cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endocrine-sensitive physical endpoints in newborns: ranges and predictors.

BACKGROUND In neonates, endocrine-sensitive physical endpoints, including breast and reproductive tissues, may reflect effects of fetal environmental exposure. Studies using standardized measurement techniques that describe demographic and clinical variability in these endpoints are lacking. METHODS Three hundred and eighty-eight healthy term newborns <3 days old were evaluated, 69% African American and 25% White. Measures included breast bud diameter, anogenital distance (AGD), stretched penile length (SPL), and testicular volume (TV). RESULTS Breast buds were larger in females than males bilaterally (right: 13.0 ± 4.0 vs. 12.0 ± 4.0 mm, p = 0.008; left: 13.0 ± 4.0 vs. 11.0 ± 3.0 mm, p < 0.001). Breast bud size correlated positively with gestational age (regression coefficient = 0.46 ± 0.12 mm, p < 0.001) and weight Z-score (0.59 ± 0.24 mm, p = 0.02), and negatively with White race (-1.00 ± 0.30 mm, p = 0.001). AGD was longer in males (scrotum-to-anus) than females (fourchette-to-anus) (21.0 ± 4.0 vs. 13.0 ± 2.0 mm, p < 0.001) and did not differ by race. SPL was shorter in White infants (35.0 ± 5.0 vs. 36.0 ± 5.0 mm, p = 0.04). Median TV was 0.5 cm3, and larger in White males (odds ratio 1.71, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.88) CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a range of physical measurements of endocrine-sensitive tissues in healthy infants from the United States, and the associations with demographic and clinical characteristics. IMPACT This study reports physical measurements for endocrine-sensitive endpoints in healthy US newborns, including breast buds, AGD, SPL, and TV. Associations of measurements to demographic and clinical factors (including race, gestational age, and newborn length and weight) are presented. Contemporary ranges and identification of predictive factors will support further study on effects of pre- and postnatal exposures to endocrine-sensitive tissues in the infant.
Quantitative three-dimensional visualization of the human uterus collagen fiber architecture using SD-OCT imaging

Human uterus specimens from five patients were imaged using SD-OCT and analyzed using our 3-D collagen fiber modeling algorithm. This method provides the first 3-D framework for quantitative comparison of uterine specimens with different parity.
A Parallel-in-Time Circuit Simulator for Power Delivery Networks with Nonlinear Load Models

We apply the parallel-in-time method to the transient simulation of power delivery networks with nonlinear load models. With adaptive Newton-Raphson iterations, the parallel-in-time method achieves considerable speedup compared to the general sequential solver.
The effect of interpersonal communication in tobacco control campaigns: A longitudinal mediation analysis of a Ghanaian adolescent population.

Abstract This study examined the effectiveness of anti-smoking messages in positively shifting perceptions of risks related to smoking among adolescents in urban Ghana, both directly through exposure to messaging and indirectly through catalyzing discussions among peers and adults. We used data from two waves of a population-based survey of 3775 adolescent girls and 3279 adolescent boys aged 13–16 years in the urban areas of Accra, Teshie, Kumasi and Sunyani in Ghana. Using an interviewer-directed questionnaire, information was collected on sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco knowledge, exposure to messages about tobacco, frequency of conversations with peers and adults about the health risks associated with smoking, as well as beliefs and attitudes towards smoking. The outcome measure is smoking risk perception in relation to shisha and cigarettes. Using causal mediation analysis, we examine the direct and indirect effects of social media relative to mass media as they work to spur discussions among peers, as well as between peers and adults, about smoking risks and about aligning risk perceptions with objective risk. We find that media exposure – both social and mass media – can impact risk perceptions. We find in particular an 8.6 percentage point increase in shisha smoking risk perceptions due to social media campaign exposure (95% CI: 3.71–13.50) and a 2.3 percentage point increase in cigarette smoking risk perception due to mass media campaign exposure (95% CI: 0.26–4.27). We further find that the indirect effect of conversations with peers mediated 16.3% of the total effect of mass media campaign exposure on cigarette smoking risk perception and 4.8% of the total effect of social media campaigns on shisha smoking risk perception. Social media campaigns increased shisha smoking risk perception among girls by 11.6 percentage points (95% CI: 5.59–17.61), of which 6.8% was mediated by conversations with peers, while conversations with peers did not significantly mediate campaign effect among boys. Conversations with adults were never found to significantly mediate smoking prevention campaigns effects in this sample of Ghanaian adolescents. Behavior change communication programs that rely solely on traditional mass media can miss important opportunities for shifting smoking risk perceptions and sharing information on the harms of smoking. Evaluations that ignore the indirect effects of conversations among peers mediating campaign effects may fail to identify important channels that can be targeted and triggered by mass and social media tobacco control campaigns.
The Chinese concept of tolerance and the epochal spirit

This essay explores the traditional Chinese philosophical insights into tolerance and demonstrates how those Chinese insights are consistent with and can be illuminating to our epochal spirit. It s...
Stigler's Theory of Economic Regulation After Fifty Years

