cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Workplace incivility against women in STEM: Insights and best practices

Abstract As demonstrated by both empirical and non-empirical research, women are more likely than men to be a target of workplace incivility. This manifests in a variety of negative outcomes for female employees, including turnover intentions, poor performance, and higher levels of stress. The problem is exacerbated for women in STEM fields due to factors unique to these industries. Herein, we outline the unique characteristics of STEM organizations that can foster the creation and sustenance of an atmosphere promoting workplace incivility against female employees. Then, we provide five best practice recommendations geared toward reducing incivility, improving work climate, and promoting overall retention of women in STEM.
Recent trends of capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry in proteomics research

Progress in proteomics research has led to a demand for powerful analytical tools with high separation efficiency and sensitivity for confident identification and quantification of proteins, posttranslational modifications, and protein complexes expressed in cells and tissues. This demand has significantly increased interest in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) in the past few years. This review provides highlights of recent advances in CE-MS for proteomics research, including a short introduction to top-down mass spectrometry and native mass spectrometry (native MS), as well as a detailed overview of CE methods. Both the potential and limitations of these methods for the analysis of proteins and peptides in synthetic and biological samples and the challenges of CE methods are discussed, along with perspectives about the future direction of CE-MS. @ 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 00:1-16, 2019.
Failure mechanisms of medical implants and their effects on outcomes

Abstract This chapter is a current update discussing the mechanisms that are responsible for implant failure following clinical use. The main emphasis of this chapter includes discussions pertaining to the mechanical and biological factors that can influence the in vivo survival of medical implants. Some of the most advanced cutting-edge characterization techniques are discussed keeping in mind future iterations of implants for clinical use. One of the main challenges with newer medical devices and technologies is the translation of research data from in vitro to in vivo environments. In addition to traditional implant materials, the introduction of hybrid biomaterials that incorporate biological/organic with nonbiological/inorganic substrates adds new challenges to study their failure mechanisms. A brief discussion related to the clinical aspects that can influence implant failures, ethical issues pertaining to failure mechanisms, and statistical techniques that can be helpful are included in this chapter. A section pertaining to some of the ethical issues associated with this topic is discussed along with a perspective on the emergence of newer classes of regenerative technologies.
Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Asymptomatic Middle-Aged Men Is Associated With Routine Blood-Based Biomarkers

Background The use of circulating clinically routine biomarkers and volitional physical activity using wristband accelerometry in preclinical middle-aged adults may provide sensitive measures of physical function and predict sooner the onset of age- and HIV-related physical decline. Methods Nested cross-sectional cohort study of adult men 50-65 years old with HIV infection on potent antiretroviral therapy and uninfected control participants within the Boston metropolitan area. Gait speed derived from wristband accelerometry, gait speed derived from a standardized 6-minute walk test, cellular immune biomarker levels (CD4 T cell, CD8 T cell), and serum anabolic biomarker levels (total and free testosterone, and sex-hormone-binding globulin) were measured. Results Of the five measured biomarkers, four were significantly associated with volitional gait speed based on accelerometry, whereas only one was associated with gait speed based on the 6-minute walk test collected in a laboratory environment. Conclusion Levels of selected immune and anabolic biomarkers were associated with volitional physical activity in middle-aged individuals. Digital and circulating biomarkers may be useful in future studies designed to identify presymptomatic individuals at increased risk for age- and HIV-associated functional decline.
Clarifying the Contours of the Police Legitimacy Measurement Debate: a Response to Cao and Graham

With the emergence of police legitimacy as a major indicator of good policing, scholars have continued to push our conceptual understanding of this construct. In recent years, a debate has emerged about whether four factors—lawfulness, procedural justice, distributive justice, and effectiveness—are possible sources of legitimacy judgments (Tyler in Annual Review of Psychology 57, 375–400, 2006) or actual components of legitimacy (Tankebe in Criminology 51, 103–135, 2013). My goal in the present paper is review the contours of this debate.
Evaluation of two in silico programs for predicting mutagenicity and carcinogenicity potential for 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI) and known metabolites

4-Methylimidazole (4-MeI) is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound that is used in the manufacture of chemicals, dyes and pharmaceuticals and may be found in a variety of foods following form...
Suzuki-Miyaura coupling catalyzed by a Ni(II) PNP pincer complex: Scope and mechanistic insights

Abstract The nickel(II) pincer complex, [NiCl(PhPNP)] (PhPNP = anion of 2,5-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)pyrrole), has been employed as a precatalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides and boronic acids. Both electron-rich and electron-deficient aromatic bromides were found to undergo coupling with boronic acids in modest yield at elevated temperature in the presence of K3PO4·H2O. Preliminary mechanistic studies of the reaction identified a novel species formulated as the boronate complex, [Ni(OB{OH}{2-tolyl})(PhPNP)], which most likely represents a catalyst deactivation pathway. The productive catalytic cycle was found to be most consistent with a Ni(I)/Ni(III) process where the boronic acid serves as both reductant and nucleophile in the presence of base.
Administration of TGF-ß Inhibitor Mitigates Radiation-induced Fibrosis in a Mouse Model.

