cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicted Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Masked Hypertension Among Blacks in the Jackson Heart Study

Background— Among individuals without hypertension based on clinic blood pressure (BP), it is unclear who should be screened for masked hypertension, defined as having hypertension based on out-of-clinic BP. We hypothesized that individuals with a higher 10-year predicted atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, calculated using the pooled cohort risk equations, have a higher prevalence of masked hypertension. Methods and Results— We analyzed data from the Jackson Heart Study—a population-based cohort of blacks—to determine the association of predicted ASCVD risk with masked hypertension. The sample included 644 participants, 40 to 79 years of age, with clinic systolic/diastolic BP Conclusions— Higher ASCVD risk was associated with an increased prevalence of masked hypertension. Although the discrimination of ASCVD risk for masked hypertension was not superior to clinic BP, risk prediction equations may be useful for identifying the subgroup of individuals with both masked hypertension and high predicted ASCVD risk.
Setting the Standards for Engineering Education: A History [Scanning Our Past]

Who controls engineering education? And how has this control evolved over time? While some folks may presume that ABET has undisputed control over engineering degree programs in the United States, those familiar with ABET Engineering Criterion 2000’s origins know otherwise [1] . Moreover, history shows that the development of new standards in engineering education has always been a shared responsibility, with this responsibility being distributed in ways that reflect the broader fragmentation of the engineering profession. Still, the flurry of concern generated by ABET’s proposed new accreditation standard suggests that issues of control, or governance, will remain a common feature within U.S. engineering education [2] , [3] . As we converge around ABET’s latest standard, we should use the broader lessons of history to understand how our recent conversations fit within a broader historical pattern, and use this to guide our future actions.
Law, force and diplomacy at sea: By Ken Booth London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985, 231 pp., $25.00 (cloth)

(1987). Law, force and diplomacy at sea. The Social Science Journal: Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 472-473.
Multi-targeting Drug Community Challenge

“Polypharmacology” or “multi-target pharmacology” refers to drugs that modulate the activity of multiple targets at clinically relevant concentrations. The effect of polypharmacology on therapy can be favorable, contributing to drug efficacy, reducing drug resistance, and reducing toxicity and other liabilities. Polypharmacology can be effective in a broad palette of diseases including central nervous system (CNS) disorders, diabetes, and cancer (Keiser et al., 2009). Its strength lies in the ability to “shift networks” into configurations that reduce disease while minimizing whole body toxicity.
Effect of shrinkage reducing admixture on early expansion and strength evolution of calcium sulfoaluminate blended cement

Abstract This research examines the influence of presence of shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) on expansion, hydration, and strength evolution of calcium sulfoaluminate-based expansive agent (CSA-based EX) blended with ordinary portland cement (OPC) in the absence of initial moist curing. The performance of inclusion of SRA in OPC-CSA system and without moist curing was compared to the moist-cured OPC-CSA system made without any SRA. The investigation uses the measurements of cement hydration from isothermal calorimetry, autogenous and drying volume changes, internal relative humidity, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetry, as well as compressive strength to characterize the expansion and hydration of OPC-CSA mortar systems. The results indicate that under unsealed conditions, the expansion and strength evolution of OPC-CSA system is significantly sensitive to the presence of moist curing. Mortar containing 15% CSA-based EX resulted in no expansion and had comparable magnitude of total deformation to that of the plain OPC system when no moist curing was adopted. This is linked to the: (i) reduced ettringite formation; and (ii) decreased stiffness which translates to the lower resistance to deformation. Analysis of calorimetry, XRD pattern, and thermogravimetry indicates the synergistic effect of using SRA in OPC-CSA system, which contributes towards higher early-age expansion and increased later-age strength compared to the similar system made without any SRA. In the absence of moist curing, the OPC-CSA system containing SRA exhibited 20% higher non-evaporable water content than OPC-CSA system alone, confirming the effect of SRA addition on hydration reaction progress of OPC-CSA system. The outcomes of this research provide insights into formulation of CSA-based suspensions with the aim of reduced shrinkage, when insufficient initial moist curing is applied.
Student Preferences for Live Versus Virtual Rats in a Learning Course

We examined the preference of undergraduate students for a live or a virtual rat when learning about concepts of operant conditioning. Students were provided with the opportunity to directly compare a virtual and a live rat in a supplemental exercise for Learning courses. We argue that the design of teaching exercises should involve a systematic examination of student preferences between different available techniques. In general, students preferred a live rat over a virtual rat when learning concepts in operant conditioning, specifically a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. Students also listed advantages and disadvantages of using a virtual rat versus a live rat. These aspects evaluated by students are compared and contrasted with those provided by experts who have reviewed these learning exercises.
Phosphofructokinase CORRELATION OF PHYSICAL AND ENZYMATIC PROPERTIES

