cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Multiple-Stage Process of Judicial Review: Facial and As-Applied Constitutional Challenges to Legislation before the U.S. Supreme Court

AbstractThe Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate a legislative enactment involves both the choice to strike as well as the choice whether to invalidate the statute on its face or as applied. Both choices implicate the possibility of counteraction by the legislature. In this paper, we evaluate the justices’ choices to invalidate a state or federal enactment on its face or as applied and find that the justices are responsive to congressional preferences concerning the substance of the legal challenge at both stages of judicial review. Other factors systematically affect the justices’ decisions as well, including the legal basis for the challenge, the statutory scope of the constitutional challenge, the president (through the solicitor general), and interest groups’ amicus filings. These findings suggest that the Court’s exercise of judicial review is significantly influenced by Congress and by other contextual, legal, and political factors, both as to the choice to strike as well as to the method of const...
Berry Quality and Anthocyanin Content of ‘Consort’ Black Currants Grown under Artificial Shade

The effect of artificial shade on berry quality parameters for the field-grown black currant cultivar ‘Consort’ were investigated over two growing seasons in Urbana, Illinois. Four shade treatments reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) from 37 to 83%. Shade had no effect on soluble solids in up to 65% PAR reduction but decreased 11% in 83% shade in one of two years. Shade increased titratable acidity up to 23% in both years. The effect of shade on anthocyanin content revealed greater variation between years than treatments. Shade influence on anthocyanin content was only observed in 2017, when cyanidin derivatives decreased 13–14% from open-sun to 83% shade. Shade did not affect delphinidin derivatives in either year. Environmental factors other than artificial shade may impact black currant berry quality in an understory environment. The results of our study indicate that black currants can maintain berry quality with PAR reductions up to 65%, but some berry quality parameters may decrease when PAR reductions exceed 65% of full sun.
Learning-based CO2 concentration prediction: Application to indoor air quality control using demand-controlled ventilation

Abstract There have been increasing concerns over the air quality inside buildings as high levels of bio-effluents can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, and fatigue to the people working in those spaces. First published in 2004 as Standard 62.1, ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2019 requires highly occupied spaces to implement heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) that can dilute contaminants produced by occupants. In this regard, occupant-centric ventilation control has been regarded as an effective practice to maintain a satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) when dealing with highly variable occupancy environments. However, few established models in current literature and practice consider dynamic occupancy behavior and adaptive IAQ control. To address this gap, a dynamic indoor CO2 model is constructed using machine learning algorithms to forecast CO2 concentrations across a range of forecasting horizons. Herein, we tuned and compared six state-of-the-art learning algorithms—including Support Vector Machine, AdaBoost, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Logistic Regression, and Multilayer Perceptron. The algorithms’ performances are validated using CO2 and historical meteorological data collected from a campus classroom with a variable occupancy rate. Simulation results showed that Multilayer Perceptron can strongly predict the volatile CO2 behavior and also outperforms other algorithms in terms of accuracy. Furthermore, a control strategy capable of modeling and detecting dynamic patterns of CO2 level is utilized to modulate the ventilation rate in real-time and also reduce the energy consumption. The proposed controller reduced the HVAC fan’s energy consumption by 51.4% and provided ventilation as needed per the ASHRAE standards.
Predictive validity of ACS-NSQIP risk calculator in ovarian cancer patients undergoing interval debulking surgery

Objectives: To determine whether the American College of Surgery-National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) risk calculator accurately predicts postoperative complications and length of stay in patients undergoing interval debulking surgery (IDS) for advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods: Pre-operative risk factors, post-operative complication rates, and Current Procedural Terminology codes were abstracted from records of ovarian cancer patients managed with IDS from 01/2010-07/2015. A power calculation was done to estimate the minimum number of complications needed to evaluate accuracy of the ACS-NSQIP risk calculator. Predicted risk compared with observed risk was calculated using logistic regression. The predictive accuracy of the ACS-NSQIP risk calculator in estimating post-operative complications or length of stay (LOS) was assessed using c-statistics and Briar scores. Complications with a c-statistic of >0.70 and Brier score of Results: 261 patients underwent IDS, encompassing 21 unique CPT codes. Readmission(n=25), surgical site infection(n=35), urinary tract infection(n=35), and serious postoperative complications(n=57) met the minimum event threshold (n>10). All predicted complication rates fell within the interquartile range of the observed incidence rates, however the ACS-NSQIP calculator demonstrated neither discriminative ability nor accuracy for any postoperative complications based on c-statistics and Brier scores. The calculator accurately predicted LOS within 1 day for only 32% of patients and could not accurately predict patients likely to have a prolonged LOS (c-statistic=0.65). Download : Download high-res image (99KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions: Among patients undergoing IDS, the ACS-NSQIP did not accurately discriminate which patients were at increased risk of complications or extended LOS. The risk calculator should be considered to have limited utility in informing preoperative counseling or surgical planning.
Nicotine administration normalizes behavioral and neurophysiological perturbations in the MAM rodent model of schizophrenia

