cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Poster: Designing effective travel techniques with bare-hand interaction

Emerging novel 3D interaction technologies allow precise tracking of bare hands and fingers, but due to the differences between these devices and traditional trackers, it is not clear how to design effective interaction techniques using these technologies. Using the Leap Motion Controller, we designed travel techniques with bare-hand interaction. We prototyped both unimanual and bimanual techniques using various metaphors (e.g., airplane and camera-in-hand), control mappings (position- vs. rate-control), camera movements (scene vs. camera dependent) and methods for speed control. Based on our experiences with these prototypes, we discuss the challenges and design issues for bare-hand interaction techniques. We present the results of a user study comparing the usability of five representative techniques for three travel tasks: absolute travel, naive search and path following. We found that the limited workspace of the Leap caused movements with the camera-in-hand metaphor to be faster and less accurate, making it more effective for search but less effective for path following tasks. In addition, the Leap's ability to precisely track small finger movements benefited the usability of continuous speed control techniques.
State of the art discriminative training of subspace constrained Gaussian mixture models in big training corpora

Discriminatively trained full-covariance Gaussian mixture models have been shown to outperform its corresponding diagonal-covariance models on large vocabulary speech recognition tasks. However, the size of full-covariance model is much larger than that of diagonal-covariance model and is therefore not practical for use in a real system. In this paper, we present a method to build a large discriminatively trained full-covariance model with large (over 9000 hours) training corpora and still improve performance over the diagonal-covariance model. We then reduce the size of the full-covariance model to the size of its baseline diagonal-covariance model by using subspace constrained Gaussian mixture model (SCGMM). The resulting discriminatively trained SCGMM still retains the performance of its corresponding full-covariance model, and improves 5% relative over the same size diagonal-covariance model on a large vocabulary speech recognition task.
A rational approach to the patient with cancer

Acquisition of an adequate data base is essential to the management of the cancer patient. Staging systems currently in use are not applicable to the patient having either advanced disease or a complicating illness. We have found it useful to organize our approach to cancer patients by asking a series of eight questions. Such a structured approach helps to focus on critical aspects of the patient's cancer and any complicating illness, as well as gather a necessary data base. In so doing, it provides for maximum flexibility at the time of therapeutic decision-making.
Preconcentration and analysis of tetraphenylboron and diphenylborinic acid in natural waters using C18 reverse-phase liquid chromatography

Abstract Tetraphenylboron (TPB) and diphenylborinic acid (DPBA) were concentrated from aqueous solutions using C18 reverse-phase liquid chromatography. Percent recoveries from solutions containing between 0.05 and 1.99 μg ml−1 were 94.6% and 82.8% for TPB and DPBA, respectively. The effect of solution volume was also investigated and the results indicated that up to 50 ml of sample can be processed through a column without significant loss in recovery efficiency. Naturally occurring dissolved organic matter present in a black-water coastal plain stream did not interfere in the retention or elution efficiencies for these organoborates.
Look, no hands! Unconventional transcriptional activators in bacteria

Transcriptional activation in bacteria usually involves an activator protein that binds to sites near the target promoter. Some activators of σ 54 -RNA polymerase holoenzyme, however, can stimulate transcription even when their DNA-binding domains are removed. Recent studies have revealed examples of σ 54 -dependent activators that naturally lack DNA-binding domains and seem to activate transcription from solution rather than from specific DNA sites. In addition, some activators that function with other forms of RNA polymerase holoenzyme, including Bacillus subtilis Spx and the bacteriophage N4 single-stranded DNA-binding protein, also stimulate transcription without binding to DNA. Because binding to regulatory sites enables activators to stimulate transcription from specific promoters, alternative strategies for achieving specificity are required for activators that do not bind to DNA.
An incomplete nested dissection algorithm for parallel direct solution of finite element discretizations of partial differential equations

A multilevel algorithm is presented for direct, parallel factorization of the large sparse matrices that arise from finite element and spectral element discretization of elliptic partial differential equations. Incomplete nested dissection and domain decomposition are used to distribute the domain among the processors and to organize the matrix into sections in which pivoting is applied to stabilize the factorization of indefinite equation sets. The algorithm is highly parallel and memory efficient; the efficient use of sparsity in the matrix allows the solution of larger problems as the number of processors is increased, and minimizes computations as well as the number and volume of communications among the processors. The number of messages and the total volume of messages passed during factorization, which are used as measures of algorithm efficiency, are reduced significantly compared to other algorithms. Factorization times are low and speedups high for implementation on an Intel iPSC/860 hypercube computer. Furthermore, the timings for forward and back substitutions are more than an order-of-magnitude smaller than the matrix decomposition times.
Subjective norms toward social support among Japanese American elderly in New York City: Why help does not always help