BACKGROUND Radiation-induced fibrosis is a long-term adverse effect of external beam radiation therapy for cancer treatment that can cause pain, loss of function, and decreased quality of life. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is believed to be critical to the development of radiation-induced fibrosis, and TGF-β inhibition decreases the development of fibrosis. However, no treatment exists to prevent radiation-induced fibrosis. Therefore, we aimed to mitigate the development of radiation-induced fibrosis in a mouse model by inhibiting TGF-β. QUESTION/PURPOSES Does TGF-β inhibition decrease the development of muscle fibrosis induced by external beam radiation in a mouse model? METHODS Twenty-eight 12-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were assigned randomly to three groups: irradiated mice treated with TGF-βi, irradiated mice treated with placebo, and control mice that received neither irradiation nor treatment. The irradiated mice received one 50-Gy fraction of radiation to the right hindlimb before treatment initiation. Mice treated with TGF-c (n = 10) received daily intraperitoneal injections of a small-molecule inhibitor of TGF-β (1 mg/kg) in a dimethyl sulfoxide vehicle for 8 weeks (seven survived to histologic analysis). Mice treated with placebo (n = 10) received daily intraperitoneal injections of only a dimethyl sulfoxide vehicle for 8 weeks (10 survived to histologic analysis). Control mice (n = 8) received neither radiation nor TGF-β treatment. Control mice were euthanized at 3 months because they were not expected to exhibit any changes related to treatment. Mice in the two treatment groups were euthanized 9 months after radiation, and the quadriceps of each thigh was sampled. Masson's trichome stain was used to assess muscle fibrosis. Slides were viewed at 10 × magnification using bright-field microscopy, and in a blinded fashion, five representative images per mouse were used to quantify fibrosis. The mean ± SD fibrosis pixel densities in the TGF-βi and radiation-only groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests. The ratio of fibrosis to muscle was calculated using the mean fibrosis per slide in the TGF-βi group to standardize measurements. Alpha was set at 0.05. RESULTS The mean (± SD) percentage of fibrosis per slide was greater in the radiation-only group (1.2% ± 0.42%) than in the TGF-βi group (0.14% ± 0.09%) (odds ratio 0.12 [95% CI 0.07 to 0.20]; p < 0.001). Among control mice, mean fibrosis was 0.05% ± 0.02% per slide. Mice in the radiation-only group had 9.1 times the density of fibrosis as did mice in the TGF-βi group. CONCLUSION Our study provides preliminary evidence that the fibrosis associated with radiation therapy to a quadriceps muscle can be reduced by treatment with a TGF-β inhibitor in a mouse model. CLINICAL RELEVANCE If these observations are substantiated by further investigation into the role of TGF-β inhibition on the development of radiation-induced fibrosis in larger animal models and humans, our results may aid in the development of novel therapies to mitigate this complication of radiation treatment.
Haemophilus influenzae persists in biofilm communities in a smoke-exposed ferret model of COPD.

Rationale Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx and upper airways that can cause opportunistic infections of the airway mucosa including bronchopulmonary infections in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is clear that opportunistic infections contribute significantly to inflammatory exacerbations of COPD; however, there remains much to be learned regarding specific host and microbial determinants of persistence and/or clearance in this context. Methods In this study, we used a recently described ferret model for COPD, in which animals undergo chronic long-term exposure to cigarette smoke, to define host–pathogen interactions during COPD-related NTHi infections. Results NTHi bacteria colonised the lungs of smoke-exposed animals to a greater extent than controls, and elicited acute host inflammation and neutrophilic influx and activation, along with a significant increase in airway resistance and a decrease in inspiratory capacity consistent with inflammatory exacerbation; notably, these findings were not observed in air-exposed control animals. NTHi bacteria persisted within multicellular biofilm communities within the airway lumen, as evidenced by immunofluorescent detection of bacterial aggregates encased within a sialylated matrix as is typical of NTHi biofilms and differential bacterial gene expression consistent with the biofilm mode of growth. Conclusions Based on these results, we conclude that acute infection with NTHi initiates inflammatory exacerbation of COPD disease. The data also support the widely held hypothesis that NTHi bacteria persist within multicellular biofilm communities in the lungs of patients with COPD.
The declining earnings gap between young women and men in the United States, 1979-2018

