cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age‐related factors that affect B cell responses to vaccination in mice and humans

Aging significantly changes the ability to respond to vaccinations and infections. In this review, we summarize published results on age-related changes in response to infection with the influenza virus and on the factors known to increase influenza risk infection leading to organ failure and death. We also summarize how aging affects the response to the influenza vaccine with a special focus on B cells, which have been shown to be less responsive in the elderly. We show the cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to the dysfunctional immune response of the elderly to the vaccine against influenza. These include a defective interaction of helper T cells (CD4+) with B cells in germinal centers, changes in the microenvironment, and the generation of immune cells with a senescence-associated phenotype. Finally, we discuss the effects of aging on metabolic pathways and we show how metabolic complications associated with aging lead to immune dysfunction.
Spatial Learning in Dragonflies

Spatial learning is evident in dragonflies on a variety of spatial scales. Mature dragonflies must be able to locate a variety of features in the habitat that are critical to survival and reproduction, including sites for breeding, foraging, roosting, and thermoregulating. In many species, these sites do not coincide in space. Because individuals may repeatedly use particular sites for different activities, they must learn both the locations of these sites and routes among them. Further evidence of spatial memory in dragonflies is provided by their site specificity on a finer scale. Breeding males, for example, often are faithful not only to a particular area, but to a specific territory site within that area. Males appear to become faithful to a territory site through localization, a process during which they explore the site and develop a spatial map of the location of the territory and its resources. Males also respond to their interactions with other individuals, adjusting both their choice of territories and their space use within their territories to reflect those interactions. In eastern amberwing dragonflies (Perithemis tenera), males are not faithful to territories on which they have lost a fight with another male; in contrast, males are more likely to be faithful to territories on which they successfully mated than to territories on which they obtained no matings. Similarly, while on territories, male amberwings adjust their position in response to negative and positive interactions. They move away from the side of the territory from which neighbors most frequently intruded, and they move toward locations from which they pursued a female. Territorial amberwings thus modify their space use at both the territory and within-territory spatial scale in response to their social environment. Their responses are consistent with the hypothesis that they learn from their positive and negative experiences and adjust their future space use accordingly. Further study of spatial learning in dragonflies would greatly enhance studies of dragonflies’ behavior and ecology, and help us understand learning in general.
Leading and Managing Archives and Manuscripts Programs

I admit I do not remember much from my library school management class. It was years ago, class began at 8:00 a.m., the text was dry, and I never saw myself in a management position. Fifteen years ...
Blocking and Self-Silencing: Undergraduate Students' Cyberbullying Victimization and Coping Strategies.

Cyberbullying is an emerging equity issue in American higher education with well-documented social, psychological, and academic consequences. Unfortunately, while higher education leaders are grappling with how to respond to cyberbullying victimization among students, their efforts are hindered by the lack of consensus on how to measure victimization or what support strategies to provide. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cyberbullying experiences of a diverse sample of undergraduate students. Using a validated measure of victimization among a sample of 459 undergraduates at a research university in the American Mid-Atlantic, nearly three out of five respondents reported having been previously victimized by a cyberbully. While universities have a duty to support victims and provide a learning environment free from harassment, this study found that students do not turn to their campus faculty and staff for support. Instead college student victims adopt technical coping strategies (e.g., block the bully, adjust privacy settings) which may further isolate them from their online communities and entrusts social media companies to resolve the situation. Contributions poses the connection between coping strategies and self-censoring in online courses.
Tracheotomy Outcomes in 64 Ventilated COVID-19 Patients at a High-Volume Center in Bronx, NY.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Few studies have reported COVID-19 specific tracheotomy outcomes, and the optimal timing and patient selection criteria for tracheotomy remains undetermined. We delineate our outcomes for tracheotomies performed on COVID-19 patients during the peak of the pandemic at a major epicenter in the United States. METHODS This is a retrospective observational cohort study. Mortality, ventilation liberation rate, complication rate, and decannulation rate were analyzed. RESULTS Sixty-four patients with COVID-19 underwent tracheotomy between April 1, 2020 and May 19, 2020 at two tertiary care hospitals in Bronx, New York. The average duration of intubation prior to tracheotomy was 20 days ((interquartile range [IQR] 16.5-26.0). The mortality rate was 33% (n = 21), the ventilation liberation rate was 47% (n = 30), the decannulation rate was 28% (n = 18), and the complication rate was 19% (n = 12). Tracheotomies performed by Otolaryngology were associated with significantly improved survival (P < .05) with 60% of patients alive at the conclusion of the study compared to 9%, 12%, and 19% of patients undergoing tracheotomy performed by Critical Care, General Surgery, and Pulmonology, respectively. CONCLUSIONS So far, this is the second largest study describing tracheotomy outcomes in COVID-19 patients in the United States. Our early outcomes demonstrate successful ventilation liberation and decannulation in COVID-19 patients. Further inquiry is necessary to determine the optimal timing and identification of patient risk factors predictive of improved survival in COVID-19 patients undergoing tracheotomy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4-retrospective cohort study Laryngoscope, 131:E1797-E1804, 2021.
Knockout of γ-Adducin Promotes NG-Nitro-L-Arginine-Methyl-Ester-Induced Hypertensive Renal Injury.

