cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyroid Function in Children With Different Lipoprotein Profiles: Observations in a Biracial (Black/White) Population- The Bogalusa Heart Study*

Abnormalities of thyroid function are associated with hyperlipidemia, a risk factor for coronary artery disease that starts in childhood. We investigated the age-, race-, and sex-related differences in thyroid function and its relation to serum lipoprotein levels in children (n = 363) aged 6 to 18 years from the biracial (black/white) community of Bogalusa, Louisiana, using an ultrasensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) assay. Serum levels of lipoprotein cholesterol fractions, triglycerides, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and the Tanner stage of sexual development were determined. Serum T3 (P < 0.0001), T4 (P < 0.0001), and TSH (P < 0.0020) levels decreased significantly with Tanner stage. Serum T4 levels were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in both black and white females than their male counterparts. An unexpected finding was a significantly increased mean serum TSH in whites (2.09 + 0.91; mean + standard error of mean) when compared to blacks (1.74 + 0.10; P = 0.0185). Overall, no significant correlation was noted between serum lipoprotein variables and TSH. However, those with the highest low-density lipoprotein to very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol fractions had a higher T4 and a T4/TSH ratio than those with the lowest low-density lipoprotein to very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol fractions. In summary, it is concluded that there is no simple relationship between lipoproteins and TSH or thyroid hormone levels in children.
Assessment of Diastolic Function with Doppler Tissue Imaging After Cardiac Surgery: Effect of the “Postoperative Septum” in On-Pump and Off-Pump Procedures

Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) of mitral annular velocity is useful in assessing diastolic function. Most centers record at the septal or lateral segments of the annulus. Cardiopulmonary bypass produces changes in the motion of the interventricular septum. We evaluated the use of DTI after operation with and without cardiopulmonary bypass. 18 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were prospectively examined. Nine underwent cardiopulmonary bypass. Nine had operation without bypass. DTI was performed 4 +/- 3 days before operation and again 31+/- 7 days afterwards. Early diastolic velocities of the lateral and septal segments of the mitral annulus were measured. Ejection fraction and transmitral diastolic early-to-late filling (E/A) ratios were also assessed. Early diastolic septal mitral annular velocity decreased (7.9 +/- 1.2 to 5.9 +/- 1.1 cm/s [P= .001]) after on-pump operation whereas lateral segment velocity remained unchanged (8.5 +/- 2.9 to 8.2 +/- 3.7 cm/s [P = .30]). E/A ratio did not change after operation (1.28 +/- 0.25 to 1.21 +/- 0.47 [P = .45]). In contrast, septal segment velocity in the off-pump group trended higher after operation (5.3 +/- 1.9 to 6.0 +/- 1.5 cm/s [P = .20]). Lateral segment velocity and E/A ratio also increased somewhat, but changes were not significant (6.2 +/- 1.7 to 6.7 +/- 2.9 cm/s [P = .15] and 1.1 +/- 0.5 to 1.2 +/- 0.4 [P = .13], respectively). Ejection fraction increased in both groups. Early diastolic velocity of the septal mitral annulus decreases after operation with cardiopulmonary bypass, but does not change after off-pump operation. In contrast, early diastolic velocity of the lateral segment is not affected by either on-pump or off-pump operation. Measuring lateral segment velocity is recommended for diastolic DTI after cardiopulmonary bypass, as septal DTI may incorrectly suggest diastolic dysfunction.
Learning Mathematics via a Problem-Centered Approach: A Two-Year Study

For nine-week periods during two consecutive years, sixth-grade students at the same school were taught identical mathematics content using two different instructional approaches. Year 1 involved low achievers, whereas Year 2 was mixed ability students. The experimental treatment was a problem-centered approach (PCL) where potentially meaningful tasks were posed to the class and solved in collaborative groups. The groups presented and defended their solution strategies to their peers. A statistically similar control group learned via the traditional explain-practice (E-P) approach. The teacher demonstrated procedures and students individually practiced what had been illustrated. Regardless of perceived ability level, the PCL approach appeared to significantly enhance achievement and improve attitude towards mathematics. Low achievers seemed to gain the most, narrowing the gap between them and their mixed ability peers. PCL appeared useful with any curriculum if the teacher understood and properly implemen...
Mere Exposure: Gender Differences in the Negative Effects of Priming a State of Self-Objectification

Objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) holds that American culture coaxes women to develop observers' views of their bodies. The present study was designed to test whether a state of self-objectification can be automatically activated by subtle exposure to objectifying words. A state of self-objectification or of bodily empowerment was primed by the use of a scrambled sentence task. Women's ratings of negative emotions were higher and their ratings of the appeal of physical sex lower when primed with self-objectification than when primed with body competence. Men's ratings were unaffected by the primes. The results of this study suggest that mere exposure to objectifying media can play a significant role in the initiation of a self-objectified state along with its attendant psychological consequences for women.
Ecology of the methylotrophic bacteria on living leaf surfaces