Background The present study utilized the methylazoxymethanol (MAM) neurodevelopmental rodent model of schizophrenia to evaluate the hypothesis that individuals with schizophrenia smoke in an attempt to "self-medicate" their symptoms through nicotine intake. Methods In order to explore this question, we examined the effects of acute and chronic administration of nicotine in two established behavioral tests known to be disrupted in the MAM model, prepulse inhibition of startle and novel object recognition. Additionally, we assessed the effects of acute and chronic nicotine on two indices of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia modeled by MAM, elevated dopamine neuron population activity in the ventral tegmental area and neuronal activity in the ventral hippocampus, using in vivo electrophysiological recordings. Results Our findings demonstrated that both acute and chronic administration of nicotine significantly improved deficits in prepulse inhibition of startle and novel object recognition among MAM rats and normalized elevated ventral tegmental area and ventral hippocampal neuronal activity in these animals. Conclusion Together, these findings of nicotine-induced improvement of deficits lend support for a "self-medication" hypothesis behind increased cigarette smoking in schizophrenia and illustrate the potential utility of nicotinic modulation in future pharmacotherapies for certain schizophrenia symptoms.
Neural origin of cells in amniotic fluid

Abstract Cells from the amniotic fluid of fetuses with open neural tube defects (NTDs) have several abnormal characteristics of potential diagnostic value. The cell number in a unit volume of fluid is 10 to 100 times the normal range of cell count. The majority of cells adhere to tissue culture dishes within 24 hours of inoculation, instead of the 4 or 5 days required by normal amniotic fluid cells. The rapidly adhering cells morphologically resemble glial cells. Their Coulter volume is about twice the average seen in normal amniotic fluid-derived cells. This larger number of oversized, rapidly adhering cells is likely due to the continuous accumulation of neural cells in the amniotic fluid. We have detected the presence of the glial protein S-100 and the absence of the neuronal protein 14-3-2 by using a specific immunofluorescence assay. We conclude that fetuses with NTDs shed large numbers of glialike cells into the amniotic fluid where their detection may have diagnostic importance.
Adjuvant therapy for advanced ovarian malignancy

Abstract Ninety-one patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma were treated at the Mayo Clinic from February 1961, to July 1965. None of these patients had previously had definitive treatment for their disease. Cyclophosphamide was chosen as the alkylating agent to be used in conjunction with various combinations of radiation therapy. Toxicity was not prohibitive. Prolongation of useful life was noted in many patients. Seventeen patients are alive without evidence of progression of the disease and 15 patients are living with evidence of some progression. Among the latter, control has been re-established in the majority by other modalities.
Oscillations and Waves in a Model of InsP3-Controlled Calcium Dynamics

Various types of cells use changes in intracellular calcium triggered by hormones, neurotransmitters or growth factors as a second messenger to trigger a variety of intracellular responses, including contraction, secretion, growth and differentiation. One of the earliest experiments that revealed the complexity of the calcium response is that due to Woods et al.(1986), who studied the response of hepatocytes to vasopressin, a hormone that mobilizes intracellular calcium. They found that over the range of 200 nM to 1 μM in the hormone concentration, stimuli evoke repetitive spikes in the intracellular calcium concentration, rather than simply elevating the level of calcium. Moreover, they found that as the hormone concentration was raised, the frequency of spiking increased, but the amplitude remained nearly constant. Thus the continuously-graded (analog) extracellular hormone signal was converted into a frequency-encoded digital signal (the number of calcium spikes). Similar dynamic behavior has been found in a large number of cell types since then, and has lead to the suggestion that calcium spiking and frequency encoding must have a physiological role. Since high calcium levels are cytotoxic, it is necessary to maintain a low average concentration of calcium, but since calcium frequently serves primarily as a trigger for other processes, a transient elevation above a low mean concentration suffices for this purpose. Moreover, using a large transient increase as the trigger permits the use of a sharper threshold for response, and hence better noise discrimination. Other possible advantages are suggested by Meyer & Stryer (1991), but to date there is little hard evidence that the spiking plays an essential physiological role.
Structural inferences for the native skeletal muscle sodium channel as derived from patterns of endogenous proteolysis.

