cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excess morbidity in patients starting uremia therapy without prior care by a nephrologist.

Abstract Many inner-city residents with progressive renal disease do not receive specialist care from a nephrologist, and often arrive in the emergency room manifesting life-threatening uremic symptoms requiring emergency rescue dialysis. We examined the relationship between the quality of medical care received during progression to end-stage renal disease, and the clinical condition and morbidity at initiation of renal replacement therapy. During a 5-year period (January 1990 to December 1994), we prospectively studied 139 consecutive inner-city residents with a confirmed diagnosis of chronic renal failure who were starting uremia therapy. At onset of study, subjects were sorted into one of three groups depending on the extent of medical care received during the 3 years immediately preceding initiation of hemodialysis: nephrologist, nonnephrologist (physician), or no medical care. Information obtained from each subject included length of hospital stay during the admission for initiation of dialysis therapy and the type of hemodialysis vascular access used for first dialysis treatment (permanent v temporary). Predialysis blood urea nitrogen concentration, serum creatinine concentration, serum albumin concentration, and serum bicarbonate concentration were measured once immediately before the first dialysis. The 139 study subjects (62 men and 77 women) comprised 116 blacks (83%), 15 Hispanics (11%), and eight whites (6%), and had a mean age of 56 ± 15 years (±SD). Only 59 (43%) subjects received prior specialist nephrologist care, and their mean length of hospital stay (12 ± 23 days) was shorter than that of subjects who received nonnephrologist care (n = 63 [45%]; 25 ± 21 days) or those who received no prior medical care (n = 17 [12%]; 29 ± 23 days) ( P = 0.002). Temporary hemodialysis vascular access was used for the first dialysis in all 17 (100%) of the subjects with no prior medical care, in 56 (89%) of the 63 subjects who received prior care from a nonnephrologist, and in 21 (36%) of the 59 subjects who received prior care from a nephrologist ( P = 0.0001). Subjects who received prior care from a nephrologist had a lower mean serum creatinine concentration at initiation of dialysis (11 ± 4.4 mg/dL) than did either the subjects who received nonnephrologist care (13 ± 5.4 mg/dL) or no medical care (16 ± 5.7 mg/dL) ( P = 0.003). In addition, subjects who received prior care from a nephrologist had less severe metabolic acidosis than the subjects in the other two groups ( P = 0.04). We infer that initiation of uremia therapy is delayed in inner-city residents with progressive renal failure who do not receive specialist nephrologic care, and that as a consequence these patients suffer excess short-term morbidity.
Decision Theory and Vocational Counseling: Important Concepts and Questions

Ignorance of specifics of career decision-making processes has prevented development and use of more effective vocational counseling procedures. Simply giving clients vocational information and assuming rational use of it is criticized. Contemporary decision theories suggest several relevant variables. Two variables, subjective probabilities (individual's self-estimates of success) and utilities (desirabilities held for outcomes or alternatives), are discussed in relation to presenting clients with objective probability information concerning future plans. Some relevant research is reviewed and two questions are discussed: (1) How do different methods of presenting information influence subjective probabilities? (2) How are utilities influenced by objective probability data?
An Urban School Based Comparative Study of Experiences and Perceptions Differentiating Public Health Insurance Eligible Immigrant Families with and without Coverage for their Children

Introduction We explore why some low income immigrant families enroll in government financed health insurance plans for their children, while others also eligible do not enroll. Methods Our team conducted and analyzed audiotaped semi-structured interviews with families of 8 insured and 10 uninsured children focused on knowledge of and experience with seeking health insurance coverage. Results Common among families not enrolled in government sponsored plans were misperceptions about the insurance system, including a suspicion of the government monitoring them and/or lack of familiarity with the concept of insurance itself. Among families that did enroll, the predominant theme was the essential role of their sponsor, other kin or community in educating and assisting them with the application process. Conclusions Prior research has identified external obstacles to enrollment. Our findings indicate the additional importance of facilitating social support, particularly from sponsors in mentoring new arrivals through the process of seeking insurance coverage.
Mainbelt asteroid reconnaisance and sample return using solar electric propulsion

Abstract Reconnaisance of asteroids has thus far been accomplished on a limited scale. The scientific community has expressed interest in conducting long-term reconnaisance of multiple mainbelt asteroids and returning a sample from a mainbelt asteroid, with Ceres and Vesta the targets of greatest interest. This work presents results of preliminary feasibility studies of these missions. Since propellant requirements are prohibitively large with chemical propulsion, solar electric propulsion was assumed here. Multiple opportunities for Ceres/Vesta reconnaisance missions and Vesta sample returns were found which appear to be feasible in the next decade.
Temporal coherence of acoustic rays and modes using the path integral approach.

