, serves as a theoretical benchmark for the study. The Euclidean graph approach, where the dynamics of the wireless network are captured, examines the ability of the networks to transmit messages to most, if not all, of the nodes within a small number of hops on the provision of the minimal network connectivity. The simulation results show the presence of a significant proportion of unidirectional links and the improvement of network performance by increasing network connectivity and reducing path length.
The great debate on CO2 emissions

There is a broad consensus that emissions of greenhouse gases, principally CO2, must be reduced to minimize any adverse effects of climate change. But fierce argument attends the question ‘How quickly?’.
Spin‐Crossover Materials

Smart materials respond to their environment as illustrated by photochromic eyeglasses, that darken upon exposure to ultraviolet light to attenuate additional ultraviolet light. Hence, materials that have fast reversible responses to environmental stimuli are sought as components of smart systems. Similar to photochromic materials, thermochromic materials reversibly respond to heat and exhibit substantial color changes upon small changes in temperature. Spin-crossover materials are a class of thermochromic materials that possess fast, reversible color changes amenable to display and memory devices. These color changes can also be induced by light (photochromic) or pressure (piezochromic) as well as heat. Due to the nature of the mechanism of their thermo-, photo-, or piezochromic responses (i.e., redistribution of the electron density at a metal ion site within the molecule), they are extremely fast and reversible. As a consequence of the fast color change, strong contrast between colors, and the intermolecular interactions within the solid, the differing colors can be maintained for a long period of time, and due to the lack of moving parts, these materials are completely recyclable and amenable to fast, low power-consuming, high-data-density display and storage devices and “smart” materials and systems of the future. Keywords: Smart materials; Color change; Thermochromic materials; Display devices; Memory devices; Spin-crossover materials
Air toxics and the risk of autism spectrum disorder: the results of a population based case–control study in southwestern Pennsylvania

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) constitute a major public health problem affecting one in 68 children. There is little understanding of the causes of ASD despite its serious social impact. Air pollution contains many toxicants known to have adverse effects on the fetus. We conducted a population based case–control study in southwestern Pennsylvania to estimate the association between ASD and 2005 US EPA modeled NATA (National Air Toxics Assessment) levels for 30 neurotoxicants. A total of 217 ASD cases born between 2005 and 2009 were recruited from local ASD diagnostic and treatment centers. There were two different control groups: 1) interviewed controls (N = 224) frequency matched by child’s year of birth, sex and race with complete residential histories from prior to pregnancy through the child’s second birthday, and 2) 5,007 controls generated from a random sample of birth certificates (BC controls) using residence at birth. We used logistic regression analysis comparing higher to first quartile of exposure to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for mother’s age, education, race, smoking status, child’s year of birth and sex. Comparing fourth to first quartile exposures for all births, the adjusted OR for styrene was 2.04 (95 % CI = 1.17–3.58, p = 0.013) for the interviewed case–control analysis and 1.61 (95 % CI = 1.08-2.40, p = 0.018) for the BC analysis. In the BC comparison, chromium also exhibited an elevated OR of 1.60 (95 % CI = 1.08-2.38, p = 0.020), which was similarly elevated in the interviewed analysis (OR = 1.52, 95 % CI = 0.87–2.66). There were borderline significant ORs for the BC comparison for methylene chloride (OR = 1.41, 95 % CI = 0.96–2.07, p = 0.082) and PAHs (OR = 1.44, 95 % CI = 0.98–2.11, p = 0.064). Living in areas with higher levels of styrene and chromium during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of ASD, with borderline effects for PAHs and methylene chloride. These results are consistent with other studies. It is unclear, however, whether these chemicals are risk factors themselves or if they reflect the effect of a mixture of pollutants. Future work should include improved spatiotemporal estimates of exposure to air toxics, taking into account the dynamic movement of individuals during daily life.
The Efficacy of Inhaled Beclomethasone in Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease

The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of inhaled beclomethasone in the treatment of stable chronic obstructive airway disease (COAD). Eight patients completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of inhaled beclomethasone and oral prednisone. Each patient received 3 treatment regimens given for 14 days: inhaled beclomethasone, prednisone, and placebo. There were no statistically significant differences in pulmonary function tests, oxygen cost diagram, or 12-minute walking distance test among the regimens. The only improvement in arterial blood gasses was partial pressure of oxygen, which was negligibly increased during prednisone treatment compared with beclomethasone and with placebo (p less than 0.05). Evaluation of 95% confidence intervals indicated that clinically significant mean differences were unlikely with either beclomethasone or prednisone. Larger studies are required to determine if a responsive subgroup exists, and to determine if this form of therapy has a role in treatment of COAD.
Femininity and Eating Disorders

The purpose of this study is to examine conformity to traditional feminine norms as a predictor of eating disorder (ED) symptomatology. Eight subscales of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI) were examined as predictors of ED symptomatology as assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Findings indicate the Thinness subscale of the CFNI predicted significant portions of the variance in ED symptomatology. Contrary to the findings of Mahalik and colleagues (2005), no other CFNI subscales predicted ED symptoms. Implications for the femininity theory of EDs are discussed.
NEM relay based memory architectures for low power design

Nano-electromechanical (NEM) relays are a promising class of emerging devices that exhibit zero leakage operation. This work proposes three new NEM relay based parallel readout memory bitcell architectures that have faster access time, and remove the reliability issues associated with previously reported serial readout architectures. Accurate Verilog-A models were developed based on published fabrication results of NEM relays operating at 1V with a nominal air gap of 5 – 10nm. Bitcell stability and access time analysis are performed for all the proposed architectures and the results are presented.
SCOAP: Sandia Controllability/Observability Analysis Program

SCOAP is a program developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the analysis of digital circuit testability. Testability is related to the difficulty of controlling and observing the logical values of internal nodes from circuit inputs and outputs, respectively. This paper reviews the testability analysis algorithms and describes their implementation in the SCOAP program.
Celebration and Separation: A Troublesome Approach to Multicultural Education

Middle school classrooms can be fertile ground for positively impacting students' cultural and racial assumptions and understanding, given an effective multicultural curriculum and school structure. This article presents a narrative of the author's contrasting experiences teaching a text with racial themes. Applicable literature provides a framework for explaining the students' differing levels of receptivity towards the text. Three particular areas of study provide the framework for explaining student response: a school's approach to multicultural literature; school structure, in particular, tracking; and theories of racial identity development. In addition, the author challenges adults involved in the educational system to implement truly multicultural approaches to learning, despite the potential discomfort or unpopularity of such change.
A Mutation in a 3-Keto-Acyl-ACP Synthase II Gene is Associated with Elevated Palmitic Acid Levels in Soybean Seeds

Palmitic acid is the major saturated fatty acid component of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] oil, typically accounting for approximately 11% of total seed oil content. Several genetic loci have been shown to control the seed palmitate content of soybean. One such locus, fap 2 , mediates an elevated seed palmitate phenotype. Previous biochemical studies indicated that the fap 2 locus is assodated with a reduction in the activity of 3-keto-acyl-ACP synthase II (KAS II), an enzyme that initiates the elongation of palmitoyl-ACP to stearoyl-ACP in the plastid. The objective of the present research was to define the molecular basis by which the fap 2 locus increases seed palmitate levels. We isolated two closely related, yet unique KAS II cDNAs, designated GmKAS IIA and GmKAS IIB, from soybean cultivar Century (Fap 2 , Fap 2 ) and its derivative high palmitate germplasm C1727 (fap 2 , fap 2 ). The GmKAS IIB cDNAs recovered from Century and C1727 were identical. In contrast, a single base-pair substitution was found in the GmKAS IIA gene from C1727 versus Century which converted a tryptophan codon into a premature stop codon, a mutation that would be predicted to render the encoded enzyme non-functional. Knowledge of the DNA sequence polymorphism led to the development a facile, robust cleavage amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker that readily distinguishes the mutant GmKAS IIA gene. This marker faithfully associated with a second independent germplasm line bearing the fap 2 locus, and thus may be useful in breeding programs that target the development of high palmitate soybean cultivars.
Nonrigid liver registration for image-guided surgery using partial surface data: a novel iterative approach