Abstract Purified rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase required K+ ion for maximal activity and was inactive at pH 7 unless the Mg++ concentration exceeded the total adenosine triphosphate concentration. Enzymatic activity was proportional to sulfhydryl reduction, and was reversibly lost by sulfhydryl oxidation with oxidized glutathione. The molecular weight of enzyme crystallized in the presence of adenosine triphosphate was determined. The smallest fully active form had a molecular weight of 3.8 x 105 and could be reversibly dissociated into units of either one-half or one-quarter this size; 95 to 98% of the enzymatic activity was lost by dilution at pH 6.7, by urea treatment at pH 5.8, or by lowering the pH to 5.0, all of which decrease the molecular weight to 1.92 x 105. Protein of this size had an intrinsic activity 0.02 to 0.05 times that of the higher molecular weight form and was completely reactivated by reaggregation.
The physiology of phytochrome action

Plants possess the capability of adapting their patterns of growth and development to changes in the light conditions of the environment. The action of light on plant growth and development (photomorphogenesis) is mediated by specific photoreceptors. Light-induced changes in the state of the photo-receptors provide the signal for the induction/modulation of plant responses to light. A major plant photomorphogenic photoreceptor is phy tochrome, a biliprotein pigment (Chapter 4.1) which is reversibly interconverted by light between an inactive form, Pr, and a physiologically active one, Pfr, with peaks of absorption in the red (R) and far-red (FR) regions of the spectrum, respectively.
Pervanadate activation of intracellular kinases leads to tyrosine phosphorylation and shedding of syndecan-1

Syndecan-1 is a transmembrane haparan sulphate proteoglycan that binds extracellular matrices and growth factors, making it a candidate to act between these regulatory molecules and intracellular signalling pathways. It has a highly conserved transmembrane/cytoplasmic domain that contains four conserved tyrosines. One of these is in a consensus sequence for tyrosine kinase phosphorylation. As an initial step to investigating whether or not phosphorylation of these tyrosines is part of a signal-transduction pathway, we have monitored the tyrosine phosphorylation of syndecan-1 by cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases in intact cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation of syndecan-1 is observed when NMuMG cells are treated with sodium orthovanadate or pervanadate, which have been shown to activate intracellular tyrosine kinases. Initial studies with sodium orthovanadate demonstrate a slow accumulation of phosphotyrosine on syndecan-1 over the course of several hours. Pervanadate, a more effective inhibitor of phosphatases, allows detection of phosphotyrosine on syndecan-1 within 5 min, with peak phosphorylation seen by 15 min. Concurrently, in a second process activated by pervanadate, syndecan-1 ectodomain is cleaved and released into the culture medium. Two phosphorylated fragments of syndecan-1 of apparent sizes 6 and 8 kDa remain with the cell after shedding of the ectodomain. The 8 kDa size class appears to be a highly phosphorylated form of the 6 kDa product, as it disappears if samples are dephosphorylated. These fragments contain the C-terminus of syndecan-1 and also retain at least a portion of the transmembrane domain, suggesting that they are produced by a cell surface cleavage event. Thus pervanadate treatment of cells results in two effects of syndecan-1: (i) phosphorylation of one or more of its tyrosines via the action of a cytoplasmic kinase(s) and (ii) cleavage and release of the ectodomain into the medium, producing a C-terminal fragment containing the transmembrane/cytoplasmic domain.
Particle-core multiplets in 97Mo populated via the (3He,2n gamma ) reaction.

$^{97}\mathrm{Mo}$ nuclei were produced by the $^{96}\mathrm{Zr}$${(}^{3}$He,2n\ensuremath{\gamma}${)}^{97}$Mo reaction at 11 MeV. Excitation functions, angular distributions, linear polarizations, and gamma-gamma coincidences were measured and used to construct a $^{97}\mathrm{Mo}$ level scheme. By taking advantage of the relatively high Q value of $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ reactions, several new non-yrast states were populated and observed. A standard particle-plus-rotor calculation was performed and used to interpret the experimental level scheme. Special emphasis was placed on identifying complete angular momentum multiplets arising from particle-core coupling.
Fetal development in cattle with multiple ovulations.