Previous studies identified a region on chromosome 1 associated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) hypertension-induced renal disease in fawn-hooded hypertensive (FHH) rats. This region contains a mutant γ-adducin (Add3) gene that impairs renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation, but its contribution to renal injury is unknown. The present study evaluated the hypothesis that knockout (KO) of Add3 impairs the renal vasoconstrictor response to the blockade of nitric oxide synthase and enhances hypertension-induced renal injury after chronic administration of L-NAME plus a high-salt diet. The acute hemodynamic effect of L-NAME and its chronic effects on hypertension and renal injury were compared in FHH 1Brown Norway (FHH 1BN) congenic rats (WT) expressing wild-type Add3 gene versus FHH 1BNAdd3 KO rats. RBF was well autoregulated in WT rats but impaired in Add3 KO rats. Acute administration of L-NAME (10 mg/kg) raised mean arterial pressure (MAP) similarly in both strains, but RBF and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) fell by 38% in WT versus 15% in Add3 KO rats. MAP increased similarly in both strains after chronic administration of L-NAME and a high-salt diet; however, proteinuria and renal injury were greater in Add3 KO rats than in WT rats. Surprisingly, RBF, GFR, and glomerular capillary pressure were 41%, 82%, and 13% higher in L-NAME–treated Add3 KO rats than in WT rats. Hypertensive Add3 KO rats exhibited greater loss of podocytes and glomerular nephrin expression and increased interstitial fibrosis than in WT rats. These findings indicate that loss of ADD3 promotes L-NAME–induced renal injury by altering renal hemodynamics and enhancing the transmission of pressure to glomeruli. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A mutation in the γ-adducin (Add3) gene in fawn-hooded hypertensive rats that impairs autoregulation of renal blood flow is in a region of rat chromosome 1 homologous to a locus on human chromosome 10 associated with diabetic nephropathy. The present results indicate that loss of ADD3 enhanced NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester–induced hypertensive renal injury by altering the transmission of pressure to the glomerulus.
Venous Sinus Stenosis Treatment in Pediatric Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Illustrative Case and Literature Review.

Objective To review the literature of venous sinus stenosis (VSS) treatment in children for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and present our own institutional case. Methods A literature review was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases up to June 2020. From 134 studies that were screened, 6 studies were chosen for analysis that included patients Results Eleven patients identified in the literature and 1 patient from our institution were included in the analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in pressure gradient response to stenting between male and female patients (P = 0.424) or patients with body mass index >90th percentile (P = 0.626). Larger decreases in pressure gradient after stent placement correlated with headache resolution (P = 0.0005). Patients who underwent unilateral stenting showed greater reduction in pressure gradient compared with patients who underwent bilateral stenting (average change 24 mm Hg vs. 5.75 mm Hg, P = 0.003). Conclusions Our analysis showed that VSS treatment has the potential to be a safe option for IIH in pediatric patients. VSS treatment has shown similar results to traditional cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedures, with a lower complication rate and need for revision. More studies should be conducted to analyze the long-term efficacy and safety of VSS treatment in pediatric patients with IIH.
Smooth constrained frontier analysis

Production frontiers (i.e., “production functions”) specify the maximum output of firms, industries, or economies as a function of their inputs. A variety of innovative methods have been proposed for estimating both “deterministic” and “stochastic” frontiers. However, existing approaches are either parametric in nature, rely on nonsmooth nonparametric methods, or rely on nonparametric or semiparametric methods that ignore theoretical axioms of production theory, each of which can be problematic. In this chapter we propose a class of smooth constrained nonparametric and semiparametric frontier estimators that may be particularly appealing to practitioners who require smooth (i.e., continuously differentiable) estimates that, in addition, are consistent with theoretical axioms of production.
Coefficient Alpha and Coefficient Omegahierarchical

The ideal of measurement for a multiple-indicator scale is that it should be unidimensional. However, there are many latent variables or constructs of interest within the field of clinical psychology widely believed to be inherently multifaceted. Although scales that adequately assess such constructs are unlikely to be strictly unidimensional, they should still primarily measure one latent variable. Though many believe that coefficient alpha is a good index of the extent to which a scale is primarily a measure of one underlying latent variable, it is not. This entry describes an alternative to alpha, which is derived from the hierarchical factor analysis model—coefficient omegahierarchical. This entry includes discussion of the extant research comparing different methods of estimating coefficient omegahiearchical to each other and to coefficient alpha, as well as some important future directions for research on coefficient omegahieararchical. Keywords: factor analysis; homogeneity; internal consistency; multi-faceted construct; reliability
The stress response, psychoeducational interventions and assisted reproduction technology treatment outcomes : a meta-analytic review

The psychological impacts of infertility have been well documented in the literature, providing evidence to support that at least some women who confront infertility are at risk for heightened distress and depressive symptoms. In response to this accumulated evidence, it has been argued that psychoeducational interventions may provide an important component to the treatment of infertility. While several theoretical models postulate the effects of stress on infertility treatment outcomes, results of these investigations have led to conflicting conclusions. However, a synthesis of the accumulated data examining the effects of stress on ART treatment outcomes was nonexistent until the conduct of this study. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of stress on ART treatment outcomes and to determine whether psychoeducational interventions mitigate the impact of stress experienced by women during an ART treatment program. Two hypotheses were tested: 1. Increased levels of stress will be associated with a lower likelihood of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment success, and 2. Psychoeducational interventions will mitigate the effects of stress experienced during Assisted
Location theory of the firm under price uncertainty: Some New Conclusions

Abstract This paper presents certain general results of my earlier location theory of the firm under price uncertainty. An expected utility maximizing firm excludes all intermediate locations between the market and raw material site.
Democracy and Constitutional Government

IESTEEM it a distinct honor to be invited to address you on this occasion. This ancient institution of learning, which from its foundation has meant so much to the life of this city and this section of the coun try, has in common with other universities greatly im proved its course of legal instruction in recent years. This splendid building which we dedicate today is an earnest of even greater things in the future. Nothing is more fundamental in the life of a state than its legal system; and nothing is more important in the devel opment and functioning of that system than adequate legal education for members of the bar. I congratulate you upon what you have done and are doing in this most important branch of the work of your university. I feel that the time is not far distant when your state will take its stand in the forefront of those who are
High-order convergence with a low-order discretization of the 2-D MFIE

Moment method solutions to the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) are often less accurate for a given grid than corresponding solutions to the electric field integral equation (EFIE). We propose that the cause of this observation is the identity operator in the MFIE and show how regularizing the identity increases the convergence rate of the discretized two-dimensional MFIE by three orders.
Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man – By Hugh Sebag‐Montefiore

The author of this book provides a fascinating reconstruction of how the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought bravely to extricate itself from Dunkirk. With an avowed focus on the dramatic and ...
Integrated frameworks for multi-level and multi-formalism modeling

There have been significant advances in methods for specifying and solving models that aim to predict the performance and dependability of computer systems and networks. At the same time, however, there have been dramatic increases in the complexity of the systems whose performance and dependability must be evaluated, and considerable increases in the expectations of analysts that use performance/dependability evaluation tools. This paper briefly reviews the progress that has been made in the development of performance/dependability evaluation tools, and argues that the next important step is the creation of modeling frameworks and software environments that support multi-level, multi-formalism modeling and multiple solution methods within a single integrated framework. In addition, this paper presents an overview of the Mobius project, which aims to provide a modeling framework and software environment that support multiple modeling formalisms, methods for model composition and connection, and a way to integrate multiple analytical/numerical- and simulation-based model solution methods. Finally, it suggests research that must take place to make this aim a reality, and thus facilitate the performance and dependability evaluation of complex computer systems and networks.
Efficient design method for multi-pump flat-gain fiber Raman amplifiers

There is much current interest in fiber Raman amplifiers pumped at multiple wavelengths (MW-FRA), which can combine the low-noise advantage of distributed Raman amplification with the possibility of ultra-wide (80 nm and above) gain bandwidths.
Introduction: Immigration and Incorporation:

In at least one sense the “American century” is ending much as it had begun: the United States has again become a nation of immigrants, and it is again being transformed in the process. But the diversity of the “new immigration” to the United States over the past three decades differs in many respects from that of the last period of mass immigration in the first three decades of the century. The immigrants themselves differ greatly in their social class and national origins, and so does the American society, polity, and economy that receives them—raising questions about their modes of incorporation, and challenging conventional accounts of assimilation processes that were framed during that previous epoch. The dynamics and future course of their adaptation are open empirical questions—as well as major questions for public policy, since the outcome will shape the future contours of American society. Indeed, as the United States undergoes its most profound demographic transformation in a century; as inexora...
Continuations may be unreasonable

We show that two lambda calculus terms can be observationally congruent (i.e., agree in all contexts) but their continuation-passing transforms may not be. We also show that two terms may be congruent in all untyped contexts but fail to be congruent in a calculus with call/cc operators. Hence, familiar reasoning about functional terms may be unsound if the terms use continuations explicitly or access them implicitly through new operators. We then examine one method of connecting terms with their continuized form, extending the work of Meyer and Wand [8].
Infrared study of the bilayer stability behavior of binary and ternary phospholipid mixtures containing unsaturated phosphatidylethanolamine

The bilayer stability of liposomes containing unsaturated phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) has been investigated by measuring the C = O and CH2 stretching frequencies of the lipids at different lipid compositions and temperatures. Binary mixtures of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) and dilinoleoyl-PE (DLPE) are known to exhibit lamellar liquid crystalline (L alpha), inverted hexagonal (HII) and metastable intermediate (I) phases. Abrupt increases in the C = O and CH2 stretching frequencies at 65-75 and 90-95% PE, respectively, were found as the PE content of the DLPE/POPC mixtures was increased from 0 to 100%. These transitions were associated with the L alpha -I and I-HII phase transitions of the DLPE/POPC mixtures, accordingly. The effects of three lipid perturbants, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), diacylglycerol (DG) and cholesterol (CL), on the above L alpha -I and I-HII transitions were also examined. All perturbants were found to be effective in shifting the L alpha -I transition of the DLPC/POPC mixtures to a lower PE% as detected by the C = O stretching frequency measurements. On the other hand, the perturbants appeared to eliminate the I-HII transition of the DLPE/POPC mixtures as detected by the CH2 stretching frequency measurements. The effectiveness of the perturbants in promoting the L alpha -I phase transition of the DLPE/POPC mixtures followed the order of DG > BHT > CL.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pediatric rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in East Asians

Purpose To describe clinical features, predisposing factors, and surgical outcomes of retinal detachment in different age groups in a pediatric population. Design Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Participants A total of 296 eyes from 278 children younger than 18 years of age underwent the first surgical procedure for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment between 1983 and 2003. They were divided into 3 age groups: 38 eyes in group 1 (0–10 years), 107 eyes in group 2 (11–15 years), and 151 eyes in group 3 (16–18 years). Methods Predisposing factors for retinal detachment were classified into 4 categories: (1) high myopia, (2) trauma, (3) congenital or developmental structural ocular abnormalities, and (4) previous intraocular surgery. Main Outcome Measurements Visual acuity and retinal reattachment. Results The mean age of the patients was 14.6 years; 73.7% were boys. The mean follow-up period was 51 months. At least 1 predisposing factor could be identified in 282 (95%) of study eyes. High myopia was most common in 111 eyes (38%). Thirty-one percent of eyes experienced trauma, 17% had structural abnormalities, and 5% underwent previous intraocular surgery. Macular involvement was found in 237 eyes (80%). The initial surgery was scleral buckling alone in 224 eyes (76%). Retinal reattachment was achieved in 214 eyes (72%) after the first operation and in 250 eyes (85%) at the end of intervention. Features seen in patients with a poor surgical outcome included congenital anomaly ( P P = 0.007), proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade C or worse ( P P = 0.001), total retinal detachment ( P P Conclusions Myopia is one of the important predisposing factors of pediatric retinal detachment in East Asians. The predisposing factors, clinical features, timing of diagnosis, and frequency of proliferative vitreoretinopathy of retinal detachment are somewhat different in the 3 age groups considered. Because of higher proportions of congenital anomaly, total retinal detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and a low success rate with poor postoperative compliance, patients in group 1 experienced the lowest final reattachment rate and the worst visual recovery.
Occlusal adjustment under the control of intra‐oral recording with the aid of the functiograph

Summary Objective diagnosis of occlusal relationships is possible with the aid of a new instrument called the ‘Functiograph’. It enables recordings of both the free and tooth-guided mandibular movements to be made intra-orally on the same tracing plate. A series of twenty cases has been undertaken and a number of selected examples are illustrated. Occlusal equilibration under the control of tooth-guided movement records enables the estimation of the results of occlusal correction in an objective and methodical way.
Optimal maintenance policies for several imperfect repair models

Three new maintenance models, two imperfect preventive maintenance models and a cost limit (imperfect) repair model are proposed. In these models the imperfect maintenance is treated in such a way that after maintenance the lifetime of a unit will be decreased to a fraction of the one immediately preceding it, and the imperfect repair time as well as cost increases as the number of imperfect repairs increases. The long-run expected maintenance cost rates and corresponding asymptotic average availabilities for these three models are derived. The optimum maintenance policies subject to maintenance time are discussed. Some constraint optimization problems related to maintenance cost rate and availability are presented. Finally, numerical examples are given.
Properties of gentamicin adenylyl transferase obtained from R-facor-resistant Escherichia coli

Abstract 1. 1. Gentamicin adenylyl transferase was partially purified from a resistant R-factor carrying strain of Escherichia coli W677/HJR66. 2. 2. The enzyme exhibits a pH optimum of 8.1 to 8.5 and an isoelectric point of pH 4.0. The molecular mass was estimated to be 21,000 dallons by gel filtration and density gradient centrifugation. 3. 3. Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants ( K m V max , and K ia ) were calculated from replots of initial velocity studies for the gentamicin sulfate C complex, gentamicin C 1 , gentamicin C 1a , gentamicin Ci, and adenosine triphosphate. 4. 4. Inhibition constants ( K I ) were also obtained for pyrophosphate and tripolyphosphate. 5. 5. The initial velocity data and product inhibition studies revealed kinetic patterns consistent with an Ordered Bi Bi mechanism with ATP adding prior to gentamicin.
Lipschitz and strong unicity constants for changing dimension

;I Tf,}& with lim,,m /! f -h 11 = 0 that lim,+, A(h) = h(f). For fixed f and n, Henry and Roulier [5] investigate the behavior of X(f) for changing intervals.
Hierarchical modular modeling/knowledge representation

This tutorial will emphasize concepts and methodology and will relate them to languages and software environments which are becoming available to support these concepts. We will show how high level specification of discrete event models with hierarchical and modular properties is crucial to the sound integration of knowledge representation approaches of artificial intelligence. We will discuss examples of hierarchical modular models exhibiting self-modifying structure capabilities and show how they may be implemented in conventional, as well as object-oriented symbolic languages. Finally, structuring of model bases for simulation environments will be presented and example tools illustrated.Specifically, we shall discuss the following topics:High level specification of discrete event models with hierarchical and modular properties using pseudo-code formalism.Implementation of such specifications in procedural languages: How to express such pseudo-code in conventional languages such as SIMSCRIPT II.5 as well as in LISP-based languages.Examples of such hierarchical modular models exhibiting self-modifying structure capabilities and embedded artificial intelligence.Model/Knowledge Base Design: Organizing models using the system entity structure to constitute a reusable knowledge base.Background for this tutorial may be found in (Zeigler 1984, 1985).
Toad heart utilizes exclusively slow skeletal muscle troponin T: an evolutionary adaptation with potential functional benefits.

The three isoforms of vertebrate troponin T (TnT) are normally expressed in a muscle type-specific manner. Here we report an exception that the cardiac muscle of toad (Bufo) expresses exclusively slow skeletal muscle TnT (ssTnT) together with cardiac forms of troponin I and myosin as determined using immunoblotting, cDNA cloning, and/or LC-MS/MS. Using RT-PCR and 3′- and 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends on toad cardiac mRNA, we cloned full-length cDNAs encoding two alternatively spliced variants of ssTnT. Expression of the cloned cDNAs in Escherichia coli confirmed that the toad cardiac muscle expresses solely ssTnT, predominantly the low molecular weight variant with the exon 5-encoded NH2-terminal segment spliced out. Functional studies were performed in ex vivo working toad hearts and compared with the frog (Rana) hearts. The results showed that toad hearts had higher contractile and relaxation velocities and were able to work against a significantly higher afterload than that of frog hearts. Therefore, the unique evolutionary adaptation of utilizing exclusively ssTnT in toad cardiac muscle corresponded to a fitness value from improving systolic function of the heart. The data demonstrated a physiological importance of the functional diversity of TnT isoforms. The structure-function relationship of TnT may be explored for the development of new treatment of heart failure.
Splenic Destruction of Newly‐Formed Red Blood Cells and Shortened Erythrocyte Survival in Mice with Congenital Microcytosis

Red blood cell survival and patterns of erythropoiesis-associated haem destruction were studied in mice with microcytosis (mklmk) of the MK/Re and SEC/1Re strains, and their normal controls (+/+ and mk/+) using the endogenous production of 14CO following glycine-2-14C injection. In affected homozygotes of both strains, there was evidence for splenic destruction of reticulocytes and increased random haemolysis, with higher rates of random haemolysis in affected mice of the SEC/1Re strain. Alterations in the ‘early labelled peak’ of the mk/mk mice of the SEC/IRe strain suggested the presence of a small component of ‘ineffective erythropoiesis’ which was not seen in affected mice of the MK/Re strain. The ‘ineffective erythropoiesis’ and splenic reticulocyte destruction were abolished by prior splenectomy, but the rate of random haemolysis was only minimally lessened and splenectomized mice remained anaemic. These results offer direct insight into RBC survival patterns in genetically determined haemolytic anaemias, and document results of the interaction of a single gene defect (mk) with the rest of the genome.
Meat Yield Comparisons of Hot Cut-Up, Noneviscerated Versus Eviscerated Immersion-Chilled Broilers

Abstract Meat yields were determined from conventionally processed (i.e., eviscerated, immersion chilled) and nonconventionally processed (i.e., hot noneviscerated) 7- and 9-week-old male and female broilers. Statistical analyses comparing breast and thigh meat yields obtained by the two processing methods were made within age and sex, since both these variables had a significant influence on yields. Total meat yields were greater from the conventionally processed broilers in three of four comparisons. Most of the differences between the processing treatments were attributable to differences in leg meat yield, which was primarily caused by the absorption of water by those birds that were immersion chilled.
Characterization of gels prepared from silicon ethoxide in presence of HCl and HF

Xerogels and aerogels prepared from homogeneous mixtures of TEOS, H 2 O and ethanol in the presence or absence of N,N,dimethyl formamide were investigated. The dried gels were characterized using pore size distribution, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. In the presence of HCl, high ethanol content yields finer texture and smaller pores not accessible to mercury while in the presence of HF, high ethanol content produces coarser texture with large pores. With low water content, linear chains grow forming spheres with large free volume with tiny pores within the particulate structure. With higher water content, dense spheres grow and interlock producing large connected porosity. On heating, three regions were identified: (a) evaporation of solvent retained after drying, (b) decomposition and oxidation of residual organic matter, and (c) dehydration of silanol groups. The weight loss, which corresponds to the amount of solvent, retained and unreacted organic matter, decreases as the pore size increases. Crystals of cristobalite were detected by heating to a high temperature. Glass transition and crystallization temperatures were correlated to the amount of water and ethanol in presence of HCl or HF.
Maximum Likelihood Estimates of Age Effects

Abstract The relative merits of maximum likelihood estimates of age factors were examined with 24,636 lactations from registered Holsteins in Iowa Dairy Herd Improvement Association herds. A table containing maximum-likelihood estimates of age effects on milk and fat yield was presented. Maximum likelihood (ML) factors were compared to gross and paired comparison factors. Gross factors were more similar to the ML factors than were the paired factors, particularly at older ages. It was concluded that sampling errors in the ML factors are within acceptable limits for the volume of data employed. ML factors should be used in preference to gross factors in situations where accuracy is of critical importance. ML factors possess the properties of unbiasedness and minimum variance; they are based upon both intra-cow and inter-cow information.
Heat-transfer measurements of evaporating liquid droplets

The heat transfer to simulated (porous sphere) water and methanol droplets were measured in an atmospheric vertical hot air tunnel. The experiments were limited to a Reynolds number range of 200–2000, a free stream air temperature range of 150–960°C and a velocity range of 2.1–11.4 m/s. The experimental data can best be correlated by Nuf(1 + B) = 2 + 0.6Re12M Pr13f where properties are evaluated at film conditions except for the density in the Reynolds number which is the free stream density. Thus the data show that at higher temperatures, evaporation reduces heat-transfer rates directly by a factor of (1 + B). Indirectly evaporation affects heat-transfer rates through the changes in both the compositions and the temperatures of the surrounding gaseous medium.
Official Ecclesial Documents to Implement the Second Vatican Council on Relations with Jews: Study Them, Become Immersed in Them, and Put Them into Practice

In the wake of recent tensions in Catholic Jewish relations in the United States, this article examines the implementation of the Second Vatican Council's decision "to evaluate and define in a new way the relationship between the Church and the faith of Israel," as Pope Benedict XVI has described it. Official documents of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and a body of papal teachings put forth by Pope John Paul have authoritatively delineated the direction according to which the Council is to be interpreted and put into practice. This trajectory of implementation has begun to articulate what could be called a "theology of shalom" concerning the Catholic Church's relationship to Judaism and the Jewish people, which includes a respect for Judaism's continuing covenantal life with God and a commitment to interreligious dialogue for the purpose of mutual understanding. However, this post-conciliar trajectory is challenged by Catholics who fear that the universal salvific mediation of Christ is being threatened. Advancing theological concepts that express a sort of "neo-supersessionist" devaluation of Judaism, these critiques necessarily disregard relevant papal and Vatican teaching. The article ends with an examination of the magisterial weight of the conciliar and post-conciliar implementing documents, concluding that their clear direction must be followed. As John Paul II declared, "It is only a question of studying them carefully, of immersing oneself in their teachings and of putting them into practice."
'Seronegative' myasthenia gravis is no longer seronegative.

High-affinity IgG autoantibodies to muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) were discovered to cause myasthenia gravis (MG) and its animal model more than 30 years ago (Patrick and Lindstrom, 1973; Lindstrom et al ., 1976 a , b ; Vincent et al ., 2006), and the antigenic structure of muscle AChRs is still being actively investigated (Kalamida et al ., 2007; Lindstrom et al ., 2008). Immune precipitation of AChRs tagged in their acetylcholine-binding sites with 125I-labelled α−bungarotoxin provided a sensitive immunodiagnostic assay for MG (Lindstrom et al ., 1976 b ). However, up to 20% of those who appeared to have autoimmune MG, because they benefited from plasmapheresis or exhibited antibodies bound to their neuromuscular junctions, did not have autoantibodies detectable by the conventional assay (Vincent et al ., 2006). Angela Vincent and her co-workers discovered that about half of the putative seronegative MG patients actually had autoantibodies to muscle-specific …
Hyperglycemia impairs atherosclerosis regression in mice.

Diabetic patients are known to be more susceptible to atherosclerosis and its associated cardiovascular complications. However, the effects of hyperglycemia on atherosclerosis regression remain unclear. We hypothesized that hyperglycemia impairs atherosclerosis regression by modulating the biological function of lesional macrophages. HypoE ( Apoe h/h Mx1-Cre) mice express low levels of apolipoprotein E (apoE) and develop atherosclerosis when fed a high-fat diet. Atherosclerosis regression occurs in these mice upon plasma lipid lowering induced by a change in diet and the restoration of apoE expression. We examined the morphological characteristics of regressed lesions and assessed the biological function of lesional macrophages isolated with laser-capture microdissection in euglycemic and hyperglycemic HypoE mice. Hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin treatment impaired lesion size reduction (36% versus 14%) and lipid loss (38% versus 26%) after the reversal of hyperlipidemia. However, decreases in lesional macrophage content and remodeling in both groups of mice were similar. Gene expression analysis revealed that hyperglycemia impaired cholesterol transport by modulating ATP-binding cassette A1, ATP-binding cassette G1, scavenger receptor class B family member (CD36), scavenger receptor class B1, and wound healing pathways in lesional macrophages during atherosclerosis regression. Hyperglycemia impairs both reduction in size and loss of lipids from atherosclerotic lesions upon plasma lipid lowering without significantly affecting the remodeling of the vascular wall.
Delegating Differences: Bilateral Investment Treaties and Bargaining Over Dispute Resolution Provisions

Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) have become the dominant source of rules on foreign direct investment (FDI), yet these treaties vary significantly in at least one important respect: whether they allow investment disputes to be settled through the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Through the compilation and careful coding of the text of nearly 1,500 treaties, we identify systematic variation in “legal delegation” to ICSID across BITs and explain this important variation by drawing upon a bargaining framework. Home governments prefer and typically obtain ICSID clauses in their BITs, particularly when internal forces push strongly for such provisions and when they have significantly greater bargaining power than the other signatory. Yet some home governments are less likely to insist upon ICSID clauses if they have historical or military ties with the other government. On the other hand, although host governments are often hostile toward ICSID clauses, particularly when sovereignty costs are high, they are more likely to consent to such clauses when they are heavily constrained by their dependence on the global economy. Our findings have significant implications for those interested in FDI, legalization, international institutions, and interstate bargaining.
Liver arginase. III. Properties of highly purified arginase.

Abstract 1. 1. Arginase has been prepared from horse liver which exhibited one major component and a minor, slower-moving component upon electrophoresis at pH 7.35. Ultracentrifugal analysis also showed the presence of only two components, the lesser of which could be made to sediment as a pellet on the bottom of the cell. This material exhibited no enzyme activity. 2. 2. From the ultracentrifugal analysis, provisional values were deduced for certain molecular constants of horse liver arginase, namely, s = 5.95 × 10 −13 sec., molecular weight = 138,000, and f f 0 = 1.47 . 3. 3. The amino acid composition of the purified arginase was determined by column chromatography. The results are those of a typical protein. 4. 4. Study of the thermal stability of arginase in the presence of certain bivalent metal ions gave the following order for their stabilizing effect: Mn ++ > Ni ++ > Co ++ . 5. 5. Arginase was found to be strongly inhibited by Zn ++ , but unaffected by Cd ++ .
Impact of three interactive Texas state regulatory programs to decrease ambient air toxic levels.

The Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA) framework envisions a federal-state partnership whereby the development of regulations may be at the federal level or state level with federal oversight. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards to describe “safe” ambient levels of criteria pollutants. For air toxics, the EPA establishes control technology standards for the 187 listed hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) but does not establish ambient standards for HAPs or other air toxics. Thus, states must ensure that ambient concentrations are not at harmful levels. The Texas Clean Air Act authorizes the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Texas state environmental agency, to control air pollution and protect public health and welfare. The TCEQ employs three interactive programs to ensure that concentrations of air toxics do not exceed levels of potential health concern (LOCs): air permitting, ambient air monitoring, and the Air Pollutant Watch List (...
Mechanical and Thermomechanical Elastic-Plastic Contact Analysis of Layered Media With Patterned Surfaces