We examine the dynamics of the gender earnings gap over the 1979 to 2018 period among full-time workers aged 25-29, focusing on the role of marital status and the presence of children. Using data from multiple years of the Current Population Survey, we find that the earnings gap declined among all groups of men and women, and by 2018 there was earnings parity among the those who were not married and without children. The share of people in this group also grew over the period, and comprised a majority of both men and women by 2018. We also find that while marriage was associated with lower earnings among women in 1979, by 2018 it was associated with higher earnings, suggesting greater positive selection of women with high earnings potential into marriage. The positive association between marriage and earnings among men remained stable. While we found a persistent earnings penalty for having children among women over the period, we found an emerging dampening effect of having children over time among men, which suggests that greater participation in childcare among men has led to lower earnings than in the past (i.e., a causal connection) and/or an emerging selection effect of young men more interested in childrearing over time, perhaps reflecting a cultural shift.
Robotic Surgery for Male Infertility

The robotic platform offers theoretical and practical advantages to microsurgical male infertility surgery. These include reduction or elimination of tremor, 3-dimensional visualization, and decreased need for skilled surgical assistance. This article reviews the application of robotic surgery to each of the 4 primary male infertility procedures: vasectomy reversal, varicocelectomy, testicular sperm extraction, and spermatic cord denervation. Historical perspective is presented alongside the available outcomes data, which are limited in most cases. Before the robotic approach can be widely adopted, further clinical trials are needed to compare outcomes and costs with those of other validated surgical techniques.
Distributed configuration formation with modular robots using (sub)graph isomorphism-based approach

We consider the problem of configuration formation in modular robot systems where a set of modules that are initially in different configurations and located at different locations are required to assume appropriate positions so that they can get into a new, user-specified, target configuration. We propose a novel algorithm based on (sub)graph isomorphism, where the modules select locations or spots in the target configuration using a utility-based framework, while retaining their original configuration to the greatest extent possible, to reduce the time and energy required by the modules to disconnect and connect multiple times to form the target configuration. We have shown analytically that our proposed algorithm is complete and guarantees a Pareto-optimal allocation. Experimental simulations of our algorithm with different numbers of modules in different initial configurations and located initially at different locations, show that the planning time of our algorithm is nominal (order of msec for 100 modules). We have also compared our algorithm against a market-based allocation algorithm and shown that our proposed algorithm performs better in terms of time and number of messages exchanged.
Review of Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology

Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology, is published on the heels of biographical and semi- autobiographical accounts of forensic anthropologists Clyde Collins Snow (I), Douglas Ubelaker (2) and, William Maples (3). It is singularly different from these volumes. With the exception of the 1980 New Mexico Prison Riot, Bon Voyage is not a tale of high profile cases, but the nuts and bolts, cases seen by the majority of forensic anthropologists. In Rhine'B words, cases that “… bristle with instructive examples to be plucked like so many feathers from a chicken.” The volume consists of 10 chapters and numerous photos and is also accompanied by drawings from Rhine's own forensic reports.
The Trial of Charles Guiteau: An Account

A sense of having been wronged, together with a warped idea of political duty, brought Charles Julius Guiteau to the Baltimore and Potomac Station in Washington on July 2, 1881. On that same Saturday morning, President James Abram Garfield strode into the station to catch the 9:30 A.M. limited express, which was to take him to the commencement ceremonies of his alma mater, Williams College - and from there, Garfield planned to head off on a much-awaited vacation. He never made the 9:30. Within seconds of entering the station, Garfield was felled by two of Guiteau's bullets, the opening act in what be a drama that included rising and then falling hopes for the President's recovery, the most celebrated insanity trial of the century, and finally civil service reform that backers hoped might discourage future disappointed patronage seekers from taking revengeful actions.
Supergraphity: (I). Background field formalism

Abstract We describe the background field formalism in superfield supergravity. This formalism makes calculations of one-loop quantities no more difficult than corresponding calculations in QCD. Unlike component methods, which violate manifest global supersymmetry with non-supersymmetric gauge conditions, our techniques, in conjunction with those described in previous papers, also allow the straightforward calculation of higher loops.
Little River Experimental Watershed, Tifton, Georgia, United States : A historical geographic database of conservation practice implementation

[1] The Little River Experimental Watershed located in the headwaters of the Upper Suwannee River basin is one of twelve national benchmark watersheds participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Effects Assessment Project–Watershed Assessment Studies (CEAP-WAS). Historical paper files and maps (circa 1980–2006) were collected and used to develop a geographic database of conservation practices supported by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. The CEAP-WAS database can be queried by conservation practice, total acreages enrolled, year of implementation, and location. The CEAP-WAS database is integral to understanding the links between conservation practice implementation and placement with observed changes in hydrologic processes within a small southern Coastal Plain watershed. All associated geographic information has been provided in shapefile format and has been projected into universal transverse Mercator coordinates (zone 17), using NAD83 as the datum and GRS80 as the ellipsoid. Data may be accessed via ftp://www.tiftonars.org/, archived in a folder named ceap_data.
Evaluation of pelleted aspen foliage as a ruminant feedstuff