This study investigated the interaction effects between social support and subjective norms toward mobilizing and reciprocating social support on the psychological well-being among Japanese American elderly. A sample of 111 Japanese American elderly (mean age: 74 years) who resided in the New York City metropolitan area were interviewed using a structured survey questionnaire. The study revealed several significant interaction effects between norms and social support. Japanese American elderly who had strong norms toward reciprocating support did not receive the full benefit of social support because of the negative impact of norms of reciprocity. Elderly who had received material support from family and had strong norms toward reciprocity were more depressed, showed more symptoms of aging, and were less satisfied with their lives than those elderly who did not have strong norms of reciprocity. These findings suggest that cultural norms toward mobilizing certain types and sources of social support, and norms toward reciprocity of social support must be considered when investigating social support. Interventions to increase social support may have a negative effect on psychological well-being when recipients have strong norms toward reciprocating the support, but lack resources to do so. Future research is needed to identify effective strategies to change norms to maximize the effect of social support, particularly among elderly whose financial resources and social networks are limited. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Serious Leisure, Health Perception, Dispositional Optimism, and Life Satisfaction Among Senior Games Participants

This study investigated factors that explain the life satisfaction of Senior Games participants. One 193 older adults from the 2005 Michigan State Senior Games and the 2005 New York State Senior Games participated in the study. The results of the study show that one of the indicators of serious leisure (affective attachment) was positively correlated to optimism (.16, p <.05), age (.28, p <.01), and the number of years participated (.28, p <.01). Regression analysis was also used to identify which variables contribute to predicting life satisfaction. It was found that dispositional optimism (β =.308, p <.001) and perceived health (β =.185, p <.05) were significant predictors of life satisfaction.
Proton radiation for treatment of cancer of the oropharynx: early experience at Loma Linda University Medical Center using a concomitant boost technique.

Purpose: To assess accelerated fractionation using photon and proton radiation to improve local control and reduce complications in treating locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. Methods and materials: Twenty-nine patients with localized Stage II–IV oropharyngeal cancer received accelerated photon and proton radiation, 75.9 GyE in 45 fractions/5.5 weeks, to the primary disease, involved lymph nodes, and potential areas of subclinical spread. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 96 months. Results: Five-year actuarial control for local disease was 88%, and for neck node disease, 96%; yielding a 84% locoregional control rate at 5 years. Four patients developed distant metastases. The 5-year actuarial locoregional control rate was 84%. The actuarial 2-year disease-free survival rate was 81%; at 5 years, it was 65%. All patients completed the prescribed treatment; though aggressive nutritional and anesthetic support was necessary. Late Grade 3 toxicity was seen in 3 patients. Conclusions: Protons used as a concomitant boost with photons effectively delivered an accelerated time–dose schedule to the cancer with a more tolerable schedule to surrounding normal tissues. Preliminary results reveal increased locoregional control without increased toxicity. Future studies must evaluate the optimum time–dose schedule.
A maximum-energy-concentration spectral window

A time-discrete solution method is proposed for realization of a spectral window which is ideal from an energy concentration viewpoint. This window is one that concentrates the maximum amount of energy in a specified bandwidth and hence provides optimal spectral resolution.
Absorption characteristics of forest fire particulate matter

Abstract Absorption properties of smokes from laboratory fires that represent prescription burns in the Southern states have been quantified to relate variations in measured absorption parameters to variation in fire conditions and to estimate emission factors for elemental carbon. Results showed significant differences in absorption of the smoke emissions between flaming and smoldering combustion with specific absorption coefficient Ba values ranging from 0.04 m2 g−1 for smoldering combustion to 1 m2 g−1 at 632.8 nm for flaming combustion. These measured optical properties and previously measured size data were used in Mie calculations to determine the overall radiative properties for the smokes from these fires. Mie calculations for λ = 550 nm indicate that somewhat less than 50% of the extinction will be due to particulate matter absorption in flaming combustion, whereas only about 5% of the extinction will be due to absorption under purely smoldering conditions. Calculated mass concentration/scattering (Cm/σs) ratios for λ = 500 nm show only a slight variation with nIM, decreasing from 3.3 × 105 μg m−2 at an imaginary refractive index (nIM) = 0.07 to a value of 2.7 × 105 μgm−2 at nIM = 0.007. The ratios calculated for the low absorption cases are generally consistent with previous experimental observations, although these calculations suggest that some of the variations seen in this ratio are consistent with variation due to differences in the optical properties of the particulates.
The Effect of Energy Price Increases on the U.S. Livestock Sector

Summary This study is unique and crucial to the current time period because of the recent high energy price escalation. The uniqueness of this study pertains to the void in energy impact research of the agricultural sector, more specifically to livestock. The U.S. Department of Energy has models estimating economy-wide impacts, but not the specific impacts on agriculture. The Iowa State study concentrated on the grain sector. The results presented here indicate that energy price increases will have substantial effects on livestock prices and production. Energy price increases will also result in differential impacts on livestock commodities (with poultry and eggs having the largest price and production effects). Furthermore, the multi-period framework enables the livestock model to capture lagged production responses. Noticeable is the higher impacts occurring in the third and fourth years. In the future, higher energy costs may induce changes in U.S. production, processing and distribution patterns of livestock commodities. The highly vertically integrated poultry and egg industries may begin shifting production locations away from the colder northern regions to areas with more temperate climates. For industries like beef, pork and dairy, there may be increased range production to reduce impacts from higher feed costs. For all industries, closer proximity of processing plants to major livestock producing areas may occur.
Suicidal ideation and self-harm behavior in a community sample of preadolescent youth: a case-control study.

