cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flux-line cutting in type II superconductors

Experimental evidence for flux-line cutting in superconductors (intersection and cross-joining of singly quantized vortices) is briefly reviewed. The interaction energy between two straight vortices tilted at an angle ..cap alpha.. (not =0) is then shown to be finite in the London model, i.e., in the limit of vanishing core radius. Next, the activation energy and maximum interaction force are calculated for the vortices in an analytic approximation to the Ginzburg--Landau theory. Here two competing interactions determine the behavior. Electromagnetic repulsion (0<..cap alpha..<..pi../2) varies as cos ..cap alpha.. and decays over distances scaled by the penetration depth lambda, while core attraction is independent of ..cap alpha.. and varies over distances scaled by the coherence lenght xi. The force is always repulsive at large flux-line separation (0<..cap alpha..<..pi../2) and its maximum decreases rapidly as kappa decreases, so that flux-line cutting is expected to be more probable in low-kappa materials. The calculations provide a basis for explaining longitudinal flux-flow resistance as well as some intriguing magnetization behavior in the same configuration.
Successful vaccination with a polyvalent live vector despite existing immunity to an expressed antigen

A global vaccination strategy must take into account production and delivery costs as well as efficacy and safety. A heat-stable, polyvalent vaccine that requires only one inoculation and induces a high level of humoral and cellular immunity against several diseases is therefore desirable. A new approach is to use live microorganisms such as mycobacteria1, enteric bacteria2,3, adenoviruses4, herpes viruses5,6 and poxviruses7 as vaccine vectors. A potential limitation of live polyvalent vaccines, however, is existing immunity within the target population not only to the vector, but to any of the expressed antigens. This could restrict replication of the vector, curtail expression of antigens, and reduce the total immune response to the vaccine. Recently acquired immunity to vaccinia virus can severely limit the efficacy of a live recombinant vaccinia-based vaccine8, so a strategy involving closely spaced inoculations with the same vector expressing different antigens may present difficulties. We have constructed a recombinant vaccinia virus that expresses surface proteins from two diverse pathogens, influenza A virus haemagglutinin and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein D. Mice that had recently recovered from infection with either HSV-1 or influenza A virus could still be effectively immunized with the double recombinant.
The CCC bending potential and the infrared spectrum of carbon suboxide

Abstract The theory of the quasi-linear molecule derived by Thorson and Nakagawa [8] is used to calculate the low lying energy levels of carbon suboxide. A potential function intermediate between harmonic and quartic for the CCC bending vibration leads to an explanation of the peculiar infrared spectrum. The two term potential function (V(α) = V2α2 + V4α4) is fitted to the observed absorptions for the CCC bending mode and is found to predict “fine structure” bands with the observed spacings. The nature of the infrared spectrum is discussed and an assignment for the fine structure bands is proposed.
Transnational Organizing in Agrarian Central America: Histories, Challenges, Prospects

Central America was one of the principal regions where transnational peasant organizing emerged and from which it spread in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yet by the late 1990s the seemingly powerful transnational peasant coalitions were in disarray. Their successors have had only a modest impact since 2001. The article points to two main sources of weakness in Central America's transnational peasant coalitions: first, a variety of intra-organizational problems, including political differences, disputes over resources, over-funding by cooperation agencies, and an emphasis on networking activity, rather than concrete gains, as a measure of success; and second, an external political, economic and demographic environment that has become increasingly unfavourable. Elements of the latter include the long-term declines in maize and coffee prices, only recently reversed in 2006; the declining importance of agriculture and the imposition of a new economic model centred around industrial and financial activities; and the rapidly growing levels of out-migration and of dependence of those remaining in the countryside on family remittances and non-agricultural activities. The article concludes not with definitive arguments, but rather with a series of questions about what might constitute effective strategies for transnational peasant organizing in an extremely problematic context, such as contemporary Central America.
Adolescent Dating Violence on School Campuses

Abstract This paper reviews the adolescent dating violence literature in order to synthesize the risk factors that are associated with dating violence in school-aged adolescents. A review of the adolescent dating violence literature indicates that risk factors occur in three domains: individual, familial and societal. Research has shown that up to 43% of students report dating violence occurring on school grounds. School social workers and other school personnel must develop intervention programs based on empirical evidence to prevent adolescent dating violence on school campuses. In addition, schools must implement policies to protect victims from such violence.
Stress control of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon oxide film from tetraethoxysilane