Treatment of lactating and nonlactating parous cows (n = 379) with 12 mg of FSH-P to evaluate development of multiple bovine fetuses resulted in ovulation rates ranging from 1 to 27 corpora lutea (CL). Fertilization rate (i.e., ova fertilized at 6 to 8 d postmating, 80.0%) was not affected by ovulation rate. The percentage of fetuses developing normally at 51 to 53 d postmating decreased (P less than .01) as ovulation rate increased; 1 CL, 100.0%; 2 CL, 100.0%; 3 CL, 66.7%; 4 CL, 45.8%; 5 CL, 33.3%; 6 to 10 CL, 13.6%; and greater than 10 CL, 8.9%. Of the 86 cows permitted to calve, 47 produced singles, 22 twins, 9 triplets, 7 quadruplets, and 1 quintuplets. Calf birth weight and gestational length decreased (P less than .01) as the number of calves born increased from one to two to three. Smaller decreases (P less than .05) in birth weight occurred among triplets, quadruplets, and quintuplets, whereas gestational length did not differ (P greater than .1) among these groups. Systemic progesterone concentrations in the dam were proportional (P less than .01) to the number of fetuses in utero between d 126 and 266 for dams gestating one, two, or three or more fetuses; estrone sulfate was lower (P less than .01) in dams with one than in those with two or more fetuses. Placental weight (i.e., cotyledons plus intercotyledonary membranes) per fetus at 52 +/- 1 d of gestation and at term decreased as the number of fetuses increased. The chorioallantoic membranes were often fused among multiple fetuses and contained either all viable or all dead fetuses, but not both, within the same anastomosed placental unit. These results suggest that ovulation rate is the first limiting factor to increasing cow productivity for beef cattle because some bovine females had the capacity to gestate up to three fetuses per uterine horn, or a total of five fetuses, above which pregnancy was terminated.
Wax Esters: Chemistry and Biosynthesis

Wax esters are unique surface lipids found on the surface of terrestrial organisms. After a brief review of the composition, the mechanisms used in their biosynthesis by sebaceous glands are summarized. The molecular biology of biosynthesis of methyl-branched, short chain and very long chain acids, and the biochemical mechanism of the loss of the carboxyl carbon of the elongated very long chain acids to generate alkanes are reviewed. The molecular biology of biosynthesis of the major types of molecules contains the hydroxyl group(s) to which the acids are esterified and the molecular biology of the esterification process are reviewed. The molecular bases of seasonal and hormonal regulation of biosynthesis of wax esters that implicate some functions of the wax esters are reviewed.
Efficiency Optimization of a Power Station with Different Generators

Abstract This paper proposes a novel approach for optimizing the total power output of a power station with different generators by analyzing the characteristics of the corresponding efficiency function. It yields the maximum total power supply and the overall efficiency of such stations. As a result of the study, we find out that the optimal control method is to keep the same input rate for each generator, and the optimal switch points should be placed at the same normalization efficiency points of different operating methods.
Is the market for digital privacy a failure

Conventional wisdom holds that the market for digital privacy fails owing to widespread informational asymmetry between digital firms and their customers, behavioral biases exhibited by those customers, and negative externalities from data resale. This paper supplies both theoretical and empirical reasons to question the standard market failure conclusion. On the theoretical side, I argue that digital markets are not qualitatively different from markets for other consumer goods. To wit, just as in traditional markets, it is costly to measure product attributes (such as “privacy”) and, just as in more traditional settings, some firms offer credible commitments to reduce the threat of potential opportunism. On the empirical side, I conduct a survey of Google’s users. The most important results of this survey suggest that, at least with respect to Google, (a) the extent of informational asymmetry is minimal and (b) the demands for “unconstrained” and “constrained” privacy diverge substantially. Significantly, 86% of respondents express no willingness to pay for additional privacy when interacting with Google. Among the remaining 14%, the average expressed willingness to pay is low.
Fabrication of Novel Porous Materials for the Removal of Mercury from Waste Water

New materials with potentially enhanced adsorption properties were developed by functionalizing the surface of the natural porous material to fabricate graphene-based and sulfide-based treated porous material. The functionalized materials were characterized with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Batch experiment was employed to assess the efficacy for the removal of mercury with the adsorption isotherms being determined for the natural and treated porous materials. Results indicated that the loaded functional groups were not accessible to the mercury ions due to the pore blockage phenomenon. Predicted equilibrium concentration were consistent with experimental values.
A twisted generalization of the classical Dedekind sum

In this paper, we express three different, yet related, character sums in terms of generalized Bernoulli numbers. Two of these sums are generalizations of sums introduced and studied by Berndt and ...
True Random Number Generator using Superconducting Qubits

We evaluated the quality of conventional quantum True Random Number Generator (TRNG) using superconducting qubits from IBM. Our analysis indicated that the 1/0 ratio is severely affected by the noise. We proposed swapping of readout qubit and parameter optimization to fix readout and gate errors. We validate our proposals by running experiments of IBM's su-perconducitng qubit based quantum computer. Experiments show deviation of $\approx 35\%$ from ideal 1/0 ratio for baseline implementation. After the application of our proposed techniques the ratio improves and reaches close to ideal value of 1. The random bits generated through our techniques passes NIST statistical tests as well.
The advances of epidemiology and earlier laboratory diagnosis for invasive fungal infection in children

Invasive fungal infection(IFI) is becoming increasingly important issue in pediatrics and pediatric intensive care unit. IFI often occurs in newborns and children with immune dysfunction. Candida and Aspergillus spp. are the most commonly isolated organisms. Early diagnosis can improve the prognosis of IFI. The 1,3-β-D-glucan(G)test,galatomannan antigen(GM)test and PCR test can aid earlier dignosis for IFI in high-risk children. Key words: Invasive fungal infection; Epidemiology; Laboratory diagnosis; Children
Connected Phonation is More Effective than Segmented Phonation for Teaching Beginning Readers to Decode Unfamiliar Words

Two methods of decoding instruction were compared. Participants were kindergartners who knew letter sounds but could not decode nonwords, M = 5.6 years. The segmented phonation treatment taught stu...
Management of immunotherapy colitis: Special considerations in the COVID-19 era.

