cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From Experiment to Theory: What Can We Learn from Growth Curves?

Finding an appropriate functional form to describe population growth based on key properties of a described system allows making justified predictions about future population development. This information can be of vital importance in all areas of research, ranging from cell growth to global demography. Here, we use this connection between theory and observation to pose the following question: what can we infer about intrinsic properties of a population (i.e., degree of heterogeneity, or dependence on external resources) based on which growth function best fits its growth dynamics? We investigate several nonstandard classes of multi-phase growth curves that capture different stages of population growth; these models include hyperbolic–exponential, exponential–linear, exponential–linear–saturation growth patterns. The constructed models account explicitly for the process of natural selection within inhomogeneous populations. Based on the underlying hypotheses for each of the models, we identify whether the population that it best fits by a particular curve is more likely to be homogeneous or heterogeneous, grow in a density-dependent or frequency-dependent manner, and whether it depends on external resources during any or all stages of its development. We apply these predictions to cancer cell growth and demographic data obtained from the literature. Our theory, if confirmed, can provide an additional biomarker and a predictive tool to complement experimental research.
Biosynthesis of D-Series Resolvins in Skin Provides Insights into their Role in Tissue Repair.

Cutaneous injury causes underlying tissue damage that must be quickly repaired to minimize exposure to pathogens and to restore barrier function. While the role of growth factors in tissue repair is established, the role of lipid mediators in skin repair has not been investigated extensively. Using a mass spectrometry-based lipid mediator metabolomics approach, we identified D-series resolvins and related pro-resolving lipid mediators during skin injury in mice and pigs. Differentiation of human epidermal keratinocytes increased expression of 15-lipoxygenase and stereospecific production of 17S-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid, the common upstream biosynthetic marker and precursor of D-series resolvins. In human and pig skin, specific receptors for D-series resolvins were expressed in the epidermal layer and mice deficient in RvD1 receptor Alx/Fpr2 showed an endogenous defect in re-epithelialization. Topical application of D-series resolvins expedited re-epithelialization during skin injury and they enhanced migration of human epidermal keratinocytes in a receptor-dependent manner. The enhancement of re-epithelialization by RvD2 was lost in mice genetically deficient in its receptor and migration of keratinocytes stimulated with RvD2 was associated with activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR-S6 pathway, blockade of which prevented its pro-migratory actions. Collectively, these results demonstrate that resolvins have direct roles in the tissue repair program.
Repeat pregnancy prevention self-efficacy in adolescents: associations with provider communication, provider type, and depression.

OBJECTIVES Among adolescent mothers, pregnancy prevention self-efficacy developed during pregnancy may predict the use of contraception following delivery. Communication between patients and their primary care providers (PCPs) is important for adherence to physician recommendations and may be associated with pregnancy prevention self-efficacy. Depression, which is common among adolescent mothers, has been associated with poor self-efficacy. The associations among pregnancy prevention self-efficacy, provider communication, provider type (PCP vs others), and depression are unclear. The objectives of the study were to determine the association of positive provider communication with pregnancy prevention self-efficacy, whether provider type or depression is associated with positive provider communication, and whether the association between provider communication and pregnancy prevention self-efficacy varies by provider type and depression. METHODS Cross-sectional study of 164 third trimester Baltimore adolescents measuring pregnancy prevention self-efficacy, perceptions of the quality of provider communication (Ambulatory Care Experiences Survey), provider type, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS Of 164 pregnant teens, 79% reported pregnancy prevention self-efficacy, 72% had a specific PCP, and 17% scored positive for depression. Positive provider communication was associated with pregnancy prevention self-efficacy (odds ratio 1.25; P = 0.04). Adolescents with PCPs had significantly higher communication scores (β 0.90; P = 0.001). Depressed adolescents had significantly lower communication scores (β -0.74; P = 0.03). The association between positive provider communication and self-efficacy was significant only for adolescents who reported having a PCP (P = 0.04) and those who were not depressed (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Having a PCP and favorable perceptions of provider communication are important for pregnancy prevention self-efficacy among adolescents. Depression negatively affects perceptions of provider communication, which may limit self-efficacy.
Protective immunity evoked by synthetic peptides of streptococcal M proteins.