Thin silicon dioxide films have been studied as a function of deposition parameters and annealing temperatures. Films were deposited by tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) dual-frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with different time interval fractions of high-frequency and low-frequency plasma depositions. The samples were subsequently annealed up to 930 °C to investigate their stress behavior. Films that were deposited in high-frequency dominated plasma were found to have tensile residual stress after annealing at temperatures higher than 800 °C. The residual stress can be controlled to slightly tensile by changing the annealing temperature. High tensile stress was observed during the annealing of high-frequency plasma-deposited films, leading to film cracks that limit the film thickness, as predicted by the strain energy release rate equation. Thick films without cracks were obtained by iterating deposition and annealing to stack multiple layers. A series of wet cleaning experiments were conducted, and we discovered that water absorption in high-frequency plasma-deposited films causes the residual stress to decrease. A ~40 nm thick low-frequency deposited oxide cap is sufficient to prevent water from diffusing through the film. Large-area free-standing tensile stressed oxide membranes without risk of buckling were successfully fabricated.
7094 Flexible endoscope stand–millennium accessory or necessity?

Therapeutic endoscopy in the new millennium will undoubtedly be more complex and challenging. New techniques may require simultaneous use of multiple endoscopic accessories. This would necessitate a device capable of stabilizing a flexible endoscope and freeing up the endoscopists' hands. Aim: To design a flexible endoscope stand that would secure an endoscope in any given position. Method: A rigid post and clamp device was fashioned and fitted onto a stabilizing Plexiglas plate which is placed under the patient. A screw-type clamp contains the endoscope control arm. Position of the endoscope control arm can be adjusted by raising and lowering the clamping mechanism. The clamping mechanism provides 360° rotation with the ability to fix the endoscope control arm (handle) in any desired position. The device was then assessed during complex therapeutic procedures using dual channel endoscopies with simultaneous use of two accessories. Results: The stand successfully freed up the endoscopists' hands for accessory manipulation and other activities requiring interruption of the endoscopic procedure. It provided this function while at the same time maintaining the position of the endoscope accurately and safely within the patient. The stand proved to be portable, durable, easy to disinfect and required only the weight of the patient for stability. Device function was limited when excess rotational torque of the endoscope insertion tube was needed. The cost of the stand materials was $270. Conclusion: 1) The flexible endoscope stand meets an evolving need to facilitate complex endoscopic procedures that require the simultaneous use of both hands of the endoscopist in order to control two accessories or the secondary use of a mini-scope. 2) The stand can also be employed during an interruption of a procedure to attend to patient needs. 3) Furthermore, the use of such a device may also have the added benefit of reducing the growing risk of repetitive use syndrome during lengthy procedures. (The Apollo Group: Sydney Chung, Peter Cotton, Christopher Gostout, Robert Hawes, Anthony Kalloo, Pankaj Pasricha, Thadeus Trus)
CK2β, which inhibits Mos function, binds to a discrete domain in the N-terminus of Mos

Abstract Progesterone stimulates G2-arrested Xenopus oocytes to synthesize Mos, a MAPK kinase kinase required for the coordinated activation of cdc2 and the G2/Meiosis I (MI) transition. Mos leads to activation of MAPK, Rsk, and the inhibition of the cdc2 inhibitor Myt1. Previous work identified CK2β as a Mos-interacting protein, and suggested that CK2β acts as a negative regulator by setting a threshold above which newly made Mos must accumulate to activate MAPK. However, it had not been demonstrated that CK2β directly inhibits Mos. We report here that Mos (52–115) is required for CK2β binding and can serve as a portable binding domain. To test whether CK2β acts at the level of Mos or on a downstream component, we took advantage of previous work that showed injection of Mos arrests rapidly dividing embryonic cells. We find that coinjection of CK2β and Mos into embryonic cells inhibits the ability of Mos to arrest cell division. In contrast, CK2β does not inhibit the mitotic arrest induced by injection of active Rsk. These results argue that CK2β directly binds and inhibits Mos rather than a downstream component, and support that CK2β functions as a molecular buffer that prevents premature MAPK activation and oocyte maturation.
On the kinetics of oligomer binding

The kinetics of oligomer binding to a polymer are treated in the approximation that the internal states of the oligomer–polymer complex equilibrate rapidly compared with the rate of binding. In that case one can use equilibrium statistical mechanics to give the density of appropriate binding sites required in the kinetic equation. In this manner one can obtain a general differential equation in one variable (the net density of oligomer bound) for the case of cooperative binding. Several simple, but accurate, approximate solutions to the binding kinetics are presented.
Self-Authorship and Women's Career Decision Making

Current career literature provides little insight into how women interpret career-relevant experiences, advice, or information, particularly when it is contradictory. This paper uses findings from interviews with 40 college women to provide empirical confirmation for the link between self-authorship and career decision making. Findings underscore the role of inter-connectivity in women's decision making, particularly involving parents, and distinguish ways that this can reflect self-authorship. Self-authorship provides the theoretical framework to understand how students respond to career advice and suggests that students may reject career advice when it requires the cognitive complexity to engage diverse viewpoints. Findings endorse educational activities that require students to juggle competing knowledge claims to make complex decisions.
Characterization of parameters in mechanistic models: A case study of a PCB fate and transport model