George Stigler’s “The Theory of Economic Regulation” (1971) is a landmark in the economics of regulation. It used simple public choice reasoning to set out the “capture theory” of regulation whereby “… as a rule, regulation is acquired by the industry and is designed and operated primarily for its benefit.” This article, written for a commemoration of the 1971 article in Public Choice, summarizes the context within which the article appeared and evaluate its long run impact. A central argument is the need to distinguish “acquired” from “designed and operated.” The rule that regulation is produced in response to industry pressure seems honored mainly in the breach. Maintenance of the institutional status quo seems the more common industry goal. However, once the status quo is altered, the industry interest will, as Stigler argued, receive disproportionate weight. I discuss and analyze the varying impact of industry interests over three significant regulatory transitions – in transportation, pharmaceuticals and banking. I conclude that the durable impact of Stigler (1971) comes from the public choice framing and the consequent importance of organized interests to analysis of regulation.
Dead clades walking are a pervasive macroevolutionary pattern.

D. Jablonski [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 8139–8144 (2002)] coined the term “dead clades walking” (DCWs) to describe marine fossil orders that experience significant drops in genus richness during mass extinction events and never rediversify to previous levels. This phenomenon is generally interpreted as further evidence that the macroevolutionary consequences of mass extinctions can continue well past the formal boundary. It is unclear, however, exactly how long DCWs are expected to persist after extinction events and to what degree they impact broader trends in Phanerozoic biodiversity. Here we analyze the fossil occurrences of 134 skeletonized marine invertebrate orders in the Paleobiology Database (paleobiodb.org) using a Bayesian method to identify significant change points in genus richness. Our analysis identifies 70 orders that experience major diversity losses without recovery. Most of these taxa, however, do not fit the popular conception of DCWs as clades that narrowly survive a mass extinction event and linger for only a few stages before succumbing to extinction. The median postdrop duration of these DCW orders is long (>30 Myr), suggesting that previous studies may have underestimated the long-term taxonomic impact of mass extinction events. More importantly, many drops in diversity without recovery are not associated with mass extinction events and occur during background extinction stages. The prevalence of DCW orders throughout both mass and background extinction intervals and across phyla (>50% of all marine invertebrate orders) suggests that the DCW pattern is a major component of macroevolutionary turnover.
The spatial extent of a single lipid's influence on bilayer mechanics

To what spatial extent does a single lipid affect the mechanical properties of the membrane that surrounds it? The lipid composition of a membrane determines its mechanical properties. The shapes available to the membrane depend on its compositional material properties, and therefore, the lipid environment. Because each individual lipid species9 chemistry is different, it is important to know its range of influence on membrane mechanical properties. This is defined herein as the lipid9s mechanical extent. Here, a lipid9s mechanical extent is determined by quantifying lipid redistribution and the average curvature that lipid species experience on fluctuating membrane surfaces. A surprising finding is that, unlike unsaturated lipids, saturated lipids have a complicated, non-local effect on the surrounding surface, with the interaction strength maximal at a finite length-scale. The methodology provides the means to substantially enrich curvature-energy models of membrane structures, quantifying what was previously only conjecture.
Development of high-performance roll-to-roll-coated gas-diffusion-electrode-based fuel cells

Abstract This study focuses on determining fabrication conditions to create high-performance roll-to-roll-coated (R2R-coated) gas-diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here, we examine how process conditions influence the distribution of ionomer in the electrode, which is shown to be critical for high performance. Using a combination of Kelvin probe, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nano-scale X-ray computed tomography we show that formation of an ionomer-rich surface is promoted by using a higher drying rate. We show that R2R-coated GDEs have higher surface ionomer concentration than spray-coated GDEs, which enables these R2R-coated GDEs to not need an additional ionomer overlayer, as is typically the case for spray-coated GDEs. This will reduce the number of processing steps and lower material costs in a manufacturing setting. This work shows that with the appropriate selection of materials, ink formulation, and processing conditions, direct-coated GDEs are a viable pathway for fuel cell manufacturing.
Adaptation and validation of a voxel based energy transport model for conifer species

Abstract A spatially explicit energy balance model previously developed for deciduous trees was extended to account for physical differences in conifer species. These differences include the emission and scattering of radiation in needles compared to leaves as well as the boundary-layer conductance for needles. To validate the model, an array of sensors was placed in and around two separate isolated Picea pungens trees in a heterogeneous urban environment. Model validation examined components of the local-volume averaged needle energy budget utilizing radiative and turbulent fluxes as the forcing inputs. Analysis focused on the model's ability to reproduce integrated upward shortwave and longwave radiation, local radiation attenuation through the tree crown, and local needle surface temperature. The model performed quite well with R2 values above 0.9 for calculated versus measured integrated upward longwave and shortwave radiation and above 0.87 for needle surface temperature. The high level of agreement with experimental measurements was only possible with the modifications made to the boundary layer conductance for needles.
Adhesion of beams with subsurface elastic heterogeneity

Abstract Beam-like structures with enhanced and selective adhesion as well as low stiffness are of interest for applications such as microtransfer printing processes and soft robotic grasping devices. The stiffness and adhesion of compliant beams can be altered through the inclusion of structured stiff insets that alter the mechanical response and stress distribution at the adhered interface. Here, the adhesion behavior of compliant beams with embedded stiff insets below the surface are investigated. The length of inset and the spacing of the insets relative to the beam height are key parameters that control the adhesion behavior. The inclusion of a stiff inset increases the effective adhesion of the beam, but the maximum adhesion enhancement is only realized when the inset exceeds a critical inset length. The spacing between the insets plays a key role as well and inset spacings
Woman Walking Ahead: In Search of Catherine Weldon and Sitting Bull

This book restores a little-known advocate of Indian rights to her place in history. In June 1889, a widowed Brooklyn artist named Catherine Weldon travelled to the Standing Rock Reservation in Dakota Territory to help Sitting Bull hold onto land that the government was trying to wrest from his people. Since the Sioux chieftain could neither read nor write English, he welcomed the white woman's offer to act as his secretary and lobbyist. Her efforts were counterproductive; she was ordered to leave the reservation, and the Standing Rock Sioux were bullied into signing away their land. But she returned with her teen-age son, settling at Sitting Bull's camp on the Grand River. In recognition of her unusual qualities, Sitting Bull's people called her Toka heya mani win, 'Woman Walking Ahead'. Predictably, the press vilified Weldon, calling her 'Sitting Bull's white squaw' and accusing her of inciting Sitting Bull to join the Ghost Dance religion then sweeping the West. In fact, Weldon opposed the movement, arguing that the army would use the Ghost dance as an excuse to jail or kill Sitting Bull. Unfortunately she was right.
Breastfeeding-Friendly Erie County: Establishing the New York State Breastfeeding Friendly Practice Designation.

Background:Primary care providers play an important role in encouraging and counseling pregnant and postpartum women to successfully breastfeed.Objective:One objective of this 1-year grant was to e...
The influence of seed packaging and fruit color on feeding preferences of American robins

We investigated the role of seed packaging (division of total seed volume among individual seeds) and fruit color in determining feeding preferences of American Robins (Turdus migratorius). Experiments were conducted using artificial fruits with either 8 small plastic beads or a single large one with equivalent volume. Other fruit characters were held constant. As predicted, large seeds were voided rapidly by regurgitation, resulting in higher pulp consumption rates for large-seeded fruits than for small-seeded ones, whose seeds were passed through the gut. Most birds apparently used this difference in profitability as a choice criterion: four of seven preferred large-seeded fruits. That three individuals did not do so suggests that birds may differ in their ability to perceive minor differences in fruit profitability, or to use them as choice criteria. Pulp color was also important: blue fruits were preferred by all seven birds. This preference was surprising, since Robins commonly feed on red fruits in the field.
mm-wave spectroscopy of stratospheric trace gases at the South Pole over an 11-month cycle: O/sub 3/, N/sub 2/O, HNO/sub 3/, NO/sub 2/, and ClO

The authors have employed a ground-based, cryogenically cooled, tunable heterodyne spectrometer operating near 275 GHz (1.1 mm) to make frequent quantitative measurements of various trace gases at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station over an 11 month period starting in February, 1993. The detector is a high frequency Schottky diode cooled to 20 K. The i.f. output is coupled to a 512 channel filter-bank spectrometer with a resolution of 1 MHz per channel. This bandwidth and resolution allows vertical profiles to be recovered from deconvolution of pressure-broadened line shapes over the range /spl sim/16 to 45-50 km, with accuracy depending on the mixing ratio of the species as a function of altitude. The authors present an overview of the data collected by this system for O/sub 3/, N/sub 2/O, NO/sub 2/, HNO/sub 3/, and ClO in the polar vortex. Vertical profiles of the chosen trace gases are affected variously by gas-phase chemistry, heterogeneous chemistry on particle surfaces, condensation, photochemistry, and transport. A unique record has been obtained from which the dynamical development of the Antarctic winter vortex, the extent and influence of downward transport in the mesosphere and stratosphere, the timing of polar stratospheric cloud formation, and the onset and duration of ozone destruction by chlorine photochemistry can all be obtained. >
Liver Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase II. FURTHER MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract The factors effecting the reversible interconversion between the protomeric and polymeric forms of liver acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase were investigated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and electron microscopy. Certain anions (citrate, isocitrate, malonate, tricarballylate, sulfate, and Pi), acetyl-CoA, high protein concentration, and pH 6 to 7 promote aggregation of the protomer. Other factors, such as carboxylation of the enzyme to produce enzyme-CO2-, Cl-, and pH values greater than 7.5, cause dissociation of the polymeric form. Citrate and isocitrate, but not tricarballylate or Pi, are capable of promoting the transition of the carboxylated enzyme (enzyme-CO2-) to the polymeric state. Under the conditions for carboxylase assay or for measuring the rates of other carboxylase-catalyzed reactions, all of which involve enzyme-CO2- as intermediate, isocitrate and citrate promote aggregation of the carboxylase to its polymeric form and a 15- to 16-fold activation of catalysis; neither tricarballylate nor Pi has this effect. Binding experiments reveal that acetyl-CoA carboxylase has one tight binding site per protomer (mol wt 410,000) for citrate (Kd, 2 to 3 x 10-6 m) and another for acetyl-CoA (Kd, 4 x 10-6 m). Acetyl-CoA binding at the latter site is unaffected by the presence of citrate. Dissociation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS; 0.1%) gives rise to subunits with a sedimentation coefficient (s20,w) of 4.3 S. By equilibrium dialysis against 0.1% SDS-35S, the carboxylase was found to bind 0.57 g of the detergent per g of carboxylase protein. The subunit molecular weight, determined by sedimentation equilibrium corrected for detergent binding, was 114,000 and by electrophoresis in SDS-polyacrylamide gels (1% SDS), 110,000. The presence of nonidentical subunits is indicated by the fact that there is a single biotinyl prosthetic group and there are single binding sites for both citrate and acetyl-CoA on the 410,000 molecular weight protomer.
Human Factor H Interacts Selectively with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Results in Species-Specific Complement Evasion

Complement forms a key arm of innate immune defenses against gonococcal infection. Sialylation of gonococcal lipo-oligosaccharide, or expression of porin 1A (Por1A) protein, enables Neisseria gonorrhoeae to bind the alternative pathway complement inhibitor, factor H (fH), and evade killing by human complement. Using recombinant fH fragment-murine Fc fusion proteins, we localized two N. gonorrhoeae Por1A-binding regions in fH: one in complement control protein domain 6, the other in complement control proteins 18-20. The latter is similar to that reported previously for sialylated Por1B gonococci. Upon incubation with human serum, Por1A and sialylated Por1B strains bound full-length human fH (HufH) and fH-related protein 1. In addition, Por1A strains bound fH-like protein 1 weakly. Only HufH, but not fH from other primates, bound directly to gonococci. Consistent with direct HufH binding, unsialylated Por1A gonococci resisted killing only by human complement, but not complement from other primates, rodents or lagomorphs; adding HufH to these heterologous sera restored serum resistance. Lipo-oligosaccharide sialylation of N. gonorrhoeae resulted in classical pathway regulation as evidenced by decreased C4 binding in human, chimpanzee, and rhesus serum but was accompanied by serum resistance only in human and chimpanzee serum. Direct-binding specificity of HufH only to gonococci that prevents serum killing is restricted to humans and may in part explain species-specific restriction of natural gonococcal infection. Our findings may help to improve animal models for gonorrhea while also having implications in the choice of complement sources to evaluate neisserial vaccine candidates.
Characterization of New Factors in the 18S Nonfunctional Ribosomal RNA Decay Pathway in S. cerevisiae: A Dissertation

The molecular biology revolution of the 1960s has given rise to an enormous body of literature describing, in great detail, the inner workings of the cell. Over the course of the past 50 years, and countless hours at the bench, biologists have used the implications of basic research to produce vaccines, antibiotics, and other therapies that have improved both the quality and duration of our lives. Despite these incredible advances, basic questions remain unanswered. In even the simplest model organism, hundreds of essential genes have never been studied. Moreover, the central dogma of molecular biology—DNA to RNA to Protein—is understood largely in terms of how the cell functions under ideal conditions. What happens when things go wrong? This study seeks to characterize one of the cell’s contingency plans—a quality control measure for the eukaryotic ribosome. Today, despite the abundance of ribosomes in all cells, we are only beginning to understand the details of how they function, and the mechanisms that monitor their behavior. Recently, inactivated ribosomes were shown to be destroyed by the cell's own quality control measures, potentially preventing them from harming the cell. This system, dubbed 18S Nonfunctional rRNA Decay, is known to utilize a pair of ribosome-binding proteins to carry out its function. Yet the pathway still functions, albeit more slowly, in the absence of these two proteins, suggesting that other components must exist. The work discussed here is largely concerned with identifying these other factors, characterizing their activities, and determining how the 18S Nonfunctional rRNA Decay pathway impacts the health of the cell.
Report on some experimental long-period seismographs

The unexpected usefulness in research of the Press-Ewing seismograph system (Press, Ewing and Lehner, 1958) has stimulated further efforts to obtain even higher seismograph sensitivity in the period range beyond 100 sec. A major difficulty has been in maintaining pendulum stability at long periods. This paper describes a stable long-period seismometer and gives results from several seismograph systems incorporating long-period pendulums and galvanometers.
Fabrication and performance of a novel ultra-low capacitance MSM photodetector for high-speed OEIC receiver applications

We present experimental results obtained from series and series/parallel arranged MSM photodiodes based on lattice-matched InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructures on InP substrate with 1 /spl mu/m thick InGaAs absorption layer and 1.2 /spl mu/m interdigitated metallization with 1.2 /spl mu/m spacing. We also present results predicting high-speed performance of OEIC receivers based on these ultra-low capacitance MSM photodiodes and compatible state-of-the-art 0.15 /spl mu/m gatelength HFETs operated as a cascoded transimpedance amplifier or state-of-the-art HBTs operated in the same fashion These receivers are shown to yield transimpedance of 72 dBn with 3-dB bandwidths of 19.5 GHz, and sensitivity of -28 dBm at the full bandwidth at the standard bit-error-rate of 10/sup -9/.
SU-E-T-622: Planning Technique for Passively-Scattered Involved-Node Proton Therapy of Mediastinal Lymphoma with Consideration of Cardiac Motion

Purpose: To develop a treatment planning method for passively-scattered involved-node proton therapy of mediastinal lymphoma robust to breathing and cardiac motions. Methods: Beam-specific planning treatment volumes (bsPTV) are calculated for each proton field to incorporate pertinent uncertainties. Geometric margins are added laterally to each beam while margins for range uncertainty due to setup errors, breathing, and calibration curve uncertainties are added along each beam. The calculation of breathing motion and deformation effects on proton range includes all 4DCT phases. The anisotropic water equivalent margins are translated to distances on average 4DCT. Treatment plans are designed so each beam adequately covers the corresponding bsPTV. For targets close to the heart, cardiac motion effects on dosemaps are estimated by using a library of anonymous ECG-gated cardiac CTs (cCT). The cCT, originally contrast-enhanced, are partially overridden to allow meaningful proton dose calculations. Targets similar to the treatment targets are drawn on one or more cCT sets matching the anatomy of the patient. Plans based on the average cCT are calculated on individual phases, then deformed to the average and accumulated. When clinically significant dose discrepancies occur between planned and accumulated doses, the patient plan is modified to reduce the cardiac motion effects. Results: We found that bsPTVs as planning targets create dose distributions similar to the conventional proton planning distributions, while they are a valuable tool for visualization of the uncertainties. For large targets with variability in motion and depth, integral dose was reduced because of the anisotropic margins. In most cases, heart motion has a clinically insignificant effect on target coverage. Conclusion: A treatment planning method was developed and used for proton therapy of mediastinal lymphoma. The technique incorporates bsPTVs compensating for all common sources of uncertainties and estimation of the effects of cardiac motion not commonly performed.
Pressure from without, Subversion from within: The Two-Pronged German Employer Offensive

This article takes issue with ‘Varieties of Capitalism's’ portrayal of German employer preferences as structurally conservative. Since the mid-1990s, German employers have overcome their internal disunity and have been subverting existing institutions from without (politically) and from within (in the industrial relations realm). Scholars of German political economy have focused on continuity of structure and, having established this, have inferred continuity of content. Focusing on continuity in formal structures is misleading because this blinds analysts to important changes in content/practices; we see this most clearly in new management strategies, which alter the very essence of workplace labor relations. In addition to new management practices, this paper examines a large-scale public relations initiative founded and funded by German employers — the ‘New Social Market Initiative.’ Programmatically, the New Social Market shows that many German employers desire deregulation and liberalization — a move towards a Liberal Market Economy. The German employer offensive is a result of severe competitive pressures, the failure of the traditional institutions of the German model to satisfy employers' needs, and a set of circumstances that enable employers to transform the existing system from within while leaving many of its formal structures intact.
Validation of Screening Questions for Limited Health Literacy in a Large VA Outpatient Population

Previous studies have shown that a single question may identify individuals with inadequate health literacy. We evaluated and compared the performance of 3 health literacy screening questions for detecting patients with inadequate or marginal health literacy in a large VA population. We conducted in-person interviews among a random sample of patients from 4 VA medical centers that included 3 health literacy screening questions and 2 validated health literacy measures. Patients were classified as having inadequate, marginal, or adequate health literacy based on the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). We evaluated the ability of each of 3 questions to detect: 1) inadequate and the combination of “inadequate or marginal” health literacy based on the S-TOFHLA and 2) inadequate and the combination of “inadequate or marginal” health literacy based on the REALM. Of 4,384 patients, 1,796 (41%) completed interviews. The prevalences of inadequate health literacy were 6.8% and 4.2%, based on the S-TOHFLA and REALM, respectively. Comparable prevalences for marginal health literacy were 7.4% and 17%, respectively. For detecting inadequate health literacy, “How confident are you filling out medical forms by yourself?” had the largest area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC) of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.69–0.79) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.79–0.89) based on the S-TOFHLA and REALM, respectively. AUROCs were lower for detecting “inadequate or marginal” health literacy than for detecting inadequate health literacy for each of the 3 questions. A single question may be useful for detecting patients with inadequate health literacy in a VA population.
Atmospheric Gas-Phase Reactions of Selected Phosphorus-Containing Compounds

The kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of phosphorus oxychloride [P(O)Cl3], methylphosphonic dichloride [CH3P(O)Cl2], dimethyl phosphonate [(CH3O)2P(O)H], and trimethyl phosphite [(CH3O)3P] with t...
Changes in Verbal Mediators Generated for CVC Pairs as a Function of Associability Level and Temporal Interval

Summary Ss (n = 100) generated verbal mediators for 25 low-, and 25 highassociability CVC pairs. They returned after periods of from one hour to four weeks to repeat the procedure. Two judges rated independently whether the mediators given by the Ss had changed. The results indicated that the high-associability pairs were less likely to change, but that there was substantial change for even the high-associability items after only one hour. The data were seen as consistent with Bower's theory of stimulus encoding variability, and highlight the dynamic, immediate, and continuing nature of that process.
Autonomic and central nervous system responding: During hypnosis and simulation of hypnosis

Abstract Heart rate, electrodermal responding, respiratory rate, firon-talis muscle tension, and occipital electroencephalographic activity were monitored while 6 female Ss were experiencing hypnosis and while 6 other female Ss simulated the experience of hypnosis. Physiological data were collected during 7 sessions on 7 consecutive days. The results indicated no differences in physiological responding between hypnotized and simulating Ss. Both groups of Ss exhibited significant decreases in heart rate and amount of electroencephalographic alpha activity during their experiences, relative to pre- and posthypnotic or simulating levels. In addition, both groups of Ss exhibited significant increases in electroencephalographic beta activity during their experiences. Both groups of Ss also displayed lowered levels of electrodermal activity, skin conductance, and respiratory rate during their experiences. The changes in these modalities, however, were significant for hypnotized Ss, but were generally not signif...
Validation of statistical predictive models meant to select melanoma patients for sentinel lymph node biopsy.

To identify melanoma patients at sufficiently low risk of nodal metastases who could avoid sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), several statistical models have been proposed based upon patient/tumor characteristics, including logistic regression, classification trees, random forests, and support vector machines. We sought to validate recently published models meant to predict sentinel node status. We queried our comprehensive, prospectively collected melanoma database for consecutive melanoma patients undergoing SLNB. Prediction values were estimated based upon four published models, calculating the same reported metrics: negative predictive value (NPV), rate of negative predictions (RNP), and false-negative rate (FNR). Logistic regression performed comparably with our data when considering NPV (89.4 versus 93.6%); however, the model’s specificity was not high enough to significantly reduce the rate of biopsies (SLN reduction rate of 2.9%). When applied to our data, the classification tree produced NPV and reduction in biopsy rates that were lower (87.7 versus 94.1 and 29.8 versus 14.3, respectively). Two published models could not be applied to our data due to model complexity and the use of proprietary software. Published models meant to reduce the SLNB rate among patients with melanoma either underperformed when applied to our larger dataset, or could not be validated. Differences in selection criteria and histopathologic interpretation likely resulted in underperformance. Statistical predictive models must be developed in a clinically applicable manner to allow for both validation and ultimately clinical utility.
International Perspectives on Identity Development

The purpose of this special issue of the Child and Youth Care Forum is to showcase alternative perspectives and/or experiences in regard to identity development in other countries around the world. From each of the studies in this special issue we see that there are a number of different ways to study and understand identity development By examining identity development outside the US we hope to generate new ideas and new perspectives that will broaden our view of how identity develops in multiple contexts, not only in order to generalize our theories to non-American contexts, but also to be able to apply their findings to related circumstances within this country. It is hoped that such cross pollination of ideas will work toward a deeper understanding of how we can foster positive identity development in all our youth, worldwide.
Control over Networks of Unreliable Links: Controller Location and Performance Bounds

We address the optimality of control laws for networked control systems where sensors, actuators and controllers are separated by a network of unreliable links. We begin by considering the problem of controller placement and model the networked environment as an array of potential controller locations separated by identical lossy communication links (erasure channels). Our first result establishes that the controller should be placed on the 'shortest' path between the sensor and actuator nodes. The next result deals with where on a shortest path to place the controller logic. This problem is actually quite difficult since it involves consideration and comparisons of systems with non-classical information patterns which are known to be intractable, following the work of Witsenhausen. To nevertheless make progress, we begin by introducing a convenient 'long-packet' formulation under which each packet can be infinitely long and contain all past information from the sending node. Clearly the optimal cost under this optimistic assumption is a lower bound on any realizable cost. Although not implementable, its purpose is to lower bound cost in order to provide a baseline for comparison of other realizable schemes. Using dynamic programming we proceed to derive such a bound. The key insight is that the long-packets assumption permits a separation type result which features an interesting simplification that the cost to go depends only on a further simplification of the usual hyper-state. Finally, using a currently realizable approach we are able to upper bound the optimal cost and thus bracket the optimal achievable performance. We conduct simulations on several systems from the literature and some randomly constructed systems, as well as simulating currently proposed approaches. It turns out that the bounds are fairly close in many cases and we can deduce that the problem may actually effectively be solved for practical purposes in many systems.
Perturbation corrections to the Jastrow energy for simple models of nuclear matter

Abstract The second-order perturbation correction to the Jastrow energy expectation value is calculated in the leading cluster approximation for two models of nuclear matter in which the nucleons are assumed to interact via “semi-realistic” or “test” central potentials containing hard cores. This negative correction, which acts to compensate for the state independence of the Jastrow correlation factor, is reasonably small in magnitude. Nevertheless it significantly aggravates the already serious disagreement of Jastrow and Brueckner results, i.e., the corrected Jastrow energy is depressed still further below the lowest-order Brueckner energy, the net discrepancy increasing to some 10 or 15 MeV at the Jastrow equilibrium. Higher-order cluster contributions to the Jastrow energy expectation value are considered, and some of the implications for nuclear many-body theory of this and other known examples of striking confict between Brueckner and Jastrow results are discussed.
Electron disequilibrium in high‐energy x‐ray beams

The ratio between scatter dose and scatter kerma for points on the central axis of 15‐MV x‐ray beams has been examined by Monte Carlo calculations. This ratio, β′ S , behaves differently from that between the primary dose and kerma, β′ p . Both the primary and scatter components of β′ undergo an initial rapid buildup, however, β′ S begins from a much higher surface value. In addition, the depth required for longitudinal electron equilibrium is larger for β′ S than for β′ P . The variation of β′ S with field size and depth is attributed to the spatial variation of scatter kerma in the photon beam. The approximation β′ S =1 is accurate enough for clinical dose‐calculation purposes, leading to less than 0.5% error in total dose, while the assumption β′ S =β′ p may cause up to 2.5% error, relative to the maximum dose, near the surface at 15 MV.
Application of the TIMI risk score for unstable angina and non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome to an unselected emergency department chest pain population.

Objectives: Patients presenting with chest pain or related symptoms suggestive of myocardial ischemia, without ST-segment elevation (NSTE) on their presenting electrocardiograms, often present a diagnostic challenge in the emergency department (ED). Prompt and accurate risk stratification to identify those patients with NSTE chest pain who are at highest risk for adverse events is essential, however, to optimal management. Although validated and used frequently in patients already enrolled in acute coronary syndrome trials, the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score never has been examined for its value in risk stratification in an all-comers, non‐trial-based ED chest pain population. Methods: An analysis of an ED-based prospective observational cohort study was conducted in 3,929 adult patients presenting with chest pain syndrome and warranting evaluation with an electrocardiogram. These patients had TIMI risk scores determined at ED presentation. The main outcome was the composite of death, acute myocardial infarction (MI), and revascularization within 30 days. Results: The TIMI risk score at ED presentation successfully risk-stratified this unselected cohort of chest pain patients with respect to 30-day adverse outcome, with a range from 2.1%, with a score of 0, to 100%, with a score of 7. The highest correlation of an individual TIMI risk indicator to adverse outcome was for elevated cardiac biomarker at admission. Overall, the score had similar performance characteristics to that seen when applied to other databases of patients enrolled in clinical trials and registries using a 14-day end point. Conclusions: The TIMI risk score may be a useful tool for risk stratification of ED patients with chest pain syndrome. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2006; 13:13‐18 a 2006 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Measuring Energy and Power with PAPI

Energy and power consumption are becoming critical metrics in the design and usage of high performance systems. We have extended the Performance API (PAPI) analysis library to measure and report energy and power values. These values are reported using the existing PAPI API, allowing code previously instrumented for performance counters to also measure power and energy. Higher level tools that build on PAPI will automatically gain support for power and energy readings when used with the newest version of PAPI. We describe in detail the types of energy and power readings available through PAPI. We support external power meters, as well as values provided internally by recent CPUs and GPUs. Measurements are provided directly to the instrumented process, allowing immediate code analysis in real time. We provide examples showing results that can be obtained with our infrastructure.
Effects of Ozone Exposure on Nuclear Factor-κB Activation and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Expression in Human Nasal Epithelial Cells

In this study we investigated a possible mechanism of the human airway inflammatory response to inhaled ozone (O(3)). Cultures of human nasal epithelial (HNE) cells, initiated from excised nasal turbinates and grown on collagen-coated Transwell tissue culture inserts, were exposed to 120, 240, or 500 ppb O(3) for 3 h. An electron spin resonance (ESR) signal that changed with time suggested free radical production in HNE cells exposed to O(3). Nuclear protein extracts were analyzed for the activated transcription factor NF-kappaB by electrophoretic mobility-shift assay (EMSA), and showed a small dose-response activation of NF-kappaB that coincided with O(3)-induced free radical production. Basal media were analyzed for the presence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In cultures exposed to 120 ppb O(3), the mean TNF-alpha concentration was not significantly different from those exposed to air. However, exposure to 240 and 500 ppb O(3) significantly increased mean TNF-alpha expression, relative to controls, 16 h after exposure. These results support the hypothesis that the human airway epithelium plays a role in directing the inflammatory response to inhaled O(3) via free radical-mediated NF-kappaB activation.
Betidamino acid scan of the GnRH antagonist acyline