Abstract Objective Research has focused on understanding risk factors associated with suicidal ideation and self-harm behaviors in older youth, but less is known regarding these behaviors in preadolescents. We examined characteristics associated with suicidal ideation and self-harm behavior in youth aged 10–13 years. Design/Methods A community sample of 387 youth was enrolled in a prospective study assessing precursors of risk behaviors. Twenty-three subjects endorsing items regarding suicidal ideation or self-harm behaviors (Achenbach's Youth Self-Report) (endorsers) were matched with 23 non-endorsers. Groups were compared on problem behaviors, impulsivity, neurocognitive function, risk behaviors, and other variables. Results Endorsers had higher levels of impulsivity, were more likely in borderline/clinical range on 5 of 8 Youth Self-Report Syndrome scales, and reported more risk taking. Endorsers and non-endorsers were similar in neurocognitive function. More non-endorsers were on stimulants, but groups were similar in parental monitoring and parental report of behavioral/emotional issues, socioeconomic status, and marital status. Conclusion In this study, preadolescent endorsers report significantly more problem behaviors than non-endorsers. However, parental monitoring and parent report of problems were similar between groups. Given these findings, we suggest that at-risk youth may be underrecognized at young ages.
Tissue plasminogen activator binding to the annexin II tail domain. Direct modulation by homocysteine

Tissue plasminogen activator binds to endothelial cells via the calcium-regulated phospholipid-binding protein annexin II, an interaction that is inhibited by the prothrombotic amino acid homocysteine. We sought to identify the tissue plasminogen activator binding domain of annexin II and to determine the mechanism of its modulation by homocysteine. Tissue plasminogen activator binding to immobilized annexin II was inhibited by intact fluid phase annexin II but not by its "core" fragment (residues 25-339). Two overlapping "tail" peptides specifically blocked 65-75% of binding. Localization of the tissue plasminogen activator binding domain was confirmed upon specific inhibition by the hexapeptide LCKLSL (residues 7-12). Expressed C9G annexin II protein failed to support tissue plasminogen activator binding, while binding to C133G, C262G, and C335G was equivalent to that of wild type annexin II. Upon exposure to homocysteine, annexin II underwent a 135 +/- 4-Da increase in mass localizing specifically to Cys9 and a 60-66% loss in tissue plasminogen activator-binding capacity (I50 = 11 microM). Upon treatment of cultured endothelial cells with [35S]homocysteine, the dithiothreitol-sensitive label was recovered by immunoprecipitation with anti-annexin II IgG. These data provide a potential mechanism for the prothrombotic effect of homocysteine by demonstrating direct blockade of the tissue plasminogen activator binding domain of annexin II.
Implementation of date-forward location update in the digital cadastral database

Abstract This paper describes a prototype software application, modeling the locational relationships of cadastral objects as understood by a cadastral cartographer tasked with compiling and updating the land ownership parcel map. Cadastral cartographers have a practical problem: in implementing their conceptual model of the land parcel map, it is preferable that location updates be made in the same order in which they arrive to be recorded. However, current technology requires that more spatially accurate surveys are entered into the database before less accurate ones are fitted to them––and contemporary surveys are typically more accurate than ancient or moderately old ones. Hence, updating a cadastral database for location entails reconstructing it a section at a time, entering surveys (in general) in reverse date order. A strategy is presented that allows updating of location in date-forward order. The strategy is based on capturing locational relationships and measurements extracted from plats and deed descriptions, so that when an object's location is updated, it sends a message to objects for which it is a spatial reference to update their own locations.
Drag and Heat-Transfer Characteristics of Small Longitudinally Ribbed Surfaces

THE drag and heat-transfer characteristics of longitudinally ribbed surfaces have been examined for the case of a turbulent boundary layer. The purpose of the longitudinal fins is to confine the turbulent bursts to regions of small transverse extent, thus altering the local turbulence production. Rectangular, triangular, and razor blade rib geometries were examined. There was some indication that small drag reductions (< 4%) were obtained with two of the triangular grooved models, but further testing, consisting of detailed pitot and hot-wire surveys, is required for validation. The heat-transfer results indicated that several of the triangular grooved surfaces had heat-transfer increases 10% greater than the corresponding drag increases. These surfaces are unique in that heat-transfer augmentation results previously reported in the literature for airflows over external surfaces have always shown greater increases in drag than heat transfer.
Evidence for strict inpatient blood glucose control: time to revise glycemic goals in hospitalized patients