Protective immunity against group A streptococci is directed against the M protein fibrils on the surface of virulent organisms (1,2). Since this protein is often tenaciously associated with antigens that evoke toxic reactions or immunological cross reactions with host tissues (3), efforts have been directed toward the isolation and purification of protective epitopes of the M protein molecule that are free of harmful products. Recent studies of the immunogenicity of polypeptide fragments of M protein extracted from type 24 group A streptococci by limited peptic digestion (4) have been promising. The purified extracts lacked toxicity or detectable heart cross-reactivity but retained protective immunogenicity as demonstrated by vaccination studies in laboratory animals (4,5) and by preliminary vaccine trials in human volunteers (6).
Die geburtshilfliche Periduralanästhesie

Wenn moglich vier bis sechs Wochen vor dem errechneten Geburtstermin. Die Information der Patientin uber die Technik, die Nebenwirkungen und haufigsten Komplikationen der geburtshilflichen Periduralanasthesie soll zu einem Zeitpunkt erfolgen, an dem bei unauffalliger Schwangerschaft ublicherweise die erste Kontaktaufnahme mit der geburtshilflichen Einheit stattfindet. Risikoschwangerschaften werden, der medizinischen Situation angepast, etwas fruher der entsprechenden Institution auf demselben Wege zugewiesen. Ein Sondertermin fur Risikofalle ware eine weitere Ausgrenzung und damit eine zusatzliche psychische Belastung fur diese Gruppe von Patientinnen. Die Aufklarung fur einen Routineeingriff im Kreiszimmer wahrend der Geburt (z. B. eine PDA zum Zwecke der Schmerzlinderung unter der Geburt auf Wunsch der Patientin) ist gemas einem BGH-Urteil (am 16. Juni 1994 in der Suddeutschen Zeitung veroffentlicht) ungultig. Die Patientin konne sich bei der Aufklarung zu diesem Zeitpunkt „nicht mehr aus dem bereits in Gang gekommenen Geschehensablauf losen“ (Aktenzeichen VI ZT 178/93 Karlsruhe VI. Zivilsenat).
What's the Frequency, Kenneth? Channeling Doctrines in Trademark Law

This paper was published as a chapter in Intellectual Property and Information Wealth (Peter Yu, ed., Praeger 2007). The chapter describes several doctrines that courts have developed to limit the scope of trademark protection where there is a risk of interference with the patent or copyright schemes. It also suggests that courts have in some cases overemphasized the subject matter of protection and underemphasized parties' ability to use trademark law to capture the types of economic benefits for which patent and copyright protection are presumed necessary.
Coke tumbler strength prediction from measurements of the plastic layer

Abstract Since the 1960s, petrography has been the principal tool for the prediction of coke tumbler strength from coal, notwithstanding that some 25 years earlier manual measurements of the plastic layer were being used to classify the qualities of Russian coking coals. The measured values of the maximum thickness of the plastic layer (Y), the final contraction of the volume curve (X), and their relationship, the Sapozhnikov Quotient (Y/X), have been used here with vitrinite reflectance in a new method to predict tumbler strength of coke.
Chapter 35 – CSMD1

This chapter provides an overview of the state of knowledge of complement component CSMD1. Details about its physicochemical properties, structure, functional role as a complement classic pathway inhibitor and sites of expression are discussed. In addition, the genomic organisation and polymorphisms are described. In humans there are four isoforms of CSMD1, derived from alternative splicing and premature truncation. CSMD1 was originally described as a possible tumour suppressor due to its association with several types of cancer and gene deletions on the short arm of chromosome 8. Now in addition to its role as a complement inhibitor, CSMD1 has been implicated in contributing to multiple neuropsychiatric conditions.
Neuromuscular ultrasound: You can't beat the value.

In the United States, the increasing cost of health care continues to be a serious medical, personal, and financial crisis for patients, doctors, and hospitals, as well as for businesses, insurers, and the government.1 On the therapeutic side, it is becoming commonplace for some new pharmaceuticals to cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. On the diagnostic side, advanced imaging, especially MRI, is increasingly used. Although highly efficacious, its use is also driving up health care costs. These high costs have resulted in an increasing bureaucracy of insurance regulations, denials, appeals, and peer reviews. The increasing cost of health care has put the focus on value. Because value is defined as quality divided by cost, a test such as MRI, which has a high quality but also a high cost, has its value limited to certain situations. What one ideally wants in a diagnostic test is high quality and low cost. Neuromuscular ultrasound (NMUS) is such a diagnostic test whose time has come. In this issue of Neurology ®, Mandeville et al.2 report the robust cost-effectiveness of NMUS used in addition to electrodiagnostic testing in focal neuropathies.
Ion-dependent mobility effects of the Fusobacterium nucleatum glycine riboswitch aptamer II via site-directed spin-labeling (SDSL) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).