Strong clinical evidence suggests that GnRH antagonists will replace GnRH agonists in a number of indications because of their ability to inhibit gonadotropin secretion as long as an adequate concentration of the analogue is present in the circulation whereas superagonists will take approximately 2 weeks to desensitize the gonadotrophs. Until recently, antagonists were either too weak and/or would release histamine. Azaline B {[Ac-D2Nal1,D4Cpa2,D3Pal3, 4Aph5(atz),D4Aph6(atz),ILys8,DAla10] GnRH} and long-acting members of the azaline family {Ac-D2Nal-D4Cpa-D3Pal-Ser-4Aph(X)-D4Aph(Y) -Leu-ILys-Pro-DAla-NH2}, however, appear to be promising drug candidates. Because these antagonists tend to form gels (due to the formation of beta-sheet structures) and, as a result, are not readily amenable to formulation for long-term delivery, we have investigated ways of increasing hydrophilicity while retaining high potency and lack of histamine releasing activity. Betidamino acids (a contraction of "beta" position and "amide") are N'-monoacylated (optionally, N'-monoacylated and N-mono- or N,N'-dialkylated) aminoglycine derivatives in which each N'-acyl/alkyl group may mimic naturally occurring amino acid side chains or introduce novel functionalities. We have used unresolved N alpha-Boc,N'alpha-Fmoc-aminoglycine, and N alpha-Boc,N'alpha-(CH3)Fmoc-aminoglycine as templates for the introduction of betidamino acids in acyline (Ac-D2Nal-D4Cpa-D3Pal-Ser-4Aph(Ac)-D4Aph(A c)-Leu-Ilys-Pro-DAla-NH2), a long acting member of the azaline B family, to test biocompatibility of these betide derivatives. Diastereomeric peptides could be separated using RP-HPLC in most cases. Biological results obtained in vitro (binding affinity to rat pituitary gland membranes) and in vivo (rat antiovulatory assay, AOA) indicate in most cases small differences in relative potencies (< 5-fold) between the D- and L-nonalkylated betidamino acid-containing acylines. Importantly, most betide diastereomers have high affinity for the GnRH receptor and were equipotent with acyline in the AOA. Greater differences in affinity and potency between diastereomers were observed after introduction of a methyl group on the side chain nitrogen ("beta" position) of the same analogues, with one of the diastereomer having an affinity and a potency in the AOA equivalent to that of acyline. These results suggest that chirality at the alpha-carbon coupled to side chain orientation is important for receptor recognition. The duration of action of some of the most potent analogues was also determined in the castrated male rat in order to measure the extent (efficacy and duration of action) of inhibition of luteinizing hormone release. Data suggest that introduction of a betidamino acid results in reduction of duration of action. Also, introduction of betidamino acids results in peptides with increased hydrophilicity (as determined by elution times on C18 silicas at pH 7.3) compared to that of the parent compound. N'-Methyl substitution results in parallel increase in retention times on C18 silicas as expected.
SU-FF-T-279: Lateral Distribution of a Proton Pencil Beam Which Is Consistent with Range Straggling

Purpose: Pencil beam approach for proton beams is not accurate in the Bragg peak region because the multiple scatteringtheories are derived for monoenergetic particles and, therefore, can be applied only within CSDA range. We improve the pencil beam model to account for the range straggling in the Bragg peak region. Method and Materials: Depth dose distribution from a monoenergetic proton beam can be calculated by folding a CSDA depth dose distribution with a function which describes range struggling. Performing the integration numerically, we obtain that the dose distribution from a proton beam can be presented as a linear combination of the CSDA depth dose distributions with weights which are defined by range straggling distribution. For particles traveling in each CSDA approximation, we can consistently apply multiple scatteringtheory. The final equation for 3D proton distribution covers entire range of a proton pencil beam. Results: We have obtained an analytical expression for the 3D dose distribution from a proton pencil beam which covers entire penetration range. The equation consistently describes the depth dose distribution and the lateral spread due to range straggling in the Bragg peak region. This approach accounts also for proton loss from the beam at the end of the range. Conclusions: 3D dose distribution from a proton pencil beam can be calculated using a simple analytical formula for entire proton range. This formula is convenient for use in treatment planning with therapeuticproton beams, particularly, in the heterogeneous compositions.
Interglacial High Sea Levels and the Control of Greenland Ice by the Precession of the Equinoxes

The precession of the equinoxes appears to control the occurrence of high sea levels by partial or even total melting of the Greenland ice cap during interglacial ages.