Abstract Pink-pigmented, facultatively methylotrophic bacteria (PPFMs) are a substantial part of the aerobic, heterotrophic, microflora of young leaf surfaces. They were most numerous on white clover ( Trifolium repens ) leaves in the summer. The pink bacteria averaged 36% of the total heterotrophic count/cm 2 , with a range of 3 to 79%. The growth of PPFMs on multicarbon compounds is much lower than that of other numerically important leaf heterotrophs. Free methanol of endogenous origin, is present in growing leaves. The availability of methanol at the leaf surface may allow the PPFMs to compete successfully with other heterotrophs that require multicarbon compounds, that are also leached from the growing plant surfaces. SEM studies showed epiphytic bacteria to be most abundant near the margins of the abaxial surfaces of leaves. Microcolonies of bacteria on leaf surfaces were often covered with a thin layer of material, the source and nature of which has not been determined.
CONDUCTING AN EXTERNAL REVIEW OF A MATHEMATICS PROGRAM AND DEPARTMENT

ABSTRACT The Mathematical Association of America Guidelines for Programs and Departments in Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences recommends the use of a periodic external review as an assessment tool to evaluate the mathematics program and the department. However, there is surprisingly little information on how to conduct an external review for a mathematics program. In this paper, we will present an argument as to why a mathematics department should go through a periodic external review. In addition, we will present some helpful hints on how to conduct an external review.
Deployment of a previously embolized, unexpanded, and disarticulated Palmaz-Schatz stent.

Stent embolization is a rare but acknowledged complication of placement of disarticulated (half) Palmaz-Schatz stents. We report a case in which we diagnosed a previously unrecognized, embolized, undeployed half-stent in the distal LAD, causing slow flow, and then deployed the stent where it lay, resulting in improved flow. The literature on treatment of coronary stent embolization and on cutting and preparing half-stents for deployment is discussed. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn. 42:331–334, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phenotypic alterations in fibroblasts and fibrosarcoma cells that overexpress latent transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Mouse embryo-derived AKR-2B fibroblasts and murine fibrosarcoma cells (the 1591 cell line) were transfected with a murine transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta 1) cDNA under the transcriptional control of either the simian virus-40 early promoter or the cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer. Selected clones secreted 2- to 4-fold more TGF beta-competing activity into their media than the parental cell line or neomycin-transfected controls. The TGF beta 1 released into the cell-conditioned medium was latent. Despite the latency of the overexpressed TGF beta 1, TGF beta 1-transfected cells exhibited phenotypic features of TGF beta 1-treated cells. When confluent, the TGF beta 1-transfected cells had the morphological characteristics of the parental cells that have been treated with active TGF beta 1. AKR-2B cells that expressed higher levels of TGF beta 1 also expressed high levels of c-sis and c-myc mRNAs and decreased TGF beta 2 and TGF beta 3 mRNAs in the same manner as parental AKR-2B cells that had be...
The isotopic oxygen nightglow as viewed from Mauna Kea

Optical spectra of the terrestrial nightglow in the 520- to 900-nanometer region, as measured by the W. M. Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii and the associated high-resolution echelle spectrograph, showed many bands belonging to the important O 2 ( b-X ) Atmospheric Band emission system. Previous ground-based measurements have shown only a single band, from the lowest vibrational level of the emitting state. Of particular interest is the fact that at the 762-nanometer position of the b-X 0-0 band, where earlier studies have shown only absorption features, these results showed both absorption at the 16 O 16 O line positions and well-resolved emission at the positions of many of the 18 O 16 O and 17 O 16 O lines. These findings show that substantial advances can be made in understanding atmospheric emission phenomena by the use of astronomical tools.
Slow potential correlates of neuronal population responses in the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus.

Abstract Simultaneous measurements of slow potential (SP) and multiple unit (MU) changes were made from the same anatomical locus in the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus during visual stimulation. Increased neuronal discharge was accompanied by negative SP shifts. Patterns of integrated MU (IMU) responses were highly similar to the evoked potential-SP waveform, although some dissociation was evident, especially in that the SP generally returned to baseline more slowly than the IMU. These data suggest that measurements of SP may be related to IMU activity and, cautiously used, may broaden the interpretations based on previous studies of subcortical SP responses during animal learning.
Time-dependent R -matrix calculations for multiphoton ionization of argon atoms in strong laser pulses

A recently developed [Guan et al., Phys. Rev. A 76, 053411 (2007)] general ab initio and nonperturbative method to solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation (TDSE) for the interaction of a strong attosecond laser pulse with a general atom is applied to multiphoton ionization of argon atoms. The field-free Hamiltonian and the dipole matrices are generated using a flexible $B$-spline $R$-matrix method, which allows for the use of nonorthogonal sets of one-electron orbitals. The solution of the TDSE is propagated in time using the Arnoldi-Lanczos method. The effects of the pulse length and the laser intensity on the ionization rate for different photon energies are analyzed. In the long-pulse regime, good agreement with predictions from $R$-matrix Floquet calculations is achieved.
From Woodrow Wilson in 1902 to the Bush doctrine in 2002: Democracy promotion as imperialism