Acoustic propagation can be described by rays and normal modes. Applying the path integral to refractive rays in three dimensional space, Dashen et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, 1716–1722 (1985)] derived the mutual coherence function of the acoustic field. For shallow water where sound interacts with boundaries, the acoustic field can be described by vertical modes and horizontal rays. Applying the path integral to the horizontal rays, one obtains the mutual coherence function of the normal modes. This paper applies this formulation to the derivation of the temporal coherence function of individual modes and also that of the acoustic field in the presence of linear internal waves. The effects of mode coupling due to internal waves on temporal coherence loss are illustrated with numerical calculations.
Biased attention near another's hand following joint action

Previous research has shown that attention is prioritized for the space near the hand, leading to faster detection of visual targets appearing close to one’s own hand. In the present study, we examined whether observers are also facilitated in detecting targets presented near another’s hand by having participants perform a Posner cueing task while sitting next to a friend. Across blocks, either the participant or the friend placed a hand next to one of the target locations. Our results robustly showed that participants detected targets appearing near their own hands more quickly than targets appearing away from their hands, replicating previous work demonstrating that spatial attention is prioritized near one’s own hand (Experiments 1-4). No such attentional bias effects were found for targets appearing near the friend’s hand, suggesting that spatial attention is not automatically prioritized near another’s hand (Experiments 1 and 2). However, participants were faster to detect targets near the friend’s hand following a joint action task, suggesting a shared body representation plays an influential role in biasing attention to the space near another’s hand (Experiment 4).
A simple and effective 1,2,3-triazole based “turn-on” fluorescence sensor for the detection of anions

A novel and effective 1,2,3-triazole based fluorescence chemosensor has been synthesized for the specific detection of anions in homogeneous medium. Notably, the molecule, synthesized in one step using “Click chemistry”, is a simple 1,4-diaryl-1,2,3-triazole, containing a phenol moiety. The probe displayed the strongest response to fluoride ion through the “turn-on” fluorescence sensing mechanism when screened for selectivity and sensitivity against a series of anions (F−, Cl−, Br−, I−, H2PO4−, ClO4−, OAc−, BF4−). Fluorescence spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) studies substantiate 1 : 1 stoichiometry between the probe and fluoride anion. Kinetic studies and the single crystal X-ray spectroscopic evidence revealed the binding interaction occurs with the phenolic group and the anion.
ISO 9000: What every microlithographer should know

This paper begins with an overview of the ISO 9000 quality standards, and then discusses certain topics that are of particular significance for the microelectronics industry.
Ethnic conflicts and regional intervention; the enduring compulsions behind India's foreign policy in South Asia

(1989). Ethnic conflicts and regional intervention; the enduring compulsions behind India's foreign policy in South Asia. Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. Journal: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 492-506.
Biases in use of positive and negative words across twenty natural languages

Positive events are more common (more tokens), but negative events are more differentiated (more types). These observations and asymmetries about the world are consistent with a number of features or biases favouring positive adjectives that have been shown for English. Compared to their opposites, positive adjectives in English are more likely to be unmarked, negated into their opposite, define the entire negative to positive dimension, and occur first in conjunctions with their negative opposite. In this paper we document that these biases have considerable generality, appearing in all or almost all of 20 natural languages. The greater differentiation of negative states is illustrated here by the demonstration that five common nouns describing negative states in English (disgust, risk, sympathy, accident, murderer) have equivalents in most or all of the 20 languages surveyed, but the opposite of these nouns is not lexicalised in most of the 20 languages.
RNAi suppresses polyglutamine-induced neurodegeneration in a model of spinocerebellar ataxia

The dominant polyglutamine expansion diseases, which include spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) and Huntington disease, are progressive, untreatable, neurodegenerative disorders. In inducible mouse models of SCA1 and Huntington disease, repression of mutant allele expression improves disease phenotypes. Thus, therapies designed to inhibit expression of the mutant gene would be beneficial. Here we evaluate the ability of RNA interference (RNAi) to inhibit polyglutamine-induced neurodegeneration caused by mutant ataxin-1 in a mouse model of SCA1. Upon intracerebellar injection, recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing short hairpin RNAs profoundly improved motor coordination, restored cerebellar morphology and resolved characteristic ataxin-1 inclusions in Purkinje cells of SCA1 mice. Our data demonstrate in vivo the potential use of RNAi as therapy for dominant neurodegenerative disease.
Plan tracking knowledge base

Creating project plans is a key management activity. Software project managers spend a lot of their time manually gathering data to track software project compliance to plans. This paper describes a knowledge base framework that is created by computer tools that gather information from project files. The framework provides facts to intelligent agents to help managers track compliance to plans. The plan-tracking framework is an extension of the PAMPA (Project Attribute Monitoring and Prediction Associate) tool's knowledge base structure.
Characterization of a Soybean [beta]-Conglycinin-Degrading Protease Cleavage Site