In the context of open abdominal image-guided liver surgery, the efficacy of an image-guidance system relies on its ability to (1) accurately depict tool locations with respect to the anatomy, and (2) maintain the work flow of the surgical team. Laser-range scanned (LRS) partial surface measurements can be taken intraoperatively with relatively little impact on the surgical work flow, as opposed to other intraoperative imaging modalities. Previous research has demonstrated that this kind of partial surface data may be (1) used to drive a rigid registration of the preoperative CT image volume to intraoperative patient space, and (2) extrapolated and combined with a tissue-mechanics-based organ model to drive a non-rigid registration, thus compensating for organ deformations. In this paper we present a novel approach for intraoperative nonrigid liver registration which iteratively reconstructs a displacement field on the posterior side of the organ in order to minimize the error between the deformed model and the intraopreative surface data. Experimental results with a phantom liver undergoing large deformations demonstrate that this method achieves target registration errors (TRE) with a mean of 4.0 mm in the prediction of a set of 58 locations inside the phantom, which represents a 50% improvement over rigid registration alone, and a 44% improvement over the prior non-iterative single-solve method of extrapolating boundary conditions via a surface Laplacian.
Efficacy and Nontarget Effects of Larvadex® as a Feed Additive for Controlling House Flies in Caged-Layer Poultry Manure

The insect growth regulator N-cyclopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6 triamine (Larvadex, CGA 72662, cyromazine) was provided as a feed additive (.3% Premix per ton of feed) to caged laying hens under field conditions in high rise, wide span and narrow poultry houses. The chemical effectively controlled house flies (Musca domestica) and soldier flies (Hermetia illucens). The feed additive had no adverse effect on the populations of manure-inhabiting mites (Macrochelidae and Uropodidae) and histerid beetles (Carcinops pumulio), which prey on fly eggs and larvae. Satisfactory fly control was demonstrated by use of the additive 50% of the time when the interval without the additive in the feed was 4 days but not when the interval was 7 days. Use of a fly monitoring program to time the use of the feed additive is advocated.
Preventive Health for Women: Screening and Immunizations

Women's preventive health issues are frequently encountered in the outpatient setting. Many general internists feel uncomfortable meeting the needs of women due to a general lack of knowledge of women's health and inadequate training in the evaluation of female-specific care. In this article, the authors summarize evidence-based guidelines for preventive health and immunizations for women.
Physical studies of MoO3 catalysts on silica and carbon supports

The nature and characteristics of the catalytic surface of supported MoO3 catalysts were studied. Changes that occurred on oxidizing alcohols in air over carbon and silica supported MoO3 were examined. Structural data were combined with electron microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy to demonstrate that the carbon support promotes segregation and fragmentation of MoO3, whereas sintering occurs on silica. Results indicated that this may be correlated with a synergism between the carbonaceous material and metal oxide which provides a reoxidation pathway for reduced Mo, thus preventing formation of extended zones of MoO2, which is inactive for the oxidation of alcohols.
High-order finite-difference techniques for linear singular perturbation boundary value problems

Abstract Three high-order finite-difference techniques are developed for the second-order, singularity perturbed linear boundary value problem in one dimension. Taylor series expansions and error conversions are used for the development of the techniques. Convergence and stability conditions of these techniques are proved, and some numerical results are given.
Multi-scale modeling of solidification and microstructure development in laser keyhole welding process for austenitic stainless steel

Abstract A multi-scale model is developed in this paper to investigate the growth of grains and sub-grain dendrites during the molten pool solidification of austenitic stainless steel AISI304 in laser keyhole welding processes. A macro-scale dynamic model is used to predict the fluid flow and heat transfer in the keyhole as well as the molten pool. The generated thermal history is fed to a three-dimensional Cellular Automata model to predict the meso-scale grain growth and to a two-dimensional Cellular Automata–Phase Field model to predict the micro-scale dendrite morphology. The multi-scale model is applied to simulate multiple cases of different welding parameters. The model predictions are validated against experiments and studied further for detailed information. The effects of the welding parameters are discussed based on the numerical and experimental results.
Verbal Ability and Persistent Offending: A Race-specific Test of Moffitt’s Theory