The secular notion of American exceptionalism divorced from explicit racial or religious expression and based on governmental institutions and civic virtue – America as ‘the last, best hope of earth’ (Lincoln), America as ‘the ark of the liberties of the world’ (Melville) – goes back to the American Revolution. Nevertheless, before Wilson the conceptual framework that could explain the rightness of American global expansion in terms of bringing democratic government to others had not been well formulated. With Wilson, by contrast, the United States for the first time could present in secular terms, concepts argued from a cultural and historical perspective that made the expansion of American influence around the globe legitimate, not only in terms of national security but to the benefit of all mankind. Here is the key, I would propose, to the self-confidence and self-righteousness, which has been the hallmark of American foreign policy for a century now. Democracy promotion (associated with open markets economically and multilateralism) reflected America's cultural superiority (inherited from racial thinking), as well as its mission to help others (descended from its religious background). In Wilson's hands, an enduring framework for American foreign policy was born, one that remains with us to this day.
Effective nonlinear behavior of electrostrictive multiphase composites: A micromechanical study

The micromechanics modeling of the nonlinear behavior of the electrostrictive multiphase composites is developed using an incremental formulation based on the variational-asymptotic method. The microstructure of composites is assumed to be periodic. Taking advantage of the small size of the microstructure, we formulate a variational statement of energy change of the unit cell through an asymptotic analysis of the functional to predict the effective instantaneous tangential electromechanical matrix of the composites. Several numerical examples are used to demonstrate the capability of the present theory.
The Impact of Cash Flow and Debt on Organizational Agility

Organizational agility is found to be sensitive to both an organization’s cash flow and its financial leverage. While many factors such as technology, organizational processes, and organizational architecture impact the flexibility of an organizational response to change, in the last analysis the agility of an organization is dependent on the norms, values and behaviors of individuals within that organization. We find that the size of an organization’s cash flow and debt impacts the cultural climate of that organization. Specifically that ample cash flows and low debt supports cultural attributes that promote organizational agility and low cash flows and high debt contributes to a cultural environment that retards organizational agility.
Accuracy of an infrared tympanic thermometer.

Background The use of infrared thermometry to measure temperatures in hospitalized patients is increasing. Although infrared thermometers have been proven to be accurate when they are used by well-trained personnel, no previous studies have examined their accuracy during routine hospital use. Objective To determine the accuracy and observer variability of temperatures measured with an infrared tympanic thermometer (TT). Design Prospective, observational study. Setting ICUs of a 300-bed teaching community hospital. Patients Fifty-one critically ill patients. Measurements The mean of three tympanic temperatures measured with the infrared TT (temp TTs) was compared to temperatures simultaneously measured with the thermistor of right heart catheters and rectal mercury thermometers for the following three groups of observers who had been certified in the use of the infrared TT: a single critical care nurse (CCN)/educator (Ed); CCNs, and floor nurses (FNs)/clinical care practitioners (CCPs). Results Two rounds of measurements were given to 51 patients by 153 observers. Temperatures of the pulmonary artery (PA) measured with the thermistor of right heart catheters (tempPAs) ranged from 96.5 to 102.6˚F, with a mean (± SD) of 99.3 ± 1.1˚F. The intraobserver variabilities (correlation coefficients) of the tempTTs ranged from 0.90 for those measured by FNs/CCPs, to 0.92 for those measured by CCNs, to 0.98 for those measured by the CCN/Ed. Accuracy, arbitrarily defined as within a deviation of ± 0.5˚F of the tempPA, was 100% for the rectal mercury thermometer and 98.0% for the infrared TT when used by the CCN/Ed. The accuracy of the infrared TT was 80% when measured by CCNs and 61% when measured by FNs/CCPs. Differences between tempPAs and tempTTs measured by the CCN/Ed ranged from 0 to 0.7˚F, with a mean of 0.2˚F. Similarly, differences between tempPAs and tempTTs measured by CCNs ranged from 0 to 2.4˚F, with a mean difference of 0.3˚F. However, differences between tempPAs and tempTTs measured by FNs/CCPs ranged from 0 to 3.0˚F, with a mean of 0.6˚F (greater differences than those obtained by the CCNs; p Conclusion When used properly, both tympanic and rectal thermometry are very accurate. However, the infrared TT produced measurements that were both less accurate and less reproducible when used by nurses who routinely used it in clinical practice.
Explaining the adult careers of dyslexic boys: Variations in critical skills for high-level jobs

