cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Fast and Inexpensive Protocol for Empirical Verification of Neutralizing Epitopes in Microbial Toxins and Enzymes.

In vivo targeting of peptides to antigen-presenting cells by use of agonistic anti-CD40 monoclonal antibodies has been used successfully as an immune response enhancing strategy. When tested in chickens, the antibody-guided platform was capable of inducing specific IgG production within one week post-immunization. However, use of this method beyond its initial conception as a vaccine delivery tool has not been fully exploited. In this study, Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin was used as a model microbial toxin for epitope mapping by using the antibody-guided immunization method to generate a panel of antibodies against specific regions of the toxin in an attempt to identify crucial determinants on the toxin, which once bound, would hinder downstream toxicity. Alpha-toxin, which possesses both hemolytic and phospholipase C enzymatic activities, has long been known to be one of the key destructive etiological agents of necrotic enteritis disease in poultry. Previous attempts to identify crucial antigenic determinants on the toxin mediating its enzymatic activities have been performed using expensive and labor-intensive site-directed mutagenesis techniques. To create a panel of antibodies, twenty-three short candidate alpha-toxin peptide regions were selected in silico using B-cell epitope prediction algorithms in the public domain and were custom synthesized to load onto the antibody-guided complex for immunization in birds for antisera production. Peptide-specific antibody responses were generated against all candidate neutralizing epitopes and used for in vitro toxin neutralization tests. Antisera against all 23 peptides were able to neutralize the toxin’s hemolytic activity, with neutralization titers ranging from 80 to 320, but none were effective in blocking phospholipase C. The novel approach of antibody-guided immunization introduces a new, inexpensive method for polyclonal IgG production and de facto identification of neutralizing epitopes in microbial toxins and enzymes within two weeks from in silico analysis of a putative target sequence.
A Rare Case of Endometrial Cancer Metastatic to the Sigmoid Colon and Small Bowel

Metastatic endometrial cancer to the small bowel or colon has been described but is quite rare. We present a case of metastatic endometrial cancer with synchronous metastases to the colon and jejunum identified three years after surgical treatment of early stage endometrial cancer.
Treatment Implications for ADHD Youth with Mood and Anxiety Comorbidity

There are multiple pharmacological and psychosocial interventions that are tolerable and efficacious for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, many youth with ADHD have elevated levels of mood and anxiety symptoms that can complicate treatment. In this review, we summarize the relevant treatment studies on the treatment of youth with ADHD and comorbid anxiety or mood disorders. Treatment of ADHD, specifically CNS stimulants, often translates to reduced irritability in youth with ADHD, but appears to have limited impact on other mood or anxiety symptoms. The presence of ADHD does not appear to reduce the efficacy of pharmacological treatments of mood and anxiety disorders. There is less data on the impact of ADHD on psychosocial treatments for internalizing disorders. In children with elevated levels of mood or anxiety, ADHD can be safely and effectively treated with either evidence-based pharmacological or psychosocial interventions. However, additional treatments are often needed to achieve significant improvements in other mood or anxiety symptoms.
Private Bag: The Limits of the Golden Rule

Under conditions of shortage, steady growth in population or in economic production makes living by the Golden Rule a blueprint for moral disaster.
COMPUTER LITERACY IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on computer literacy in the social studies classroom. Social studies constitutes a subject area of the elementary and secondary school curriculum as well as a field of study concerned with people individually in groups, past and present, and in a variety of relationships and settings. Its content, concepts, and methodologies are drawn primarily from history, geography, political science, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, with attention to the arts and humanities. The primary purpose of social studies programs is to provide learning experiences for students that will lead to the acquisition and development of the knowledge, attitudes, processes, and competencies essential for self-development, positive human relationships, and participation in a democratic society. Within this context, social studies programs can, and should, provide computer literacy competencies in four distinctive areas: (1) social responsibility and values, (2) decision-making skills, (3) use of information in a democratic society, and (4) impact of technology, historically and in the future.
How Do I Respond to Cultural Biases

As a new nurse, I was aware of how judging or stereotyping someone based on religion, gender, culture, or other bias can inhibit a caring nurse-patient relationship. Expectations or preferences of my patients and their family members in certain caregiving scenarios influenced our interactions, and, as a male healthcare professional, I learned how cultural context, interactions with unrelated people of the opposite gender, modesty, and masculinity could become barriers if not addressed. My own experience, beginning as a nurse and progressing to a nurse practitioner, has offered opportunities for me to expand the horizons of myself and my patients.
The Void and the Mark

In this introductory chapter, MacKenzie makes his case for the alignment of Badiou’s thinking on art to that of the canonical modernists Eliot, Stevens, and Pound. For Badiou, that thinking has traditionally been anchored in the concept of the void, both the foreclosure and guarantee of coherent thought. Badiou’s more recent writing, however, exhibits a willingness to open and explore the void within his own discourse, a gesture away from his previously strict regime of metaphysics that echoes the aspirations of the modernist writers examined herein. Indeed MacKenzie argues that where Badiou hopes to go, the modernists have already been.
Life cycle assessment review of struvite precipitation in wastewater treatment