Inpatient hyperglycemia in patients with and without a history of diabetes is common and is associated with increased hospital morbidity and mortality. The objectives of this communication are to examine results of randomized clinical trials of strict inpatient glucose control in medical and surgical intensive care units and to provide guidelines for achieving and maintaining glycemic control in patients admitted to critical and noncritical settings. We propose a more conservative approach of glycemic control than current American Association of Clinical Endocrinology recommendations until results of prospective, multicenter, randomized studies become available.
On the Origin of Spicules in the Chromosphere-Corona Transition Region

Qualitative arguments are presented to show that in the chromosphere-corona transition region the energy which is transported downwards by heat conduction cannot be disposed of by radiative losses only. The region therefore is unstable and forced to be in motion, which may give rise to spicule-like phenomena.
Metal-Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclizations of a,c-Biladiene Salts Bearing 1- and/or 19-Arylmethyl Substituents: Macrocyclic Products and Their Chemistry.

Several 1-mono- and 1,19-bis(p-arylmethyl)-a,c-biladiene salts were prepared and subjected to either copper(II)- or chromium(III)-assisted oxidative cyclization to yield numerous products in which the 1- or 19- substituent is adapted, eliminated, or rearranged to other points on the tetrapyrrole. For example, cyclization using copper(II) acetate of 19-((ethoxycarbonyl)methyl)-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-19-(p-tolylmethyl)-a,c-biladiene dihydrobromide (25) yielded the copper(II) 20-((ethoxycarbonyl)methyl)-1-(p-tolylmethyl)-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-1,20-dihydroporphyrin (42), copper(II) 20-(ethoxycarbonyl)-3-methylidene-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-2-(p-tolylmethyl)chlorin (44), copper(II) 20-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-methylidene-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-3-(p-tolylmethyl)chlorin (45), and three porphyrins: copper(II) 20-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethylporphyrin (3), copper(II) 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-20-p-tolylporphyrin (50), and copper(II) 20-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2,3,7,8,12,13...
Experimental studies on the formation of the glomerular basement membrane.

The glomerular basement membrane of rats was permanently labeled with deposits of silver nitrate ingested in drinking water. After labeling was achieved, silver nitrate ingestion was stopped. Thickening of the basement membranes was effected by normal aging of the rats or by the administration of aminonucleoside which induced chronic nephrosis. In both groups of rats new increments of glomerular basement membrane were free of silver, while the original lamina densa was diffusely and homogenously stippled by silver deposits. The new increments were located on the epithelial side of the basement membrane and were indistinguishable from the labeled portion. These experiments have demonstrated that glomerular basement membrane is a product of the epithelial cells, both in the normal processes of aging and in the pathological processes of aminonucleoside nephrosis.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Undergraduate Diversity Courses Using the Multicultural Experiences Questionnaire

AbstractThe Multicultural Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ) is a validated and easy-to-administer tool for assessing individuals’ multicultural competencies (Narvaez & Hill, 2010). The current study examined the utility of the MEQ for assessing the impact of undergraduate diversity courses. A total of 137 students in six university-designated diversity courses participated in this study. The survey was administered in the first and the final week of the semester. Results of a mixed design ANOVA analysis showed students scored significantly higher on the survey at posttest. The MEQ is a valuable tool for higher education institutions interested in assessing the effectiveness of their diversity curriculum.
SU-D-BRE-07: Neutron Shielding Assessment for a Compact Proton Therapy Vault

Purpose: To perform a neutron shielding assessment of a commercially available compact proton therapy system. Methods: TOPAS (TOol for PArticle Simulation) beta release was used to model beam line components for Mevion S250 proton treatment system the design of which is that the cyclotron is present in the treatment room. Three neutron production sources were taken into account in the simulation. These are the cyclotron, the treatment nozzle and the patient itself, respectively. The cyclotron was modeled as a cylindrical iron target (r =5 cm, length = 8 cm). A water phantom (10 cm ×10 cm ×60 cm) was used to model the patient and various structures (scattering foils, range modulator wheel, applicator and compensator) defaulted in TOPAS were used to model the passive scattering treatment nozzle. Neutron fluences and energy spectra were counted in a spherical scoring geometry per incident proton in 18 angular bins (10 degree each). Fluence to dose conversion factors from ICRU publication 74 were used to acquire neutron ambient dose equivalent H*(10). A point source line of sight model was then used to calculate neutron dose at eight locations beyond shielding barriers. Results: The neutron ambient dose equivalent was calculated at the 8 points of interest around the proton treatment vault. The highest dose was found to be less than 0.781 mSv/year outside south barrier wall. However, the dose is less than 0.05 mSv/year at the control room area of the proton vault. Conclusion: All Points of interest were well under annual dose limits. This suggests that the shielding design of this compact proton therapy system is sufficient for radiation protection purpose. However, it is important to note that the workload and the occupancy factors are direct multipliers for dose calculations beyond the barrier and must be accurately estimated for validation of our results.
Exploring Flow Fields Using Space-Filling Analysis of Streamlines