Abstract Several hundred boys who were diagnosed as dyslexic (specifically reading disabled) in adolescence and who attended a private college preparatory school for dyslexics were followed up in adulthood. The occupations of these men, who were above average in both intelligence and socioeconomic background, were compared to those of both a control group and the general white male population. As hypothesized, the dyslexic men had higher level jobs than the average man but they were much less likely than the controls to become professionals. They rarely entered jobs such as physician, lawyer, or college teacher which require higher degrees; instead most became managers or salesmen. The occupational differences between the dyslexic and control men were related to, but not completely accounted for, by their large differences in educational attainment. Data on the competencies rated as critical to good job performance in different occupations were consistent with the hypothesis that dyslexic men would establish themselves in relatively high-level jobs emphasizing nonacademic rather than academic on-the-job skills. Nondisabled professionals rated getting information through reading among the most critical of the skills required on their jobs. In contrast, managers and salesmen rated reading as less important than nonacademic competencies such as taking initiative and responsibility or being persuasive. The results illustrate the value of knowing more about the particular competencies required in different jobs in order to help members of special groups, particularly those such as dyslexies who have specific and enduring handicaps but who are otherwise intellectually normal.
Size zero high-end ethnic: Cultural production and the reproduction of culture in fashion modeling

Abstract The fashion modeling industry has long been criticized for using excessively thin and exclusively Anglo-looking models in advertising and runway shows. How do fashion producers make decisions to hire models, and why is the fashion model aesthetic defined so narrowly? Based on participant observation and interviews with modeling agents and clients in New York and London, the current study explains how producers in the modeling industry weigh their decisions on two publicly polemical issues: slenderness and racial exclusion. As workers in cultural production, agents and clients face intense market uncertainty when selecting models. In the absence of objective standards, they rely on conventions, imitation, and stereotypes to guide their decisions. Producers hire fashion models to articulate market-specific versions of femininity. In the commercial market, they emphasize demographics, racial inclusion, sex appeal and attainable beauty; in the high-end editorial market, they seek distinction, sexual unavailability and rarefied beauty. As cultural producers, agents and clients ultimately reproduce culture by fashioning femininity along race and class lines.
GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENT MOTHERS OF FAVORABLE BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS • 30

GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENT MOTHERS OF FAVORABLE BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS • 30
Multiple Match Resolvers: A New Design Method

After a brief review of alternative techniques, this correspondence presents an approach to multiple-match resolver design which is significantly faster than ones which have hitherto been published. The approach involves the repeated use of a standard functional block to build resolver tree structures capable of generating addresses or logic vectors. Several example designs are shown to illustrate the concept, but the basic intent is to provide a method which can be used effectively under many logic family and physical constraints. For activity vectors of N bits, the scheme produces resolvers with speeds of around log2 N unit gate propagation delays.
Postoperative Measurements Of Ventricular Function In Man Using An Implantable Ultrasonic Sensor

To monitor regional ventricular function in man following cardiac surgery we have developed an implantable ultrasonic sensor which is attached to the epicardial surface during surgery to measure wall thickening. During the last 18 months we have implanted sensors in 33 patients for up to 2 days postoperatively. Good quality signals were obtained from 25 of the sensors, and all were extracted sucessfully in the intensive care unit. Thickening fraction (TF) was highly variable among patients, dropped transiently after surgery, but remained relatively stable in most patients during the recovery period. Four patients developed sustained systolic thinning suggestive of ischemia or infarction during the recovery period. However, none of these patients were symptomatic or had ECG changes or other positive tests for ischemia. We conclude that the method is a safe, reliable, and accurate technique to monitor the recovery of ventricular function following surgery and that it provides quantitative information not obtainable by other methods.
Can a developing democracy benefit from labour repression? Evidence from Sri Lanka

Abstract While a growing body of academic literature casts doubt on the wisdom of authoritarian responses to labour in developing democracies, few empirical studies demonstrate the adverse effects of excluding organised labour from the policy arena or repressing trade unions in the industrial relations arena. This paper draws on the recent history of state–labour relations in Sri Lanka to help fill this gap. Beginning in the late 1970s, the Sri Lankan government adopted a labour-repressive export-oriented strategy of development. The author shows how the repression of private sector unions during this period destroyed the legitimacy of traditional left unions and the structure of institutionalised bargaining that was in place prior to Sri Lanka's authoritarian period. This erosion of the system of institutionalised bargaining eventually led workers to shift their support to more radical, ‘new left’ unions and culminated in a wave of extreme and violent forms of protest that chased away much needed foreign...
Waiving Environmental Concerns Along the Border: Fence Construction and the Waiver Authority of the Real ID Act

In 1994, the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (“INS”) instituted a border enforcement policy aimed at deterring illegal immigration along strategic points of the United States’ southern border by increasing the presence of border patrol agents and constructing physical barriers. 3 The INS anticipated that securing conventional routes of entry would force illegal immigrants to more remote and rugged sections of the border that would be more difficult to traverse. 4 The ultimate success of the policy has been debated, but it did result in a substantial decrease of illegal entries in places like San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas. 5 As anticipated, the number of attempted illegal entries also increased along more remote sections of the border, although it is unclear that the inhospitable terrain has deterred significant numbers of illegal immigrants from crossing the border.
Direct titration of glycerol by constant current potentiometry.

Abstract A direct, constant-current potentiometric titration method allows quantitative determination of 0.50–5.00 mg samples of glycerol in aqueous solution with errors ranging from 0.2% for the large samples to 2.0% for the smaller samples. Perchloratocerate is used as the standard oxidant and pyrolytic graphite as the electrode material. A direct determination is made possible by elevated temperatures, high acidity, and a relatively large constant current. Sources of error and possible interferences are discussed.
Kinetic analysis of the RNAi enzyme complex.

The siRNA-directed ribonucleoprotein complex, RISC, catalyzes target RNA cleavage in the RNA interference pathway. Here, we show that siRNA-programmed RISC is a classical Michaelis-Menten enzyme in the presence of ATP. In the absence of ATP, the rate of multiple rounds of catalysis is limited by release of the cleaved products from the enzyme. Kinetic analysis suggests that different regions of the siRNA play distinct roles in the cycle of target recognition, cleavage, and product release. Bases near the siRNA 5′ end disproportionately contribute to target RNA-binding energy, whereas base pairs formed by the central and 3′ regions of the siRNA provide a helical geometry required for catalysis. Finally, the position of the scissile phosphate on the target RNA seems to be determined during RISC assembly, before the siRNA encounters its RNA target.
Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring for Discharged Emergency Department Patients with Possible Cardiac Arrhythmias

Results: There were 174 patients were enrolled and all mailed back their devices. The average age was 52.2 (± 21.0) years, and 55% were female. The most common indications for device placement were palpitations 44.8%, syncope 24.1% and dizziness 6.3%. Eighty-three patients (47.7%) had ≥1 arrhythmias and 17 (9.8%) were symptomatic at the time of their arrhythmia. Median time to first arrhythmia was 1.0 days (IQR 0.2-2.8) and median time to first symptomatic arrhythmia was 1.5 days (IQR 0.4-6.7). 93 (53.4%) of symptomatic patients did not have any arrhythmia during their triggered events. The overall diagnostic yield was 63.2% Conclusion: The Zio®Patch cardiac monitoring device can efficiently characterize symptomatic patients without significant arrhythmia and has a higher diagnostic yield for arrhythmias than traditional 24-48 hour Holter monitoring. It allows for longer term monitoring up to 14 days. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(2):194–198.]
Localization and developmental regulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 and -2 in the baboon syncytiotrophoblast.

We previously showed that the messenger RNA and protein levels of the 11ss-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) enzymes catalyzing glucocorticoid reduction (11betaHSD-1) and oxidation (11betaHSD-2) increased with advancing baboon gestation and concluded that the estrogen-regulated change in placental cortisol metabolism from reduction at midgestation to oxidation near term is not simply the result of a change in the relative concentrations of these two enzymes. Therefore, in the current study we determined whether 11betaHSD-1 and -2 are located in different regions of the baboon and human syncytiotrophoblast and whether there is a developmental change in their localization with advancing baboon gestation. Western blot analyses, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry indicated that 11betaHSD-1 expression was abundant in microvillus membranes (MVM) juxta the maternal circulation, and their levels are significantly lower, but detectable, in more internal regions of the syncytiotrophoblast, including membranes contiguous with the basal membrane (BM(m)) facing the fetal vasculature in both the human and baboon. In contrast, in both species 11betaHSD-2 expression was limited in the MVM and extensive throughout the remainder of the syncytiotrophoblast, including the BM(m). In the baboon, the relative mean (+/-SE) concentrations (arbitrary densitometric units per microgram protein) of 11betaHSD-1 in the MVM were similar at mid (i.e. day 100; 38,859 +/- 3,484; n = 3) and late (i.e. day 180; 43,561 +/- 1,784; n = 3) gestation (term = day 184) and exceeded (P < 0.01) respective values for 11betaHSD-2 by approximately 16-fold. In contrast, levels of 11betaHSD-1 in the BM(m) declined (P < 0.05) by approximately 50% between mid (7,099 +/- 758) and late (4,013 +/- 738) gestation, whereas levels of 11betaHSD-2 in this fraction increased. Thus, the ratio of 11betaHSD-2 to 11betaHSD-1 in the BM(m) at midgestation (1.22 +/- 0.10) was increased (P < 0.05) 2-fold in late gestation (2.66 +/- 0.05). Collectively, these findings indicate that the 11betaHSD-1 and -2 enzymes are localized to different membrane fractions of the baboon and human placental syncytiotrophoblast. Moreover, we propose that the developmental increase in the ratio of 11betaHSD-2 to 11betaHSD-1 in membranes facing fetal blood near term is consistent with and perhaps the subcellular mechanism responsible for the previously demonstrated switch in transplacental glucocorticoid metabolism from reduction at midgestation to oxidation late in gestation and appears to be responsible for the activation/maturation of the fetal pituitary-adrenocortical axis.
Acetylcholinesterase of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae): cDNA sequence, baculovirus expression, and biochemical properties