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been widely used to assess the environmental impacts of wastewater treatment, and has started to be applied to wastewater nutrient recovery technologies such as struvite precipitation. A small number of studies have been conducted thus far, and this review surveys several of those studies assessing the current state of knowledge with regards to the environmental impacts of struvite recovery in wastewater treatment. The focus is on analyzing trends, good practice, and identifying areas of discrepancy or concern by evaluating aspects of each of the four LCA steps as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): the definition of a goal and scope, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation of result. Evaluation of the studies considered here highlights the need for further LCA research of struvite recovery systems focusing on full scale operations outside of Europe. Additionally, there is a need for increased transparency and consistency in the boundaries of considered systems; specifically in quantifying an equivalent amount of fertilizer that is offset by struvite and with the infrastructure included and its lifespan.
Total Knee Arthroplasty Is Safe and Successful in Patients With Klippel-Trénaunay Syndrome.

Abstract Background Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a severe vascular malformation that can lead to hypertrophic osteoarthritis. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed in extremities affected with KTS is challenging given the high-risk vascular considerations and occasionally poor bone quality. Methods We identified 12 patients with KTS who underwent TKA between 1998 and 2017. There were 7 men, mean age 42 years, and mean follow-up was 7 years. Before arthroplasty, 2 patients (17%) had preoperative sclerotherapy. Preoperative vascular studies were done for 9 patients (75%) and included magnetic resonance imaging (n = 7), magnetic resonance angiography (n = 1), and computed tomography angiography (n = 1). A preoperative blood conservation protocol was used for all operations and included the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in later years. Posterior-stabilized TKA was used in 10 cases and cruciate-retaining TKA was used in 2 cases. Results At final follow-up, 2 patients (17%) had undergone revision surgery: 1 for infection and 1 for tibial loosening with subsequent arthrofibrosis. Knee Society Scores (36-83, P Conclusion In this small series, TKA can lead to significant clinical improvement for patients with KTS. Modern blood management techniques and a careful multidisciplinary care approach render TKA a reasonable option for select patients with KTS. Level of Evidence Level IV case series, therapeutic.
Association of statin therapy with incidence of type 2 diabetes among US Veterans.

Aims While some but not all trial data have suggested an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes with statin use, limited data are available on the relation of statin treatment with glycaemia and risk of type 2 diabetes among Veterans. We examined whether statin use was associated with a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes and secondarily, if statin use was associated with high plasma glucose. Methods Prospective analysis based on electronic health records of 3,390,799 US Veterans from 2000 to 2012. We used the Veteran Administration Corporate Data Warehouse to obtain information on random plasma glucose. Statin use was captured using the pharmacy database. type 2 diabetes was defined as having at least one inpatient diagnosis or at least two outpatient diagnoses of type 2 diabetes using International Classification of Disease version 9 codes 250.xx, or the use of hypoglycemic agents. We used multi-level derived propensity score and inverse probability weighting to address confounding by indication and Cox regression to estimate relative risk of type 2 diabetes. Results The mean age was 62±11.9 years; 93.3% were men and 82.7% were white. During a median follow-up of 3.0 years, 443,104 new cases of type 2 diabetes occurred. Compared to no statin use, multivariable adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) for type 2 diabetes was 1.21 (1.19-1.24) for low statin potency, 1.22 (1.21-1.23) for medium statin potency, and 1.34 (1.32-1.36) for high statin potency (p linear trend <0.0001). In secondary analysis, statin use was not associated with higher plasma glucose. Conclusions Our data show a positive association between statin use and incidence of type 2 diabetes among US Veterans.
The First Reported Case of Gluteal Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL)

Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a very rare but life-threatening complication that has largely been demonstrated to be associated with breast implants (BIA-ALCL). Patients are at risk of BIA-ALCL with the placement of breast implants for either cosmetic or reconstructive purposes, with the highest risks associated with textured breast implants. In the past decade, an increasing number of publications have focused on BIA-ALCL, but there has yet to be a reported case outside of the breast. Here, we describe a unique instance of gluteal implant-associated ALCL (GIA-ALCL) in a middle-aged woman. The patient received bilateral textured silicone gluteal implants only a year prior to her diagnosis of GIA-ALCL. The patient later presented to the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department at our institution with ulceration at the site of her gluteal implants. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated before explanation could be performed. Biopsy of a left lung mass demonstrated "hallmark" cells of ALCL ("horseshoe"-shaped nuclei). The diagnosis was verified by immunohistochemical testing that revealed expression of CD30, CD4, CD43, BCL6, Perforin, and Ki67 in a population of abnormal cells. The goals of this case report are thus to demonstrate that all patients undergoing implantation of textured silicone implants are at risk of developing ALCL and to provide evidence for the possible new diagnosis of GIA-ALCL. Level of Evidence: 5.
Analysis of mammographic density as a predictor for breast cancer occurrence