Protease C1, an enzyme from soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill cv Amsoy 71) seedling cotyledons, was previously determined to be the enzyme responsible for the initial degradation of the alpha' and alpha subunits, but not the beta subunit, of beta-conglycinin storage protein. The sizes of the proteolytic products generated by the action of protease C1 suggest that the cleavage sites on the alpha' and alpha subunits of beta-conglycinin may be located in their N-terminal domain, which is not found in the beta subunit of beta-conglycinin. To check this hypothesis, storage proteins from other plant species that are homologous to either the alpha'/alpha or the beta subunit of beta-conglycinin were tested as substrates. As expected, the convicilin from pea (Pisum sativum), a protein homologous to the alpha' and alpha subunits of beta-conglycinin, was digested by protease C1. The vicilins from pea as well as vicilins from adzuki bean (Vigna angularis), garden bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata), and mung bean (Vigna radiata), storage proteins that are homologous to the beta subunit of soybean beta-conglycinin, were not degraded by protease C1. Degradation of soybean beta-conglycinin involves a sequential attack of the alpha subunit at multiple sites, culminating in the formation of a stable intermediate of 53.5 kD and a final product of 48.0 kD. The cleavage sites resulting in this formation of the intermediates and final product were determined by N-terminal analysis. These were compared to the known amino acid sequences of the three beta-conglycinin subunits. Results showed these two polypeptides to be generated by proteolysis of the alpha subunit at regions bearing long strings of acidic amino acid residues.
ARIES-ST plasma-facing component design and analysis

Abstract ARIES-ST is a 1000 MW fusion power plant conceptual design based on a low aspect ratio ‘spherical torus’ (ST) plasma. The plasma-facing components include the inboard and outboard first wall, divertor plates, and plasma stability plates. Several unique aspects of ST plasma influence the engineering design. The limited inboard space precludes a full inboard divertor slot, such that substantial power and particle flows are expected to impact the inboard first wall. Strong requirements on plasma vertical stability require close-in conductors. The use of He-cooled tungsten for the stability plates allows them to act as plasma-interactive components operating at high temperature and moderately high (1–2 MW/m2) heat flux. High plasma core radiation fraction and a natural tendency for low inboard transport losses help to alleviate these inboard problems, such that the peak power loads are not expected to exceed the capability of He-cooled tungsten and steel structures. The main features of the plasma-facing components are summarized here together with the analysis of their thermal hydraulic and thermomechanical performance.
The effect of first-hop wireless bandwidth allocation on end-to-end network performance

With the increasing popularity of handheld devices and wireless local area networks (LANs), real-time applications such as Internet telephony are poised to become ubiquitous. While there has been a substantial amount of research on quality of service problems in the Internet, most end-to-end bandwidth allocation approaches, such as RSVP, have had limited success due to scalability and deployment issues. Starting with the observation that reserving bandwidth in the Internet backbone requires substantial infrastructure support, but reserving bandwidth in the first hop does not, we only focus on the first-hop reservation. We evaluate several first hop allocation schemes and determine their effectiveness in improving end-to-end performance. Since utilization of the reserved first-hop bandwidth depends on the remaining Internet path throughput, we characterize this throughput using traces collected from a popular Web site. Our analysis shows that different clients experience widely different throughputs, and that a significant portion of the clients receive very low throughput (e.g. less than 20 Kbps). We then evaluate several bandwidth allocation schemes for various congestion scenarios. Our results show that the scheme which takes into account of both the application data rate and available Internet path bandwidth yields the best performance. Moreover, the scheme performs even better if it adapts to the changing path properties. We discuss how path bandwidth can be measured without active probing, how frequently it needs to be measured, and how this measurement is incorporated into the first-hop bandwidth allocation algorithm.
Numerical modeling and electromagnetic resonant modes in complex grating structures and optoelectronic device applications

An extended surface impedance boundary condition algorithm is developed that allows for the optical properties of a wide variety of complex one-dimensional periodic grating structures to be modeled. Wood-Rayleigh anomalies, diffraction, and electromagnetic resonance modes including horizontally oriented surface plasmons and vertical surface resonances are identified and described as well as analyzing their structural and geometrical dependencies. Methods to combine these modes to produce hybrid modes that channel and localize light are described. Application of these modes to metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (MSM-PD) is discussed and an example silicon-based MSM-PD with over 30 GHz bandwidth and 0.3 A/W responsivity is described.
Effect of nalfurafine hydrochloride on the basal pressure of the sphincter of Oddi in anesthetized rabbits