The evaluation and management of patients with cancer with suspected immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) colitis have distinct challenges within the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The approach to the treatment of patients with ICI colitis requires consideration of the risks and benefits of individual immunosuppressive medications and varies based on the presence of a concurrent COVID‐19 infection.
Black metal nanoparticles from abrasion processes in everyday life: Bicycle drivetrains and rock-climbing ropes

Abstract Black objects are sometimes associated with black carbon, while shiny, highly reflecting surfaces are typically associated with metals. Here, we discuss several objects in everyday life that upon use take on a black color that is unlikely to be due to black carbon. We propose that this black color is caused by the formation of metallic nanoparticles from abrasion processes. We support this hypothesis using Mie theory and the fact that spherical metal particles are only shiny or bright if the imaginary part of their refractive index and its product with the particle size-parameter are both larger than three. While this is commonly true for bulk metals, the second condition is generally not fulfilled for metallic nanoparticles, and hence, such particles become highly absorbing, i.e., black. For the black grime accumulated on bicycle drivetrains and climbing ropes, we detected metal nanoparticles with electron microscopy, which likely originated from mechanical abrasion processes during use.
Pb-Pb Dating of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Samples Using Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

We are developing an in situ, rock-dating spectrometer for spaceflight called the Chemistry, Organics, and Dating EXperiment (CODEX). CODEX will measure Rb-Sr compositions and determine ages of samples on the Moon or Mars and can be augmented to obtain Pb-Pb ages. Coupling Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb measurements broadens the suite of samples that can be dated and could provide tests of concordance. Here we assess whether geochronologically meaningful Pb-Pb data could be measured in situ by tuning the prototype CODEX to acquire Pb-Pb data from a suite of well-characterized specimens from the Earth, Moon, and Mars. For Keuhl Lake Zircon 91500 our 207Pb/206Pb age of 1,090 ± 40 Ma is indistinguishable from the accepted age. In each of the Martian meteorites we studied, we could not resolve more than a single component of Pb and could not uniquely determine ages; nevertheless, our isotopic measurements were consistent with most previous analyses. On the other hand, we uniquely determined ages for three lunar meteorites. Our age for MIL 05035 is 3,550 ± 170 Ma, within 2σ of published ages for this specimen, in spite of it having <1 ppm Pb. LAP 02205 was contaminated by terrestrial Pb, but by filtering our data to exclude the most contaminated spots, we obtained an age of 3,010 ± 70 Ma, coincident with published values. Finally, our age for NWA 032 is nearly 1,000 Ma older than its age determined from other isotopic systems and is supported by additional Pb measurements made after chemical leaching.
POSTURAL SWAY IN LOWER EXTREMITY AMPUTEES AND OLDER ADULTS MAY SUGGEST INCREASED FALL RISK IN AMPUTEES

BACKGROUND: Falls can be detrimental to overall health and quality of life for lower extremity amputees. Most previous studies of postural steadiness focus on quantification of time series variables extracted from postural sway signals. While it has been suggested that frequency domain variables can provide more valuable information, few current studies have evaluated postural sway in amputees using frequency domain variables. OBJECTIVE: To determine time and frequency domain variables of postural sway among lower extremity amputees vs. healthy young and older adult controls. METHODOLOGY: Participants were assigned to 3 groups: lower extremity amputation (n=6), healthy young adults (n=10), and healthy older adults (n=10). Standing barefoot on a force platform, each individual completed 3 trials of each of 3 standing conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, and standing on a foam balance pad. Time and frequency domain variables of postural sway were computed and analyzed. RESULTS: Comparison of older adults, younger adults, and amputees on the three conditions of standing eyes open, eyes closed, and on foam revealed significant differences between groups. Mean mediolateral (ML) sway distance from the center of pressure (COP), total excursions and sway velocity was significantly higher for amputees and older adults when compared to young adults (p<0.05). Furthermore, power of sway signal was substantially lower for both amputees and older adults. When compared to that of older adults, postural steadiness of amputees was more affected by the eyes closed condition, whereas older adults’ was more affected when sensory and proprioceptive information was perturbed by standing on foam. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that fall risk is greater in amputees than in young adults without amputation. Additionally, amputees may rely more heavily on visual information than proprioceptive information for balance, in contrast to older and young adults without amputation. Layman's Abstract Falls can be detrimental to overall health and quality of life for lower extremity amputees. We evaluated postural sway and concluded that amputees have an increased fall risk and may rely more heavily on visual information for balance than do individuals without amputation. Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/33804/26600 How To Cite: Bateni H. Postural sway in lower extremity amputees and older adults may suggest increased fall risk in amputees. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal. 2020;Volume 3, Issue 2, No.4. https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v3i2.33804 Corresponding Author: Hamid Bateni, PhD Physical Therapy Program, School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA.E-mail: hbateni@niu.eduORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9083-1817
Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer: Hormonal therapy