An elastic-plastic finite element analysis of a sphere in normal and sliding contact with a layered medium possessing a patterned surface with regularly spaced rectangular pads was conducted in order to investigate the effect of pattern geometry on the contact pressure distribution and subsurface stress-strain field. Three-dimensional sliding simulations were performed for lateral displacement of the indenting sphere approximately equal to two times the pad spatial periodicity. Three complete loading cycles, involving indentation, sliding, and unloading of a rigid sphere, were simulated to assess the effect of repeated sliding on the stresses in the first (hard) layer and plastic deformation in the underlying (soft) layer Thermomechanical sliding contact simulations of an elastic-plastic layered medium with a patterned surface and an elastic-plastic sphere with properties identical to those of the first layer were carried out to examine the effect of frictional heating on the deformation behavior of the medium. Results are presented for the temperature distribution and maximum temperature variation at the surface and the evolution of subsurface plasticity in terms of Peclet number The likelihood of thermal cracking in the wake of microcontacts during sliding is interpreted in the context of the thermal tensile stress due to the temperature gradients in the layered medium.
Regulatory T cells in human ovarian cancer.

Multiple layers of suppressive components including regulatory T (TReg) cells, suppressive antigen-presenting cells, and inhibitory cytokines form suppressive networks in the ovarian cancer microenvironment. It has been demonstrated that as a major suppressive element, TReg cells infiltrate tumor, interact with several types of immune cells, and mediate immune suppression through different molecular and cellular mechanisms. In this paper, we focus on human ovarian cancer and will discuss the nature of TReg cells including their subsets, trafficking, expansion, and function. We will briefly review the development of manipulation of TReg cells in preclinical and clinical settings.
On Kendall–Ressel and related distributions

Abstract We delineate a connection of Kendall–Ressel and related laws with the lower real branch of Lambert W function. A characterization of the canonical member of Kendall–Ressel class is found. The Letac–Mora interpretation of the reciprocity of two specific NEFs is extended by considering two related reproductive EDMs. A local limit theorem on gamma convergence for the reproductive back-shifted Kendall–Ressel EDM is derived. Each member of this EDM is self-decomposable and unimodal, but not strongly unimodal. The coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis of each representative of this EDM are higher than the corresponding measures for the members of gamma and inverse Gaussian EDMs. An integral representation for the lower real branch of Lambert W function is given.
Working-Class Racism: Broaden the Focus

It seems increasingly clear that the "new labor history" for much of its youth evaded questions of race. This is especially true of works on nineteenth-century class formation in the antebellum North. Many of these monographs ignored the presence of black workers, or made light of the issue of white racism, or failed to explore how the association of blacks with servitude shaped white working-class consciousness. This evasion resulted from the strenuous, all-consuming effort to escape the strait jacket of "American exceptionalism." To counter those who argued that American workers lacked European labor's class consciousness and revolutionary proclivities, the new labor historians assembled arguments to show just how western European American labor was. This was an important enter prise, and it recast our understanding of American labor and American capitalism. But it came at a certain price. As Nell Painter has noted, labor historians have sometimes written as though "European-American work ers lived out their destinies divorced from slavery and racism, as though, say, Chartism meant more in the history of the American working class than slavery."1 A similar r??valuation is underway regarding how labor historians have addressed questions of race in relation to the great organizing drives of the 1930s. Here, the emerging criticism is not so much that historians have ignored race but that they have exaggerated the commitment of CIO unions to racial egalitarianism. The work of Joe Trotter, Robin Kelley, Robert Norrell, Bruce Nelson, Nancy Quam-Wickham, and others has given us a grim portrait of union rank and files and leaderships infested with racial prejudice and thus unable to serve as effective vehicles for racial equality.2 This critique has been applied to industrial unions North and South and to those, like the United Mine Workers, long considered to be the most progressive in labor's ranks. The historians who are unearthing working-class racism and demonstrating the pervasiveness of its influence write with a degree of passion similar to that of the scholars who, fifteen year ago, discovered how the concept of republicanism could be deployed in the service of class consciousness. This sea change in the tone and substance of labor historiography makes Michael Goldfield's piece on race and the CIO especially timely. His purpose is neither to endorse the new line of interpretation nor to defend
Equilibrium Moisture Isotherms for Synthetic Food Waste And Biosolids Composts

Equilibrium moisture isotherms of compost mixtures and a bulking agent were determined to investigate the effect of substrate and extent of degradation on the equilibrium relationship between moisture content and relative humidity. Data were found for composts consisting of synthetic food waste and biosolids using a closed loop, dynamic system. Isotherms were generated by regression analyses of the data using the Chung temperature independent equation. Mixtures that had been composted 20 to 30 days had similar isotherms to those for the raw materials, suggesting degradation did not significantly alter the equilibrium relationships. Materials that contained a high fraction of bulking agent followed the isotherm for the bulking agent well. Mathematical analysis of the effect of temperature on the isotherms was performed using the Chung-Pfost equation. This analysis indicated that temperature played a large role in isotherm behavior at very low moisture contents, yet had a small effect at moisture contents g...