A 2193-nucleotide cDNA encoding acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) was sequenced and expressed in the baculovirus system. The open reading frame encoded a 91 amino acid secretion signal peptide and a 613 amino acid mature protein with 96% and 94% identity to the AChEs of Haematobia irritans (L.) and Musca domestica (L.), respectively. Structural characteristics of M. domestica, H. irritans, and Drosophila melanogaster AChEs were conserved in the S. calcitrans AChE. The recombinant enzyme was inhibited by eserine, coroxon, and paraoxon and exhibited K(m) values of 63.9μM for acetylthiocholine and 96.7μM for butyrylthiocholine, confirming its biochemical identity as an acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7). These data will enable rapid identification and assay for mutations that reduce AChE sensitivity to organophosphate (OP) pesticides, potentially aiding resistance management efforts to prevent fixation of the mutations in pest populations.
Component-based hardware/software co-verification for building trustworthy embedded systems

We present a novel component-based approach to hardware/software co-verification of embedded systems using model checking. Embedded systems are pervasive and often mission-critical, therefore, they must be highly trustworthy. Trustworthy embedded systems require extensive verification. The close interactions between hardware and software of embedded systems demand co-verification. Due to their diverse applications and often strict physical constraints, embedded systems are increasingly component-based and include only the necessary components for their missions. In our approach, a component model for embedded systems which unifies the concepts of hardware IPs (i.e., hardware components) and software components is defined. Hardware and software components are verified as they are developed bottom-up. Whole systems are co-verified as they are developed top-down. Interactions of bottom-up and top-down verification are exploited to reduce verification complexity by facilitating compositional reasoning and verification reuse. Case studies on a suite of networked sensors have shown that our approach facilitates major verification reuse and leads to order-of-magnitude reduction on verification complexity.
Hadronic Momentum Densities in the Transverse Plane

We examine the spatial density within extended objects of the momentum component p{sup +}, and find relativistically exact connections to Fourier transforms of gravitational form factors. We apply these results to obtain semiempirical momentum density distributions within nucleons, and similar distributions for spin-1 objects based on theoretical results from the AdS/QCD correspondence. We find that the momentum density in the transverse plane is more compact than the charge density.
Diversity in sequence-dependent control of GRO chemokine mRNA half-life.

Neutrophil trafficking to sites of injury or infection is regulated, in part, by the closely related GRO family of chemokines (CXCL1, -2, and -3). Expression of the GRO chemokine genes is known to be determined by transcriptional bursts in response to proinflammatory stimulation, but post-transcriptional mechanisms that regulate mRNA half-life are now recognized as important determinants. mRNA half-life is regulated via distinct sequence motifs and sequence-specific, RNA-binding proteins, whose function is subject to regulation by extracellular proinflammatory stimuli. Moreover, such mechanisms exhibit cell-type and stimulus dependency. We now present evidence that in nonmyeloid cells, GRO2 and GRO3 isoforms exhibit at least two patterns of mRNA instability that are distinguished by differential sensitivity to specific mRNA-destabilizing proteins and stimulus-mediated prolongation of mRNA half-life, respectively. Although the 3′ UTR regions of GRO2 and GRO3 mRNAs contain multiple AREs, GRO2 has eight AUUUA pentamers, whereas GRO3 has seven. These confer quantitative differences in half-life and show sensitivity for TTP and KSRP but not SF2/ASF. Moreover, these AUUUA determinants do not confer instability that can be modulated in response to IL-1α. In contrast, IL-1α-sensitive instability for GRO2 and GRO3 is conferred by sequences located proximal to the 3′ end of the 3′UTR that are independent of the AUUUA sequence motif. These regions are insensitive to TTP and KSRP but show reduced half-life mediated by SF2/ASF. These sequence-linked, post-transcriptional activities provide substantial mechanistic diversity in the control of GRO family chemokine gene expression.
Gratings as broad band filters for the infra-red.

An effective means of removing the short wave-length light from a beam containing infra-red radiation of all wave-lengths, uses an echelette grating as a simple mirror. Light of wave-lengths short compared to the grating space, is diffracted out of the beam into the dispersed spectra. Light of wave-lengths long compared to the grating space, can only go into the undispersed zero-order spectrum, which falls in the direction of normal reflection if the grating were a mirror. By the use of echelette gratings with high intensities in the dispersed spectra, large reductions in the amount of short wave-length light in the central image can be effected. The wave-length at which most of the light changes from normal reflection into the beam to diffraction out of it, may be quite sharp, so that the effective filtering action may vary by a factor as large as four in a two-micron interval. When such a grating is substituted for a plane mirror in the illuminating system of an infra-red spectrometer, the scattered light in the monochromator is reduced by a factor of ten.
Balance Improvements in Older Women: Effects of Exercise Training

Background and Purpose. Loss of lower-extremity strength increases the risk of falls in older persons. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a vigorous program of lower-extremity strengthening, walking, and postural control exercises would improve the single-stance balance of healthy older women and lower their risk of falls and fall-associated injuries. Subjects. From a total of 38 respondents, 21 women were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (combined training, n=12) or a control group (flexibility training, n=9). The subjects ranged in age from 62 to 75 years (X=68, SD=3.5). Methods. A randomized control trial compared the effects of two exercise programs on static balance. The combined training group exercised three times per week on knee extension and sitting leg press machines, walked briskly for 20 minutes, and performed postural control exercises, which included simple tai chi movements. The flexibility training group performed postural control exercises weekly. Measurements of balance were obtained on a force platform in double and single stance, at baseline and following 6 months of exercise training. Results. Double-stance measurements were unchanged after training. The mean displacement of the center of pressure in single stance improved 17% in the combined training group and did not change in the flexibility training group. A repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that the difference in improvement between the combined training and flexibility training groups was not significant. Discussion and Conclusion. This is the first intervention trial to demonstrate improvements in single-stance postural sway in older women with exercise training. Additional studies with more subjects will be needed to determine whether a combined training program of resistance training, walking, and postural exercises can improve balance more than a program of postural control exercises alone.
Acute and conditioned hypoxic tolerance augmented by endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibition in mice.

To identify a possible role for nitric oxide (NO) in acute hypoxic tolerance (HT) we measured hypoxic survival time (HST), effect of hypoxic conditioning (HC), and survival following hypoxic condit...
Targeting plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in a human cancer xenograft model

Cancers of the urinary bladder result in aggressive and highly angiogenic tumors for which standard treatments have only limited success. Patients with advanced disease have a 5-year survival rate of less than 20%, and no new anticancer agent has been successfully introduced into the clinic armamentarium for the treatment of bladder cancer in more than 20 years. Investigations have identified plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a serine protease inhibitor, as being highly expressed in several malignancies, including bladder cancer, in which high expression is associated with a poor prognosis. In this study, we evaluated PAI-1 as a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer. PAI-1 expression was manipulated in a panel of cell lines and functional inhibition was achieved using the small molecule tiplaxtinin. Reduction or inhibition of PAI-1 resulted in the reduction of cellular proliferation, cell adhesion, and colony formation, and the induction of apoptosis and anoikis in vitro. Treatment of T24 xenografts with tiplaxtinin resulted in inhibition of angiogenesis and induction of apoptosis, leading to a significant reduction in tumor growth. Similar results were obtained through evaluation of the human cervical cancer HeLa cell line, showing that PAI-1-mediated effects are not restricted to tumor cells of bladder origin. Collectively, these data show that targeting PAI-1 may be beneficial and support the notion that novel drugs such as tiplaxtinin could be investigated as anticancer agents.
Jyotish: A novel framework for constructing predictive model of people movement from joint Wifi/Bluetooth trace

It is well known that people movement exhibits a high degree of repetition since people visit regular places and make regular contacts for their daily activities. This paper1 presents a novel framework named Jyotish2, which constructs a predictive model by exploiting the regular pattern of people movement found in real joint Wifi/Bluetooth trace. The constructed model is able to answer three fundamental questions: (1) where the person will stay, (2) how long she will stay at the location, and (3) who she will meet. In order to construct the predictive model, Jyotish includes an efficient clustering algorithm to exploit regularity of people movement and cluster Wifi access point information in Wifi trace into locations. Then, we construct a Naive Bayesian classifier to assign these locations to records in Bluetooth trace. Next, the Bluetooth trace with assigned locations is used to construct predictive model including location predictor, stay duration predictor, and contact predictor to provide answers for three questions above. Finally, we evaluate the constructed predictors over real Wifi/Bluetooth trace collected by 50 participants in University of Illinois campus from March to August 2010. Evaluation results show that Jyotish successfully constructs a predictive model, which provides a considerably high prediction accuracy of people movement.
Cellular communication via nanoparticle-transporting biovesicles

Aims: Endothelial cells are dynamic cells tasked with selective transport of cargo from blood vessels to tissues. Here we demonstrate the potential for nanoparticle transport across endothelial cells in membrane-bound vesicles. Materials & methods: Cell-free endothelial-derived biovesicles were characterized for cellular and nanoparticle content by electron microscopy. Confocal microscopy was used to evaluate biovesicles for organelle-specific proteins, and to monitor biovesicle engulfment by naive cells. Results: Nanoparticle-laden biovesicles containing low-density polyethyleneimine nanoparticles appear to be predominately of endosomal origin, combining features of multivesicular bodies, lysosomes and autophagosomes. Conversely, high-density polyethyleneimine nanoparticles stimulate the formation of biovesicles associated with cellular apoptotic breakdown. Secreted LAMP-1-positive biovesicles are internalized by recipient cells, either of the same origin or of novel phenotype. Conclusion: Cellular biove...
Asymmetry in Intergenerational Family Relationships

Closer ties between married daughters and their parents than between married sons and their parents, indicated principally by more frequent sharing of households by the former, is attributed to greater compatibility of mothers and daughters than of mothers and daughters-inlaw. This is generalized into a cross-cultural hypothesis for predicting avoidance customs involving parents-in-law. T he purposes of this paper are first,-to describe sonme facts about intergenerational family relationships in our society which have been previously noted but whose implications for a theory of social structure have not been studied; second, to propose *Revision of a paper presented at the 1962 meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society. aln explanation of these facts in the form of a cross-cultural hypothesis; and third, to present data from a pilot study of kinship in 18 nonliterate societies through which the hypothesis was developed. INTERGENERATIONAL ASYMMETRY Our kinship system is bilateral. Few if any distinctions are made, in norms or in terminolThis content downloaded from 157.55.39.208 on Fri, 14 Oct 2016 04:12:31 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms FAMIVILY ASYMTERTRYY 347 ogy, between kin through the father and kin through the mother, nor between kin through the hlusband and through the wife. Given this bilaterality, the existence of a difference, or asymmetry, between the relations of married daughters with parents compared to those of married sons with parents is a problem which requires explanation. The asymmetry consists of closer ties between the former than between the latter. There are several indications of this. One is a tendency for a major form of assistance, the sharing of a household, to occur more often in the former relationship thanl in the latter. Glick1 called attention to data from the Census Bureau on characteristics of secondary families as of February 1946,2 which showed that out of approximately 173,000 older 1mlarried couples who were living in the houselhold of a married child and the child's spouse, about 55 percent were living with a daughter and son-in-law. A similar tendency has been reported by Bellin3 for aged persons whlo were widowed, separated, or divorced. Bellin's 1959 survey of persons aged 60 or over in Syracuse showed that out of 740 widowed, separated, or clivorced older people, 17 percent were living with married daughters and 7.4 percent with
Glycine-dependent activation of NMDA receptors.

N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are the only neurotransmitter receptors whose activation requires two distinct agonists. Heterotetramers of two GluN1 and two GluN2 subunits, NMDA receptors are broadly distributed in the central nervous system, where they mediate excitatory currents in response to synaptic glutamate release. Pore opening depends on the concurrent presence of glycine, which modulates the amplitude and time course of the glutamate-elicited response. Gating schemes for fully glutamate- and glycine-bound NMDA receptors have been described in sufficient detail to bridge the gap between microscopic and macroscopic receptor behaviors; for several receptor isoforms, these schemes include glutamate-binding steps. We examined currents recorded from cell-attached patches containing one GluN1/GluN2A receptor in the presence of several glycine-site agonists and used kinetic modeling of these data to develop reaction schemes that include explicit glycine-binding steps. Based on the ability to match a series of experimentally observed macroscopic behaviors, we propose a model for activation of the glutamate-bound NMDA receptor by glycine that predicts apparent negative agonist cooperativity and glycine-dependent desensitization in the absence of changes in microscopic binding or desensitization rate constants. These results complete the basic steps of an NMDA receptor reaction scheme for the GluN1/GluN2A isoform and prompt a reevaluation of how glycine controls NMDA receptor activation. We anticipate that our model will provide a useful quantitative instrument to further probe mechanisms and structure–function relationships of NMDA receptors and to better understand the physiological and pathological implications of endogenous fluctuations in extracellular glycine concentrations.
Worship, Faith And Evangelism

While some in the CSCW community have researched the values in technology design and engineering practices, the underlying ideologies that reinforce and protect those values remain under-explored. This paper seeks to address this gap by identifying a common ideological framework that appears across four engineering endeavors: the OLPC Project, the National Day of Civic Hacking, the Fixit Clinic, and the Stanford d.school. We found that all four of these communities utilized elements of religious practice to affirm their membership and shared vision. We describe the forms of worship we saw in these engineering worlds, their practices of evangelism, and the ways in which they addressed doubt. We also demonstrate the role mythologies play as ideologically charged narratives. Our discussion of these parallels illuminates the extent and consequences of quasi-religious practices in engineering worlds and illustrates the utility of using religion as a "lens" for understanding ideological commitments in engineering culture.
Top-1: a snoop-cache-based multiprocessor

A novel cache coherence protocol and the performance analysis of a snoop-cache-based multiprocessor, TOP-1, which is tightly coupled and has pure shared memory, are presented. TOP-1 has two 64-b buses with interleaved address access to provide a high data-transfer rate, and a large snoop cache to provide a high cache hit ratio. It also has a TOP-1 hybrid coherence protocol, which allows a write-update protocol and a write-invalidate protocol to exist simultaneously. These protocols can be dynamically changed on the fly without any coherence problem. Each processor card has a statistics unit which collects various important statistical data without any hardware overhead. An overview of the TOP-1 architecture and its concepts is presented. The authors also present the TOP-1 hybrid protocol and explain how it works. They discuss the TOP-1 protocol and its performance by comparing the write-update and write-invalidate protocols. >