Abstract Site-directed spin-labeling (SDSL) with continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (cw-EPR) spectroscopy was utilized to probe site-specific changes in backbone dynamics that accompany folding of the isolated 84 nucleotide aptamer II domain of the Fusobacterium nucleatum (FN) glycine riboswitch. Spin-labels were incorporated using splinted ligation strategies. Results show differential dynamics for spin-labels incorporated into the backbone at a base-paired and loop region. Additionally, the addition of a biologically relevant concentration of 5 mM Mg2+, to an RNA solution with 100 mM K+, folds and compacts the structure, inferred by a reduction in spin-label mobility. Furthermore, when controlling for ionic strength, Mg2+ added to the RNA induces more folding/less flexibility at the two sites than RNA with K+ alone. Addition of glycine does not alter the dynamics of this singlet aptamer II, indicating that the full length riboswitch construct may be needed for glycine binding and induced conformational changes. This work adds to our growing understanding of how splinted-ligation SDSL can be utilized to interrogate differential dynamics in large dynamic RNAs, providing insights into how RNA folding and structure is differentially stabilized by monovalent versus divalent cations.
A Passive Microwave Retrieval Algorithm with Minimal View-Angle Bias: Application to the TEMPEST-D CubeSat Mission

AbstractThe rapid development of miniaturized satellite instrument technology has created a new opportunity to deploy constellations of passive microwave (PMW) radiometers to permit retrievals of t...
Indian Buddhist Theories of Persons: Vasubandhu's Refutation of the Theory of a Self

Part 1: Introduction to the Translation 1. Vasubandhu's 'Refutation' and the Central Philosophical Questions About Which Indian Buddhist Theories of Persons are Concerned 2. The Sanskrit Text and Its Translation 3. The Theories of Persons of the Pudgalavadines and Tirthikas 4. Indian Buddhist Philosophical Schools and the Two Realities 5. The Selflessness of Persons Thesis and Indian Buddhist Theories of Persons 6. The Conception of a Person and Its Causal Basis 7. The Five Aggregates 8. The Middle Way between Extreme Views 9. The Problematic Character of Vasubandhu's Exchange with the Pudgalavadines 10. Problems and Implications of the Pudgalavadines' Theory of Persons 11. The Objections to Vasubandhu's Theory of Persons 12. An Initial Reflection on the Theories of Persons Discussed in this Study of Vasubandu's Refutation 13. Endnotes to the Introduction Part 2: Translation of Vasubandhu's Refutation of the Theory of a Self 14. Section 1: Vasubandhu's Theory of Persons 15. Section 2: Vasubandhu's Objections to the Pudgalavadines' Theory of Persons 16. Section 3: Vasubandhu's Replies to the Objections of the Pudgalavadines 17. Section 4: Vasubandhu's Replies to the Objections of the Tirthikas 18. Concluding Verses 19. Endnotes to the Translation Part 3: Commentaries 20. Commentary on Section 1: Vasubandhu's Theory of Persons 21. Commentary on Section 2: Vasubandhu's Objections to the Pudgalavadines Theory of Persons 22. Commentary on Section 3: Vasubandhu's Replies to the Objections of the Pudgalavadines 23. Commentary on Section 4: Vasubandhu's Replies to the Objections of the Tirthikasand Tirthikas
Trump, Twitter, and the American Democracy

In 2019, Freedom House, a bipartisan organization that promotes freedom and democracy around the world, issued a dire warning on the future of the American democracy: “the pressure on our system is as serious as any experienced in living memory. We cannot take for granted that institutional bulwarks against abuse of power will retain their strength, or that our democracy will endure perpetually” (Freedom House 2019). One part of such concerns is the degree to which President Trump used Twitter to change fundamentally the nature of presidential communications. In this book, we add to this debate by examining Trump’s Twitter activity from May 2009 through November 2019. In this chapter, we summarize our project and results. We conclude with a discussion on the impact of Donald Trump and the use of Twitter on the presidency and American politics more broadly.
Non-Fading Plasmonic Color Printing on Semicontinuous Metal Films with Protective Atomic Layer Deposition

A non-fading and environment-friendly technique of generation of bright vivid colors is achieved through femtosecond laser modification of semicontinuous Ag films, which thermally induces changes in the nanostructures resulting in the variation of optical spectra.
Cilostazol Versus Aspirin for Secondary Stroke Prevention: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract Objectives Cilostazol has promise as an alternative to aspirin for secondary stroke prevention given its vasodilatory and anti-inflammatory properties in addition to platelet aggregation inhibition. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the efficacy and safety of cilostazol compared to aspirin for stroke prevention in patients with previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Materials and methods We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1996 to 2019. Randomized clinical trials that compared cilostazol to aspirin and reported the endpoints of ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage and any bleeding were included. A random-effects estimate was computed based on the Mantel-Haenszel method. The pooled risk estimates with 95% confidence intervals were compared between cilostazol and aspirin. Results The search identified 5 randomized clinical trials comparing cilostazol vs. aspirin for secondary stroke prevention that collectively enrolled 7240 patients, all from Asian countries (3615 received cilostazol and 3625 received aspirin). Pooled results from the random-effects model showed that cilostazol was associated with significantly lower risk of recurrent ischemic stroke (RR 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.87), intracranial hemorrhage (RR 0.42; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.65) and any bleeding (RR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.91). Conclusions This meta-analysis suggests that cilostazol is more effective than aspirin in preventing recurrent ischemic stroke with lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage and other bleeding. Since all trials to date are from Asian countries, confirmatory trials of cilostazol for secondary stroke prevention in other populations are needed.
Gender-affirming hormone therapy in cystic fibrosis – A case of new Pseudomonas infection