Growth and digestion trials were made to determine the nutritive value of pelleted aspen (Populus tremuloides) foliage as a dietary ingredient for sheep. Lambs offered diets without or with 25, 50 and 75% aspen leaves, with lucerne as the other dietary ingredient, ate less and gained less weight as the proportion of aspen leaves in the diet increased (P less than 0.05). Digestibility coefficients for DM, organic matter, crude protein, gross energy, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, hemicellulose and cellulose decreased linearly (P less than 0.01) as the percentage of aspen foliage eaten increased. Calculated digestibility of individual aspen leaf components gave values as low as 16.6 and 13% for crude protein and cellulose, respectively. Coefficients of determination for the linear regressions indicated no associative effects between lucerne and aspen leaves. Due to the depressed value for crude protein digestibility, the amount of acid detergent fibre-insoluble nitrogen was estimated. Over 50% of the total N in aspen foliage was bound to the acid detergent fibre fraction, reflecting the presence of heat-damaged protein, tannin-protein complexes that are unavailable for digestion or both. After adjustment for unavailable N, the crude protein digestibility of aspen foliage was 61.5%. Balances of 10 mineralsmore » were estimated during the digestion trial. Negative mineral balances for the 75% aspen leaf diet suggest that the lambs were in a nutrient deficient condition when fed on this diet. 29 references.« less
SWAHILI TALK ABOUT SUPERNATURAL SODOMY

Since the 1960s, Swahili-speakers on the coast of Tanzania have talked about attacks by Popobawa, a supernatural creature said to sodomize his victims. This article examines both narratives and metadiscourse about Popobawa. I examine two salient features of this contemporary legend: intertextuality and a narrative frame that obligates Popobawa victims to spread the legend. People use Popobawa discourse for both conservative and transgressive purposes, not only reflecting and spreading moral panics about deviant sexualities and the violation of gender norms but also creating opportunities for Swahili-speakers to violate those very norms.
Configurable platforms with dynamic platform management: an efficient alternative to application-specific system-on-chips

Emerging trends in system design indicate that in the future, a large role will be played by System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms consisting of general-purpose, configurable components. Commercially available SoC platforms provide some degrees of configurability, most of which are limited to one-time (static) customization of platform hardware. However, with increasing application diversity, time-varying requirements, and the convergence of multiple applications on the same platform, there is a growing need for SoC platforms that can be dynamically configured in order to adapt to changing requirements. In this paper, we propose general-purpose, dynamically configurable, SoC platforms featuring multiple configurability options, and illustrate their advantages over existing design styles. We survey technologies that aim at providing dynamically configurable platform components (e.g., processors, caches, memory sub-systems, bus architectures), and associated techniques for exploiting such configurability. In particular, we illustrate how run-time platform customization of configurable, general-purpose platforms using Dynamic Platform Management techniques (using a dual-access UMTS/WLAN security processing system as a case study) can achieve significant improvements in overall system performance and energy-efficiency.
Acute effect of clonidine on gastric emptying in patients with diabetic gastropathy and controls

Background: The treatments available for diabetic gastropathy are frequently ineffective. Clinical observations suggest that clonidine, an a-2 adrenergic agonist, may improve diabetic gastropathy symptoms. Aims: To establish whether a single oral dose of clonidine alters the gastric emptying of a solid meal in 10 patients with diabetic gastropathy and their matched controls. A secondary goal was to compare two methods of analysis of the data from gastric emptying studies. Methods: Clonidine, 0.3 mg, or a matched placebo were administered orally in a double-blind fashion. Results: Only three of the 10 patients showed an increased gastric residual volume. Gastric emptying rates were comparable in patients and controls. Clonidine had no significant effect on gastric emptying in the controls but increased t1/2 values in the patient group. This effect just reached statistical significance only when calculated by the power exponential method (P=0.05 but not by the linear component model. Conclusions: Delayed gastric emptying is not an invariable characteristic of symptomatic diabetic gastropathy. Clonidine, given as a single dose of 0.3 mg orally, has no gastric prokinetic effects. It may act on gastric afferent innervation or, more likely, at a central site to reduce nausea and vomiting. The analysis of gastric emptying data by the power exponential and the two linear component methods yields equivalent results.
SYSTEMATICALLY MISCLASSIFIED BINARY DEPENDENT VARIABLES.

ABSTRACTWhen a binary dependent variable is misclassified, that is, recorded in the category other than where it really belongs, probit and logit estimates are biased and inconsistent. In some cases, the probability of misclassification may vary systematically with covariates, and thus be endogenous. In this paper, we develop an estimation approach that corrects for endogenous misclassification, validate our approach using a simulation study, and apply it to the analysis of a treatment program designed to improve family dynamics. Our results show that endogenous misclassification could lead to potentially incorrect conclusions unless corrected using an appropriate technique.
Control of Smooth Muscle Cell Function by Membrane‐Type Matrix Metalloproteinases