Theoretical questions linger over the applicability of the verbal ability model to African Americans and the social control theory hypothesis that educational failure mediates the effect of verbal ability on offending patterns. Accordingly, this paper investigates whether verbal ability distinguishes between offending groups within the context of Moffitt's developmental taxonomy. Questions are addressed with longitudinal data spanning childhood through young-adulthood from an ongoing national panel, and multinomial and hierarchical Poisson models (over-dispersed). In multinomial models, low verbal ability predicts membership in a life-course-persistent-oriented group relative to an adolescent-limited-oriented group. Hierarchical models indicate that verbal ability is associated with arrest outcomes among White and African American subjects, with effects consistently operating through educational attainment (high school dropout). The results support Moffitt's hypothesis that verbal deficits distinguish adolescent-limited- and life-course-persistent-oriented groups within race as well as the social control model of verbal ability.
Impact of Complete Revascularization on Long-Term Survival After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Octogenarians

Background Complete revascularization is important in young patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, but this principle remains less absolute in elderly patients. The purpose of this study was to determine how complete revascularization influenced long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting in octogenarians. Methods From 1986 to 2003, 500 consecutive patients 80 to 94 years of age underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. Complete revascularization was defined as placement of at least one graft to each of the three major vascular regions that included a 50% diameter lesion. Revascularization was complete in 400 (80%) patients and incomplete in 100 (20%) patients. Mean (± standard deviation) follow-up was 51 ± 41 months and was 99% complete (2,102 total patient-years). Results Operative mortality was 8% ± 2% (±95% confidence interval) and was statistically lower with complete (7% ± 3%) versus incomplete (13% ± 7%) revascularization ( p p p p Conclusions In octogenarians undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, complete revascularization correlated with improved long-term survival, increasing mean survival by almost 25% compared with incomplete revascularization.
AN EXPLORATION OF KERNEL EQUATING USING SAT® DATA: EQUATING TO A SIMILAR POPULATION AND TO A DISTANT POPULATION

This study applied kernel equating (KE) in two scenarios: equating to a very similar population and equating to a very different population, referred to as a distant population, using SAT® data. The KE results were compared to the results obtained from analogous classical equating methods in both scenarios. The results indicate that KE results are comparable to the results of other methods. Further, the results show that when the two populations taking the two tests are similar on the anchor score distributions, different equating methods yield the same or very similar results, even though they have different assumptions.
The Development of Self-Perceptions of Ability and Achievement Goals and Their Relations in Physical Education

This study examined the development of self-perceptions of ability and achievement goals and their relationships in physical education. Three hundred and eight students in 4th, 8th, and 11th grades completed questionnaires assessing their goal orientations, conceptions of ability, and perceived competence in physical education. Analyses assessing grade-related changes in conceptions of ability and achievement goals showed that as the students progressed from grades 4 through 11, they were more likely to: (a) interpret ability as a stable capacity that may limit or increase the effect of effort on performance and (b) become ego-oriented. Analyses assessing relationships between variables of interest across grade level revealed that achievement goals were related to different conceptions of ability, students' self-ratings were significantly positively correlated to their teachers' ratings of their competence, and no consistent relationships emerged between achievement goals and perceived competence.
Oospore production of Pythium artotrogus

The addition of cholesterol, b-sitosterol, stigmasterol and compost infusion to corn meal agar induced marked increases (four-fold) in oospore production, with only a small stimulation of growth rate. Progesterone stimulated oospore production, but inhibited growth. Estrone had no effect on reproduction, but inhibited growth. Testosterone greatly inhibited both growth and reproduction. The optimum concentration of cholesterol for maximum oospore production was 20–100 mg per liter. Growth and oospore production occurred over the initial pH range of 4.5–8.5, and over the temperature range of 12–38°C. Growth occurred at 9°, but no oospores formed. Cholesterol increased the temperature tolerance of the mycelium. Nystatin had no effect on growth or reproduction at 15 mg per liter; filipin and fungichromin completely prevented, and amphotericin B strongly inhibited oospore production at this concentration. Fungichromin was the most inhibitory to growth, filipin was intermediate and amphotericin B only slightly inhibitory. Cholesterol (15 mg/liter) annulled the growth inhibition, but not the inhibition of reproduction. Fluorodeoxyuridine and bromodeoxyuridine inhibited growth and oospore production. Deoxyadenosine had no effect. These experiments indicate that the metabolic processes involved in mycelium synthesis are markedly different from the processes involved in sexual reproduction since they were affected differently by the sterols, antibiotics, and the thymidine analogues.
Purification of functional eosinophils from human bone marrow

Eosinophils are granulocytic leukocytes that are best known for their involvement in host immune defense and pathologic states. More recently, they have also been shown to play a role in regulation of murine plasma cell homeostasis in the bone marrow, which prompted our investigation of human bone marrow eosinophils. However, effective methods to isolate eosinophils from human bone marrow thereby allowing comparisons with circulating eosinophils have not yet been described. Herein we describe the development of a novel, cost effective protocol for the purification of eosinophils from human bone marrow that allows us to obtain bone marrow eosinophils of near 100% purity after an 8-day culture system. Furthermore, we demonstrate that bone marrow eosinophils have characteristics similar to blood eosinophils, including the expression of IL-5Rα, the presence of eosinophil-specific granules, and similar activation kinetics upon phorbol myristate acetate and high-dose IL-5 stimulation. While migratory responses toward the chemokine CXCL12 differed between purified bone marrow and freshly isolated blood eosinophils, migratory responses were similar upon comparison of bone marrow eosinophils with blood eosinophils cultured ex vivo for 8 days prior to assay. Interestingly, a concurrent upregulation of CXCR4 expression was not observed in these cultured blood eosinophils. Taken together, we have overcome the existing challenges to the study of bone marrow eosinophils through our novel strategy for cell purification and have thus enabled future investigations of these cells and their role(s) in human health and disease.
The influence of school demographic factors and perceived student discrimination on delinquency trajectory in adolescence.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of school demographic factors and youth's perception of discrimination on delinquency in adolescence and into young adulthood for African American, Asian, Hispanic, and white racial/ethnic groups. Methods Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), models testing the effect of school-related variables on delinquency trajectories were evaluated for the four racial/ethnic groups using Mplus 5.21 statistical software. Results Results revealed that greater student ethnic diversity and perceived discrimination, but not teacher ethnic diversity, resulted in higher initial delinquency estimates at 13 years of age for all groups. However, except for African Americans, having a greater proportion of female teachers in the school decreased initial delinquency estimates. For African Americans and whites, a larger school size also increased the initial estimates. Additionally, lower social-economic status increased the initial estimates for whites, and being born in the United States increased the initial estimates for Asians and Hispanics. Finally, regardless of the initial delinquency estimate at age 13 and the effect of the school variables, all groups eventually converged to extremely low delinquency in young adulthood, at the age of 21 years. Conclusion Educators and public policy makers seeking to prevent and reduce delinquency can modify individual risks by modifying characteristics of the school environment. Policies that promote respect for diversity and intolerance toward discrimination, as well as training to help teachers recognize the precursors and signs of aggression and/or violence, may also facilitate a positive school environment, resulting in lower delinquency.
The pharmacokinetic fate of cannabidiol and its relationship to barbiturate sleep time