We are investigating the association of mammographic density with breast cancer occurrence. With IRB approval, we collected cases of women with screening-detected breast cancer and controls. A total of 2028 patients including 329 cases was collected from the screening cohort in our institution. An experienced MQSA radiologist retrospectively reviewed the earliest available digital mammograms (DMs) and assessed breast density in terms of BI-RADS categories and percent density (PD) estimated by interactive thresholding. Survival models were built based on BI-RADS categories and strata based on PD measures, respectively. Using the pairwise log-rank test, we observed a statistically significant difference at the 5% level between BI-RADS category A and C, category A and D, category B and C, & category B and D. Similarly, we found a significant difference between curves for women with <10% density and with 20-34% density, between women with <10% density and with ≥35% density, and between women with 10-19% density and with ≥35% density. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was constructed using backwards variable selection with age, BI-RADS density, PD strata, and PD as independent factors. At the 5% level, the results indicated that age and PD had statistically significant influences on occurrence time. With age serving as a borderline protective factor (regression coefficient < 0, hazard ratio HR=0.99, p=.0506), PD was a risk factor (regression coefficient < 0, hazard ratio HR=1.02, p=.0001) for breast cancer occurrence. Our results showed that breast density plays an important role in the risk and occurrence for breast cancer.
Inpatient and emergency department costs from sports injuries among youth aged 5–18 years

Objective To analyse the financial costs from sports injuries among inpatients and emergency department (ED) patients aged 5–18 with a focus on Medicaid patients. Methods Fixed-effects linear regression was used to assess the association of patient factors with cost of injury from sports. Florida Agency for Health Care Administration data from 2010 to 2014 were used, which included all inpatient and ED patients aged 5–18 years who had a sports injury. Results Over 5 years, sports injuries in Florida youth cost $24 million for inpatient care and $87 million for ED care. Youth averaged $6039 for an inpatient visit and $439 for an ED visit in costs from sports injuries. Sports injuries for Medicaid-insured youth cost $10.8 million for inpatient visits and $44.2 million for ED visits. Conclusion Older athletes and males consistently have higher healthcare costs from sports. Baseball, basketball, bike riding, American football, roller-skating/skateboarding and soccer are sports with high costs for both ED patients and inpatients and would benefit from prevention programmes. Injuries from non-contact sport participants are few but can have high costs. These athletes could benefit from prevention programmes as well.
Nanomolar calcium mediates gap junction gating by low pH in Novikoff cells

1. ABSTRACT Gap junction gating sensitivity to Ca 2+ and H + was studied in Novikoff hepatoma cells (a cell line of vascular origin that expresses Cx43) by measuring junctional conductance (G j ) with double whole-cell patch clamp. With salines bubbled with 100% CO 2 , G j decreased in cells buffered internally with EGTA, but did not in cells buffered with BAPTA (a H + -insensitive Ca 2+ buffer). This suggested that H + i may act via Ca 2+ i . To test it, we studied the effect of intracellular salines of different pCa and pH by buffering Ca 2+ , with BAPTA, to pCa 9, 6.9, 6.3, 6 and 5.5 and H + , with HEPES or MES, to pH 7.2 or 6.1. With solutions of pCa 9 (pH 7.2 or 6.1), G j decreased to 10-70% of initial values, following single exponential decays with a mean τ of 30.6 ± 7.15 min (n=11), whereas with solutions of pCa 6−6.3 (pH 7.2 or 6.1) G j decreased to 10-25% of initial values in ∼15 min, following single exponential decays with a mean τ of 4.87 ± 1.24 min (n=7); the student “t” gave a P of j decay. With solutions of pCa 6.9 and pH 6.1 the mean τ was 31.7 min (n=9), whereas with solutions buffered to pCa 6.9 and pH 7.2 the mean τ was 19 ± 3.25 (n=4). The data indicate that gap junction channels of Novikoff cells are sensitive to [Ca 2+ ] i lower than 1 μM, and that H + i neither decreases G j nor increases channel sensitivity to Ca 2+ i .
Physician Nutrition Education Program: Adding Value to Patient Care by Increasing Physician Expertise in Nutrition

The Physician Nutrition Education Program (PNEP) was developed as a two phase initiative to address the current lack of nutrition education opportunities for physicians. Phase 1 examined nutrition ...
P362 Delayed type hypersensitivity reactions to aluminium-adsorbed vaccines: a case series