Background: Opioid analgesics, which are classified as μ-opioid receptor agonists, are known to induce spasms or contraction of the sphincter of Oddi (SO), thereby inducing or exacerbating biliary diseases such as biliary obstruction, gallbladder dysfunction, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis, biliary dyskinesia, cholangitis, and cholecystitis. However, effects of κ-opioid receptor agonists on SO contraction have not been clarified. In the present study, we investigated the effect of nalfurafine hydrochloride (nalfurafine), ( E )- N -[17-(cyclopropylmethyl)-4,5α-epoxy-3,14-dihydroxymorphinan-6β-yl]-3-(furan-3-yl)- N -methylprop-2-enamide monohydrochloride, a selective κ-opioid receptor agonist, on spontaneous contraction of rabbit SO. Methods: SO contraction was measured using manometry in anesthetized rabbits. Rabbits were anesthetized with intravenous administration of 25 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital. An open tip catheter was inserted into the common bile duct toward the SO ampullae. Saline was perfused through the lumen of the open tip catheter at a constant rate of 6 ml/hr using a syringe pump. Nalfurafine, morphine, and pentazocine were intravenously (i.v.) administered and perfusion pressure was recorded. Results: Morphine (0.3 mg/kg, i.v.) and pentazocine (3 mg/kg, i.v.) were found to increase SO perfusion pressure, suggesting that these opioid analgesics may cause SO contraction. In contrast, nalfurafine (0.2 μg/kg, i.v.) decreased the perfusion pressure, indicating that this κ-opioid receptor agonist suppresses SO contraction. Conclusions: These findings suggest that nalfurafine is unlikely to induce or exacerbate biliary diseases and may be safely used in patients with these disorders.
Constitutive expression of Vitis vinifera thaumatin-like protein after in vitro selection and its role in anthracnose resistance

Anthracnose-resistant grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay) plants were regenerated from embryogenic cultures that had been subjected to in vitro selection with culture filtrate of Elsinoe ampelina (de Bary) Shear. Three secreted proteins differentially expressed by in vitro-selected embryogenic cultures and regenerated plants were identified. An 8-kDa protein was identified as a lipid-transfer protein (LTP) by N-terminal amino acid sequence comparison. Two other differentially expressed proteins, with estimated molecular weights of 21.6 and 22 kDa, immuno-reacted with antiserum raised against a thaumatin-like protein (TLP) protein from pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). N-terminal amino acid sequencing of the 21.6-kDa protein showed a high degree of homology to V. vinifera thaumatin-like protein 2 (VVTL-2 = grapevine osmotin; Acc no. CAA71883), and that of the 22-kDa protein was homologous to V. vinifera thaumatin-like protein 1 (VVTL-1; AAB61590). Interestingly, both VVTL-1 and VVTL-2 are pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, belonging to the PR-5 group. Protein produced from the cloned grapevine VVTL-1 gene significantly inhibited E. ampelina spore germination and hyphal growth in vitro. Plants regenerated from in vitro-selected cultures similarly inhibited fungal growth in vivo. Enhanced expression of antifungal VVTL-1 in anthracnose resistant grapevine strongly suggests that it plays an important role, either alone or in conjunction with other PR proteins, by suppressing pathogen growth.
Variations in Chromosomes 9 and 6p21.3 with Risk of Non–Hodgkin Lymphoma

Background: There is growing evidence linking genetic variations to non–Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) etiology. To complement ongoing agnostic approaches for identifying susceptibility genes, we evaluated 488 candidate gene regions and their relation to risk for NHL and NHL subtypes. Methods: We genotyped 6,679 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 947 cases and 826 population-based controls from a multicenter U.S. case–control study. Gene-level summary of associations were obtained by computing the minimum P value (“min P test”) on the basis of 10,000 permutations. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association between genotypes and haplotypes with NHL. For NHL subtypes, we conducted polytomous multivariate unconditional logistic regression (adjusted for sex, race, age). We calculated P -trends under the codominant model for each SNP. Results: Fourteen gene regions were associated with NHL ( P < 0.01). The most significant SNP associated with NHL maps to the SYK gene (rs2991216, P -trend = 0.00005). The three most significant gene regions were on chromosome 6p21.3 ( RING1 / RXRB; AIF1; BAT4 ). Accordingly, SNPs in RING1 / RXRB (rs2855429), AIF1 (rs2857597), and BAT4 (rs3115667) were associated with NHL ( P -trends ≤ 0.0002) and both diffuse large B-cell and follicular lymphomas ( P -trends < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest potential importance for SYK on chromosome 9 with NHL etiology. Our results further implicate 6p21.3 gene variants, supporting the need for full characterization of this chromosomal region in relation to lymphomagenesis. Impact: Gene variants on chromosome 9 may represent a new region of interesting for NHL etiology. The independence of the reported variants in 6p21.3 from implicated variants ( TNF / HLA ) supports the need to confirm causal variants in this region Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(1); 42–9. ©2011 AACR .
Definition of a Molecular Pathway Mediating α-Synuclein Neurotoxicity