The alpha subunit (Mr approximately 260,000) of the rat skeletal muscle sodium channel is sensitive to cleavage by endogenous proteases during the isolation of muscle surface membrane. Antisera against synthetic oligopeptides were used to map the resultant fragments in order to identify protease-sensitive regions of the channel's structure in its native membrane environment. Antibodies to the amino terminus labeled major fragments of Mr approximately 130,000 and 90,000 and lesser amounts of other peptides as small as Mr approximately 12,000. Antisera to epitopes within the carboxyl-terminal half of the primary sequence recognized two fragments of Mr approximately 110,000 and 78,000. Individual antisera also selectively labeled smaller polypeptides in the most extensively cleaved preparations. The immunoreactivity patterns of monoclonal antibodies previously raised against the purified channel were then surveyed. The binding sites for one group of monoclonals, including several that recognize subtype-specific epitopes in the channel structure, were localized within a 12-kDa fragment near the amino terminus. The distribution of carbohydrate along the primary structure of the channel was also assessed by quantitating {sup 125}I-wheat germ agglutinin and 125I-concanavalin A binding to the proteolytic peptides. Most of the carbohydrate detected by these lectins was located between 22 and 90 kDa from themore » amino terminus of the protein. No lectin binding was detected to fragments arising from carboxyl-terminal half of the protein. These results were analyzed in terms of current models of sodium channel tertiary structure. In its normal membrane environment, the skeletal muscle sodium channel appears sensitive to cleavage by endogenous proteases in regions predicted to link the four repeat domains on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane while the repeat domains themselves are resistant to proteolysis.« less
Type I procollagen N-proteinase from chick embryo tendons: purification of a new 500-kDa form of the enzyme and identification of the catalytically active polypeptides

Abstract Procollagen N-proteinase (EC 3.4.24.14), the enzyme that cleaves the NH2-terminal propeptides from type I procollagen, was purified over 20,000-fold with a yield of 12% from extracts of 17-day-old chick embryo tendons. The procedure involved precipitation with ammonium sulfate, adsorption on concanavalin A-Sepharose, and five additional column chromatographic steps. The purified enzyme was a neutral, Ca2+-dependent proteinase (5-10 mM) that was inhibited by metal chelators. It had a molecular mass of 500 kDa as determined by gel filtration. The enzyme contained unreduced polypeptides of 61, 120, 135, and 161 kDa that were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. The 135- and 161-kDa polypeptides were catalytically active after elution from the polyacrylamide gel. Other properties of 500-kDa enzyme are: 1) the Km for type I procollagen is 54 nM at pH 7.5 and 35 degrees C, and the kappa cat is 350 h-1; 2) the activation energy for reaction with type I procollagen is 7,100 cal mol-1; 3) the isoelectric point is 3.6; and 4) the enzyme specifically cleaves the NH2-terminal propeptides of type I and II procollagen, but not of type III procollagen. A minor form of N-proteinase with a 300-kDa mass was also purified and was found to contain a 90-kDa polypeptide as the major active polypeptide. The enzyme appeared to be a degraded form of the 500-kDa N-proteinase. The properties of the 300-kDa enzyme were similar to those observed for the 500-kDa enzyme.
Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Jo-ann Archibald Year: 2008 Pages: 192 Publisher: University of British Columbia Press ISBN: 9780774814010 (hard cover). Prices: $85.00 USD(hard cover).
How Entrepreneurs' Knowledge and Network Ties Relate to the Number of Employees in New SMEs

Knowledge is central to entrepreneurship when explaining successful venturing. However, little is known about how a founder’s knowledge and their network ties relate to the number of workers in early-stage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study draws on the knowledge-based view and social network theory to examine 174 new SME founders. Findings suggest a positive relationship between the comprehensiveness of an entrepreneur’s knowledge set and the number of workers. In addition, the number of network ties positively moderates the relationship between the entrepreneur’s knowledge set and the number of employees. Network tie knowledge heterogeneity was not significantly related to the number of employees in new SMEs.
Feminist Politics in the Age of Recognition: A Two-Dimensional Approach to Gender Justice

In the course of the last thirty years, feminist theories of gender have shifted from quasi-Marxist, labor-centered conceptions to putatively “post-Marxist”culture- and identity-based conceptions. Reflecting a broader political move from redistribution to recognition, this shift has been double-edged. On the one hand, it has broadened feminist politics to encompass legitimate issues of representation, identity, and difference. Yet, in the context of an ascendant neoliberalism, feminist struggles for recognition may be serving to less to enrich struggles for redistribution than to displace the latter. I aim to resist that trend. In this essay, I propose an analysis of gender that is broad enough to house the full range of feminist concerns, those central to the old socialist-feminism as well as those rooted in the cultural turn. I also propose a correspondingly broad conception of justice, capable of encompassing both distribution and recognition, and a non-identitarian account of recognition, capable of synergizing with redistribution. I conclude by examining some practical problems that arise when we try to envision institutional reforms that could redress gender maldistribution and gender misrecognition simultaneously.
Condition testing for software quality assurance

The notion of condition constraints is defined and it is shown that it can be used for the definition and implementation of condition testing strategies. A condition testing strategy that is based on the detection of Boolean and relational operator errors in a condition is described. Several conjectures in support of the condition testing approach and the condition testing strategy are given. The Boolean and relational operator testing strategy is believed to be cost-effective for software quality assurance. >
Parents/Peers, and Delinquency