Approximately two-thirds of patients diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer have hormone-sensitive disease (estrogen receptor [ER]-positive and/or progesterone receptor [PR]-positive), and as a result, adjuvant endocrine therapy plays a critical role in reducing the risk of recurrence and improving survival. Data generated from clinical trials over the last 30 years has definitively demonstrated the positive impact of adjuvant endocrine therapy, first with the use of tamoxifen and more recently with the use of aromatase inhibitors either as monotherapy or in sequence with tamoxifen. Many issues need to be understood when considering the optimal approach for adjuvant endocrine therapy in an individual patient, both in terms of optimizing risk reduction and maintaining quality of life. The following discussion will summarize the current state of the art in 2013 and also highlight unresolved research issues of clinical importance.
Price Containment in Emissions Permit Markets: Balancing Market Risk and Environmental Outcomes

While cap-and-trade policies have been advocated as an efficient market-based approach in regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the power sector, a major criticism is that the resulting pr...
SARS-CoV-2 infection and paediatric endocrine disorders: Risks and management considerations.

Background Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the seventh coronavirus identified as causing disease in humans. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has multiple potential pathophysiologic interconnections with endocrine systems, potentially causing disturbances in glucose metabolism, hypothalamic and pituitary function, adrenal function and mineral metabolism. A growing body of data is revealing both the effects of underlying endocrine disorders on COVID-19 disease outcome and the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on endocrine systems. However, comprehensive assessment of the relationship to endocrine disorders in children has been lacking. Content In this review, we present the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on endocrine systems and review the current literature on complications of COVID-19 disease in underlying paediatric endocrine disorders. We provide recommendations on management of endocrinopathies related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population. Summary and outlook With the surge in COVID-19 cases worldwide, it is important for paediatric endocrinologists to be aware of the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with the endocrine system and management considerations for patients with underlying disorders who develop COVID-19 disease. While children and adults share some risk factors that influence risk of complications in SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is becoming clear that responses in the paediatric population are distinct and outcomes from adult studies cannot be extrapolated. Evidence emerging from paediatric studies provides some guidance but highlights the need for more research in this area.
The N-terminal domain of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4B Drives Yeast Translational Control in Response to Urea

The yeast eukaryotic initiation factor 4B binds the 40S subunit in translation preinitiation complexes (PICs), promoting mRNA binding. Recent evidence suggests mRNAs have variable dependence on eIF4B, suggesting this factor could promote changes in mRNA selection for translation, in order to adapt to stressors. However, the importance of eIF4B and its constituent domains for mRNA selection under diverse cellular and environmental conditions remain undefined. Here we compared the effects of disrupting eIF4B RNA- and ribosome-binding motifs under ~1400 growth conditions. The RNA-Recognition Motif (RRM) was dispensable for stress responses, but the 40S-binding N-terminal Domain (NTD) promoted growth in response to various stressors. In particular, the NTD conferred a strong growth advantage in the presence of urea. Ribosome profiling revealed that the NTD promoted translation of mRNAs with long and highly structured 5-prime untranslated regions, both with and without urea exposure. Our results suggest eIF4B controls mRNA loading and scanning as a part of the PIC, rather than by activating mRNPs prior to ribosome binding. Furthermore, our data indicate the yeast response to urea includes a translational component, driven by production of proteins associated with the cellular periphery. Together our analyses suggest general eIFs can promote diverse cellular responses.
Sampling and Testing for the Endophyte

Several states now have service laboratories available for endophyte testing. Variations do exist among states in specific details on sampling. Within each state one should consult the Extension service for necessary details on sampling. The following information is restricted to the Kentucky program and is excerpted from University of Kentucky publication PPA-30 written by Dr. W. C. Nesmith and colleagues.
Endangers culture heritage: : A survey of disaster management planning in Middle East libraries and archives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey sent to librarians and archivists in national and academic libraries in the Middle East and North Africa and the results of eight in-person interviews about the status and content of wartime disaster management plans in their institutions. Based on the research and analysis it presents, the paper concludes that the majority of the region’s libraries and archives either lack or have insufficient plans in place and stresses the need to establish and implement protocols for the protection and preservation of their priceless holdings. In addition to analysis the paper offers some recommendations for overcoming the impact of future disasters on the holdings of these libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on survey and interviews that was done with librarians, archives, managers from the Middle East. Findings – The paper presented the result of trying to find if libraries, and archives has disaster planning or no. ...
Effect of Break-In and Operating Conditions on Piston Ring and Cylinder Bore Wear in Spark-Ignition Engines

A radiotracer method has been developed to measure piston ring and cylinder bore wear rates in spark-ignition (SI) engines. The method has sufficient sensitivity to measure ring and bore wear rates in real time during normal operating conditions. This work reports measurements on the rates of break-in and steady-state wear of piston rings and cylinder bores during a variety of engine operating conditions. Results show that piston ring break-in is minimal and that ring wear rates are constant at steady-state engine operation. The key factor affecting ring wear is engine brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). Ring wear behavior is repeatable for a given engine type and between two different engine designs. Cylinder bore wear is dominated by initial break-in, cold-start wear, and changes in operating conditions. Wear of the cylinder bore during steady-state operating conditions is very low when compared to break-in and changes in conditions. Both piston ring and cylinder bore wear rates as measured by the radiotracer method are reasonable when compared with long-term wear observed in vehicle tests.
Hemoproteins, ligands, and quanta.

As with other quantitative subjects, there is no obvious end point in the study of heme-ligand interactions, which has advanced quickly following each technical innovation and slowly while waiting for significant new methods to appear. Major advances in laser technology in recent years have opened a new range of time scales in describing heme-ligand interactions. It lends a certain concreteness to recall that a flash lasting 1 ns is about a foot long, and so a picosecond flash is about 1/100 of an inch. The shortest flashes used so far with hemoproteins have been about 2/1000 of an inch long. These laser methods are about to be supplemented by the powerful tool of site-directed mutagenesis. At present then, one major advance has taken place, and another is just beginning. There is large literature on kinetics of hemoprotein reactions. The older literature should be accessible through the two reviews cited (Gibson, 1959, 1978), and the modern work from the reference lists of the handful of recent papers quoted. Recent progress in the field has not depended on the work of any single individual but derives from the accumulation of data by many investigators. In many cases, several workers might fairly be mentioned; in general, results have frequently been quoted without citation to avoid a large and perhaps unfair reference list.
Comment, Regulation and Investors' Trust in the Securities Markets

This comment focuses on the relationship between investors' trust and government market regulation. The costs of regulation may be a barrier to issuers; however, when market prices rise, government regulation relaxes, and when prices fall, regulation becomes stricter. Regulated financial institutions benefit from regulation, by offering issuers and investors government support in their efforts to gain investors' trust and for other reasons. Regulation may be less meaningful to investors during rising markets and more meaningful after a crash because investors use prices as a surrogate for market integrity. Investors do not have appeared to have fled the markets in the last thirty years as they did in the 1930s, possibly because some have been locked into investments for tax benefits, and some have fled the equity markets for banks. Thus, investors do not react to falling prices as they did in the past. If investors' trust wanes, a change to a corporate culture of honesty may restore it.
Refining the footwall cooling history of a rift flank uplift, Rio Grande rift, New Mexico

[1] Apatite fission track (AFT) and (U-Th)/He data from the Sandia Mountains and Hagan embayment provide new insights into the thermal and tectonic evolution of the eastern flank of the Rio Grande rift in northern New Mexico. AFT and (U-Th)/He data reveal rapid cooling in the Sandia Mountains between 22 and 17 Ma, followed by a decrease in cooling rate at 16 to 14 Ma that temporally corresponds to a hiatus in deposition in the Albuquerque basin. A second increase in cooling rate at approximately 14 Ma was followed by continued slow cooling until present. Cooling ages from Jurassic to Permian sandstones in the Hagan embayment northeast of the Sandia Mountains are used to constrain the thermal conditions in Oligocene time that are necessary to map cooling histories into exhumation histories, thereby providing a limit on the amount of section removed during rift flank development. Thermal modeling, geologic constraints, and low-temperature thermochronology are used to demonstrate that the heat flow in the Sandia Mountain region was at least 25 mW/m2 higher during Oligocene time compared to today. Furthermore, at least 3.1 km of material has been exhumed from the Sandia Mountains and 2.4 km of rock uplift occurred during flexural tilting of the block since middle Miocene time.
Dereliction of Duty: Training Schools for Delinquent Parents in the 1940s

Parental culpability for juvenile delinquency has permeated social welfare thought and practice throughout U.S. history. This article presents a case study of one Midwestern municipality’s efforts to create a training school for parents as a remedy for delinquency in the 1940s. The case study illustrates how city leaders attempted to put theory about delinquency causation into practice by forging a collaborative intervention strategy among various community partners including public schools, social welfare agencies, and law enforcement. In light of the case study, this article examines historical and contemporary efforts to punish parents of juvenile delinquents.
Personality and Legislative Politics: The Big Five Trait Dimensions Among U.S. State Legislators