Abstract Cannabidiol (CBD) is a known inhibitor of a number of hepatic drug metabolism reactions. Its pharmacokinetics in the liver were studied to determine the relationship between the amount of CBD in this organ and the effect on barbiturate sleep time, which has been shown by others to reflect an inhibition of drug metabolism. A methanol extract of liver was subjected to thin-layer chromatography which yielded three distinct fractions: CBD, the monohydroxylated metabolites and a relatively polar, unidentified fraction. The quantitative analysis of these fractions, as a function of time after drug administration, indicated that CBD is metabolized rapidly: the apparent half life is only about 52 min, which is approximately the same value obtained for the monohydroxylated metabolites; both of these fractions have virtually disappeared from the liver at 4 hr, at which time a significant effect on sleep time still persists. In contrast, the unidentified metabolite fraction contains a substantial amount of cannabinoid throughout the course of the effect on sleep time. These data suggest that the inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism is not caused by either CBD or one of its monohydroxylated metabolites; rather, the effect correlates with the persistence of more polar metabolites.
Arousal Seeking as a Motivation for Volunteering: MMPI Scores and Central-Nervous-System-Stimulant Use as Suggestive of a Trait

Abstract Subjects who indicated that they would volunteer for a psychological experiment reported significantly moTe coffee and caffeine-pill usage than nonvolunteers. Male volunteers more frequently reported cigarette smoking. In this study, males and females each scored significantly higher on the following MMPI scales: paranoia, schizophrenia, hypomania, cigarette smoking, control and social-participation scales. Male volunteers scored significantly higher on the masculinity-femininity and dominance scales, while the male nonvolunteers scored higher on the quantitative orientation scale and the social introversion scale. Female volunteers scored significantly higher on the psychopathic deviate, psychasthenia, F, and manifest-hostility scales; and significantly lower on the lie, defensiveness, and responsibility scales. The results suggest that a personality trait of arousal seeking could explain some of the MMPI scale score differences as well as the central-nervous-system-stimulant usage. The results ...
The Physician's Need For Standardization Of Ultrasonic Instrumentation

The physician's need for standardization of ultrasonic instrumentation might appear to be too obvious a requirement to be worthy of further comment. Nevertheless, many engineers do not appreciate the extent to which the diagnostic process in ultrasound as currently practiced is dependent upon the subjective impressions of the interpreter and the variations that occur in similar models of the same machine or the drift in any single machine with time.© (1977) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Application of a 5'-bridging phosphorothioate to probe divalent metal and hammerhead ribozyme mediated RNA cleavage.

Abstract This paper describes the preparation and application of a chimeric DNA/RNA oligonucleotide that contains a single 5′-bridging phosphorothioate linkage adjacent to a ribonucleotide and embedded in an otherwise all-DNA sequence. The influence of pH, divalent metal cation, hybridization, and secondary structure on the susceptibility of the thio linkage towards transesterification is investigated in an effort to better understand the metal-phosphorothioate interactions and the basis for catalysis. In addition to the chemical cleavage, we have examined the hammerhead ribozyme mediated cleavage of the 5′-bridging phosphorothioate linkage specifically to test the hypothesis that the ribozyme employs a second metal cofactor, which functions as a Lewis acid, to catalyze transesterification. The results of our kinetics experiments do not support this double-metal model.
The immoderate world economy

Abstract This paper explores the connection between the much-debated global current account imbalances of the past decade and the U.S. financial collapse. It argues that the connection is an intimate one, although nothing so simple as cause and effect. Instead, the imbalances were a primary symptom of forces that led directly to the financial crash. The paper goes on to examine lessons for reforming the global financial architecture. A major lesson is the need to take a systemic view of global financial stability – a view that analyzes the global economy much as one would analyze an integrated domestic economy.
Effect of chaotropic anions on the rate of dissociation of estradiol-receptor protein complexes of mouse uterine cytosol.

Abstract The stability of mouse uterine cytosol receptor-[ 3 H]estradiol complex was evaluated in the presence of neutral salts of the Hoffmeister series. Marked increases in the rate of dissociation of the complex were observed with the more chaotropic anions (SCN − , ClO 4 − , NO 3 − , Br − ), and the effects of these ions were greater at lower temperatures, where water assumes a more rigid structure. At higher temperatures F − and CH 3 COO − , which tend to stabilize water structure, led to retardation of the rate of dissociation of the hormone-receptor complex. There was essentially no change in steroid specificity in the presence of the markedly chaotropic salts. The perturbation of water structure adjacent to the steroid binding site is a factor to be considered in the isolation of steroid receptor complexes.