α-Synuclein physiologically chaperones SNARE-complex assembly at the synapse but pathologically misfolds into neurotoxic aggregates that are characteristic for neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, and that may spread from one neuron to the next throughout the brain during Parkinson's disease pathogenesis. In normal nerve terminals, α-synuclein is present in an equilibrium between a cytosolic form that is natively unfolded and monomeric and a membrane-bound form that is composed of an α-helical multimeric species that chaperones SNARE-complex assembly. Although the neurotoxicity of α-synuclein is well established, the relationship between the native conformations of α-synuclein and its pathological aggregation remain incompletely understood; most importantly, it is unclear whether α-synuclein aggregation originates from its monomeric cytosolic or oligomeric membrane-bound form. Here, we address this question by introducing into α-synuclein point mutations that block membrane binding and by then assessing the effect of blocking membrane binding on α-synuclein aggregation and neurotoxicity. We show that membrane binding inhibits α-synuclein aggregation; conversely, blocking membrane binding enhances α-synuclein aggregation. Stereotactic viral expression of wild-type and mutant α-synuclein in the substantia nigra of mice demonstrated that blocking α-synuclein membrane binding significantly enhanced its neurotoxicity in vivo. Our data delineate a folding pathway for α-synuclein that ranges from a physiological multimeric, α-helical, and membrane-bound species that acts as a SNARE-complex chaperone over a monomeric, natively unfolded form to an amyloid-like aggregate that is neurotoxic in vivo.
Dicumarol Therapy and Platelet Turnover

Platelet survival and turnover were studied by the use of diisopropyl fluorophosphate, which contains phosphorus as P32 (DFP32)in atherosclerotic male subjects. Twenty-nine were given dicumarol in doses sufficient to diminish platelet function in vitro and 31 were used as controls. Platelet survival was prolonged and platelet turnover was decreased by dieumarol therapy. Of the coagulation tests, the platelet adhesive index showed the best correlation with platelet turnover. These findings indicate that platelet function in vitro and in vivo is diminished by adequate dicumarol therapy. Evidence is presented that the survival of the platelet, at least in the atherosclerotic subject, is largely determined by factors external to the platelet, among which the activity of the coagulation mechanism is important.
On-line dynamic bandwidth allocation

Network multimedia applications require certain performance guarantees that can be provided through proper resource allocation. Allocation techniques are needed to provide these guarantees as efficiently as possible since resources are limited. This paper presents an allocation method called Dynamic Search Algorithm (DSA+). DSA+ is an on-line algorithm that dynamically adjusts the resource allocation based upon the measured quality of service. Advantages of DSA+ include efficient use of resources, reasonable implementation cost and stringent quality of service control. In this paper we demonstrate how DSA+ dynamically allocates bandwidth to achieve a given loss rate for actual variable bit rate MPEG videos. Performance and cost advantages over other allocation methods are presented, as well as allocation for multiple hop connections.
Are Healthier Older Adults Choosing Managed Care

Purpose: We attempt to determine whether older workers and early retirees avoid managed care plans and to explore whether health plan choices are linked to the health status of workers or their spouses. Design and Methods: We use the responses of those born between 1931 and 1941 to the 1994 and 1998 waves of the Health and Retirement Survey. We analyze current workers and early retirees separately, using cross-tabular and multinomial logit techniques. Results: Among older adults with active workercoverage, 60%wereenrolledineitherahealth maintenance organization or preferred provider organization in 1998; 42% of early retirees were enrolled in these plans. Those with a choice of plans were even more likely to be in managed care. When demographic characteristics, time, and differences in the benefits and cost of the various plans offered by an employer are controlled for, health status (measured in a variety of ways) has little bearing on an older worker’s choice of health plan. Implications: These findings suggest that older workers choose plans much as younger workers do. Employers are likely to continue to offer managed care as their workers age.Thelackofunidirectionalfindingsonhealthstatus bodes well for the long-term practicality of managed care under Medicare. Many workers are choosing an insurance type early in their tenure and remaining with that type of plan as they age.
Syllabic patterns in the early vocalizations of Quichua children

To understand the interactions between production patterns common to children regardless of language environment and the early appearance of production effects based on perceptual learning from the ambient language requires the study of languages with diverse phonological properties. Few studies have evaluated early phonological acquisition patterns of children in non-Indo-European language environments. In the current study, across- and within-syllable consonant–vowel co-occurrence patterns in babbling were analyzed for a 6-month period for seven Ecuadorean Quichua learning children who were between 9 and 17 months of age at study onset. Their babbling utterances were compared to the babbling of six English-learning children between 9 and 22 months of age. Child patterns for both languages were compared with Quichua and English ambient language patterns. Babbling output was highly similar for the child groups: Quichua and English children's babbling demonstrated similar predicted within-syllable (coronal-front vowel, labial-central vowel, dorsal-back vowel) patterns, and across-syllable manner variegation patterns for consonants. These patterns were observed at significantly greater rates in the child groups than in the respective adult language input patterns, suggesting production system influences common to children across languages rather than ambient language perceptual learning effects during these children's babbling period.
The use of humanized MHC mouse strains for studies of rheumatic diseases