The impact of personality traits on people's attitudes and behaviors is widely recognized, yet systematic attention to personality in large-N research on elected officials has been rare. Among psychologists, five-factor frameworks that focus on openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability have gained tremendous prominence in the past two decades. Applications of these frameworks to the study of mass political behavior have been highly fruitful, but corresponding applications in the study of legislators have been rare. In an effort to assess the utility of a Big Five approach in the study of legislative politics, this article addresses three questions: whether elected officials will be willing to provide personality self-assessments, whether any data they do provide will exhibit meaningful variance, and whether the Big Five trait dimensions will correspond with patterns in respondents' attitudes and behaviors. These questions are addressed using data from members of the state legislatures in Arizona, Connecticut, and Maine. Results provide considerable grounds for optimism regarding the likely utility of more extensive applications of the Big Five in research on elected officials.
Evidence that Candida albicans binds via a unique adhesion system on phagocytic cells in the marginal zone of the mouse spleen.

We recently demonstrated by using an ex vivo adhesion assay that Candida albicans yeast cells exhibit a unique binding affinity for the marginal zone of the spleen. This binding event provides a working model for studying mechanisms of organ dissemination of the fungus from the blood. By using the ex vivo assays reported here, we showed by bright-field and electron microscopic techniques that mouse spleen marginal zone cells capable of ingesting India ink particles are also involved in yeast cell attachment. During splenic clearance of yeast cells from the circulation in vivo, C. albicans is also associated exclusively with marginal zone cells capable of ingesting India ink. The ability to ingest the ink particles is not necessarily related to yeast cell adherence, because the fungal cells did not bind to phagocytic cells in the splenic red pulp. In fact, the marginal zone phagocytic cells appear to have a unique binding system, because yeast cells also did not bind to phagocytes in other tissues, such as the thymus and peritoneum, or to seven different myeloid cell lines. In addition, antibodies to a number of well-characterized murine adhesion molecules, such as leukocyte integrins, LECAM-1, and CD44, had no effect on binding. On the basis of these results, we propose that splenic marginal zone phagocytes express a novel adhesion system that involves either a unique adhesion molecule or previously described adhesion molecules with unique binding activities. Images
Quantitative methods in medical imaging

Measurement and comparison of medical images is of growing importance for several reasons: (1) as medical imaging becomes ever more digital, and networks and archives of images proliferate, the opportunity will create the need; (2) automated approaches to treatment design, dose measurement, and surgery planning are emerging from the laboratory and entering limited clinical use; and (3) a greater variety of users wants to employ the reliable and repeatable methodology that seems to be offered by the automated methods. Image-processing tools give us some characterization of shape, size, texture, color, depth and three-dimensionality. Combined with properties of the imaging modality and knowledge of anatomy, they yield quantitative descriptions that are useful in differential diagnosis. What has received little attention, however, is the need for benchmarking and evaluation of the various methods available. Almost nothing has been done to ensure the comparability of reported results. The user interface, which may be the clinician's only contact with the application system, has not claimed appreciably more study by system designers than benchmarking. As the need grows to justify the expense of imaging, analysis of its benefits will have to be measured, but until good criteria exist for assessing the imaging system, there cannot be a reliable way to measure outcomes. Equally, use of images from other sites for teaching and research will be impeded in the absence of such metrics. This paper outlines the problem and suggests some steps that can be taken to bring real quantification to medical imaging. >
Effect of the wild-type tall fescue endophyte on growth rate and feed consumption in nulliparous meat goat does

Abstract Tall fescue is one of the primary pasture forages used to manage goats in the United States. Data are limited on how the wild-type endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) found in most tall fescue stands affects meat goat performance. In two experiments across four summers, nulliparous yearling does were fed diets containing tall fescue seed to assess the effect of endophyte infection on goat growth and feed intake. In Experiment 1, does were fed endophyte-infected or endophyte-free tall fescue seeds added to the diets for 10 weeks. Feed refusals were weighed daily. The endophyte-infected diet reduced (P
Patients With Greater Symptom Intensity and More Disability are More Likely to be Surprised by a Hand Surgeon’s Advice

Background A clash between a patient’s assumptions and a doctor’s advice can feel adversarial which might influence satisfaction ratings and compliance with treatment recommendations. A better understanding of sources of patients’ bewilderment might lead to improved strategies for conveying counterintuitive information that improve patient comfort and wellbeing.
(Reactive) templated grain growth of textured sodium bismuth titanate (Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3-BaTiO3) ceramics - II dielectric and piezoelectric properties