Abstract Background Little is known about the impact of hormone therapy on transgender youth with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). This case report describes an 18-year-old affirmed female with CF who was treated with hormone therapy associated in timing with new growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in her sputum culture. Discussion We highlight important considerations, including the impact of gender-affirming hormone therapy on overall CF disease course. Evidence supports that females with CF have worse outcomes than males, which are partly attributed to estrogen effects. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most prevalent pathogens in people with CF. Here, we highlight a transfemale who grows Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the first time since her youth, nearly 1 year after starting estrogen therapy. This is consistent with previous literature of an association between high estrogen levels and Pseudomonas aeruginosa prevalence, but has never been evaluated in a transgender population. Conclusion Through this case, we demonstrate the need for additional research to understand the relationship between gender-affirmative hormone transition and CF care and management.
Crowding-out or crowding-in? Effects of LEAP 1000 unconditional cash transfer program on household and community support among women in rural Ghana

Abstract Social protection programs are not introduced in a vacuum and it is important to understand what effects such programs have on existing informal support networks of family, friends and community members. A social cash transfer may reduce receipt of informal financial support, which can water down part of the program’s impact. However, cash transfers can also reduce barriers to social participation and enable participants to engage in reciprocal support systems. We use data from the quasi-experimental mixed method impact evaluation of Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) 1000 program, a social cash transfer program for pregnant women and mothers of children under one year living in poverty, to estimate program effects on social support and participation. Using a difference-in-differences approach we find that LEAP 1000 increases overall social support, as well as both emotional and instrumental support. In addition, program beneficiaries are more likely to participate in community groups. In in-depth interviews, participants confirmed increased support with descriptions of improved access to financial markets, such as borrowing money or contributing to local savings schemes, and strengthening of social participation in local groups and gatherings. Beneficiary women also highlighted reduced need for economic support and new opportunities to support others. By creating opportunities for additional social support within the household and community, LEAP 1000 crowded-in support, rather than reducing existing sources of support or crowding-out support.
Historical Contingency in Microbial Resilience to Hydrologic Perturbations

Development of reliable biogeochemical models requires a mechanistic consideration of microbial interactions with hydrology. Microbial response to and its recovery after hydrologic perturbations (i.e., resilience) is a critical component to understand in this regard, but generally difficult to predict because the impacts of future events can be dependent on the history of perturbations (i.e., historical contingency). Fundamental issues underlying this phenomenon include how microbial resilience to hydrologic perturbations is influenced by historical contingency and how their relationships vary depending on the characteristics of microbial functions. To answer these questions, we considered a simple microbial community composed of two species that redundantly consume a common substrate but specialize in producing distinct products and developed a continuous flow reactor model where the two species grow with trade-offs along the flow rate. Simulations of this model revealed that (1) the history of hydrologic perturbations can lead to the shifts in microbial populations, which consequently affect the community’s functional dynamics, and (2) while historical contingency in resilience was consistently predicted for all microbial functions, it was more pronounced for specialized functions, compared to the redundant function. As a signature of historical contingency, our model also predicted the emergence of hysteresis in the transitions across conditions, a critical aspect that can affect transient formation of intermediate compounds in biogeochemistry. This work presents microbial growth traits and their functional redundancy or specialization as fundamental factors that control historical contingencies in resilience.
Temporal Heterogeneity and the Ecology of Lotic Ciliates

Ciliated protozoa are among the smallest consumers in aquatic ecosystems. Although they are most often studied as predators of bacteria, other foods such as algae, dissolved organic material, other protozoa, and even small invertebrates or the tissue of large animals sustain various free-living species. Almost all of these foods consumed by ciliates are also consumed by larger organisms. In streams, protozoa no doubt compete with, and are eaten by, an array of filter feeding and deposit feeding collectors (Cummins and Klug, 1979; Wallace and Merritt, 1980). To understand the ciliates in the context of the total stream fauna, one must focus upon the two obvious and important attributes in which they differ from other consumers; size and rate of multiplication. One type of habitat where small, rapidly growing organisms may be favored is where there is intense temporal heterogeneity.
A note on a lemma of Shimura

The subject of this paper is a quaternion algebra over a quadratic extension of a totally real algebraic number field. We generalize an important technical lemma of Shimura, on which a certain period of automorphic forms depends.
Next-Generation Bioacoustic Analysis Software

Abstract : In the past two decades, awareness has grown that acoustic methods are often the best means for studying and monitoring marine mammals. Acoustic methods, for instance, have long been used for detection and study of sperm whales, in part because of the difficulty of visual detection: Visual surveys have been estimated to miss 38% of sperm whales that are on a ship's trackline (Barlow and Rankin 2004), and more at greater distances from the trackline. Other species are similar or worse; for instance, it is estimated that approximately 85% of Cuvier's beaked whales on the trackline are missed with visual scanning (J. Barlow, pers. comm). Acoustic methods, in contrast to visual ones, function well in darkness, fog, high sea states, and other inclement viewing conditions. Via the use of autonomous recorders, acoustic methods can also be used in remote or inhospitable areas ( irovi et al. 2004, Mellinger et al. 2008) where visual monitoring would be impracticable or impossible. Software tools are needed for analyzing such data sets, even for such simple tasks as manually scanning spectrograms to find calls of interest. Acoustic localization of calling animals is often performed; whether estimates are in one dimension (bearing), two (X-Y position), or three (X-Y-Z position), analysis software is necessary. Marine mammal acoustic data is often collected in very large data sets, necessitating automated methods for data analysis. For instance, AURAL autonomous recorders (Multi- lectronique, Inc.) operate at a sample rate of 32 kHz, so that a one-year data set is 2 terabytes (TB) in size. Another type of autonomous recorder, the HARP (Wiggins 2003; J. Hildebrand, pers. comm.), operates at even higher sample rates up to 200 kHz making a one-year data set 12.6 TB in size. Automation tools are clearly needed for data sets of this scale.
Energetics of the Middle Atmosphere

Publisher Summary The “middle” atmosphere is the region which is too high to be dominated by tropospheric circulation systems, and too low to be dominated by molecular diffusion processes. It comprises the mesosphere, most of the stratosphere, and the lower portion of the thermosphere, and normally extends from about 25 to somewhat above 100 km. The thermal structure of this region is determined by heat sources and sinks, and by circulation systems which produce temperature changes by adiabatic compression or expansion, or by advection of the temperature field. This chapter is concerned with actual heat sources and sinks in the region as distinguished from those factors which produce temperature changes adiabatically. This chapter starts with a discussion of the ozone distribution. Next, this chapter discusses the water vapor distribution. The water vapor content of the middle atmosphere may be important for two reasons. In the first place, it interacts photochemically with the oxygen compounds, and its dissociation products exert a control on the ozone concentration in the mesosphere. In the second place, water vapor has a direct influence on radiative heating rates, since it emits and absorbs in the infrared. Since one of the dominant terms in the heat budget of the middle atmosphere is energy exchange by infrared radiative transfer, considerable attention has been devoted to the computational aspects of this complex problem in this chapter. This chapter ends with a discussion on heat sources and sinks above 80 km.
MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells Form Differentiated Microtissues in Scaffold-Free Hydrogels

Three-dimensional (3D) cultures are increasing in use because of their ability to represent in vivo human physiology when compared to monolayer two-dimensional (2D) cultures. When grown in 3D using scaffold-free agarose hydrogels, MCF-7 human breast cancer cells self-organize to form directionally-oriented microtissues that contain a luminal space, reminiscent of the in vivo structure of the mammary gland. When compared to MCF-7 cells cultured in 2D monolayer culture, MCF-7 microtissues exhibit increased mRNA expression of luminal epithelial markers keratin 8 and keratin 19 and decreased expression of basal marker keratin 14 and the mesenchymal marker vimentin. These 3D MCF-7 microtissues remain responsive to estrogens, as demonstrated by induction of known estrogen target mRNAs following exposure to 17β-estradiol. Culture of MCF-7 cells in scaffold-free conditions allows for the formation of more differentiated, estrogen-responsive structures that are a more relevant system for evaluation of estrogenic compounds than traditional 2D models.
Small intestinal submucosa-derived extracellular matrix bioscaffold significantly enhances angiogenic factor secretion from human mesenchymal stromal cells

The in vivo therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is currently believed to be tightly linked to their paracrine secretion ability. However, insufficient or imprecise cell delivery, low cell survival and retention post-transplant, along with harsh donor site microenvironments, are major barriers to the clinical success of MSC therapies. Here we tested a small intestinal submucosa (SIS)-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) bioscaffold augmented with MSCs, with the hypothesis that they will facilitate the precise delivery of increased numbers of MSCs therefore improving cell viability and retention. In this study, we evaluated the secretion of angiogenic factors from three human MSC lines cultured on SIS ECM. We used human antibody array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the level of angiogenic factors released from MSCs when cultured on SIS ECM or regular tissue culture plastic. We tested MSCs cultured for three different time points. We found that the SIS ECM culture environment can significantly enhance the release of several angiogenic factors when compared to MSCs cultured on standard tissue culture plastic. Specifically, vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-8 secretion was significantly increased at 24, 48 and 72 hours postseeding onto SIS ECM whereas vascular endothelial growth factor release for cells cultured on plastic surface remained the same during these time points. We also observed significant donor to donor variation in cytokine production. This study demonstrates that MSCs transplanted onto a SIS ECM may greatly increase their therapeutic potential through an increase in pro-angiogenic cytokine release.
Spatial Dimensions of Urban Commuting: A Review of Major Issues and Their Implications for Future Geographic Research∗

Modern urban transportation systems continuously challenge, and are challenged by, the changing nature of 21st-century travel demand. Today, congestion is the norm in cities of the United States, and researchers and practitioners are seeking solutions to these problems. Urban commuting is identified as contributing to the suboptimal performance of transportation systems. This paper offers a review and critique of recent research on urban commuting, emphasizing geographical dimensions of this topic. Three broad areas of research related to urban commuting are discussed. These include (1) urban sustainability, (2) land use, and (3) geographic information systems (GIS). Major themes are examined in an effort to elicit thought on future geographic research. At the conclusion of the paper, summary remarks are provided and avenues for research are outlined.
Distribution of compound-nucleus shapes and its influence on evaporation

The tail of the equilibrium distribution of compound-nucleus shapes is shown to extend out to very deformed shapes even for a moderate excitation energy of 100 MeV. The standard Hauser-Feshbach formalism is extended to predict the decay of a deformed compound nucleus as a function of spin, spin projection, and excitation energy. The inclusion of the equilibrium distributions of shapes is found to have little effect on the predicted neutron and proton kinetic energy spectra, but for $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles, the low-energy ``sub-barrier'' region of the spectrum is enhanced, in agreement with experimental data. Langevin simulations, using dissipation given by the wall formula, predict that compound nuclei start evaporating before the shape distribution equilibrates for excitation energies above $\ensuremath{\sim}100\mathrm{MeV}.$
Physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of Japanese‐type plums grown in Georgia and Alabama

The physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of 15 plum cultivars and selections grown at Byron, GA and Clanton, AL in 1989 and 1990 were investigated. Selection BY68- 1262 produced significantly larger fruit than the other plum cultivars and selections evaluated followed by ' AU-Rubrum ' and 'Rubysweet'. 'Methley' fruit was the smallest. Hue angle (8) values ranged from 105" for 'Byrongold', a yellow-skin cultivar, to 6" for BY68-1262, a deep-purple skin selection. Average firmness of the maturity 2 plums was 25 N. Mean chemical compositions for all cultivars were as follows: soluble solids-127g kg-' ; acidity-1744 g kg-'; soluble solids to acidity ratio-7.4, and total sugar content-96 g kg-I. Hedonic scores and 'just right' percentages showed that panelists preferred ' Rubysweet' and 'Segundo' plums harvested in 1989 and BY74074, ' AU-Amber' and BY68-98 plums harvested in 1990. ' AU-Producer' had the lowest hedonic score. 'Robusto' and 'AU-Rosa' had the highest mean peel bitterness rating.
Assessment of Deer Harvest Reporting Systems in the Eastern United States

State wildlife managers use information from hunters to produce estimates of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations (Brown & Decker, 2000). Estimation methods include direct (e.g., ...
Improved survival of mesenchymal stromal cell after hypoxia preconditioning: role of oxidative stress.

Aims To investigate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of hypoxia preconditioning (HPC) on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and optimize novel non-invasive methods to assess the effect of biological interventions aimed to increased cell survival.
Fully plastic crack problems: The center-cracked strip under plane strain

Abstract Crack problems are formulated for solids characterized by a pure power hardening relation between the stresses and the strains. For such problems there are simple functional relationships between the amplitude of the dominant crack-tip singularity, as measured by the path-independent J-integral, and the applied load, the load point displacement, and the crack opening displacement. The solutions are valid for both incremental and deformation theories of plasticity; they also apply to problems involving steady-state creep. Numerical results are presented for the center-cracked strip of finite width under plane strain conditions. A preliminary discussion is given of the applicability of the solutions to large scale yielding fracture mechanics.
Bioethical consensus and the force of good ideas.

Public bioethics has many disagreements, some vociferous. When we step back and reflect,on these debates, we often say that the two sides are "talking past each other." This suggests that they share common ground on which they could forge consensus, or at least that recognition of their shared intellectual or moral heritage could help them be more civil to each other. It is useful, then, to analyze the two sides to try to uncover this common ground and show that, at some level, the combatants are on the same team. Erik Parens' essay has this purpose. He examines the debate over enhancements--over using medical science to make people taller, happier, more immune to disease, and so on. Certainly this debate has become vociferous and polarized. Parens uses the time-honored method I call a "counter-slicing" argument, in which one looks at a polarized debate as two pillars and then cuts through these pillars on the horizontal plane to show the old debate in new relief. I find that these "counter-slicing" arguments are powerful tools, although something more is needed to actually build consensus. First let me say something about the tool that Parens offers us. He contends that if we take a slice across the pro and con positions on enhancement--the two pillars--we see a common foundation: namely, they both share the "moral ideal of authenticity," according to which there is an "authentic self" that needs to be protected. To take one example, proponents of enhancement argue that Prozac allows patients to fulfill their authentic selves. Opponents would say that it destroys authenticity by numbing one to authentic experience of the world. But both pillars share the ideal of authenticity. Parens then says that these different perspectives on the underlying shared norm of authenticity are the result of different moral frameworks. He proposes that the proponents have a deep orientation toward "creativity" and the opponents a deep orientation toward "gratitude." His analysis is helpful, but for present purposes, what is important is that, in Parens' view, neither opponents nor proponents adhere solely to only one orientation. Both sides of the debate are drawn to some degree to both of these orientations, but each emphasizes only one for the sake of argument. To continue my metaphor--at the risk of mangling it beyond all usefulness--the pillars are actually closer together than we thought, or perhaps we could say that they become one near the bottom. …
“What is the use of a book… without pictures?”: Images and Words in Lewis Carroll's ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

In 1972, John Davis commented, “Well over a hundred artists have illustrated Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There since they wer...
Interspecies differences in rhodanese (thiosulfate sulfurtransferase, EC 2.8.1.1) activity in liver, kidney and plasma

Abstract 1. 1. Rhodanese levels have been measured in liver, kidney and plasma from a number of species. 2. 2. Liver activity was low in marmosets, pigeons and beagle bitches. 3. 3. Levels were high in rats and somewhat lower in hamsters and guinea pigs while levels in two strains of rabbits were intermediate between guinea pigs and marmosets. 4. 4. The relationship between hepatic and plasma rhodanese and cyanide sensitivity is discussed.
Fabric filtration with integral particle charging and collection in a combined electric and flow field

Abstract The application of electrostatics to fabric filtration improves performance by decreasing the pressure drop across the collected dust layer. Electrostatics is applied by precharging the particles, or collecting the particles in an electric field, or a combination of both. A system of integral particle charging and collection in a combined electric and flow field has been developed which provides pressure drop reductions that are larger than previously reported in electrifield fabric filtration. A mathematical model has been developed that predicts the non-uniform deposition that results and the relative pressure drop as compared to conventional (non-electrified) filtration. This work is reported in two parts. This part presents the background in the application of electrostatics to fabric filtration. The technique for integral particle charging and collection in a combined electrical field is discussed. An experimental program is described that would provide the data needed to prepare a mathematical engineering design model. Measurements of areal density, drag, thickness, and dust cake bulk density were made upon particle layers deposited on fabric filters with integral particle charging and collection with a combined electric and flow field. The application of charging resulted in a non-uniform deposition, with areal density, thickness, and drag decreasing from the inlet to the top of the bag. No consistent relationship was found between drag and dust cake bulk density. Local charges in the electrical conditions, such as non-uniform corona, caused discontinuities in the dust layer.
Pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis in trauma: are they related?

Hypothesis Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in trauma are related. Design Retrospective review of medical records. Setting Academic level I trauma center. Patients Trauma patients who underwent computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) with computed tomographic venography (CTV) of the pelvic and proximal lower extremity veins over a 3-year period (January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2006) were reviewed. Data on demographics, injury type and severity, imaging findings, hospital length of stay, and mortality were collected. Main Outcome Measures Pulmonary embolism and DVT. Results Among 247 trauma patients undergoing CTPA/CTV, PE was diagnosed in 46 (19%) and DVT in 18 (7%). Eighteen PEs were central (main or lobar pulmonary arteries), and 28 PEs were peripheral (segmental or subsegmental branches). Pulmonary embolism occurred within the first week of injury in two-thirds of patients. Seven patients with PE (4 femoral, 2 popliteal, and 1 iliac) had DVT. Pulmonary embolism was central in 5 patients and peripheral in 2 patients. No significant differences were noted in any of the examined variables between patients with PE having DVT and those not having DVT. Conclusions Few patients with PE have DVT of the pelvic or proximal lower extremity veins. Pulmonary embolism may not originate from these veins, as commonly believed, but instead may occur de novo in the lungs. These findings have implications for thromboprophylaxis and, particularly, the value of vena cava filters.
RACOONs amass wind data

Balloons, not furry little animals, are being developed to provide new, inexpensive methods for gathering weather data in the tropics. RACOON—short for radiation-controlled balloon—is a zero-pressure balloon which will be used to provide stratospheric wind data for equatorial regions, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. These data are unavailable from satellites. Currently, the global rocket network gathers tropical wind measurements for weather forecasting; however, the network is being phased out.
A collegiate group for the sons and daughters of alcoholics.

Abstract Among those who counsel individuals adversely affected by alcohol, increasing attention is being paid to the offspring of alcoholics, a group which is at high risk for alcohol problems and yet for whom treatment is not unusually difficult. At Brown University a group of such offspring, who were identified by a variety of individuals on campus, met for a series of five formal sessions, with follow-up, to discuss their similar backgrounds and to identify coping mechanisms, which they had adopted in their families. These mechanisms often brought great success and yet were just as often limiting of personal growth, self-esteem, and happiness.
337 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABR AND CARDIOPULMONARY FUNCTION IN PRETERM LAMBS

The auditory brain-stem response (ABR) and cardiopulmonary function (as determined by the mean blood pressure [MBP], heart rate, arterial blood gases [ABG], and pH were evaluated in 9 preterm lambs ranging in age from 106-125 days gestation (70-85% term). Following epidural anesthesia of the ewe, the uterus was opened, the fetal head exposed, and a saline-filled rubber glove placed over the snout to prevent inspiration of air. Two platinum-alloy needle electrodes were inserted subdermally just posterior and inferior to the pinnae, another at vertex, and one in the snout area for ground. Click stimuli were generated and delivered by a bone conduction vibrator driven by 100 usec pulses of alternating polarity. Even the youngest group of animals revealed clearly defined 8th nerve and brain-stem response components. The latencies of waves 3,4, and 5 and the interpeak latency 1-5 decreased significantly as a function of age. Results of physiologic measures and the ABR data across subjects revealed a significant negative correlation between MBP and the latencies of waves 4 and 5 and the 1-5 interpeak latency and were suggestive of a possible inverse relationship between the wave 1 latency and pH. These findings demonstrate the presence of the ABR as early as 70% gestation as well as the sensitivity of the ABR to MBP and acid-base balance at this stage of development. (Supported by NIH Grant HL/HD 30525).
Fairness as partiality aversion: The development of procedural justice

Adults and children dislike inequity—people being paid unequally for equal work. However, adults will allow inequity if the inequity is determined using an impartial procedure, indicating that they value procedural justice. It is unknown whether children value procedural justice when distributing resources. We investigated whether 5- to 8-year-old children would willingly create inequity between two recipients if they could do so using an impartial procedure. In Experiment 1, children preferred to use an impartial procedure (spinning a wheel that gave both recipients an equal chance to get a resource) over a partial procedure (spinning a wheel that gave one recipient a much better chance to get the resource). In Experiments 2 and 3, children preferred to use the same impartial procedure to assign a resource to one of two recipients, even over an option of keeping things equal by throwing the resource in the trash. Importantly, children preferred to throw the resource in the trash to uphold equality when the only other option was a partial procedure. Older children showed a stronger aversion to using partial procedures than younger children. These results suggest that children value procedural justice increasingly during middle childhood and that their fairness concerns may be more about avoiding partiality than inequity per se.
Neonatal acute renal failure secondary to maternal exposure to telmisartan, angiotensin II receptor antagonist

Fetal and neonatal toxic effects of angiotensin II receptor antagonists have been described in animals and humans. Five cases of fetal or neonatal deaths have been reported following maternal use of sartans for hypertension. We report a case of neonatal transient renal failure following telmisartan therapy during pregnancy. This class of antihypertensive drugs should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Intelligent control of a two-link flexible-joint robot, using backstepping, neural networks, and direct method

We present a state-feedback control of a two-link flexible-joint robot. First, we obtain desired control laws from Lyapunov's second method. Then, we use three-layer neural networks to learn unknown parts of the desired control laws. In this way, the control algorithm does not require the mathematical model representing the robot. We use smooth variable structure controller to handle the uncertainties from neural network approximation and external disturbances. To show the effectiveness and practicality of this control algorithm, we performed an experiment on one of the robots in our laboratory.