Abstract As a first step in a Bayesian analysis of PCB fate and transport in the upper Hudson River, a joint probability density function for parameters in a simulation model is created. The density function describes the joint probabilities of the following parameters: the anaerobic dechlorination rate constant, the volatilization rate constant, the aerobic biodegradation rate constant, the sedimentation rate, and the contaminated sediment depth. Difficulties in forming this probability density function are shown to result from problems with extrapolating data from the laboratory to the field, non-stationarity and aggregation, extrapolating information and analyses from other sites, and bias due to study design. These difficulties result in a density function characterized by high variances, and imply that predictions from this simulation model, and similarly large fate-and-transport models, are apt to be highly uncertain. Bayesian analysis is proposed as a rigorous mathematical technique for including observational data in density function generation in order to reduce prediction uncertainty.
Lipodystrophy: pathophysiology and advances in treatment

Lipodystrophy is a medical condition characterized by complete or partial loss of adipose tissue. Not infrequently, lipodystrophy occurs in combination with pathological accumulation of adipose tissue at distinct anatomical sites. Patients with lipodystrophy exhibit numerous metabolic complications, which indicate the importance of adipose tissue as an active endocrine organ. Not only the total amount but also the appropriate distribution of adipose tissue depots contribute to the metabolic state. Genetic and molecular research has improved our understanding of the mechanisms underlying lipodystrophy. Circulating levels of hormones secreted by the adipose tissue, such as leptin and adiponectin, are greatly reduced in distinct subpopulations of patients with lipodystrophy. This finding rationalizes the use of these adipokines or of agents that increase their circulating levels, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonists, for therapeutic purposes. Other novel therapeutic approaches, including the use of growth hormone and growth-hormone-releasing factors, are also being studied as potential additions to the therapeutic armamentarium. New insights gained from research and clinical trials could potentially revolutionize the management of this difficult-to-treat condition.
Insect growth regulator and sterile males for suppression of horn flies

A RECENT trend in the control of insects has been the development of pest management systems whereby combinations of control methods, applied to one or more stages of the life cycle, increase efficiency and optimise effectiveness of individual methods. The potential of an integrated programme involving the release of sterile insects in combination with other control methods was discussed by Knipling1. He pointed out that two properly chosen and implemented systems might be regarded as synergistic in effect. Kunz and Eschle2 have proposed an integrated programme against the horn fly, Haemotobia irritans (L.), and they have suppressed the reproduction of a semi-isolated population 98% by releasing sterilised horn flies3. In the spring of 1973, we began a pilot test on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. The objective was to develop a control system whereby a natural population of horn flies could be suppressed by chemical means and then eradicated through the release of sterile flies.
The application of polyelectrolyte limiting laws to the helix-coil transition of DNA. VI. The numerical value of the axial phosphate spacing for the coil form.

It is concluded on the basis of comparison of polyelectrolyte theory with published data that the mean phosphate spacing b along the contour axis of an unfolded polynucleotide single strand is in the range 3–4 A (polyelectrolyte parameter ξ ≈ 2), regardless of temperature, base composition, or extent of stacking. This result is consistent with the low-angle X-ray scattering measurements of Gulik, Inoue, and Luzzati on poly(C). No conclusion may be drawn from this value of b concerning the structure of the chain skeleton or the spatial arrangement of the bases other than that the chain is far from an all-trans local conformation (for which b would be about 6–7 A, the length of a nucleotide unit). The structural implications, or lack thereof, are discussed in detail in the following paper.
Mosquitofish dominate amphibian and invertebrate community development in experimental wetlands

Summary Restored and constructed habitats can play important conservation roles. Predators help shape communities in these habitats through complex interactions with prey, other predators and biotic and abiotic characteristics of the environment. However, introduced predators can have dramatic effects that may be difficult to predict. Using regression models, we compared influences of introduced invasive western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis to those of two naturally colonizing predators (crayfish and dragonflies), and vegetation, on three anuran species in experimentally constructed wetlands. Using analyses of covariance, we also examined influences of mosquitofish and vegetation on aquatic invertebrate communities. We found that mosquitofish reduced abundances of grey treefrogs Hyla versicolor and H. chrysoscelis and boreal chorus frog Pseudacris maculata, but had no significant influence on green frog Lithobates clamitans. Mosquitofish also reduced invertebrate abundance, but their effect on richness was less clear. Vegetation cover did not significantly increase most anuran or invertebrate abundances. However, vegetation increased invertebrate richness. After fish removal, invertebrate abundance increased. Fish removal may have facilitated chorus frog re-colonization into wetlands with low abundance of invertebrate predators. Our results indicate that mosquitofish are detrimental to wetland communities, and we recommend that managers avoid stocking mosquitofish. We also encourage temporary or drainable wetlands to prevent mosquitofish persistence if colonization occurs. Implementing these recommendations will improve the conservation potential of restored wetlands.
Response of thermal algal-bacterial mat to grazing by brine flies