Persistent pruritic subcutaneous nodules have been reported at the site of vaccination (vaccination granulomas) following the use of several aluminium-adsorbed vaccines. An incidence of 0.8–0.9% has been reported in the literature. Contact allergy to aluminium has been strongly associated with the presence of vaccination granulomas. During the aluminium adsorbed diphtheria-tetanus/acellular pertussis vaccine trials, hypersensitivity to aluminium was demonstrated in 77% of those with pruritic nodules. These nodules appear to be long-lasting but little is known regarding prognosis. In this case series, we report twelve children who developed pruritic nodules at injection sites following vaccination and were referred to a tertiary paediatric Dermatology centre for assessment between 2010 and 2018. The median age at onset of symptoms was twelve (IQR: 6 – 19.5) months and the main presenting symptoms were pruritus in eight children (67%) and pain in three children. Six out of the seven children tested in the series for contact allergy for aluminium were positive (86%). One child was found to have developed cutaneous pseudolymphoma on biopsy, a potential adverse effect of vaccines containing aluminium hydroxide as an adjuvant. This is the first case described in a child following vaccination. Four of the eleven children had imaging studies, two of which were reported as venous malformations. Conclusion Although an infrequent occurrence following vaccination with aluminium-adsorbed vaccines, the development of persistent pruritic nodules can cause significant distress and anxiety for parents and children and lead to unnecessary investigations and a delay in subsequent vaccination. Greater awareness among clinicians and primary health care providers of this potential adverse reaction is necessary.
Projection-Cost-Preserving Sketches: Proof Strategies and Constructions.

In this note we illustrate how common matrix approximation methods, such as random projection and random sampling, yield projection-cost-preserving sketches, as introduced in [FSS13, CEM+15]. A projection-cost-preserving sketch is a matrix approximation which, for a given parameter $k$, approximately preserves the distance of the target matrix to all $k$-dimensional subspaces. Such sketches have applications to scalable algorithms for linear algebra, data science, and machine learning. Our goal is to simplify the presentation of proof techniques introduced in [CEM+15] and [CMM17] so that they can serve as a guide for future work. We also refer the reader to [CYD19], which gives a similar simplified exposition of the proof covered in Section 2.
The COVID-19 Bailouts

We use hand-collected data to investigate the COVID-19 bailouts for all publicly listed US firms. The median tax rate is 4% for bailout firms and 16% for no-bailout firms. The bailouts are expensive when compared to past corporate income tax payments of the bailout firms. We compute the number of years a bailout recipient has to pay corporate income tax to generate as much tax revenue as it received in bailouts: 135.0 years for the Paycheck Protection Program and 267.9 years for the airline bailouts. We also document a dark side of the bailouts. For many firms, the bailouts appear to be a windfall. Numerous bailout recipients made risky financial decisions, so bailing them out might induce moral hazard. Moreover, lobbying expenditures positively predict the bailout likelihood and amount.
Development of a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Nonhuman Primate Model Using Airborne Exposure

Abstract Airborne transmission is predicted to be a prevalent route of human exposure with SARS-CoV-2. Aside from African green monkeys, nonhuman primate models that replicate airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 have not been investigated. A comprehensive and comparative evaluation of COVID-19 in African green monkeys, rhesus macaques, and cynomolgus macaques following airborne exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was performed to define parameters critical to disease progression and the extent to which they correlate with human COVID-19. Respiratory abnormalities and viral shedding were noted for all animals, indicating successful infection. Cynomolgus macaques developed fever, and thrombocytopenia was measured for African green monkeys and rhesus macaques. Type II pneumocyte hyperplasia and alveolar fibrosis were more frequently observed in lung tissue from cynomolgus macaques and African green monkeys. The data indicate that, in addition to African green monkeys, macaques can be successfully infected by airborne SARS-CoV-2, providing viable macaque natural transmission models for medical countermeasure evaluation. One Sentence Summary Nonhuman primates develop COVID-19 following airborne virus exposure.
Face to Face Hybrid Wafer Bonding for Fine Pitch Applications

This work demonstrates face-to-face hybrid wafer bonding at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, including fine pitch characterization and processing, along with preliminary reliability results. Bonding alignment data analysis is shown, as it is imperative to have high bonding alignment in order to assure full yield of the fine pitch interconnects. As a preliminary proof- of-concept check, simple device test data is shown as a way to electrically analyze the bond quality. Limited thermal stress testing results for reliability (utilizing JEDEC-type standards) are shown as well, proving a robust build quality.
Characterizing T2 iso- and hypo-intense renal masses on MRI: Can templated algorithms improve accuracy?

Abstract Purpose To assess if a templated algorithm can improve the diagnostic performance of MRI for characterization of T2 isointense and hypointense renal masses. Methods In this retrospective study, 60 renal masses with histopathologic diagnoses that were also confirmed as T2 iso- or hypointense on MRI were identified (mean ± standard deviation, range: 3.9 ± 2.5, 1.0–13.7 cm). Two semi-quantitative diagnostic algorithms were created based on MRI features of renal masses reported in the literature. Three body-MRI trained radiologists provided clinical diagnoses based on their experience and separately provided semiquantitative data for each components of the two algorithms. The algorithms were applied separately by a radiology trainee without additional interpretive input. Logistic regression was used to compare the accuracy of the three methods in distinguishing malignant versus benign lesions and in diagnosing the exact histopathology. Inter-reader agreement for each method was calculated using Fleiss' kappa statistics. Results The accuracy of the two algorithms and clinical experience were similar (70%, 69%, and 64%, respectively, p = 0.22–0.32), with fair to moderate inter-reader agreement (Fleiss's kappa: r = 0.375, r = 0.308, r = 0.375, respectively, all p Conclusion Semi-quantitative templated algorithms based on MRI features of renal masses did not improve the ability to diagnose T2 iso- and hypointense renal masses when compared to unassisted interpretation by body MR trained subspecialists.
Data Driven Stochastic Energy Cost Optimization with V2G Operation in Commercial Buildings

Electric vehicles are being considered as a way of providing a sustainable transportation system. The bidirectional capability of any Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV) help in optimal overall energy use and demand reduction. This paper presents a novel data driven stochastic optimization method for energy cost reduction of a typical commercial building located in Southern California region. Uncertainty of PEV availability for charging and discharging implies stochasticity to the regular energy cost optimization problem for the consumers behind the meter. A probabilistic model is formulated by using a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) to minimize the overall energy cost. One-year actual data of light-duty PEV are collected which contain information regarding PEV availability, initial SOC level, change in SOC level, count of charging events, etc. along with total distance travelled. The optimization model developed incorporates all these detailed components representing real world scenarios. Multiple probabilistic distributions on PEV availability have been tested to show the impacts of PEV randomness on expected energy cost reduction. The impacts of PEV owner strategies are also shown to address the willingness of the PEV owner for participating in Vehicle to Grid (V2G) programs. Acceptable SOC strategy which reduces range anxiety at the end of PEV plug-in activity always results in lower cost savings regardless of the initial SOC level.
Dual culprit for a swollen leg: Femoral vein compression caused by lymphadenopathy and a synovial cyst

Abstract A young man had presented to the clinic with unilateral leg swelling with concerns for deep vein thrombosis. Imaging studies revealed external compression of the left common femoral vein due to enlarged lymph nodes and a cystic structure in the left groin. He underwent surgical exploration with resection of multiple compressive lymph nodes but continued to remain symptomatic. He underwent reexploration of his groin to remove a cystic structure posterior to the vein, with complete resolution of his symptoms. The enlarged lymph nodes were reactive, and the cyst was consistent with a synovial cyst on pathologic examination. Complete resection is warranted when exploring the causes of external venous compression.
Slow Reversion of Potassium Nitrate

Potassium nitrate exists in several crystalline forms depending upon both the temperature and the pressure (1,2). The three easily observed forms are the orthorhombic KNO3II, stable under standard conditions, a trigonal form, KNOoI, staole above 127.7°C at atmospheric pressure (3), and a second trigonal form, KNO3III, which is typically formed when KNO3I is cooled. The persistence of this form varies with, among other things, its degree of confinement; that is, the expansion of the crystallites transforming from I?III may be unrestrained in a shallow pan, but in a sample cup or well the points of contact are under pressure, so a confined sample transforms more quickly to the orthorhombic phase (4).
Rabies in Virginia, 1989-2003: With particular attention to animals, geographic distribution, and virus variant

xiv Introduction 1 Objectives 8 Methods 9 Results 12 Discussion 18 Conclusion 32 References 35 Tables 38 Figures 45 Maps 81 Appendix 100
Channels of Distribution – Structure, Process and Performance: Some Research Propositions

The distribution exchange relationship, when viewed as an ongoing concern rather than as discrete events, becomes a dynamic network system consisting of interactive processes and evolving relationships characterized by differing sets of variables. An increased knowledge of these systems and their inter-dependency can provide an awareness of how they can be manipulated and structured to develop efficiencies that will achieve the desired objectives and maximize performance. By examining channels of distribution from an interorganizational exchange behavioral perspective the focus will be on the integrated whole system and how the interaction of the components in the complex system impact on the operations and objectives of the organizations involved in the relationship. The objective of this paper is to propose suitable relationships between specific channel structures and influence strategies (process) which will result in positive outcomes of satisfaction and optimum performance levels for the firms involved in the channel relationship.
MDCT of Abdominal Trauma

Trauma is a significant public health problem, representing the third leading cause of death in the United States. Trauma is also the leading cause of mortality in Americans under the age of 40. With the widespread availability of multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in trauma centers, the traditional workup of trauma patients has changed. Blunt chest injuries are now frequently studied with MDCT to evaluate the aorta, and workup of the blunt trauma victim with abdominal injury is evolving with MDCT. MDCT now allows not only the detection of injuries but provides new information on the severity of injuries with improved detection of vascular injury manifested by “active extravasation.” Until recently, patients with a history of penetrating trauma went directly to the operating room for surgical therapy without preoperative imaging. Today, MDCT is often performed in patients with penetrating trauma in order to best identify vascular injuries prior to surgical intervention.
MBE growth of high-power {InAsSb}/{InAlAsSb} quantum-well diode lasers emitting at 3.5 μm

Abstract Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has been employed for the growth of strained quantum-well laser structures on InAs substrates. These lasers consist of compressively strained InAsSb wells, tensile-strained InAlAsSb barriers, and lattice-matched AlAsSb cladding layers. Broad-stripe lasers, with emission at wavelengths between 3.2 and 3.55 μm, have exhibited cw power of 215 mW/facet at 80 K, pulsed threshold current density as low as 30 A/cm 2 at 80 K, characteristic temperatures ( T 0 ) between 30 and 40 K, and maximum pulsed operating temperature of 225 K. Ridge-waveguide lasers have cw threshold current of 12 mA at 100 K, and a maximum cw operating temperature of 175 K. In this paper we will present some of the key issues regarding the MBE growth of such high-power lasers on InAs and discuss future directions for improved device performance.
A layered architecture for multisensor data fusion systems

A new information fusion network architecture is presented. It combines the functions of data fusion process and the communication process. It is a layered architecture similar to the OSI reference model for data networks. An example is given for illustration.
Generating multimedia presentations automatically using TYRO, the constraint, case-based designer's apprentice

TYRO is a visual programming environment that uses a case-based reasoning approach to capturing and reusing knowledge about the design of multimedia presentations. In TYRO, the designer constructs a case library by demonstrating solutions to prototypical multimedia problems and defining constraining relations between object sequences. Adaptation and augmentation of the case library takes place as trial presentations reveal failure conditions. The designer constructs rule objects which are combinations of condition objects and action objects. Condition objects trigger when the failure condition is detected and action objects fire and revise the constraint network, or revise the sequence of objects. The resulting cases generated are stored and indexed for future use by the system. >
Cellular differentiation in the anamniota: II. Oxygen dependency and energetics requirements during early development of teleosts and urodeles

Abstract The effects of cyanide on the development of embryos of F. heteroclitus and A. maculatum were studied. Cyanide did not interfere with the development of the blastula but did prevent further embryogenesis. Inhibition of post-blastular development was reversible since upon removal of the inhibitor development proceeded normally. Utilization of oxygen was not required for maintenance of cells of the post-blastular embryo although it was required for further morphogenesis. Oxygen consumption by these embryos was arrested by cyanide and was resumed upon removal of the inhibitor. No accelerated rate of development was observed in those embryos released from cyanide inhibition. No oxygen debt was demonstrated upon removal of cyanide from these embryos. 2,4-Dinitrophenol was shown to have an effect similar to cyanide on the development of Fundulus embryos. Lactic acid accumulated in embryos incubated in cyanide. The extent of this accumulation was greatest during pregastrula development. Calculations demonstrated an increased rate of glycolysis during this period. The level of ATP was unaffected by cyanide during pregastrula development in these embryos and was diminished at subsequent states. The increased glycolytic rate was shown to be capable of sustaining a normal rate of ATP synthesis in the pregastrula.
Response to Ng and Dickerson

We recently published the structure of a DNA double-helix induced by cytosine methylation and bromination, and called this conformation `E-DNA' to recognize the extended rise and eccentric trace of the helix backbone1. It has come to our attention from several readers, including H.-L. Ng and R.E. Dickerson, that the `E'-helix2 was previously used to describe a DNA fiber with approximately 152 screw symmetry and a rise of 3.25 A, which is not at all similar to the structure that we had published. It was not our intention to commandeer this name and, therefore, we will no longer use `E-DNA' to describe our structures. At the urging of the DNA structure community, and in particular because of Dickerson's arguments, we will not attempt to assign any new name, but will refer to our structure as the extended d(GGCGm5CC)2 conformation. We regret this oversight and any confusion that it may have caused.
Autonomy, Dependence or Culture: Examining the Impact of Resources and Socio-cultural Processes on Attitudes Towards Intimate Partner Violence in Ghana, Africa

Despite the high levels of domestic violence (intimate partner violence) against African women, tests of competing theories on why the practice is common in the region are quite limited. This study evaluates the effects of resources and cultural factors on attitudes Africans hold about the acceptability of gendered violence, and specifically wife beating (battering). Answers to these questions are relevant to the discourse on intimate partner violence, at least, as pertains to male-dominated societies such as those found in Africa. Drawing on national data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we explore these linkages in an African context. Our findings suggest that egalitarian decision-making and equal household contributions are associated with a reduced acceptance of abusive actions toward women. We suggest that new questions must be asked concerning the present and future role of men and women within households and the community.
Marcus Borg's Emerging Paradigm for Christianity: The Interplay of GLBT Readers, Religious Text, and Social Environment

This study considered how participants affiliated with a Christian church responded to and socially constructed information while reading and discussing Marcus Borg's book The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith. Borg argues that the traditional paradigm of American Christianity must be replayed with a more progressive Christianity. This church serves a largely (but not exclusively) gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender congregation (GLBT). The entire reading church cohort consisted of twelve groups with 96 participants and an outside comparison group of six readers. Group 10 of the church groups was studied using a field-based, research-participant approach. Members of Reading Group 10 reacted positively to Borg and appeared to have personally accepted levels of social constructionism. Other reading groups reacted more negatively to Borg. Pastoral assessments of the effectiveness are also offered.
Evidence for phytotoxic effects of cellulose acetate in UV exclusion studies

Abstract Cellulose diacetate (CA) has been widely used in UV-B enhancement studies and has also been used along with Aclar and Teflon in UV-B exclusion studies. In recent UV exclusion studies conducted at Beltsville, MD under solar UV, cucumber plants were found to develop marginal chlorosis under CA filters. To test the hypothesis that CA was responsible for the phytotoxic effects observed, an experiment was conducted in which CA and/or Teflon (T), both UV-B and UV-A transmitting films, were used to cover ‘Ashley’ cucumber plants grown from seed in window boxes under the following four combinations (top layer/bottom layer): CA/CA; CA/T; T/CA; and T/T, one layer on top of the other. When CA was used as the bottom filter (CA/CA and T/CA), the plants were stunted and showed marginal chlorosis and epinasty of the cotyledons and first true leaf. However, when T was used as the bottom filter (CA/T and T/T), or the plants were grown in open air without any covering, the plants produced vigorous growth and were free of injury. These findings suggest that toxicity is caused by the CA itself rather than by solar UV radiation, possibly as a result of outgassing of a phthalate known to be used as a plasticizer in the manufacture of CA or some breakdown product. To avoid possible confounding effects from use of CA and to obtain maximum transmission of UV and visible radiation, we recommend that Teflon or Aclar be used in UV exclusion studies.
S.C.A.N. teams in Queensland—New legislation to combat child abuse☆

Queensland is a State of Australia of some 1.7 million square kilometers, with a population of only 2.2. million, half of whom reside in the southeast comer. Yet, it is the most decentralised State of Australia. Legislation introduced in 1980 endeavoured to make sure that child abuse was detected by medical practitioners and referred to S.C.A.N. teams organised on a regional basis. Members of the S.C.A.N. Team were authorized to take action after joint consultation. The organisation, the difficulties of implementation and the early results of the legislation are discussed. Problems with privacy of records and confidentiality are recognised. Public education was undertaken and the results, beneficial and adverse are highlighted. Notification of S.C.A.N. has increased public and professional awareness, and, in spite of difficulties of organisation in a large State of Australia, is providing increased and effective services to disadvantaged families.
Genetic and epigenetic modulation of telomerase activity in development and disease

Telomerase activity is one of the most important factors that have been linked to multiple developmental processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, aging and senescence. Dysregulation of telomerase has often been found in developmental abnormalities, such as cancer, loss of function in the hematopoietic system, and low success rate of somatic cloning. A comprehensive network of transcription factors has been shown to be involved in the genetic control of telomerase expression and activity. Epigenetic mechanisms have recently been shown to provide an additional level of regulation, and may be responsible for the diverse expression status of telomerase that is manifested in a tissue and cell-type-dependent manner. This article summarizes the recent developments in the field of telomerase research with a focus on the coregulation of the telomerase gene by both genetic and epigenetic pathways. Developmental consequences of aberrant telomerase activity will also be summarized and discussed.
Mechanism of action and spectrum of cell types susceptible to doxorubicin photochemotherapy

We have shown that, whereas argon ion laser irradiation alone is not cytocidal for L929 cells, it greatly increases the cytotoxicity of intracellular doxorubicin. The present study showed that light enhancement of doxorubicin cytotoxicity was not restricted to stock L929 cells, but could also be demonstrated using L929 cells selected for doxorubicin resistance and several standard cell lines that are relatively resistant to doxorubicin prior to selection. Light-enhanced cytotoxicity resulted in extensive nuclear DNA loss and was strongly inhibited by anoxia. These findings suggest that the mechanism by which light exposure enhances doxorubicin cytotoxicity involves DNA damage by intranuclear generation of reactive oxygen species.
Experimental verification of a model of rolling contact forming processes

A nonlinear finite element analysis program (NOFEAP) has been developed which includes formulations of material, geometric, and surface nonlinearities. This program is intended to be used for analyzing a rolling contact forming process. A model of rolling contact loads has been implemented in NOFEAP. Several rolling experiments on aluminum 6061 disks have been performed to verify the numerical model of rolling. This paper presents the results of these experiments and compares them to numerical results obtained using NOFEAP.
Mixed Layer Instabilities and Restratification

Abstract The restratification of the oceanic surface mixed layer that results from lateral gradients in the surface density field is studied. The lateral gradients are shown to be unstable to ageostrophic baroclinic instabilities and slump from the horizontal to the vertical. These instabilities, which are referred to as mixed layer instabilities (MLIs), differ from instabilities in the ocean interior because of the weak surface stratification. Spatial scales are O(1–10) km, and growth time scales are on the order of a day. Linear stability analysis and fully nonlinear simulations are used to study MLIs and their impact on mixed layer restratification. The main result is that MLIs are a leading-order process in the ML heat budget acting to constantly restratify the surface ocean. Climate and regional ocean models do not resolve the scales associated with MLIs and are likely to underestimate the rate of ML restratification and consequently suffer from a bias in sea surface temperatures and ML depths. In a ...
Using Fréchet sensitivity analysis to interrogate distributed parameters in random systems

As simulation continues to replace experimentation in the design cycle, the need to quantify uncertainty in model outputs due to uncertainties in the model parameters becomes critical. While intelligent sampling methods such as sparse grid collocation has expanded the class of random systems that can be simulated to aid uncertainty quantification, the statistical characterization of the model parameters are rarely known. In previous works, we have proposed a number of methods for identification of the most significant parametric variations as well as an optimization-based framework for estimation of distributed parameters. This work combines these two approaches, we identify a stochastic parameter in a random system then use the Frechet derivative to determine the most significant (deterministic, spatial) parametric variations. In other words, showing that the Frechet derivative is Hilbert-Schmidt allows us to compute those parametric variations that have the most local impact on the solution. These variations are used to interrogate the stochastic parameter. We illustrate our methods with numerical example identifying the distributed stochastic parameter in an elliptic boundary value problem.
A Riemann–Hilbert problem for the finite-genus solutions of the KdV equation and its numerical solution

Abstract We derive a Riemann–Hilbert problem satisfied by the Baker–Akhiezer function for the finite-gap solutions of the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation. As usual for Riemann–Hilbert problems associated with solutions of integrable equations, this formulation has the benefit that the space and time dependence appears in an explicit, linear and computable way. We make use of recent advances in the numerical solution of Riemann–Hilbert problems to produce an efficient and uniformly accurate numerical method for computing all periodic and quasi-periodic finite-genus solutions of the KdV equation.
Modeling of particle size distribution of heat assisted high-pressure treated reconstituted cow milk: Effect of high pressure, pressurization time and heat treatment temperature

Abstract A study was conducted to investigate the effect of high pressure, pressurization time and heat treatment temperature on particle size distribution of fat globules in reconstituted cow milk during heat assisted high-pressure (HAHP) processing of milk. The high pressure, pressurization time and heat treatment temperature were varied between 200 and 600 MPa, 0 and 25 min, and 15 and 65 °C, respectively. Particle size distribution of the HAHP-treated milk showed that the number of fat globules below 1 × 10−6 m increased as pressure and pressurization time increased. However, higher temperature had a negative effect on the particle size due to aggregation of casein micelles around the fat globule at higher temperature. Modeling of particle distribution by Rosin–Rambler–Sperling–Bennet equation was observed to be a good fit for prediction of uniformity of index n and average statistical diameter Ds. The values of n ranged from 0.931 to 1.318, and Ds from 1.68 × 10−6 to 3.12 × 10−6 m. Linear regression fitting of n and Ds as a function of high pressure, pressurization time and heat treatment temperature showed a good fit with relative deviation percent (Rd) value of 6.02% and 8.12%, respectively.
Being With Woman: A Guiding Concept for the Care of Laboring Women

Objective To review the literature concerning the midwifery concept of being with woman and the related nursing concepts of presence and social support during childbirth. Data Sources Literature in the English language from 1985 through 2000, using MEDLINE and CINAHL. Data Extraction Discussion of articles from relevant journals and textbooks were included. Pertinent older sources, which enhanced the understanding of the concepts, were reviewed. Data Synthesis Being with woman is defined as the provision of emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological presence/support by the caregiver as desired by the laboring woman. Ample evidence exists for including being with woman as a central concept of the model of care for women in labor. The qualitative review indicates that women value and desire the attributes of the concept during childbirth. The qualitative and quantitative literature demonstrate beneficial physiological and psychological outcomes for women who experience being with woman. Conclusions Obstetric units would be wise to incorporate the being with woman model of care as routine policy for the care of laboring women by midwives and nurses. Being with woman provides psychological and physiological benefits for women, client satisfaction, and potential cost savings.
Global nanotechnology research metrics

Text mining was used to extract technical intelligence from the open source global nanotechnology and nanoscience research literature. An extensive nanotechnology/nanoscience-focused query was applied to the Science Citation Index/Social Science Citation Index (SCI/SSCI) databases. The nanotechnology/nanoscience research literature infrastructure (prolific authors, key journals/institutions/countries, most cited authors/journals/documents) was obtained using bibliometrics. A novel addition was the use of institution and country auto-correlation maps to show co-publishing networks among institutions and among countries, and the use of institution-phrase and country-phrase cross-correlation maps to show institution networks and country networks based on use of common terminology (proxy for common interests). The use of factor matrices quantified further the strength of the linkages among institutions and among countries, and validated the co-publishing networks shown graphically on the maps.