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) express membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases-1 and -3 (MT1- and MT3-MMPs). Expression is induced by PDGF in culture or by balloon injury in rat carotid arteries. In this study, we tried to define their functions in SMCs by transducing MT1- and MT3-MMP cDNAs into baboon-cultured SMCs, using adenoviral vectors. Overexpression of MT1-MMP increased the conversion of proMMP-2 to the activated form. In contrast, in MT3-MMP overexpressing cells, MMP-2 activation was partial. However, both MT1- and MT3-MMP overexpression elicited morphological alterations (cell rounding), which was prevented by BB94 addition. The cells, which underwent this change, showed reduced adhesion to matrices and increased migration in a Boyden chamber.
Molecular weight and sequence complexity of δ-crystallin mRNA

Abstract δ-Crystallin mRNA, isolated from lens fibers of 15-day-old embryonic chicks, has a mol. wt of 680 000 as determined by its migration in formamide polyacrylamide gels. This value, which corresponds to about 2200 nucleotides, is consistent with the observed sedimentation value of approximately 17 S. Radioactive δ-crystallin cDNA has been synthesized in vitro by avian myeloblastosis virus RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, and the kinetics of the reaction between the [ 3 H]cDNA and excess δ-crystallin mRNA have been analyzed to determine the sequence complexity of the mRNA. The results indicate that δ-crystallin mRNA is composed primarily of a single species with a sequence complexity of 2200–2500 nucleotides. This suggests that the frequently observed heterogeneity of δ-crystallin may be due to post-translational modifications of a single subunit.
Considerations on the Kaufman approach to binary phase diagram calculation

The Kaufman approach to phase equilibria involving primarily the fcc, bcc and hcp phases was examined outside the Group Nos. 4 to 10 range where it is customarily employed. The “stability parameters” (ΔH and ΔS of transformation) for most elements in the Group Nos. 1 to 3 region were found to fit satisfactorily the correlation curves of stability parametervs group no.; some of the parameters for Al, Be, Mg and Ti, however, did not. The rare earth parameters fit well in the Group No. 3.5 position they were expected to occupy. A sample phase diagram calculated between two Group 1 elements was in good agreement with experiment. Phase boundaries of fcc +bcc regions adjacent to terminal solid solutions in several Group 1/Group 2 and Group 1/Group 3 systems, on the other hand, were quite unsatisfactory. This difficulty was traced to the high, positive regular solution constants calculated for both phases. Such constants were shown to result from the downward concavity of a plot of enthalpy of vaporizationvs Group No. in the Nos. 1 to 3 region; in the Nos. 4 to 10 range this plot is concave upward.
Distinguished Lecture: Recent Work in the Decipherment of Palenque's Hieroglyphic Inscriptions

This essay was delivered as the Distinguished Lecture at the 89th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, December 1, 1990, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Female cooing promotes ovarian development in ring doves

In female ring doves (Streptopelia risoria), hearing their own coos promoted greater follicular growth than hearing males coo, as demonstrated by the playback of various coos to experimentally muted females, under normal conditions. This difference in follicular growth suggests that the females' own cooing, not the males' cooing, stimulates the ovarian response.
Mutualistic Biofilm Communities Develop with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Initial, Early, and Late Colonizers of Enamel

Porphyromonas gingivalis is present in dental plaque as early as 4 h after tooth cleaning, but it is also associated with periodontal disease, a late-developing event in the microbial successions that characterize daily plaque development. We report here that P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 is remarkable in its ability to interact with a variety of initial, early, middle, and late colonizers growing solely on saliva. Integration of P. gingivalis into multispecies communities was investigated by using two in vitro biofilm models. In flow cells, bacterial growth was quantified using fluorescently conjugated antibodies against each species, and static biofilm growth on saliva-submerged polystyrene pegs was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR using species-specific primers. P. gingivalis could not grow as a single species or together with initial colonizer Streptococcus oralis but showed mutualistic growth when paired with two other initial colonizers, Streptococcus gordonii and Actinomyces oris, as well as with Veillonella sp. (early colonizer), Fusobacterium nucleatum (middle colonizer), and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (late colonizer). In three-species flow cells, P. gingivalis grew with Veillonella sp. and A. actinomycetemcomitans but not with S. oralis and A. actinomycetemcomitans. Also, it grew with Veillonella sp. and F. nucleatum but not with S. oralis and F. nucleatum, indicating that P. gingivalis and S. oralis are not compatible. However, P. gingivalis grew in combination with S. gordonii and S. oralis, demonstrating its ability to overcome the incompatibility when cultured with a second initially colonizing species. Collectively, these data help explain the observed presence of P. gingivalis at all stages of dental plaque development.
Theoretical and therapeutic considerations for the anxiety disorders.