Gelatinous mats of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and bacteria in alkaline thermal springs of Yellowstone National Park add biomass at the surface more rapidly than material is degraded in the anaerobic layers underneath. This inequality leads to flow diversion and exposure of mat surface. The microenvironment of these cool exposed “islands” is drastically altered as adults and larvae of ephydrid fly species invade, feed on, and solubilize the mat. We studied the effect of this grazing by comparing hot and cool ungrazed controls with mat that was cooled and remained open to invasion by ephydrid flies. Mat community biomass changes (ash free dry weight-AFDW) and changes in bacterial numbers were determined. Mat biomass was essentially unchanged for 3 weeks in the controls. Numbers of bacteria remained unchanged in the cool ungrazed control but decreased by more than 90% in the hot-ungrazed control. Grazing by ephydrid flies initially increased both mat biomass and numbers of unicellular heterotrophic bacteria. When grazed mat was reexposed to flowing hot water, biomass and bacterial numbers per mg AFDW declined immediately and significantly. The long-term effect of grazing on the mat is solubilization with downstream biomass export and subsequent initiation of successional algal-bacterial mat regrowth. Our experimental results suggest an initial stimulation of net photosynthesis by grazing, possibly related to the promotion of bacterial activity resulting in the release of essential mineral nutrients and/or free CO2.
Disaster Education, Household Preparedness, and Stress Responses Following Hurricane Hugo:

This study examines the impact of disaster education and household preparedness activities on stress responses among adults in the Charleston, South Carolina area following Hurricane Hugo. Two samp...
Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America. By Dave Tell. (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012. Pp. ix, 238. $64.95.)

“I believe in the family, with my ever loving wife beside me, but she don't know about my girlfriend, or the man I met last night,” sings Phil Collins in his satirical portrayal of a disreputable t...
Erich Fromm and postmodernism.

Although my experience with Fromm was limited to being a student both in my doctoral and postdoctoral studies, his writings and presence have been a strong influence in my early career. In addition to reading most of his writings, I had the opportunity to present patients to him in both settings. In my graduate days I also had a number of opportunities to speak with him on a number of issues since he was readily available in his office hours. He was very direct and clear in his positions and could be quite challenging, if not critical, if he disagreed. He was very European in his intellectual discussions. I found him and his work appealing on several grounds. In addition to revising some of the classical analysis positions on character traits, he challenged the authoritarianism and the institutionalization of psychoanalysis. He also was a primary force in relating, through his use of Marx’s ideas, personality characteristics and functioning to the socioeconomic conditions of society. He also emphasized that psychological maturity is related to ethics and values. While there has been some renewed interest in Fromm, he has largely been neglected in the past years. I believe this is in part due to the conservative nature of political and intellectual ideas in recent years, but also because postmodernist thinking may be essentially—but not totally—inconsistent with Fromm. There may be an inherent difficulty in comparing Fromm’s ideas to postmodernism and its use in psychoanalysis since the two are of different time periods. I am primarily concerned with exploring selected concepts from Fromm which, if not a forerunner of postmodernism in psycho-
Barrett's Surveillance Identifies Patients with Early Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Barrett's surveillance for dysplasia is recommended, but few studies have documented the benefit of endoscopic surveillance for dysplasia or cancer. Objectives Using a retrospective study design, we aim to demonstrate the impact of a Barrett's surveillance program on the stage of esophageal adenocarcinoma and identify factors for progression of metaplasia to cancer. Subjects The Institutional Review Board at Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare approved the study. We report a retrospective review of a prospectively followed Barrett's cohort in a surveillance program and compared their outcome with patients with a new diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma, identified at the same center between 1999 and 2005. Results There were 248 patients with Barrett's esophagus entered into a surveillance program from 1999 to 2005. During the surveillance period of 987 patient-years, 5 (0.5% patient-year) patients developed esophageal adenocarcinoma. During the same period, 46 patients were diagnosed with new-onset esophageal adenocarcinoma outside of our surveillance program. Only 5% of these patients had a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease. There were 248 patients who underwent a mean number of 2.7±1.7 upper endoscopic procedures, with 26 (10%) patients developing dysplasia. Compared with nonsurveillance, more patients had early stage of cancer in the surveillance group ( P 3 cm was found to be associated with development of dysplasia, P =.004 (odds ratio 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.34). Conclusion Patients with Barrett's esophagus undergoing endoscopic surveillance benefit from early-stage cancer diagnosis. Progression to adenocarcinoma is low, but long-segment and high-grade dysplasias have an increased risk of cancer. A significant number of patients with newly diagnosed esophageal adenocarcinoma do not complain of gastroesophageal reflux disease and are therefore not investigated for Barrett's esophagus nor entered into surveillance. Patients and physicians can use this information in making a decision about surveillance.
Yeast regulatory protein LEU3: a structure-function analysis