The association between the expression of specific alleles of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and susceptibility to a number of autoimmune diseases has been recognized for many years. After the discovery that MHC molecules bind and present antigenic peptides, there were high hopes that the antigens that drive autoimmune responses would be identified and new treatments for these diseases devised. Despite the advances made in understanding the function of MHC molecules, little new information has been generated as to how these MHC molecules participate in the pathogenesis of these diseases. This is perhaps no better exemplified than by the rheumatic diseases, most of which appear to be autoimmune in nature. While most autoimmune rheumatic diseases have clear associations with the expression of specific human leukocyte antigens (HLA) Class I or Class II alleles, it is still unclear how possessing these HLA alleles predisposes an individual to developing these diseases. In an attempt to answer these questions, a number of investigators have developed humanized mouse models of rheumatic diseases in which the HLA alleles associated with susceptibility to these diseases have been established as a transgene (see Tab. 1). In this review, we examine a number of these HLA humanized models and discuss their overall contribution to advancing our understanding of rheumatic diseases. While none of these mouse models perfectly mimics its respective human disease, it is clear that these humanized models can be valuable tools in developing new information about the function of these HLA molecules and they have provided important new insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmunity.
Aging Places: Perspectives on Change in a Cape Cod Community

Using data from a community located in Barnstable County (Cape Cod), Massachusetts, this study examines variation in how three groups of residents-nonmigrants, younger migrants, and older migrants-view changes occurring in their town. Although all three groups evaluate community change in negative terms, older migrants are more likely to express concern solely over changes in the physical environment of the community, whereas nonmigrants and younger migrants are more likely to voice opposition to a wider range of changes, including those affecting the social environment of the community. The distinguishing characteristics of older migrants make them susceptible to scapegoating by nonmigrants and younger migrants, suggesting that the traditional local distinction between native Cape Codders and newcomers is being superseded by one between younger and older migrants. Implications of this trend are discussed.
Overwintering Cost Associated with Resistance to Transgenic Cotton in the Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Fitness costs associated with resistance to transgenic crops producing toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) may have important effects on the evolution of resistance. We investigated overwintering costs in pink bollworm, Pectinophora gosypiella (Saunders), strains with different degrees of resistance to Bt cotton. Frequency of resistant individuals in a strain was not associated with induction of diapause or emergence from diapause in early winter. Emergence from diapause in the spring was 71% lower in three highly resistant strains than in two heterogeneous strains from which the resistant strains were derived. This underestimates the overwintering cost because the frequency of the resistance allele was relatively high in the heterogeneous strains. Emergence in the spring in hybrid progeny from crosses between the resistant and heterogeneous strains was greater than in resistant strains but did not differ from susceptible strains, showing that the overwintering cost was recessive to some extent.
Sunshine State dilemma: Voting for the 2014 governor of Florida

The 2014 Florida gubernatorial election pitted a highly unpopular incumbent Republican against a former Republican governor since turned independent to Democratic challenger. For the duration of his first term in office, Governor Rick Scott was plagued by low approval ratings generated directly from a series of decisions that proved unpopular to most Florida voters. Fortunately for Scott, however, his opponent for reelection was none other than Charlie Crist, his predecessor in Tallahassee who chose to vacate the governorship in 2010 in a failed bid for the U.S. Senate in which he shed his Republican affiliation only to lose to Republican Marco Rubio. Since then, Crist switched from no party affiliation to the Democratic Party and then launched a spirited bid to win back his old job from Governor Scott. In this study, we use survey data supplemented by other popular accounts to demonstrate that the 2014 Florida gubernatorial election was a classic case of voters perceiving their choice as the lesser of two evils. And in this case, the low approval rating of Governor Scott was less damaging than Crist's party switch, an action that proved electorally fatal.
A Survey of Federal Agency Response to President Clinton's Executive Order No. 12898 on Environmental Justice

We are attempting to assess the progress the federal government has made toward integrating environmental justice into its policies, programs, and activities, as well as whether federal agencies have made a substantial effort to direct and deliver environmental services to environmental justice communities. We are also interested in seeing if an agency's goals are matched by reality. This independent report will also allow federal agencies to compare their efforts with those of other agencies. One of our goals is that this survey will be the first in a periodic series to assess the ongoing efforts of federal agencies to advance environmental justice.
Synthetic Asymmetric Vesicles Built Using Microfluidic Technology at High-Throughput

We report on a novel microfluidic strategy for building monodisperse asymmetric vesicles with customized composition, size, and interfacial properties at high-throughput. The microfluidic device encompasses a triangular post region and two flow-focusing regions. The major steps involved in the vesicle building process include: (1) forming highly uniform water emulsion templates in the inner-leaflet lipid solution, (2) replacing the inner-leaflet lipid solution with the outer-leaflet lipid solution, (3) creating water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions, and (4) extracting the excess outer-leaflet lipid solution from the double emulsions. Bilayer membrane asymmetry and unilamellarity are confirmed using a fluorescence quenching assay and quantitative measurements of fluorescent intensities. This method addresses many of the deficiencies found in existing technologies, and yields asymmetries as high as 95%. The asymmetric vesicles built using this strategy hold the potential to serve as model systems to investigate fundamental problems in membrane biology.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Community Engagement in a Neoliberal Paradigm.