Everyone is familiar with that paralyzing state of dread known as anxiety. Although it is unpleasant, the experience of anxiety has adaptive aspects: it can serve as an impetus to effect beneficial life change and can facilitate psychological development. Anxiety becomes of clinical concern, however, when it interferes with intellectual function, or arrests normal social or vocational pursuits. Anxiety disorders are chronic illnesses. Treatment can eliminate many of the disease's debilitating features, but the underlying disorder is not usually cured. Discontinuation of treatment—pharmacological, behavioral, or both—often results in the recurrence of symptoms. The focus of treatment, therefore, generally centers on striking a balance between the goal of alleviating the patient's symptoms, and the need to avoid the deleterious effects which result from long-term treatment (1). The intention of this paper is to review theoretical and therapeutic considerations for four types of anxiety disorder: panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In doing this, emphasis will be placed on the physiological concomitants and, when possible, neuropsychological bases of these illnesses. Furthermore, pharmacological treatment will be related to the underlying substrata of the disorder whenever possible.
Regulating a uniter: control of mitofusin 2 expression

This editorial refers to ‘The promoter activity of human Mfn2 depends on Sp1 in vascular smooth muscle cells’ by E. Sorianello et al. , pp. 38–47, this issue. Sorianello et al. 1 provide important new information on the regulation on mitofusin (Mfn)2 expression. Mitochondrial fission and fusion were first described in yeast in the 1990s and found to be processes that are essential to maintain healthy mitochondria. Key findings from this work include that mitochondria continuously divide and fuse (fission and fusion), that fission and fusion are essential to maintain mitochondrial health (although the exact reason for this is a subject of debate), and that mitochondria exist as interconnected networks.2 Fission and fusion occur as frequently as every 2min in yeast, but are thought to occur much more slowly in mammalian cells, taking hours or longer.3,4 There initially had been scepticism that the mitochondria in the highly organized and densely packed cardiac myocyte would be able to undergo fission and fusion, but it is becoming clear that fission and fusion are important processes in all cells.5,6 It is increasingly evident that abnormal fission and fusion contribute to cardiovascular disease.7 OPA1 has been found to be decreased in ischaemic cardiomyopathy, while Mfn1/2 were increased …
Acetylcholine receptor-alpha-bungarotoxin interactions: determination of the region-to-region contacts by peptide-peptide interactions and molecular modeling of the receptor cavity.

Abstract In previous studies from this laboratory, the binding regions of alpha-neurotoxins on human and Torpedo acetylcholine (AcCho) receptors (AcChoRs) and the binding regions for the receptor on the toxin were characterized with synthetic peptides of the respective molecules. In the present work, peptides representing the active regions of one molecule are each allowed to bind to each of the active-region peptides of the other molecule. Thus, the interaction of three alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) synthetic loop peptides with four synthetic peptides representing the toxin-binding regions on human AcChoR permitted the determination of the region-region interactions between alpha-BTX and the human receptor. Based on the known three-dimensional structure of the toxin, the active peptides of the receptor were then assembled to their appropriate toxin-contact regions by computer model building and energy minimization. This allowed the three-dimensional construction of the toxin-binding cavity on human AcChoR. The cavity appears to be conical, 30.5 A in depth, involving several receptor regions that make contact with the alpha-BTX loop regions. One AcChoR region (within residues 125-136) involved in the binding to alpha-BTX also resides in a known AcCho-binding site, thus demonstrating in three dimensions a critical site involved in both AcCho activation and alpha-BTX blocking. The validity of this approach was first established for three of four peptides corresponding to regions on the beta chain of human hemoglobin involved in binding to the alpha chain. Thus, studying the interaction between peptides representing the binding regions of two protein molecules may provide an approach in molecular recognition by which the binding site on one protein can be described if the three-dimensional structure of the other protein is known.
Communications: The world versus RCA: Circumventing the superhet: Because a clearly superior tuning circuit was denied them by a patent award, manufacturers developed both clumsy and elegant alternatives

For about six years during the Roaring Twenties, fledgling radio manufacturers engaged in a desperate competition for customer acceptance. The manufacturer that made it easy for listeners to tune in with a single dial could offer a far more attractive product than one that required manipulation of two, three, and even four dials. And so the engineers at such companies as Atwater Kent, Magnavox, and Crosley struggled to find ways to alter the characteristics of multiple tuning circuits with one control knob. For Radio Corp. of America of New York, as RCA was then known, the solution came readily. The company owned the patents for Edwin H. Armstrong's superheterodyne circuit, which had two manually operated tuning circuits. This superior tuning circuit was protected by a patent award. The author describes the various alternatives other manufacturers developed to solve the problem.
Partial discharge based diagnostics for impurities in insulating fluid

A novel test method for the condition assessment of dielectric fluids is proposed based on measurement of the fluid's partial discharge (PD) characteristics in a needle-plane electrode geometry under AC field using a tungsten needle of 20 μm tip radius and a lowfield electrode blocked by a dielectric barrier. This system facilitates acquisition of partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV), streamer repetition rates, and phase resolved PD (PRPD) patterns without the risk of needle-damaging breakdowns. To demonstrate the approach, PD experiments were conducted on thermally and electrically aged hexadecane and on commercially available paraffinic and naphthenic base oils with typical field-aged concentrations of naturally occurring degradation products.
A Century of Forensic Social Work: Bridging the Past to the Present