(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3-BaTiO3 ( pc orientation were fabricated by Templated Grain Growth (TGG) or Reactive Templated Grain Growth (RTGG) using tabular SrTiO3 template particles. The maximum electrically-induced strain was 0.26% at 70 kV/cm. d33 coefficients over 500 pC/N were obtained for highly textured samples (f∼ 90%) when driven at high electric fields. Under these conditions, the materials show considerable hysteresis in the strain—field response, even after poling. Berlincourt piezoelectric coefficients for the same samples gave d33 of 200 pC/N.
Mechanistic insights into reprogramming to induced pluripotency

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be generated from various embryonic or adult cell types upon expression of a set of few transcription factors, most commonly consisting of Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc and Klf4, following a strategy originally published by Takahashi and Yamanaka in 2006 (Takahashi and Yamanaka, 2006). Since iPS cells are molecularly and functionally similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells, they provide a source of patient-specific pluripotent cells for regenerative medicine and disease modeling, and therefore have generated enormous scientific and public interest. The generation of iPS cells also presents a powerful tool for dissecting mechanisms that stabilize the differentiated state and are required for the establishment of pluripotency. In this review, we discuss our current view of the molecular mechanisms underlying transcription factor-mediated reprogramming to induced pluripotency.
Chronic blockade of dopamine receptors by antischizophrenic drugs enhances GABA binding in substantia nigra

Antischizophrenic drugs exert their primary effects through blockade of dopamine (DA) receptors in the central nervous system (CNS)1–3. However, because of intricate interconnections between neural pathways, alteration of DA function in the CNS can lead to changes in the function of other neurotrans-mitters. In the basal ganglia, the turnover and utilisation of several neurotransmitters, including γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)4–6, are indirectly influenced by nigrostriatal DA activity7–10. However, although attention has been focused on changes in DA receptors11,12, relatively little is known about changes in receptors for other transmitters after chronic anti-schizophrenic drug treatment. It is likely that changes occurring one or more synapses removed from the drugs' primary site of action may account for some of the time-dependent changes in the therapeutic and adverse clinical effects of antischizophrenic drugs13,14. In the substantia nigra (SN), a reduction in GABAergic inhibitory tone and a possible increase in the release of excitatory transmitter such as substance P are effects which seem to accompany the acute blockade of striatal DA receptors15. Recent studies have shown that a chronic decrease in GABA function in the SN, through the destruction of stria-tonigral pathways16,17, produces an increase in the number of GABA binding sites in the SN14,45. Therefore, if a relative deficit of GABA transmission in the SN were to be maintained by chronic antischizophrenic drug treatment, an increase in nigral GABA binding might occur. To investigate this possibility, two classical prototype antischizophrenic drugs (chlorpromazine and haloperidol) were examined for their effects on specific GABA binding in the SN and striatum of rats. These effects were compared with those of clozapine, an antischizophrenic drug with an atypical biochemical and clinical profile4,18–23. The data obtained, and reported here, support the hypothesis that chronic blockade of dopamine receptors by classical anti-schizophrenic drugs enhances GABA binding in the SN. This effect may be related to the extrapyramidal side effects associated with classical antischizophrenic drug treatment13.
Tethered thoracic cord resulting from spinal cord herniation

Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) usually involves tethering of the lower cord at the conus medullaris from dural abnormalities, but may occur after spinal cord herniation. A tethered thoracic spinal cord is rare. We present an unusual case of a 30-year-old woman with a history of myelopathy presumed to be secondary to T6 cord compression resulting from T6-T8 arachnoid cyst. She continued to deteriorate after partial excision of the cyst. Repeat magnetic resonance imaging suggested recurrence of the presumed arachnoid cyst with cord compression and showed tethering at T6-T8. Surgical exploration revealed myelocele with cord herniation through the anterior thoracic dura. Pathologic diagnosis showed neural tissue with gliosis. After physical therapy treatments, the patient had increased lower extremity strength, ambulated with a cane, and regained some bladder control. Progressive myelopathy may represent tethering of the cord resulting from cord herniation. Early recognition of TCS, even in patients with minimal neurologic deficits, could prevent progressive disability.
X-ray spatial frequency heterodyne imaging of protein-based nanobubble contrast agents

Spatial Frequency Heterodyne Imaging (SFHI) is a novel x-ray scatter imaging technique that utilizes nanoparticle contrast agents. The enhanced sensitivity of this new technique relative to traditional absorption-based x-ray radiography makes it promising for applications in biomedical and materials imaging. Although previous studies on SFHI have utilized only metal nanoparticle contrast agents, we show that nanomaterials with a much lower electron density are also suitable. We prepared protein-based “nanobubble” contrast agents that are comprised of protein cage architectures filled with gas. Results show that these nanobubbles provide contrast in SFHI comparable to that of gold nanoparticles of similar size.