Abstract Eleven mutations resulting in partially deleted or truncated LEU3 protein were generated by linker insertion or other modifications at restriction sites, deletion of restriction fragments, or oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. Functional studies of these mutants showed the following: (i) A specific DNA binding region is contained within the 173 N-terminal residues, but other regions of the protein are required for optimal binding. (ii) Activation of LEU2 expression depends on the C-terminal 113 residues of the LEU3 protein. (iii) Deletion of part or all of a central section of LEU3 eliminates the ability of the LEU3 protein to respond to the co-activator alpha-isopropylmalate, i.e. creates an unmodulated activator. (iv) Overproduction of unmodulated activator slows down cell growth. (v) Specific deletion of two short acidic regions, including one with net charge - 19, has only minor effects on activation and modulation.
The association between multiple sclerosis-related fatigue and balance as a function of central sensory integration.

Abstract Background Fatigue and impaired upright postural control (balance) are the two most common complaints in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), with limited evidence on how they are related. Objective To examine the relationship between symptomatic fatigue and balance as a function of central sensory integration in persons with multiple sclerosis. Materials and methods Seventeen persons with relapsing-remitting MS were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Primary measurements included fatigue (modified fatigue impact scale – MFIS); balance (dynamic posturography, sensory organization testing – SOT); and walking capacity (six-minute walk test – 6MWT). Results Fatigue scores were significantly associated with balance: MFIS total ( r = −0.78; p r = −0.77; p r = −0.75; p = 0.001) and psychosocial subscale ( r = −0.53; p = 0.030) scores. MFIS total score was a significant predictor of balance ( p ≤ 0.001), accounting for 62% of the variability in SOT composite scores. Significant differences in fatigue ( d = 1.75; p = 0.005) and balance ( d = 1.74; p = 0.005) were found for participants who had cerebellar and brainstem involvement compared to those without. Conclusions Symptomatic fatigue is significantly related to balance and is a significant predictor of balance as a function of central sensory integration in persons with MS. Fatigue and balance are associated with cerebellar and brainstem involvement. This study provides early evidence supporting the theory that for those persons with MS who struggle to maintain steady balance during tasks that stimulate the central sensory integration process, complaints of significant levels of fatigue are probable.
Characterizing Arctic Spring Onset

AbstractThe high-latitude atmosphere experiences a rapid state transition during Arctic spring onset (ASO) with distinct warming in surface 2-m air temperature (T2m) occurring over broad geographical regions. Three methods are tested to optimally isolate this transition: The first two, the time derivative and the radius of curvature (RoC) methods, identify periods of large T2m acceleration. The third technique, the two-phase linear regression model, identifies a transition from an approximately steady winter state to a warming spring state. Although all three methods are largely successful in isolating the state transition associated with ASO, the RoC method is most effective in capturing the most rapid temperature increases and is adopted to define ASO in the study.Statistical analyses indicate that the annual ASO timing is roughly bimodal with strong interannual variability but no significant long-term trends. Composite time evolution analyses of ASO uncover a critical warming region over northern Siber...
An alternating-direction collocation method for finite element approximations on rectangles

Abstract An alternating-direction finite element collocation procedure is presented for parabolic boundary value problems posed on rectangular regions. Collocation offers a great savings in time as compared to standard finite element methods during the matrix formation stage of numerical process. With an alternating-direction procedure, multidimensional problems can be solved as a series of one-dimensional problems, which greatly reduces both the work and the storage requirements during the matrix solution phase of the numerical procedure.
Optimal Selection of EPR Distance Restraints for Global Folding of Protein Structure

Experimental restraints are critical to the expansion of de novo proteinfolding as restraints limit the conformational search space and increase the proportion of quality models. Our laboratory has shown that only a small percentage of randomly selected distance restraints, obtained from EPR analysis of spin labeled protein, are responsible for the improvements in model quality associated with restraint-based folding (1). Furthermore, we demonstrated that information content, a ratio of geometric distance between residues and their separation in the sequence, is a critical feature of successful distance restraints selection. Sequence coverage, a measure of the representation of the entire sequence, was identified as another important feature. For the use of experimental restraints to be practical, restraint patterns must be optimized to limit the number of measurements required to produce quality models and increase the throughput of the technique. The focus of this work is the creation of an algorithm that predicts from primary sequence a set of distance measurements that would most effectively guide tertiary structure prediction. For our prediction algorithm, we have developed four individual terms that approximate these features: sequence separation, label density, secondary structure placement, and secondary structure connections. We used these terms to generate patterns of distance measurements in T4 Lysozyme, simulated these distance measurements from the crystal structure (2LZM), and ran restraint-based folding with Rosetta. We observed a significant improvement in RMSD distribution when using the optimized restraint patterns when compared to both randomized patterns and folding without restraints.1.Alexander, N., Bortolus, M., Al-Mestarihi, A., Mchaourab, H., Meiler, J. Structure. De novo high-resolution protein structure determination from sparse spin-labeling EPR data. 16, 181-195 (2008).
The promise of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was first reported in 1991 [1]. Since then, improved resolution and speed have enabled OCT to become widely used clinically in ophthalmology. The principle of OCT...
Retinoic acid and retinoid X receptors are differentially expressed in thyroid cancer and thyroid carcinoma cell lines and predict response to treatment with retinoids.

Therapy for patients with advanced thyroid carcinoma is limited. Clinical and in vitro studies suggest that some patients with advanced thyroid cancer may respond to therapy with retinoic acid. mRNA expression of the six retinoic acid (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) isoforms (RARα, -β, -γ and RXRα, -β, -γ) was measured in four human thyroid cell lines, and protein expression was subsequently measured in 10 thyroid cancer cell lines. Two isoforms, RARβ and RXRγ, were differentially expressed in the four cell lines. Comparison of 10 thyroid tumors and matched normal thyroid tissue confirmed differential tumor expression of RARβ and RXRγ and lack of the RXRγ isoform in normal thyroid tissue. Cell lines expressing both RARβ and RXRγ demonstrated significant growth suppression when treated with retinoids, whereas cell lines lacking these isoforms were unaffected. Expression of RARβ, the isoform associated with suppression of tumor growth in other cancer types, was not affected by treatment with retinoids i...
Adequacy of training in oral cancer prevention and screening as self-assessed by physicians, nurse practitioners, and dental health professionals.

Objective To assess the educational preparedness of medical and dental professionals to reduce the burden of OPC through planning effective cancer control strategies such as reducing tobacco consumption, suggesting healthy lifestyle and diet, and performing early detection through screening examinations and appropriate follow-up. Methods Self-reported adequacy of training in oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC) early intervention activities was compared among 4 health care provider groups in North Carolina. Pretested surveys were mailed to random samples of licensed professionals. Results Nearly all providers agreed that early detection improves 5-year survival rates from OPC. Compared with 567 medical providers (273 family physicians and 294 nurse practitioners), 1235 dental providers (584 dentists and 651 hygienists) were significantly less likely to feel adequately trained in tobacco and alcohol cessation and to palpate neck nodes, but were significantly more likely to feel adequately trained to perform oral cancer examinations. Among dental providers, those who felt they had adequate training in tobacco and alcohol cessation were significantly more likely to assess these risk factors on patient medical histories. Conclusions Education is needed to prepare dental providers to undertake OPC prevention activities, whereas medical providers would benefit from enhanced oral examination skills to improve their performance in early detection.
Assertion deficits in bulimia nervosa: Assessment via behavioral, self-report and cognitive measures

Several authors have suggested that bulimics suffer from assertion deficits. However,few studies have specifically assessed assertion deficits in bulimics, and the few that have done so suffer from methodological shortcomings. The present study compared assertion deficits in female bulimics and normal controls using a role-play measure of assertion, a self-report measure of assertion, and a self-report measure of assertion inhibiting cognitions. Results showed bulimics self-reported more assertion inhibiting cognitions, and no differences were found on the role-play assessment or the self-report measure of assertion.
The Use of Digraphs

IF all writers, or, better still, all printers followed the rule of Mr. Horace Hart, and never permitted the use of ae and œ, but always spelled them out ae and oe, many happy results would ensue. Authors would cease to confuse editors and printers with undecipherable attempts to represent a diphthong; 5 per cent, of the misprints that have to be corrected in technical biological papers would disappear; zoological names, if no others, might at last be written correctly, and the student no longer confused with coelalus when caelatus was meant, and so forth. There need be no confusion with those rare words in which the vowels are distinct, since the custom of printing “aerated,” “oology,” and the like already prevails. If the only evil in sight is that Mr. Montagu Browne will feel impelled to the exceedingly unnecessary task of rewriting his museum labels, by all means let us entreat the printers to reform.
Corrosion produced by burning layers of methanol and ethanol