This article traces the emergence of forensic social work from the Progressive Era and the founding of the first juvenile court in 1899 to present day policies and practices with victims of violent crimes and with juvenile and adult offenders. Although social workers have been providing outreach to at-risk youths, gang members, offenders, and crime victims for a century, the term "forensic social work" has not previously been widely used. A unifying definition of forensic social work is provided. This article examines the most significant federal initiatives that have provided funding for forensic social workers to reach out to at-risk youths, offenders, and crime victims. It emphasizes the role of forensic social workers in different settings: police departments, juvenile courts, probation departments, adult corrections, and domestic violence and victim assistance programs. This article also includes a discussion of the unique contribution of forensic social workers in advocating for the social service needs of crime victims as well as of offenders. Language: en
Chick Embryo Technique for the Evaluation of Absorption of Radioactive Sodium Iodide from Ointment Bases

In view of the lack of agreement pertaining to the absorption of ingredients from ointment bases, an investigation was conducted to develop a procedure which would be suitable for this type of evaluation. A new method was developed which measures the percentage of absorption of radioactive sodium iodide by 11-day-old chick embryos. Penetration of the isotope was measured from the ointment base through the shell membrane and chorioallantoic membrane of the chick embryo to their thyroid glands.
Deoxygenation of benzaldehyde over CsNaX zeolites

The deoxygenation of benzaldehyde to benzene and toluene was investigated on basic CsNaX, and NaX zeolite catalysts. It was observed that as-prepared CsNaX, containing Cs in excess, displays high activity for direct decarbonylation of benzaldehyde to benzene. However, in parallel with the decarbonylation reaction, condensation of surface products occurs. Therefore, the lower pore volume of catalyst having excess Cs leads to lower catalyst stability. Decomposition of surface condensation products results in further evolution of benzene and toluene. It is observed that gas-phase H2 can play an important role by reducing the residence time of surface intermediates, thus decreasing the amount of condensation products that accumulate and lead to catalyst deactivation. Hydrogen transfer to the condensation surface products accelerates the decomposition of these condensation compounds primarily into toluene. NaX catalyst and washed CsNaX do not exhibit a high initial activity for direct decarbonylation, but rather operate via formation of surface condensation products which subsequently decompose yielding benzene and toluene. The residual acidity present in NaX catalysts causes a faster deactivation for this catalyst than for those containing Cs.
Thermodynamics of the β-Naphthol/Acetamide Phase Diagram by Thermal Analysis Techniques

Thermal analysis has been integrated into our physical chemistry laboratory course in order to allow students to systematically explore the role of composition in determining the physical properties of a binary mixture. The β-naphthol/acetamide system is presented as an interesting starting point for such a project, as it displays a temperature/composition phase diagram which deviates slightly from the simple two-component eutectic picture. Students compare their measured pure-component melting temperatures with literature values, rationalize the observed trends with mixing using freezing-point-depression arguments, and make a literature search of the unique morphological solid phase obseved in analogous studies. This hands-on project is designed to be accompanied by a classroom discussion of multicomponent phase equilibria.
Simulation of borehole sonic waveforms in dipping, anisotropic, and invaded formations

A numerical simulation study has been made of borehole sonic measurements that examined shoulder-bed, anisotropy, and mud-filtrate invasion effects on frequency-dispersion curves of flexural and Stoneley waves. Numerical simulations were considered for a range of models for fast and slow formations. Computations are performed with a Cartesian 3D finite-difference time-domain code. Simulations show that presence of transverse isotropy (TI) alters the dispersion of flexural and Stoneley waves. In slow formations, the flexural wave becomes less dispersive when the shear modulus (c44) governing wave propagation parallel to the TI symmetry axis is lower than the shear modulus (c66) governing wave propagation normal to the TI symmetry axis; conversely, the flexural wave becomes more dispersive when c44 > c66. Dispersion decreases by as much as 30% at higher frequencies for the considered case where c44 c66 and decrease...
Physiology in Phylogeny: Modeling of Mechanical Driving Forces in Cardiac Development

This article explores the heart phylogeny, the development of the heart from embryonic to adult shape. For the shape change from tubular to four-chamber to be initiated, a mechanical twist needs to be present in the embryonic heart tube. The helical shape of the muscle fibers in the embryonic heart is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the transformation to occur. It is also necessary for the excitation pattern to be in the form of a spatiotemporal wave. Such a combination, while producing twist, does not negatively impact the heart's ability to work as a pump.
Antigen-induced conformational changes in antibodies: A problem for structural prediction and design

Recent work has shown that large conformational changes in antibodies can accompany antigen binding. These structural changes can alter dramatically the size, shape and charge distribution in the antigen-binding pocket, and may present problems for accurate modeling of antibody structures.
Root exudates and arsenic accumulation in arsenic hyperaccumulating Pteris vittata and non-hyperaccumulating Nephrolepis exaltata

This study compared the roles of root exudates collected from two fern species, the As hyperaccumulating Chinese Brake fern (Pteris vittata L.) and the As-sensitive Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata L.), on As-mobilization of two As minerals (aluminum arsenate and iron arsenate) and a CCA (chromated copper arsenate)-contaminated soil as well as plant As accumulation. Chinese Brake fern exuded 2 times more dissolved organic carbon (DOC) than Boston fern and the difference was more pronounced under As stress. The composition of organic acids in the root exudates for both ferns consisted mainly of phytic acid and oxalic acid. However, Chinese Brake fern produced 0.46 to 1.06 times more phytic acid than Boston fern under As stress, and exuded 3–5 times more oxalic acid than Boston fern in all treatments. Consequently, root exudates from Chinese Brake fern mobilized more As from aluminum arsenate (3–4 times), iron arsenate (4–6 times) and CCA-contaminated soil (6–18 times) than Boston fern. Chinese Brake fern took up more As and translocated more As to the fronds than Boston fern. The molar ratio of P/As in the roots of Chinese Brake fern was greater than in the fronds whereas the reverse was observed in Boston fern. These results suggested that As-mobilization from the soil by the root exudates (enhancing plant uptake), coupled with efficient As translocation to the fronds (keeping a high molar ratio of P/As in the roots), are both important for As hyperaccumulation by Chinese Brake fern.
Mast cell degranulation does not contribute to ischemic preconditioning in isolated rabbit hearts.

Preconditioning the heart with a short period of ischemia makes it resistant to infarction from a subsequent ischemic insult. We have proposed that preconditioning is triggered by the release of endogenous substances including adenosine which activate protein kinase C through receptormediated cell signaling pathways. However, it has also been proposed that the initial brief ischemia may result in mast cell degranulation without significant myocardial damage, making it less likely that the toxic granule contents could be released to irreversibly damage vulnerable myocardial cells during the subsequent prolonged ischemia. To study the role of mast cells in ischemic preconditioning (PC) isolated rabbit hearts were subjected to 30 min of regional ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Infarct size was measured with triphenyltetrazolium chloride. In control hearts infarction was 31.9±2.6% of the risk zone. Preconditioning with 5 min of global ischemia and 10 min of reperfusion reduced infarct size to 5.6±6.1% (p<0.01). When disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) (10 μM), a mast cell stabilizer, was infused shortly before the long ischemia it did protect the heart (12.8±2.9% infarction, p<0.01 vs control) which supports the mast cell theory. However, a mast cell degranulating agent, compound 48/80 (24 mg/L), added to the perfusate prior to the 30 min ischemic period could not mimic PC (39.7±5.6% infarction). Mast cell granules are rich in histamine, and the latter was assayed in myocardium by immunoassay as a marker of intact granules. In homogenized left ventricle from normal rabbit hearts and those following a standard PC protocol of 5-min global ischemia/10-min reperfusion, histamine contents were 9.3±1.4 and 8.9±1.4 ng/g wet tissue, respectively. Compound 48/80 reduced histamine levels to 2.9±0.6 ng/g (p<0.05 vs control). Although baseline histamine contents were 10-fold higher in rats, PC also had no effect, but compound 48/80 reduced content by 91%. Therefore, histamine tissue content and presumably mast cell granules were unaffected by a PC protocol which successfully protected ischemic myocardium, while pharmacological myocardial histamine depletion was not associated with protection. Hence, mast cells do not appear to be important in ischemic preconditioning. Although a mast cell stabilizer such as DSCG can protect ischemic myocardium, it may do so by one of its other properties, e.g., membrane stabilization.
Reassessment of the Role of Predators and Trissolcus basalis in Biological Control of Southern Green Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Hawaii

Abstract The role of predators and parasitoids in biological control of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), in macadamia nut orchards was investigated in three field studies in Hawaii. Egg masses placed in the weeds at the orchard borders had significantly higher rates of parasitism by Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) in 1990 and 1991 than eggs placed in the canopy of macadamia trees. Predators were more efficient at locating and destroying egg masses placed in trees than in weeds and were always more efficient than T. basalis, regardless of their location. An island-wide survey taken from July to December 1991 recovered no T. basalis, but predators were responsible for high levels of egg mortality at all locations. The importance of these findings in relationship to the commonly held view that N. viridula is under good biological control by T. basalis in Hawaii is discussed.
Multiple means shewhart charts using variable sampling intervals

The problem of simultaneously monitoring the means of several variables is investigated using variable sampling intervals between samples. Several sampling strategies are considered where the interval between samples depends upon what is observed in the most recent sample. These strategies are compared with each other and are found to be more efficient than the typical fixed interval control charts in terms of detecting shifts in the target mean . The effect of correlation between variables is also considered.