Large scale scientific simulations frequently use streamline based techniques to visualize flow fields. As the shape of a streamline is often related to some underlying property of the field, it is important to identify streamlines (or their parts) with unique geometric features. In this paper, we introduce a metric, called the box counting ratio, which measures the geometric complexity of streamlines by measuring their space-filling capacity at different scales. We propose a novel interactive visualization framework which utilizes this metric to extract, organize and visualize features of varying density and complexity hidden in large numbers of streamlines. The proposed framework extracts complex regions of varying density from the streamlines, and organizes and presents them on an interactive 2D information space, allowing user selection and visualization of streamlines. We also extend this framework to support exploration using an ensemble of measures including box counting ratio. Our framework allows the user to easily visualize and interact with features otherwise hidden in large vector field data. We strengthen our claims with case studies using combustion and climate simulation data sets.
Domain-independent planning: representation and plan generation

Abstract A domain-independent planning program that supports both automatic and interactive generation of hierarchical, partially ordered plans is described. An improved formalism makes extensive use of constraints and resources to represent domains and actions more powerfully. The formalism also offers efficient methods for representing properties of objects that do not change over time, allows specification of the plan rationale (which includes scoping of conditions and appropriately relating different levels in the hierarchy), and provides the ability to express deductive rules for deducing the effects of actions. The implications of allowing parallel actions in a plan or problem solution are discussed, and new techniques for efficiently detecting and remedying harmful parallel interactions are presented. The most important of these techniques, reasoning about resources, is emphasized and explained. The system supports concurrent exploration of different branches in the search, making best-first search easy to implement.
Evidence of preferential π-stacking: a study of intermolecular and intramolecular charge transfer complexes

Nine combinations of π-electron donors and acceptors were examined by UV-vis, fluorescence and 1H-NMR spectroscopy to identify π-stacked charge transfer complexes in macromolecular and supramolecular constructs. The high association constant of pyrene and naphthalene diimide suggests a preferentially π-stacking pair rationalized by frontier orbital congruence.
Protein Glycosylation in Campylobacter jejuni: Partial Suppression of pglF by Mutation of pseC

Campylobacter jejuni has systems for N- and O-linked protein glycosylation. Although biochemical evidence demonstrated that a pseC mutant in the O-linked pathway accumulated the product of pglF in the N-linked pathway, analyses of transformation frequencies and glycosylation statuses of N-glycosylated proteins indicated a partial suppression of pglF by pseC.
Hysterectomy-induced facilitation of lordosis behavior in the rat.

Abstract The present study investigated the effect of hysterectomy on hormone-induced lordosis behavior. Lordosis quotients (LQ) were measured in hysterectomized-ovariectomized (HO) and ovariectomized-sham hysterectomized (OSH) rats after several treatments including either estradiol benzoate (EB) alone or EB plus progesterone (P) 44 hr later. Testing consisted of placing the females with sexually active males 48 hr after EB. In Experiment 1, HO animals treated with 5 μg/kg EB and 0.5 mg P had significantly higher LQs than OSH animals; groups treated with 10 μg/kg plus P were not different. Experiment 2 showed that a single injection of 50 μg/kg EB resulted in equally high levels of receptivity in both groups. The LQs of HO animals injected with 3 μg/kg for 4 days did not differ from those of OSH animals; however, the administration of 0.5 mg P 24 hr after the fourth EB injection resulted in significantly higher LQs in the HO group (Experiment 3). In Experiment 4, HO rats injected with 5 μg/kg EB and 0.1 mg P 44 hr later displayed higher levels of lordosis behavior than OSH animals. It was concluded that hysterectomy facilitated the lordosis behavior of ovariectomized rats injected with both EB and P and that the mechanism for this potentiation remains to be determined.
The relative toxicity of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs

Objective. To compare the toxicities of commonly employed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Toxicity Index scores, computed from symptoms, laboratory abnormalities, and hospitalizations attributable to DMARD therapy, were assessed in 2,747 patients with RA receiving 3,053 courses of 6 DMARDs and 1,309 courses of prednisone over 7,278 patient-years. Results were adjusted for severity of illness and other covariates. Results. Least toxic was hydroxychloroquine (mean ± SEM score 1.38 ± 0.15), followed by intramuscular gold (2.27 ± 0.17) and the closely grouped D-penicillamine (3.38 ± 0.36), methotrexate (3.82 ± 0.35), and azathioprine (3.92 ± 0.39). Auranofin (5.25 ± 0.32) was most toxic, but this toxicity resulted from a high frequency of minor complications. Hospitalizations because of auranofin or hydroxychloroquine therapy were not noted. Prednisone (3.83 ± 0.39) was of comparable toxicity, although it is likely that not all events of prednisone toxicity were captured. For reference, the toxicity of methotrexate and azathioprine was similar to that of the most toxic nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (indomethacin 3.99, tolmetin sodium 3.96, and meclofenamate 3.86). Hydroxychloroquine showed less toxicity than the most commonly used prescription NSAIDs. Conclusion. There are substantial differences in toxicity among DMARDs and less important differences in toxicity between specific DMARDs and specific NSAIDs.
PPARγ and PPARδ negatively regulate specific subsets of lipopolysaccharide and IFN-γ target genes in macrophages

Natural and synthetic agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) regulate adipocyte differentiation, glucose homeostasis, and inflammatory responses. Although effects on adipogenesis and glucose metabolism are genetically linked to PPARγ, the PPARγ dependence of antiinflammatory responses of these substances is less clear. Here, we have used a combination of mRNA expression profiling and conditional disruption of the PPARγ gene in mice to characterize programs of transcriptional activation and repression by PPARγ agonists in elicited peritoneal macrophages. Natural and synthetic PPARγ agonists, including the thiazolidinedione rosiglitazone (Ro), modestly induced the expression of a surprisingly small number of genes, several of which were also induced by a specific PPARδ agonist. The majority of these genes encode proteins involved in lipid homeostasis. In contrast, Ro inhibited induction of broad subsets of lipopolysaccharide and IFN-γ target genes in a gene-specific and PPARγ-dependent manner. At high concentrations, Ro inhibited induction of lipopolysaccharide target genes in PPARγ-deficient macrophages, at least in part by activating PPARδ. These studies establish overlapping transactivation and transrepression functions of PPARγ and PPARδ in macrophages and suggest that a major transcriptional role of PPARγ is negative regulation of specific subsets of genes that are activated by T helper 1 cytokines and pathogenic molecules that signal through pattern recognition receptors. These findings support a physiological role of PPARγ in regulating both native and acquired immune responses.
Donor and recipient genotype and heterosis effects on survival and prenatal growth of transferred mouse embryos

Reciprocal embryo transfers amongst two inbred strains (C3HeB/FeJ and SWR/J) and their F1 cross (C3SWF1) were used to examine donor and recipient genotype and heterosis effects on survival and prenatal growth of mouse embryos. Among inbred strains, significant recipient genotype effects were detected for both embryo survival (P less than 0.01) and prenatal growth (P less than 0.05), while no donor genotype effects were observed. The recipient effect on overall embryo survival was due to a higher proportion of C3H recipients maintaining pregnancy to term than SWR recipients (P less than 0.01), rather than survival within litters. Irrespective of their own genotype, embryos developing in C3H uteri achieved larger body weights (P less than 0.01) and longer tail lengths (P less than 0.05) at birth than did embryos developing in SWR uteri. Recipient heterosis was not significant, while donor heterosis was significant for prenatal growth traits (P less than 0.001).
False Consensus and False Uniqueness in Estimating the Prevalence of Health‐Protective Behaviors

The degree to which people perceive that their health-relevant behaviors are also performed by their peers may influence whether they continue these practices or are susceptible to change. The present paper examined estimates of social consensus for health-relevant behaviors. It was hypothesized that respondents would perceive their own behaviors to be relatively more common than do people not performing them, the so-called False Consensus Effect. However, in terms of the accuracy of consensus estimates, people who behave in undesirable ways will tend to overestimate the actual number of others who behave similarly. In contrast, people who behave in desirable ways will underestimate the actual number of people who behave like themselves (false uniqueness). A group of college-aged males were asked to report about their performance of a series of health-relevant behaviors and to estimate the frequency of each behavior among their peers. The findings strongly supported the first two hypotheses and provided some support for the third. One practical implication of the results is that persons with unhealthy practices may resist public health campaigns and other interventions by overestimating consensus for their own behaviors. Also, individuals who think their undesirable health behaviors are relatively common may believe that they involve few health risks for them. The research suggests the need for further research on social cognitions about health, illness, and health-protective behaviors.
Effects of vitamin A deficiency on hepatic and extrahepatic mixed-function oxidase and epoxide-metabolizing enzymes in guinea pig and rabbit.

Abstract Male guinea pigs and male rabbits were fed a vitamin A deficient diet for 9 weeks and for 12 weeks respectively. Hepatic levels of vitamin A were significantly reduced in the vitamin A deficient animals. The activities of some xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes were measured in the liver, lung and small intestine. Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, aniline hydroxylase, and 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase activities were decreased in the vitamin A deficient guinea pig liver. However, in the guinea pig small intestine, aniline hydroxylase, 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase, aminopyrine demethylase, and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase specific activities were increased. In rabbits, vitamin A deficiency decreased hepatic aniline hydroxylase and 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase activities but increased intestinal aminopyrine demethylase activity. Enzyme activities in lung were not altered by vitamin A deficiency in guinea pig or rabbit. Microsomal epoxide hydrase and microsomal supernatant glutathione S -transferase activities in the three tissues of both species were not altered by vitamin A deficiency.
Predicted Effects of Proposed New Regulation Plans on Sedge/Grass Meadows of Lake Ontario

Abstract Previously described models for predicting the percent of Lake Ontario wetlands that would be occupied by sedge/grass-dominated meadow marsh were used to test four proposed new plans for regulation of lake levels and to make comparisons with the current plan and unregulated conditions. The models for drowned river mouth, barrier beach, open embayment, and protected embayment wetlands assessed responses to lake levels that would be generated by each plan under net total supplies modified from those that occurred from1900 to 2000. In years when reduced supplies would allow meadow marsh regeneration, simulated unregulated lake levels produced the most meadow marsh in all wetland geomorphic types; current Plan 1958DD produced the least. Overall predicted percent meadow marsh under the test plans decreased in the order B+, 2007, D+, and A+, and the latter three plans produced rather similar results in many cases. Lower percentages of meadow marsh under some plans were due to insufficient low lake leve...
The STCL test tools architecture

The Software Test Community Leaders (STCL) group is an IBM-wide initiative focused on improving software test and quality practices within the corporation. In 1999, we began working to develop an architecture to integrate both new and existing test tools into solutions for use in the testing organizations across IBM. This paper discusses the requirements for the architecture, as well as the issues associated with developing a solution architecture for a large base of tools that span a variety of platforms and domains. The architecture is being designed and developed to address three concerns for integrating testing tools: integration of the data across tools and repositories, integration of the control across tools, and integration to provide a single graphical user interface into the tool set. Because of the heterogeneous nature of the platforms and domains the architecture must support, extensibility is essential. We address each of these three integration concerns using an open-source framework that operates on a set of standardized but extensible entities.
Transitions into and out of poverty

This article raises five questions: What kinds of persons and families are poor? How do they become poor? How long do they remain poor? How do they cope with being poor? How do they escape from being poor? These questions are significant for one central and obvious reason: answering them improves our understanding of the nature of poverty or unmet human physical need, thereby contributing to the development of forms of aid to remedy that need. To the extent that we are successful in helping the needy, our social economics is enhanced, and any economic order based on that social economics should function more effectively. Two main sources of information on poverty from the Census Bureau are used to address those questions: the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Both use the same absolute standard of poverty but each source produces a different estimate of poverty because they are fundamentally different in design and coverage. The data presented herein cover the period 1985 through 1993.
Enhanced biodegradation of carbamazepine after UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation.

Carbamazepine is one of the most persistent pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater effluents due to its resistance to biodegradation-based conventional treatment. Advanced oxidation can efficiently degrade carbamazepine, but the toxicity and persistence of the oxidation products may be more relevant than the parent. This study sets out to determine whether the products of advanced oxidation of carbamazepine can be biotransformed and ultimately mineralized by developing a novel methodology to assess these sequential treatment processes. The methodology traces the transformation products of the 14C-labeled carbamazepine during UV/hydrogen peroxide advanced oxidation and subsequent biotransformation by mixed, undefined cultures using liquid scintillation counting and liquid chromatography with radioactivity, mass spectrometry, and UV detectors. The results show that the oxidation byproducts of carbamazepine containing a hydroxyl or carbonyl group can be fully mineralized by a mixed bacterial inoculum. A tert...
Ecological or Phylogenetic Interpretations of Crocodilian Nesting Habits

NESTING habits within the Crocodilia range from simple excavation of a hole for egg deposition (as in most reptiles) to the construction of mounds of vegetation or other materials in which the eggs are deposited. Nests constructed by some Crocodilia show a considerable advance over those of any other reptilian group; this ability of the Crocodilia has been widely discussed. Wermuth1 interpreted the available data to indicate that all possible gradations from simple hole nesting to elaborate mound construction were represented. Greer2, following Schmidt3, believes that nesting habits may indicate relationships, and has recently divided the group into hole versus mound nesting categories and discussed the evolutionary significance of this dichotomy.
Feasibility and value of a procedural workshop for surgery residents based on phase II of the APDS/ACS national skills curriculum.

Objectives The Association of Program Directors in Surgery/American College of Surgeons national skills curriculum provides residency programs with a great educational tool for their residents. Our objective was to assess the feasibility, value, and cost required to administer a procedural workshop for general surgery residents based on phase II of the national skills curriculum. Design, Setting, and Participants Surgery faculty instructed residents on a variety of level-appropriate surgical procedures during a procedural workshop using 4 training models (2 cadaver torsos and 2 pigs). The educational value of the workshop, the quality of teaching, the instruction and feedback received, and the training models used were evaluated by participants on a 10-point Likert scale. Resident performance and workshop cost were also assessed. Results Seven faculty instructed 16 residents (postgraduate year 1-4) on 23 surgical procedures (median 4 procedures per resident). Participants rated the overall value of the workshop as 8 (range, 7-10). Residents rated the quality of teaching as 9 (range, 6-10) and the quality of instruction and feedback received as 8.5 (range, 6-10). Overall resident performance was rated as 8 (range, 5-10) by faculty. The factors most positively impacting the quality of the workshop were reported to be the close interaction between residents and faculty, the training models, and the protected time. Sixty-eight percent of participants indicated that both cadaver and pig models were necessary for this course, and all participants believed that such workshops should be part of the general surgery curriculum. Overall cost reached just under $10,000 excluding supplies and faculty time. Conclusions The feasibility of a cadaveric and animal-based procedural workshop for surgery residents based on phase II of the national skills curriculum was demonstrated. While very resource-intensive and costly, the educational value of this workshop was rated highly by residents and faculty because of their close interaction in a relaxed environment. Such workshops should be incorporated into the surgical curriculum.
Impact of molecular packing on electronic polarization in organic crystals: the case of pentacene vs TIPS-pentacene.

Polarization energy corresponds to the stabilization of the cation or anion state of an atom or molecule when going from the gas phase to the solid state. The decrease in ionization energy and increase in electron affinity in the solid state are related to the (electronic and nuclear) polarization of the surrounding atoms and molecules in the presence of a charged entity. Here, through a combination of molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics calculations, we evaluate the polarization energies in two prototypical organic semiconductors, pentacene and 6,13-bis(2-(tri-isopropylsilyl)ethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene). Comparison of the results for the two systems reveals the critical role played by the molecular packing configurations in the determination of the polarization energies and provides physical insight into the experimental data reported by Lichtenberger and co-workers (J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 580; J. Phys. Chem. C 2010, 114, 13838). Our results underline that the impact of packing config...
Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) Regulates Cortactin Ubiquitination and Degradation in Lung Epithelial Cells

Cortactin, an actin-binding protein, is essential for cell growth and motility. We have shown that cortactin is regulated by reversible phosphorylation, but little is known regarding cortactin protein stability. Here, we show that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cortactin degradation is mediated by extracellular regulated signal kinase (ERK). LPS induces cortactin serine phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and degradation in mouse lung epithelia, an effect abrogated by ERK inhibition. Serine phosphorylation sites mutant, cortactinS405A/S418A, enhances its protein stability. Cortactin is polyubiquitinated and degraded within the proteasome, whereas a cortactinK79R mutant exhibited proteolytic stability during cyclohexamide (CHX) or LPS treatment. The E3 ligase subunit β-Trcp interacts with cortactin, and its overexpression reduced cortactin protein levels, an effect attenuated by ERK inhibition. Overexpression of β-Trcp was sufficient to reduce the protective effects of exogenous cortactin on epithelial cell barrier integrity, an effect not observed after expression of a cortactinK79R mutant. These results provide evidence that LPS modulation of cortactin stability is coordinately regulated by stress kinases and the ubiquitin-proteasomal network.
Scatter Field Influence On X-Ray Grid Characterization

We have been studying the performance of x-ray grids both experimentally and theoretically. Grid performance depends not only on its inherent design, but also on characteristics of the scatter field, air gaps from scatterer to grid and to the detector and photon energy. In this paper we have evaluated the theoretical performance of x-ray grids for a variety of scatter fields where edge effects due to the finite size of the scatterer are taken into account, as well as photon energies and air gaps. Scatter field definition is based on our own experimental measurements, as well as the Monte-Carlo calculations of Doi, et al. The results of this work permit a calculation from first principles of such well-known grid characterization as: Bucky factor, Selectivity and Contrast improvement factor. The dependence of these characterizations on the scatterer, air gaps, etc. can be determined from the calculation.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
BEIRA: An Area-based User Interface for Map Services

This paper introduces BEIRA, an area-based map user interface for location-based contents. Recently, various web map services are widely used to search for location-based contents. However, browsing a large number of contents that are arranged on a map as points may be troublesome. We tackle this issue by using area-based representations instead of points. AOI (Area of Interest), which is core concept of BEIRA, is an arbitrary shaped area boundary with text summary information. With AOI, users can instantly grasp area characteristics without examining each point. AOI is deduced by performing geo-semantic co-clustering of location-based contents. Geo-semantic co-clustering takes both geographic and semantic features of contents into account. We confirm that the ratio of the geo-semantic blend is the key to deducing an appropriate boundary. We further propose and evaluate location-aware term weighting to obtain an informative summary.