Criminologists have long recognized the importance offamily and peers in the etiology of delinquency, but these two influences are commonly analyzed in isolation. However, if peers are treated as potential instigators of delinquency (following differential association theory) and parents as potential barriers to delinquency (following control theory), a crucial question emerges: Is parental influence capable of counteracting the influence of delinquent peers? Analysis of datafrom the National Youth Survey reveals that the amount of time spent with family is indeed capable of reducing and even eliminating peer influence. By contrast, attachment to parents (the affective relation between parents and offspring) apparently has no such effect. Instead, it appears to affect delinquency indirectly by inhibiting the initialformation of delinquentfriendships. Adolescents in the U.S. live their daily lives in two social worlds with two different masters. At school and in certain activities outside of school, they observe and participate in the culture of their peers, a culture with its own rules of dress, music, speech, and behavior, and an emphasis on popularity, physical attractiveness, and athletic success (Coleman 1961; Conger & Petersen 1984). From this culture they move regularly to the environment of home and family, which may complement or clash with that of school and peers. The transition between these two worlds is abrupt and frequent, typically occurring more than once each day. Criminologists have long recognized the importance of family and peers in the etiology of delinquency, but these two social influences are commonly analyzed in isolation. Proponents of differential association, for example, conventionally point to peer influences while discounting or ignoring the family, whereas control theorists and others concerned with the family do precisely the
Regulation of rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase by phosphorylation

Abstract Muscle phosphofructokinase is one of the glycolytic enzymes whose partitioning between the particulate and soluble fractions in skeletal muscle is linked to the biological activity of the muscle. The formation of the enzyme-actin complex is apparently regulated by phosphorylation of the enzyme. In order to understand the role of phosphorylation on the regulatory mechanism of phosphofructokinase, the self-association of the phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of phosphofructokinase was studied by investigating the sedimentation velocity at pH 7.0 and 23°C in different solvent constituents. The results show that both the phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of the enzyme exhibit the same mechanism of assembly. The effects of allosteric effectors are dependent on the phosphorylation state of the enzyme. The presence of 0.2 mM fructose-6-phosphate, one of the two substrates, leads to a significant enhancement in the formation of octomers without altering the equilibrium constant for tetramerization for either phosphorylated or dephosphorylated enzyme. The presence of 10 mM citrate, an allosteric inhibitor, leads to the formation of a significant amount of dimer, an inactive form of the enzyme. Citrate decreases the propensities of the dephosphorylated and phosphorylated forms of the enzyme to tetramerize 3000 times and 100 times, respectively. Based on the mode of subunit assembly, bimodal sedimentation velocity profiles can be obtained by simulation. Furthermore, simulation showed that the seemingly very different profiles reported in the literature can be accounted for by various combinations of equilibrium constants. In summary, this study showed that the propensity of subunit assembly is affected differentially by specific metabolites and the phosphorylation state of phosphofructokinase.
Data base development for evaluation of the selective law enforcement program in Alabama

Selected data base problems for the evaluation of the Selective Law Enforcement Program in Alabama are considered as follows: 1. data selection, 2. data quality, 3. statistical test, 4. basis for evaluation, 5. results.
Blueprint for Iteratively Hardening Power Grids Employing Unified Power Flow Controllers

A stable electricity supply is vital for modern society. However, many parts of our power transmission grid are operating near their operational limits. Such stressed systems are vulnerable to cascading failures, where a few small faults can induce a cascade of failures potentially leading to a major blackout The unified power flow controller (UPFC), the most powerful highspeed, semi-conductor based power flow device, can be used as a theoretical model to study how these devices can be used to improve power grid resilience. The blueprint presented here can be used to iteratively identify critical weaknesses in power grids and to recommend a means of fixing these weaknesses via the installation of UPFCs. This approach to hardening the power transmission grid will make it less prone to blackouts and better able to forestall or reduce the severity of unavoidable blackouts.
Effects of bright light on resting metabolic rate in patients with seasonal affective disorder and control subjects

Many of the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) could be construed as having an energy-conserving function. We predicted that SAD patients would have abnormally low resting metabolic rates (RMR), which would be increased to normal levels by light therapy. To test this hypothesis we measured RMR in 10 patients on and off light treatment and 9 normal controls. Contrary to our prediction we found that SAD patients had significantly higher RMR values compared with the normal population (p less than 0.02) and these values were significantly lowered by light treatment (p less than 0.05). The possible implications of these findings are discussed.
Petroelastic and geomechanical classification of lithologic facies in the Marcellus Shale

Log-facies classification at the well location allows determination of the number of facies, the facies definition, and the correlation between facies and rock properties along the well profile. In unconventional reservoirs, because of the necessity for hydraulic fracturing in shale gas and shale oil reservoirs, facies classification should account for petroelastic and geomechanical properties. We developed a facies classification methodology based on the expectation-maximization algorithm, a statistical method that allows finding the most likely facies classification and the associated probability distribution, given the set of geophysical measurements in the borehole. We applied the proposed workflow to a complete set of well logs from the Marcellus shale and developed the corresponding facies classification from log properties measured and computed in three different domains: petrophysics, rock physics, and geomechanics. In thne preliminary well-log and rock-physics analysis, we identify three main lithofacies: limestone, shale, and sandstone. The application of the classification method provided the vertical sequence of the three lithofacies and their pointwise probability of occurrence. A sensitivity analysis was finally evaluated to investigate the impact of the number of input variables on the classification and the effects of cementation and kerogen.
Between the Israeli -Palestinian conflict and the East - West Pakistan struggle: a challenge to the conventional wisdom

How to create a peacemaking change in the Israeli–Palestinian struggle? The consensus solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is a ‘two-state solution’, which means separation between two major identity groups. This paper points to the necessity to shift the emphasis in the peacemaking discussion. Instead of manufacturing solutions in a peacemaking laboratory, it would be better to focus on finding the social conditions that have the potential to create an effective peacemaking process. This paper suggests establishing a major Israeli–Palestinian public negotiating congress that has the potential to create a peacemaking revolution. The vision is based on the multi-party talks that had been conducted in Apartheid South Africa and Northern Ireland during the ‘troubles’ and the Minds of Peace Experiment – a small-scale Israeli–Palestinian public negotiating congress – that has been conducted in various locations around the world.
More than the loss of a parent: potentially traumatic events among orphaned and abandoned children

This study examines rates of potentially traumatic events and associated anxiety and emotional/behavioral difficulties among 1,258 orphaned and abandoned children in 5 low- and middle-income countries. The study quantifies the types of events the children experienced and demonstrates that anxiety and emotional/behavioral difficulties increase with additional exposure. As policies for orphaned and abandoned children are being implemented, this study helps policy makers and care providers recognize that (a) children and caregivers are willing to report experiences of potentially traumatic events, (b) those who report such events are at higher risk for experiencing additional events, (c) resulting symptomatology indicates a need for appropriate mental health services, and (d) boys are as vulnerable as girls, indicating an equal need for protection.
Performance analysis of nonlinear semiconductor optical amplifier devices operated near 100 Gb/s speed

By utilizing the gain decompression effect, nonlinear semiconductor-optical-amplifier devices are possible to operate at more than 100 Gb/s speeds. We study conditions how we can achieve such a high speed operation for ultrafast TDM applications.
Critical thermal gradients in the mantle

Critical thermal gradients based upon ultrasonic laboratory data for a great variety of minerals confirm that it is possible to have a low-velocity layer for shear waves without requiring one for compressional waves. The discovery that the shear wave velocity decreases with increasing pressure for trevorite (NiFe2O4), which crystallizes in the spinel structure, together with the previously reported low-pressure derivative of the shear wave velocity in magnesium-aluminate spinel supports the conclusion that the shear velocity may decrease with depth in the transition region of the mantle. The low values of the critical thermal gradient for shear waves are the consequence of low values of the pressure derivative of the isotropic shear modulus (μ). This derivative, (∂μ/∂P)T, is determined by Poisson's ratio and the coordination of the ions in the crystallographic lattice.
Challenge to Create the Space Drive

To travel to our neighboring stars as practically as envisioned by science fiction, breakthroughs in science are required. One of these breakthroughs is to discover a self-contained means of propulsion that requires no propellant. To chart a path toward such a discovery, seven hypothetical space drives are presented to illustrate the specific unsolved challenges and associated research objectives toward this ambition. One research objective is to discover a means to asymmetrically interact with the electromagnetic fluctuations of the vacuum. Another is to develop a physics that describes inertia, gravity, or the properties of space-time as a function of electromagnetics that leads to using electromagnetic technology for inducing propulsive forces. Another is to determine if negative mass exists or if its properties can be synthesized. An alternative approach that covers the possibility that negative mass might not exist is to develop a formalism of Mach's principle or reformulate ether concepts to lay a foundation for addressing reaction forces and conservation of momentum with space drives.
Driver Inattention: A Contributing Factor to Crashes and Near-Crashes

Driver distraction, or inattention, has been receiving wide media attention recently as many state legislatures are considering various levels of restricting cell phone use. Research has been conducted using a variety of experimental methods to determine the level of risk associated with driving inattention. While most of this research suggests that inattention impairs driving, there have been no studies to directly link driving inattention to crashes. Data from the 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, an instrumented vehicle study for which data was collected on 100 drivers in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 12 months, were used in the following analyses. Crashes and near-crashes were identified in the data using post-hoc triggers based upon driving performance metrics, (i.e. hard braking). Results suggest that inattention contributed to 78% of all crashes collected over the 12 month data collection period.
The third head of gastrocnemius in CT images

Summary A 17 year old male patient was undergoing a CT scan for pain and swelling of the left knee. The CT images of both legs, taken simultaneously, revealed an asymmetry of the musculature in the popliteal fossa of the right leg. Serial images indicated the presence of a third head joining the medial head of gastrocnemius.
Why carbon monoxide is stable lying down on a negatively charged Ru(001) surface but not on Pt(111)

Abstract Recently, an electron energy loss vibrational study has shown that CO lies down at lower than saturation coverages on a Ru(001) surface which has been promoted by 0.1 monolayer of potassium. We have examined the bonding of CO to Ru(001) using molecular orbital theory and find a much smaller difference between adsorption energies for upright and lying-down orientations than for the similar Pt(111) surface. This is explained in terms of donation bonds from the CO √ orbitals to the surfaces. These stabilizations are greater for the lying-down positions, and in the case of Ru the antibonding counterpart orbitals are half-filled due to the smaller number of d electrons than are present for platinum where these orbitals are doubly occupied. With cathodic charging due to adsorbed K, the metal valence band shifts and this leads to a definite preference for the lying-dowm μ/π site compared to upright orientations on the Ru surface, but not on the Pt surface. Thus the number of d electrons determines the favored orientations of CO on these transition metal surfaces.
High efficiency conical scanner for earth resources applications

A description is given of a six-arm conical scanner which was selected to provide a continuous line-of-sight scan. Two versions of the instrument are considered. The two versions differ in their weight. The weight of the heavy version is 600 lbs. A light weight design which employs beryllium and aluminum optical components weighs only 350 lbs. A multiplexer and analog-to-digital converter are to be incorporated into the design. Questions of instrument performance are also discussed.
Structural and Biochemical Study of the Interaction Between Actin and the Mammalian Formin FMNL3

Formins are a class of proteins that influence the rate of actin filament nucleation and elongation. Mammals possess 15 formin isoforms, providing a myriad of possibilities for regulating actin-based structures in cells. The dimeric formin homology 2 (FH2) domain is capable of altering the nucleation rate of new actin filaments and subsequently influences filament elongation via direct interaction with the barbed end of an actin filament. The FH2 domain moves processively with the barbed end as the filament elongates. Our goal in this study is to examine FMNL3's interaction with actin to uncover mechanistic details of formin regulated actin elongation. The FH2 domain of FMNL3 that forms a stable interaction with tetramethylrhodamine-malamide labeled actin (TMR-actin) and has been crystallized and the 3.3 A resolution structure has been solved. The crystal structure indicates that FMNL3 dimerizes to form a ring around the barbed end of two actin subunits. The formin/actin interface is comprised of multiple interactions that are found in three distinct regions of the FH2 domain. Mutational analysis identified key residues in FMNL3/actin binding as well as those essential for elongation activity. The study of these residues has led us to propose a more detailed model for the interaction of the FH2 domain with actin. A previous study with Bni1p, revealed an FH2 dimer conformation spanning three actin subunits. This structure supports the model of a formin tracking with the growing end of an actin filament by taking steps with the addition of each monomer. The FMNL3/actin complex represents an intermediate step in the formin stepping mechanism in which two actin subunits are aligned side-by-side surrounded by a symmetric FH2 dimer. This structure reveals mechanistic details of FH2 mediated actin filament elongation via processive capping.
Duopoly compatibility standards with partial cooperation standards leadership

Abstract This paper presents a model of duopolists producing differentiated substitutes. Greater compatibility between the products causes each to have a greater demand. However, each firm has a most desired location in the product space (a most preferred technical standard); deviation from that standard in the direction of the rival's standard increases compatibility, but is costly. This paper presents the equilibrium outcomes for two products under Cournot rivalry, multiproduct monopoly, second-best standards-specification, and welfare maximization. The outcome associated with partial cooperation is examined. Then the Stackelberg model is used to derive the equilibrium conditions for output leadership and technical standards leadership. This model of technological externalities allows us to compare and evaluate different standards-specification processes.
Nonclassical interactions portrait in a macroscopic pedestrian flow model

Abstract In this paper we describe the main characteristics of the macroscopic model for pedestrian flows introduced in [R.M. Colombo, M.D. Rosini, Pedestrian flows and non-classical shocks, Math. Methods Appl. Sci. 28 (13) (2005) 1553–1567] and recently sperimentally verified in [D. Helbing, A. Johansson, H.Z. Al-Abideen, Dynamics of crowd disasters: An empirical study, Phys. Rev. E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics) 75 (4) (2007) 046109]. After a detailed study of all the possible wave interactions, we prove the existence of a weighted total variation that does not increase after any interaction. This is the main ingredient used in [R.M. Colombo, M.D. Rosini, Existence of nonclassical Cauchy problem modeling pedestrian flows, technical report, Brescia Department of Mathematics, 2008] to tackle the Cauchy problem through wave front tracking, see [A. Bressan, Hyperbolic Systems of Conservation Laws. The One-Dimensional Cauchy Problem, Oxford Lecture Ser. Math. Appl., vol. 20, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2000, The one-dimensional Cauchy problem; A. Bressan, The front tracking method for systems of conservation laws, in: C.M. Dafermos, E. Feireisl (Eds.), Handbook of Differential Equations; Evolutionary Equations, vol. 1, Elsevier, 2004, pp. 87–168; R.M. Colombo, Wave front tracking in systems of conservation laws, Appl. Math. 49 (6) (2004) 501–537]. From the mathematical point of view, this model is one of the few examples of conservation laws in which nonclassical solutions have a physical motivation, see [P.G. Lefloch, Hyperbolic Systems of Conservation Laws, Lectures Math. ETH Zurich, Birkhauser, Basel, 2002, The theory of classical and nonclassical shock waves], and an existence result is available.
Essential Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in Vascular Effects of Erythropoietin

Erythropoietin (EPO) fosters tissue oxygenation by stimulating erythropoiesis. More recently, EPO has been recognized as a tissue-protective cytokine. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) plays a key role in the vascular protective effect of EPO. A murine model of wire-induced injury of carotid artery was used to examine the effect of EPO on endothelial repair and arterial wall architecture. Recombinant human EPO (1000 U/kg, SC, biweekly) was administered for 2 weeks in wild-type and eNOS-deficient mice after which reactivity of isolated carotid arteries was studied in vitro, and the vasculature was histologically assessed. Injured arteries exhibited impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine (P<0.05). This was associated with increased medial cross-sectional area (P<0.05). EPO upregulated expression of phosphorylated Ser1177-eNOS and normalized the vasodilator response to acetylcholine (P<0.05). Furthermore, EPO prevented the injury-induced increase in medial cross-sectional area (P<0.05). The vascular protective effects of EPO were abolished in eNOS-deficient mice. Most notably, EPO significantly increased systolic blood pressure and enhanced medial thickening of injured carotid arteries in eNOS-deficient mice (P<0.05). Our results demonstrate that EPO prevents aberrant remodeling of the injured carotid artery. The protective effects of EPO are critically dependent on activation of eNOS.
Progressive nature of myocardial injury in selected patients with cardiogenic shock

To determine whether the extensive myocardial injury associated with cardiogenic shock in some patients results from a progressive rather than a discrete massive insult, a study was made of 15 selected patients who had cardiogenic shock within 48 hours of admission, 5 patients with hypovolemic shock without myocardial infarction and 11 patients with myocardial infarction without shock. Peak plasma MB creatine kinase (CK) activity was significantly higher in the seven patients with cardiogenic shock associated with initial infarction (213 international units [IU]/liter) than in patients with shock and previous infarction (98 IU/liter) and in patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction (125 IU/liter). A prolonged time to peak MB CK activity (averaging 26 hours) and a plateau of elevated MB CK activity were seen in patients with shock associated with initial infarction. Because shock itself did not slow the rate of apparent MB CK disappearance, results obtained suggest that cardiogenic shock associated with initial infarction in selected patients results from progressive myocardial damage underlying continuing release of MB CK into the circulation. The findings are compatible with the concept that, in these patients, cardiogenic shock reflects a vicious cycle of spreading myocardial injury, progressive compromise of cardiac function, exacerbation of ischemia and perpetuation of myocardial damage.
Comparing Bayesian and frequentist approaches for multiple outcome mixed treatment comparisons

Objectives. Bayesian statistical methods are increasingly popular as a tool for meta-analysis of clinical trial data involving both direct and indirect treatment comparisons. However, appropriate selection of prior distributions for unknown model parameters and checking of consistency assumptions required for modeling remain particularly challenging. We compared Bayesian and traditional frequentist statistical methods for mixed treatment comparisons with multiple binary outcomes. Data. We searched major electronic bibliographic databases, Food and Drug Administration reviews, trial registries, and research grant databases up to December 2011 to find randomized studies published in English that examined drugs for female urgency urinary incontinence (UI) on continence, improvement in UI, and treatment discontinuation due to harm. Methods. We describe and fit fixed and random effects models in both Bayesian and frequentist statistical frameworks. In a hierarchical model of 8 treatments, we separately analyze...
The Role of Patient Activation in Achieving Better Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness in Patient Care

Patient X, a fifty-two-year-old Caucasian male, presents in clinic with a chief symptom of ongoing intermittent pain, radiating along the ilioinguinal area toward the groin, bilaterally for the past year with the left side more severe than the right side. His current medical issues include alcoholism; a thirty-five-year, three-pack-a-day smoking history; and morbid obesity with a body mass index of 55 kg/m2. He has hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. After all other diagnoses are ruled out, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and radiographs show a classic Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) stage-II osteonecrosis on the right hip with no femoral head collapse and ARCO stage-III …
The topological conjugacy problem for generalized Hénon mappings: some negative results

Mappings of the plane, introduced by M. Henon and R. Lozi, are presented as perturbations of endomorphisms of the line. When some heteroclinic tangencies occur, which allow topological conjugacy between the corresponding endomorphisms, and arbitrarily close to the endomorphisms case, we prove the nonexistence of topological conjugacy between Henon mapping and Lozi mapping. The proof, as well as related results, relies on the existence of a topological invariant previously introduced by J. Palis.
Differential Expression of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor II and Transthyretin Genes in the Developing Rat Choroid Plexus

Choroid plexus (CP) development may depend on an inductive interaction between primordial CP epithelium and the overlying mesenchyme. Expression of the two CP epithelial-expressed genes, transthyretin (TTR) and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II), were studied by in situ hybridization in the developing rat. Transthyretin mRNA is expressed in abundance in the primordial CP epithelium prior to CP morphogenesis (e10–11) but IGF-II mRNA expression begins later (e13) and increases gradually as morphogenesis proceeds. In the CP stroma (mesenchyme), IGF-II mRNA is abundant prior to CP morphogenesis but decreases as embryogenesis proceeds and is absent in the adult. Our findings suggest that IGF-II may play an early paracrine and later autocrine role in CP development. A model is proposed in which IGF-II synthesized by mesenchyme serves as an inducing principle for CP epithelial differentiation.
Campylobacter diarrhea in an adult mouse model

An adult mouse (18-20 g) model was developed for studying the pathogenesis of Campylobacter isolates. Iron-loaded BALB/c mice given 10(8)-10(9) Campylobacter colony forming units by intraperitoneal injection developed a severe mucoid diarrhea within 4 h. Severe diarrhea, consisting of unformed stools containing blood, mucus, and fecal leukocytes, persisted for 24 h. Diarrheal symptoms in surviving mice resolved gradually; no diarrhea was observed 5 days after inoculation. Mice not pretreated with iron developed no diarrheal symptoms, and no severe diarrhea was produced in mice inoculated orally. A transient (less than 24 h) bacteremia occurred in mice inoculated either orally or intraperitoneally. Liver, spleen, and kidney were positive for Campylobacter for 48 h; intestinal contents were positive for 5-7 days. Mice given greater than or equal to 10(10) colony forming units showed symptoms of endotoxemia (ruffled fur, inactivity, shaking, tearing, and hypothermia) and died without diarrheal symptoms. Mice given nonpathogenic Escherichia coli strain HB101, heat-killed C. jejuni cells (greater than 10(10)), C. jejuni lipopolysaccharide extract, or purified lipopolysaccharide from either Vibrio cholerae 569B or Salmonella typhimurium showed no diarrheal symptoms.
Fat intake and the risk of gastroschisis

BACKGROUND Young age has been associated with an increased risk of gastroschisis. It has been suggested that the pathogenesis of gastroschisis may be related to vascular disruption. Nutrients that may be associated with vasoconstriction include dietary fat and its subtypes. The objective of this study was to examine the association between dietary fats and gastroschisis and whether maternal age modified this association. METHODS Data came from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS), which included 304 isolated gastroschisis cases and 3313 controls. Dietary intake in the year prior to conception was ascertained using a food frequency questionnaire, and included total, saturated, monosaturated, and polyunsaturated fat and cholesterol. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for confounders. Age and smoking were tested as effect modifiers. RESULTS Higher mean intakes of total energy, total fat, and cholesterol as well as the subtypes of fats were found for gastroschisis cases compared to controls. Cases were more likely to be in the middle (adjusted OR [AOR], 1.3; 95% CI, 0.9–1.9) and highest (AOR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8–1.7) tertile of total fat intake compared to controls. This pattern was also true for saturated fat intake. No association was found for mono or polyunsaturated fat. Cases were less likely to be in the middle (AOR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4–0.9) and highest (AOR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6–1.2) tertiles for cholesterol. There was no evidence of effect modification. CONCLUSIONS A possible weak effect of increased risk of gastroschisis associated with higher intakes of total fat or saturated fat was found in the NBDPS; however, this did not help to explain why younger aged women are at greater risk of having an infant with this type of birth defect. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Utility of placental tissue as an indicator of trace element exposure to adult and fetus

Abstract The placenta has been investigated as a possible indicator of environmental exposure. Levels of 8 trace elements (including Hg, Pb, and Cd) have been measured in placenta, maternal blood, and fetal blood. The trace element levels for the various tissues were correlated against one another. The elemental levels were also examined with respect to birth month, race, socio-economic status, etc. An attempt was made to determine relationships between elevated levels of particular elements and the increased occurrence of specific infant malformations.