Abstract Burning methanol and ethanol generate formic acid and acetic acid, respectively, as reaction products. These acids, concentrated in the liquid during the fires, cause electrochemical corrosion and rust formation on metal substrates. In these experiments, small amounts of alcohol were burnt on 1020 steel coupons. Corrosion products were analysed by FT-IR spectroscopy and by microscopy. Rates of rust formation were measured gravimetrically for various alcohol solutions, then compared with rates of deposit formation beneath fires of iso-octane. In other experiments, acidity changes in liquid methanol and ethanol were measured as larger volumes of these fuels were burnt in beakers. Observed acidity increase during the pool fires is consistent with acid concentrations necessary to produce metal corrosion.
Bootstrap inferences about the correlation and variances of paired data

Rasmussen recently reported the results of an ambitious simulation study that supported the use of the percentile-bootstrap procedure when testing H0: ρ = 0, where ρ is Pearson's correlation between two random variables X and Y. Rasmussen found that the percentile-bootstrap procedure gave good control over the probability of a Type I error if the marginal distributions of both X and Y were normal, and n was not too small. This note describes situations where the percentile-bootstrap procedure is unsatisfactory. Several modifications of the percentile-bootstrap are also considered, but they too are unsatisfactory.
A Variable-Inertia Flywheel Model for Regenerative Braking on a Bicycle

Kinetic energy storage systems for powering vehicles currently exist but are not prevalent. Often the coupling between the flywheel and the vehicle is done using a separate actuator/generator system. This separate actuator system necessarily results in efficiency losses. In this paper we present a design for a spring-coupled variable inertia flywheel which directly couples the flywheel and vehicle. Simulation results for the non-linear dynamic behavior of the system are given and show that it can be used to store more than 99% of the energy of the vehicle when braking, but that there is a tradeoff between device size, deceleration rate, and energy stored. We found that a parameter exploration using three cost functions related to braking time, energy stored, and flywheel radius, shows that one can optimize at most two of the three cost functions. Analytic results are also given for a driven mass-flywheel model, which mitigates some of the problems of the linear spring model. However, this model, if it uses equivalent non-linear springs, is able to store at most 75% of the system energy. The driven-mass/non-linear spring model allows for a lower deceleration and smaller physical size than the linear spring model.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
How the Overlap Between the Search Results of Different Retrieval Systems Correlates with Document Relevance

This paper provides an analysis of the overlap between the search results of retrieval systems that participated in TREC 3, 6, 7 and 8 to provide empirical support for some of the key assumptions guiding the design of data fusion methods. It shows that the potential relevance of a document increases exponentially as the number of search methods retrieving it increases – called the Authority Effect. It also shows that documents higher up in ranked lists and found by more systems are more likely to be relevant – called the Ranking Effect. Both effects can help explain why major data fusion methods perform well.
Gamma-rays following muon capture

Abstract The energy and intensity of γ-rays following capture of muons by Si, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Y, Ag and Au were measured with a Ge(Li) detector. In most cases it was possible to identify the final nucleus from the energy of the γ-ray observed. In general, this showed that one or more neutrons were emitted in the initial stages of de-excitation. In the case of capture by Fe and Ni the evidence pointed to a mode of de-excitation by the emission of a proton and a neutron and in Ti by γ-rays alone. In these measurements it was possible to account for as much as 60% of the muons captured in Co, less in the other elements, and only 15 % in Si.
Wide-field spectroscopy and imaging at two plate scales with a focal three mirror anastigmat

The key enabling element of the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM)1,2,3 is a wide-field, high-magnification mixed spectroscopic and imaging telescope intended to study dark energy via measurement of the expansion history of the universe and the growth of large-scale structure. It is designed to provide tight constraints on the equation of state of dark energy and test the validity of general relativity. Complementary observation of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Type 1a Supernovae (SNe) and Gravitational Weak Lensing (WL) are under consideration for the mission. The science goals of this mission call for a high-resolution imaging survey and a spectroscopic survey of at least 10,000 square degrees. Signal to noise requirements of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) survey favor a prism disperser with a λ • d θ /d λ of roughly 200 arcsec and a coarse plate scale (~0.45arsec/pixel). The WL imaging survey seeks the shapes of galaxies, and therefore prefers a finer plate scale of ~0.1-0.23 arcsec/pixel. Accommodation all of these goals may be accomplished with an afocal telescope but the results of this study suggest that a focal telescope is also capable of achieving these goals. Discussed herein are several novel prism concepts designed for use in a focal three mirror anastigmat telescope (TMA). Multiple elements are used for aberration balancing and tailoring resolving power over the observational band. Several options for simultaneous or staggered imaging and spectroscopy as well as the required plate scale change with a focal TMA are presented.
Physical conditioning and coronary risk factors.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL studies of human populations have consistently identified three factors which are associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). These are elevation of the level of serum cholesterol, increased blood pressure and great obesity [l-6]. An increase of serum triglycerides has-also been suggested as a factor in the development of CHD but this association is less well established [7,8]. Many studies have indicated an association between the occurrence of CHD and sedentary occupation [g-12]. These findings have stimulated proposals for methods of changing risk factors in order to diminish the occurrence of CHD. Among these proposals is physical conditioning [13-161. The most popular method is based on diet therapy [17-191 although adherence to these dietary regimens proves difficult and the responses obtained are disappointingly small [20]. Studies of the influence of physical training on risk factors has been complicated by uncertainty about the amount of exercise applied. Often the extent of the ‘treatment’ must be accepted on faith because it was not demonstrated by objective measurement. The study groups have typically been young college men whose initial measurements were near normal and thus not easily changed. These circumstances may explain the divergent conclusions about the effect of exercise in influencing the risk factors of CHD [21-231. It seemed relevant to examine the merits of systematic exercise without control of diet as a means of diminishing the coronary risk factors. This report describes the effects of a program of vigorous exercise carried out by American men with one or
Assessment of factors influencing recent graduates' selection of a community pharmacy practice site as their first practice position

Abstract Objectives To identify factors that influence recent college graduates' selection of first practice position in a community pharmacy and determine whether exposure to or engagement in pharmaceutical care services during advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) or internship experiences correlate with any of the identified factors. Methods A web-based survey that corresponds to the stated objectives was developed, pilot tested, and distributed in January 2009 to pharmacists graduating within the last five years (2004−2008) from participating colleges of pharmacy in the state of Ohio and five of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy's peer institutions. Survey data evaluated first practice site selection and correlation with APPEs and internship. Results Four-hundred twenty respondents (16% response) completed the survey instrument, with 201 (48%) practicing in community pharmacy as their first practice position. The top factors influencing selection of first community practice position were salary, geography, schedule, benefits, and a positive experience with the company through internship. Seventy percent of participants were involved in pharmaceutical care services during APPEs vs 57% during internship. Those having exposure and involvement with patient education associated with point-of-care testing (POCT) during APPEs were significantly more likely to list “established pharmaceutical care services” as a top factor in selecting their first practice position. Conclusions Although pharmaceutical care was not a significant factor for community pharmacists selecting a practice site after graduation, providing more opportunities for POCT during APPEs or internship experiences may result in an increased desire to provide these services.
The clinical relevance of the increasing incidence of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.

Background & Aims The incidence of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is believed to be increasing; we investigated whether this is the result of increasing burden of disease or more diagnostic scrutiny. Methods In a retrospective cohort study, we calculated a trend in reported incidence of IPMN using data collected from Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 1985 to 2005. Total IPMN cases from the Olmsted database were identified through a keyword and International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, search using a database from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, with all cases verified by subsequent chart review. The subsequent rate of IPMN-related carcinoma was calculated using data from the national Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-9 database, reflecting trends from 1982 to 2007. Cases of IPMN-related carcinoma were identified in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-9 database by limiting the search to histology codes for noninvasive and invasive IPMN. Results Between 1985 and 2005, there was a 14-fold increase in the age- and sex-adjusted incidence of IPMN, from 0.31 to 4.35 per 100,000 persons. From 2000 to 2001, the rate of reported carcinoma increased from 0.008 to 0.032 per 100,000 persons, but stabilized afterward, with a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 persons in 2007. Mortality from all causes of pancreatic cancer was stable between 1975 and 2007 (approximately 11 deaths per 100,000 individuals). Conclusions The incidence of IPMN has increased in the absence of an increase in IPMN-related or overall pancreatic cancer–related mortality, so it likely results from an increase in diagnostic scrutiny, rather than greater numbers of patients with clinically relevant disease.
Is Everything We Know about Password Stealing Wrong

US Federal Reserve Regulation E guarantees that consumers are made whole when their bank passwords are stolen. The implications lead to several interesting conclusions. First, emptying accounts is extremely hard: transferring money in a way that is irreversible can generally only be done in a way that cannot later be repudiated. Password-enabled transfers can always be repudiated, which explains the importance of mules who accept bad transfers and initiate good ones. This suggests that the mules' accounts, rather than the victims', are pillaged. Passwords are but one link in the cybercrime value chain. Despite appearances, password stealing is a bad business proposition.
Improving Rural Teachers' Attitudes towards Acceleration.

Gifted students see both educational benefits and barriers as a result of living in rural communities. Benefits include increased individual attention and community engagement; barriers include limited curricular options (Lawrence, 2009). Acceleration is an option that has positive academic outcomes but is underused, especially in rural areas. Even teachers with experience teaching gifted students can be hesitant to recommend acceleration. This position paper, supported with evidence from the literature and from personal experience with an online course involving rural teachers, explains the objections teachers have to acceleration and why there is a need to improve rural teachers’ attitudes towards acceleration.