Studying community engagement provides another lens for examining how neoliberal universities collaborate with external organizations to move closer to the market, often in the hope of promoting the public good. This study examined the tension between the public and private aspects of university–community partnerships by studying the impact of neoliberal policies and logic on the design and implementation of these partnerships at two land-grant universities. Findings suggest that community engagement scholars and practitioners need to be sensitive to pressures from declining resources and their influences on higher education, including their impacts on community partnerships. In response to pressures to generate revenue and capture external resources, scholars and practitioners must balance reproducing dominant paradigms, developing quasi-market partnerships, and promoting public good through engagement practices.
Inter-annotator Agreement for Dependency Annotation of Learner Language

This paper reports on a study of interannotator agreement (IAA) for a dependency annotation scheme designed for learner English. Reliably-annotated learner corpora are a necessary step for the development of POS tagging and parsing of learner language. In our study, three annotators marked several layers of annotation over different levels of learner texts, and they were able to obtain generally high agreement, especially after discussing the disagreements among themselves, without researcher intervention, illustrating the feasibility of the scheme. We pinpoint some of the problems in obtaining full agreement, including annotation scheme vagueness for certain learner innovations, interface design issues, and difficult syntactic constructions. In the process, we also develop ways to calculate agreements for sets of dependencies.
Experimental Investigation of the Dynamic Interactions Between Co-Rotating Wing/Flap Tip Vortices

Dynamic interactions of pairs of co-rotating vortex filaments, typical of those emanating from wing tips and flap tips are studied. Time history of the motion of individual filaments has been obtained in a water tunnel using an optical method. It is demonstrated that before their merger, co-rotating vortex filaments tend to oscillate along preferred directions. Also, the motion appears to be unstable with increasing amplitude over a wide range of frequencies. These conclusions are shown to be consistent with analytical predictions. It is also shown that the merger location correlates well with the vortex strength. Comparisons with analytical and computational results are provided where appropriate.
Microtus ochrogaster (Prairie vole)

Pairing of the acrocentrics and the identification of the Y chromosome are very arbitrary, but the X chromosome is relatively easy to identify since it is the largest submetacentric of the complement.
Laser Anneal and the Amorphous-Crystalline Transition in the Cu60-Zr40 Alloy System

Recently, significant advances have been made in establishing a theoretical basis for explaining the many structural-sensitive physical properties of amorphous materials. Viewed from both the theoretical and experimental realms, reversible annealing dependency and the structural relaxation mechanism of the amorphous solids are conceptually deducible from the concept of localized structural fluctuations. In the case of annealing, however, the limiting temperature below which no permanent atomiclevel rearrangements occur is not known and may well be dependent on several intrinsic properties of the amorphous state. In an effort to establish this limiting temperature, amorphous Cu 60 -Zr 40 samples have been annealed using a 1kv pulsed laser. Samples annealed during 1200, 800, 600 400, and 200 μ sec. have been analyzed by using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM), and microanalysis. Analysis of the DSC indicates variations in both height and the shape of the exotherms from the samples annealed above 600 μ sec. duration. The results from HREM of these samples indicate the onset of amorphous-crystalline transition evidenced during 200 μ sec. annealing.
Studies on Some Western Porias with Negative or Weak Oxidase Reactions

Among the many fungi causing decay of dead timber in western North America are a number of species of Poria that, in pure culture, give negative or weak oxidase reactions. Most of these are associated with brown cubical rots, but a few are associated with white rots. This paper gives descriptive data on cultures, basidiocarps, associated rots, substrata, and distributions of 14 species. The species described here occur in the area including the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, and Yukon Territory and the western portion of the Northwest Territories. In North America Poria albobrunnea (Rom.) Baxter is limited to this area, although it also occurs in northern Europe. The other species are more widely distributed. Distribution and substrata records for the basidiocarps include only those for the western areas noted above. With some exceptions taxonomic studies of wood-rotting Hymenomycetes have traditionally been based entirely on the morphology of the basidiocarps. Similarly, cultural studies have frequently been carried out without accompanying data on basidiocarp morphology. In future efforts to elucidate the phylogeny of the Hymenomycetes, it is likely that both cultural and basidiocarp characteristics will play important and complementary roles. Cultural studies should be based on isolates obtained from basidiocarps that have been reliably identified and preserved for future reference. On the other hand, species similar in basidiocarp morphology may be differentiated in culture by differences in vegetative growth of dicaryotic isolates or by interfertility tests carried out with monosporous isolates. Recent work by Nobles (20) has
Monteris AXiiiS Stereotactic Miniframe for Intracranial Biopsy: Precision, Feasibility, and Ease of Use.

Background Stereotactic biopsy is an important and minimally invasive technique used for a variety of indications in neurosurgery. Initially, this technique required a frame, but recently there have been a number of newer, less cumbersome approaches to biopsy including robotic arms, fixed arms, and, more recently, skull-mounted miniframes. Miniframes are attractive because they are disposable and low profile. However, the relatively limited degree of freedom offered by currently available devices necessitates a preplanned burr hole, which in turn limits flexibility and multiple trajectories. The AXiiiS device is a skull-mounted, magnetic resonance imaging-compatible miniframe that provides a similar degree of freedom with a frame while maintaining a low-profile, disposable platform. Objective To assess the image-guided trajectory alignment accuracy using AXiiiS stereotactic miniframe biopsy of intracranial lesions. The accuracy of the AXiiiS device is compared with the Navigus Trajectory Guide as platforms. Methods After approval by our institutional review board, medical records of 10 neurosurgical patients with intracranial pathologies were chosen for AXiiiS stereotactic miniframe biopsy, and histological correlation was obtained. Results Ten reported cases demonstrate the precision and ease of using the AXiiiS stereotactic miniframe for biopsy of intracranial lesions in conjunction with preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Multiple trajectories and angles have been used with precision and safety. Conclusion The AXiiiS stereotactic miniframe is a feasible, safe, and disposable platform for multitrajectory intracranial biopsies. Compared with existing platforms, this novel device provides a more stable base and wider limits of trajectory angles with comparable accuracy and precision.
Analysis on reported food poisoning events in Guangxi in 2004~2011

Objective To analyze the reported food poisoning events in Guangxi from 2004 to 2011,so as to provide evidences for the prevention and control of food poisoning. Methods Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the food poisoning incidents in public health emergency events surveillance system in 2004~2011. Results There were 306 food poisoning incidents were reported included 7 423 poisoning cases,106 deaths with a fatality rate of 1.43%. The incidence rate was 1.96 per 100 000 persons and an average of 24.26 persons were involved in a poisoning event. The reported events peaked during June and September,while most deaths were reported in May and September. The classification of pathogenic factors included 112 events caused by microbiology, 98 events caused by vegetable and animal, 54 unknown events, and 42 events caused by chemicals. Most cases occurred in families and collective canteens. The deaths were due to poisonous mushrooms, fermented rice, homemade wine. Conclusions The highest numbers of food poisoning events were caused by micro- organism in reported food poisoning incidents in Guangxi. The action of prevention and control of food poisoning must be focused on the rural families and collective canteens. Strengthening food health education and foodborne diseases surveillance is the effective and important measures for prevention and control of poisoning incidents.
Anophthalmia, Microphthalmia, and Uveal Coloboma

The eye develops during the first trimester of pregnancy through a complex series of morphologic changes. This process is carefully regulated via a network of growth and transcription factors, as well as cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix signaling.
NineOneOne: Recognizing and Classifying Speech for Handling Minority Language Emergency Calls.

In this paper, we describe NineOneOne (9-1-1), a system designed to recognize and translate Spanish emergency calls for better dispatching. We analyze the research challenges in adapting speech translation technology to 9-1-1 domain. We report our initial research towards building the system and the results of our initial experiments.
Physical basis of trace element partitioning: A review

![][1] Experimental observations on the dissolution of elements in minerals and melts and the partitioning between the two materials show that the concentration (or the partition coefficient) of trace elements depends on the properties of elements as well as those of relevant materials (minerals and melts) and the thermochemical conditions. Previous models of element solubility in minerals contain a vague treatment of the role of the stiffness of the element and have a difficulty in explaining some observations including the solubility of the noble gases. A modified theory of element solubility in minerals is presented where the role of elasticity of both matrix mineral and the element is included using the continuum theory of point defects by Eshelby (1951, 1954, 1956). This theory provides a framework to explain the majority of observations and shows a better fit to the published results on the effective elastic constants relevant to element partitioning. However, the concept of “elasticity of the trace element” needs major modification when the site occupied by a trace element has large excess charge. The experimental data of the solubility coefficients of noble gases in melts show strong dependence on the atomic size that invalidates the “zero-charge” model for noble gas partitioning. A simple model of element solubility in melts is proposed based on the hard sphere model of complex liquids that provides a plausible explanation for the difference in the dissolution behavior between noble gases and other charged elements. Several applications of these models are discussed including the nature of noble gas behavior in the deep/early Earth and the water distribution in the lithosphere/asthenosphere system. [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif