cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calcium-dependent Modulation of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 Alters Cellular Metabolism and DNA Repair

After genotoxic stress poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) can be hyperactivated, causing (ADP-ribosyl)ation of nuclear proteins (including itself), resulting in NAD+ and ATP depletion and cell death. Mechanisms of PARP-1-mediated cell death and downstream proteolysis remain enigmatic. β-lapachone (β-lap) is the first chemotherapeutic agent to elicit a Ca2+-mediated cell death by PARP-1 hyperactivation at clinically relevent doses in cancer cells expressing elevated NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) levels. β-lap induces the generation of NQO1-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA breaks, and triggers Ca2+-dependent γ-H2AX formation and PARP-1 hyperactivation. Subsequent NAD+ and ATP losses suppress DNA repair and cause cell death. Reduction of PARP-1 activity or Ca2+ chelation protects cells. Interestingly, Ca2+ chelation abrogates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), but not N-Methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced PARP-1 hyperactivation and cell death. Thus, Ca2+ appears to be an important co-factor in PARP-1 hyperactivation after ROS-induced DNA damage, which alters cellular metabolism and DNA repair.
Aging Sexuality: Knowledge and Perceptions of Preparation Among U.S. Primary Care Providers

Primary care providers are expected to address the sexual health concerns of older adults. This study aimed to assess knowledge of aging sexuality and adequacy of formal sexual health education in a sample of U.S. physicians and nurse practitioners in primary care. Response rate was 24.9% (N = 278). Knowledge scores reflected good knowledge; however, only 3% of the sample felt that they had adequate knowledge of older adult sexuality. Training was found to be adequate for 11% of the sample. U.S. providers in primary care are interested in learning more about aging sexuality but feel ill-prepared for it.
Coenzyme Q10 concentration in plasma and blood cells of juvenile patients hospitalized for anorexia nervosa

The antioxidant status of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) was investigated in plasma, erythrocytes, and platelets of juvenile patients with anorexia nervosa. Blood for analysis of the CoQ10 status was taken from 16 juvenile patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (restricting form) at the time point of admission to the hospital and at discharge after about 12 weeks. Plasma and blood cells isolated by a density gradient were stored at -84 °C until analysis. CoQ10 concentration and redox status were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and internal standardization. The improvement of physical health during the hospital refeeding process was followed up by the body mass index (BMI). The antioxidant status of plasma CoQ10 in juvenile patients suffering from anorexia nervosa indicated no abnormalities in comparison to healthy controls. However, the decreased concentration of CoQ10 observed in platelets at the time point of hospital admission may represent mitochondrial CoQ10 depletion. This initial deficit improved during the hospital refeeding process. The platelet CoQ10 concentration showed a positive correlation to the BMI of the patients.
Profiles of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization, Substance Misuse, and Depression Among Female Caregivers Involved with Child Protective Services

Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, substance misuse, and depression are highly prevalent among female caregivers involved with child protective services (CPS). Understanding heterogeneity in the occurrence of these problems is essential to improving pathways to intervention for women in this population. Latent class analysis was employed to determine whether there exist homogeneous subgroups of female caregivers who experience different patterns of IPV victimization, substance misuse, and depression. A restricted three-class solution best fit the data, suggesting high risk, moderate risk, and no risk subgroups. A substantial number of female caregivers comprise the high-risk subgroup (33%) in which caregivers reported very high rates of IPV victimization, substance misuse, and depression. Only a very small proportion comprised the no-risk subgroup (9%). Findings emphasize the heterogeneity among subgroups of female caregivers based on these risk factors, which may have implications for practitioners, such as CPS caseworkers, and researchers alike.
A simple dynamics experiment based on acoustic emission

Abstract This paper describes a simple experiment well suited for an undergraduate course in mechanical measurements and/or dynamics, in which physical information is extracted from an acoustic emission signature. In the experiment, a ping–pong ball is dropped onto a hard table surface and the audio signal resulting from the ball–table impacts is recorded. The times between successive bounces, or “flight times”, are used to determine the height of the initial drop and the coefficient of restitution of the impact. The experiment prompts questions about modeling the dynamics of a simple impact problem, including the use of the coefficient of restitution and the importance of accounting for aerodynamic effects.
The preparation and characterization of CdIr(OH)6 and ZnIr(OH)6

Abstract CdIr(OH)6 and ZnIr(OH)6 were isolated and characterized in the process of synthesizing new ternary oxides of the platinum-group metals by means of thermal decomposition of hydroxide intermediates. Both compounds crystallize with an ordered ReO3-type structure. CdIr(OH)6 is tetragonal with a = 7.86 A and c = 7.91 A. It is a magnetically dilute insulator. ZnIr(OH)6 is cubic with a = 7.64 A. It is an insulator with anomalous magnetic behavior. The cadmium and zinc iridium hexahydroxides decompose at 180 and 170°C, respectively.
THE INFLUENCE OF LOW DOSES OF HEPARIN IN ARTERIAL CATHETERS ON THE COAGULATION OF PRETERM INFANTS

In preterm newborn infants little is known about the effect on the coagulation of low doses of heparin (2.5 IU/h) given through arterial catheters. In 13 infants with arterial catheters we studied venous values for activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), batroxobin time (BT), antithrorabin III activity (ATIII) and factors I, II, V and VII, compared to those from 16 controls, on the third day of life. All infants were under 36 weeks of gestational age and weighed less than 2000 grams. Birthweight (BW), gestational age (GA) and coagulation parameters are shown (mean±SD). There was no significant difference in coagulation, weight or age. Conclusion: A dose of 2.5 IU/h of heparin does not affect coagulation of preterm infants.
Effect of starvation on enzyme activities and nutrient stores in the pyloric caeca of echinaster sp. (echinodermata: asteroidea)

Abstract 1. 1. The effect of one month's starvation on activities of enzymes and levels of nutrients in the pyloric caeca of Echinaster sp. was measured. 2. 2. The activities of fructose bisphosphatase and triosephosphate isomerase decreased significantly with starvation. The activities of glycogen phosphorylase and aldolase did not change with starvation. 3. 3. The levels of glycogen decreased significantly with starvation; the levels of total carbohydrate and total lipid did not decrease significantly with starvation. The pyloric caeca index decreased slightly. 4. 4. Decreases in enzyme activities correspond with decreases in respiratory metabolism found in the starvation of echinoderms.
Black holes as fundamental strings: Comparing the absorption of scalars

The recently proposed ‘‘correspondence principle’’ of Horowitz and Polchinski provides a concrete means to relate ~among others! black holes with electric Neveu-Schwarz‐Neveu-Schwarz charges to fundamental strings and correctly match their entropies. We further test this correspondence by examining the greybody factors in the absorption rates of neutral, minimally coupled scalars by a near extremal black hole. Perhaps surprisingly, the results disagree in general with the absorption by weakly coupled strings. Though this does not disprove the correspondence, it indicates that it might not be simple in this region of the black hole parameter space. @S0556-2821~97!00618-8#
Learning task error models for manipulation

Precise kinematic forward models are important for robots to successfully perform dexterous grasping and manipulation tasks, especially when visual servoing is rendered infeasible due to occlusions. A lot of research has been conducted to estimate geometric and non-geometric parameters of kinematic chains to minimize reconstruction errors. However, kinematic chains can include non-linearities, e.g. due to cable stretch and motor-side encoders, that result in significantly different errors for different parts of the state space. Previous work either does not consider such non-linearities or proposes to estimate non-geometric parameters of carefully engineered models that are robot specific. We propose a data-driven approach that learns task error models that account for such unmodeled non-linearities. We argue that in the context of grasping and manipulation, it is sufficient to achieve high accuracy in the task relevant state space. We identify this relevant state space using previously executed joint configurations and learn error corrections for those. Therefore, our system is developed to generate subsequent executions that are similar to previous ones. The experiments show that our method successfully captures the non-linearities in the head kinematic chain (due to a counterbalancing spring) and the arm kinematic chains (due to cable stretch) of the considered experimental platform, see Fig. 1. The feasibility of the presented error learning approach has also been evaluated in independent DARPA ARM-S testing contributing to successfully complete 67 out of 72 grasping and manipulation tasks.
Formation and chemical reactions of atmospheric particles

Abstract Particles may enter the atmosphere preformed, for example, as a result of dust storms or industrial operations. They may also be formed by chemical reactions in the atmosphere and may be changed physically and chemically as a result of such reactions. The particles of photochemical smog are formed when nitrogen dioxide is photolyzed and the resulting atomic oxygen reacts with certain of the organic vapors present in such smog to trigger a series of complex reactions. There is considerable evidence that such reactions also occur in the ambient atmosphere involving essential oils emitted by vegetation. Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide are oxidized both in smog and in the ambient atmosphere by several different processes, the end products being sulfuric acid droplets and various sulfates. Sea salt particles are prevalent over the oceans and they undergo a number of chemical reactions including reactions with oxides of nitrogen and sulfuric acid droplets to liberate hydrogen chloride and produce nitrates and sulfates. Sulfuric acid droplets produced by the oxidation of H 2 S and SO 2 react with atmospheric ammonia to form ammonium sulfate.
Statistical measures of sensor performance based on the correlation of background clutter

The authors report the statistical analysis of a digitized cluttered background scene containing a military ground vehicle. This is the first phase of a study to evaluate several sensors and scenes to generate a statistical measure of IR sensor performance based on the pixel by pixel correlation of the output imagery.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Contracts, delivery lags, and currency risks

Abstract This paper presents a competitive model in which exchange rate uncertainty has real effects on how trade contracts are written and executed. In this model, exporting firms have an incentive to delay delivery on trade contracts whenever they can sell their products on the domestic market for a higher price than the domestic currency value of the price specified by the trade contracts. In general, it is costly for a firm to offer a credible commitment to the promised delivery date of a trade contract. We demonstrate that under certain conditions a firm can costlessly commit to a policy of no delivery lags by the appropriate choice of the currency of denomination of trade contracts.
Clinical Aspects of DWI

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) is capable of imaging ischemia-induced changes in water protons in either animal or man. Technical developments are described that allow the routine clinical utility of DWI in a stroke setting to provide objective criteria beyond the neurological exam by which the pathophysiology of stroke can be evaluated. To date, DWI has provided unique information concerning detection and evaluation of acute, symptomatic lesions from older, chronic strokes, detection and localization of small deep infarcts and reversible ischemic neurologic deficits and transient ischemia. Clinical DWI studies suggest that the temporal behaviour of ADC can critically improve the evaluation of clinical ischemia.
Proteoglycans in the mouse interphotoreceptor matrix. IV. Retinal synthesis of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan

To determine whether the mouse retina contributes chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CS-PG) to the interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM), 35SO42− was used as a tracer for newly synthesized proteoglycan by retinas maintained in vitro in the absence of pigment epithelium. Following incubation with the tracer for 3 hr, the 35S-labeled proteoglycans present in the incubation medium and associated with isolated photoreceptor outer segments were analyzed separately. Proteoglycan was extracted with 4 m guanidine, and then separated on a G-25 column followed by DEAE ion exchange chromatography in the presence of 8 m urea. The proteoglycan fraction was eluted with a linear NaCl gradient of 0·15-1·0 m. Eluted 35S-labeled macromolecules were susceptible to chondroitinase AC and ABC degradation, indicating that virtually all the 35S-labeled proteoglycan synthesized by the mouse retina and secreted into the incubation media is of the chondroitin sulfate type. In parallel autoradiographic analysis of retinas following 35SO42− incubation, silver grains were present over all retinal compartments, with 41–48% associated with the photoreceptor layer. Quantitative autoradiography of retinas following chondroitinase AC digestion of fixed retinas revealed significant (P < 0·025) reduction in silver grains associated with the photoreceptor outer segment layer as compared to controls. These combined biochemical and autoradiographic studies indicate that the retina, possibly the photoreceptors, synthesize at least a portion of the CS-PG present in the IPM of the mouse.
Progressive band selection

Progressive band selection (PBS) reduces spectral redundancy without significant loss of information, thereby reducing hyperspectral image data volume and processing time. Used onboard a spacecraft, it can also reduce image downlink time. PBS prioritizes an image's spectral bands according to priority scores that measure their significance to a specific application. Then it uses one of three methods to select an appropriate number of the most useful bands. Key challenges for PBS include selecting an appropriate criterion to generate band priority scores, and determining how many bands should be retained in the reduced image. The image's Virtual Dimensionality (VD), once computed, is a reasonable estimate of the latter. We describe the major design details of PBS and test PBS in a land classification experiment.
Reactions of QCD plasma droplets in hot mixed-phase matter

We introduce a droplet model to survey the interactions and reactions of blobs of QCD plasma in a mixed phase with low-density hadronic gas. We extend earlier work on the statistical mechanism of pionic emission by the droplets to include the fission of a large droplet into two smaller ones, and give quantitative estimates for the fission rate. We also consider the collisions of plasma droplets. By extending the proximity model to the case when the droplets are composed of relativistic particles, we show that collisions almost always lead to fusion of the plasma droplets, and give a simple estimate of the conditions necessary for fusion.
Absolute Concentration Measurements of Chemically‐Important Flame Radicals

A fundamental understanding of flame chemistry is a necessary part of designing and optimizing combustors to meet environmental regulations while maintaining system efficiency. We have performed quantitative, absolute concentration measurements for several free radicals to test various aspects of the predictive capabilities of the natural gas combustion chemistry mechanism, GRI-Mech 2.11, the chemical mechanism for methane combustion. The CH, NO, OH, and HCO radicals were studied in a series of low-pressure methane/O2/N2 flames using the technique of laser-induced fluorescence. The results show that GRI-Mech 2.11 predicts well the hydrocarbon oxidation chemistry in lean and near stoichiometric flames, but appears to possess some inadequacies for rich flames. Of special importance is the finding that the rate coefficient for the important CH + N2 reaction in the current version of GRI-Mech appears to be too low. Also, reburn of NO is correctly predicted in a lean flame but not a rich one.
Determining meaningful changes in hip abductor muscle strength obtained by handheld dynamometry.

This study quantified the minimal detectable change (MDC), defined as the smallest change that falls outside the expected range of error, for isometric hip abductor muscle strength in healthy persons obtained with a handheld dynamometer (HHD). Ninety volunteers (45 males and 45 females) between the ages of 22 and 70 years participated in the study. Bilateral measurements of isometric hip abductor muscle force were obtained with a digital HHD using a “make” test with the subject in supine. All measurements were obtained by one female examiner. The muscle force measurements were normalized to a volunteer's body weight (BW). Intratester reliability of hip abductor muscle force was estimated by using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC3,1) and calculated to be 0.96. The standard error of measurement (SEM) was 2 Newtons. The MDC was calculated by using an appropriate formula that included a 95% level of confidence. The MDC95 was 5.4% BW for males and 5.3% BW for females. If a person's isometric hip abdu...
Comparison Between Kanerva's SDM and Hopfield‐type Neural Networks

The Sparse, Distributed Memory (SDM) model (Kanerva, 1984) is compared to Hopfield-type, neural-network models. A mathematical framework for comparing the two models is developed, and the capacity of each model is investigated. The capacity of the SDM can be increased independent of the dimension of the stored vectors, whereas the Hopfield capacity is limited to a fraction of this dimension. The stored information is proportional to the number of connections, and it is shown that this proportionality constant is the same for the SDM, the Hopfield model, and higher-order models. The models are also compared in their ability to store and recall temporal sequences of patterns. The SDM also includes time delays so that contextual information can be used to recover sequences. A generalization of the SDM allows storage of correlated patterns.
Feeling Labor Commercial Divination and Commodified Intimacy in Turkey

This article approaches commercial divination as a lens to examine the gendered contents and discontents of labor and intimacy in the neoliberal era. While coffee divinations have long been a feminized medium of socializing and caring in Turkey, they were recently transformed into a commodified service that recruits women, youth, and LGBTQ individuals as workers and consumers. In dialogue with scholarship on emotional and affective labors, I conceptualize divination as “feeling labor” that produces an affective intersubjective space for the incitement, experience, and articulation of emotions. The feeling labors of divination create commodified intimacies through which women, youth, and LGBTQ individuals explore their feelings. However, these intimacies are produced at the expense of devalued labors of those who are feminized along the heteropatriarchal hierarchies of gender, age, and sexual orientation. Attending to the gendered production and consumption of feeling labors and the intimacies they create ...
Unified theory of compatibility impedances

A unified summary of recent progress on compatible impedances is presented. It is shown that C. Satyanarayana and W.-K. Chen's (1980) theory is completely equivalent to M.R. Wohlers' (1965) solution to the problem of compatible impedances, and that the problem of finding a lossless coupling network to transform one impedance to another specified one is equivalent to that of designing an equalizer to match an arbitrary passive lumped load to a resistive generator to yield a preassigned transducer power-gain characteristic. Thus, the two problems can be solved by the same set of formulas. Examples are given to illustrate the procedures. >
NEUROTOXICITY OF A NON‐METABOLIZABLE AMINO ACID, 1‐AMINOCYCLOPENTANE‐1‐CARBOXYLIC ACID: ANTAGONISM BY AMINO ACIDS IN CULTURES OF CEREBELLUM

— The non-metabolizable amino acid 1-aminocyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid (ACPC) induced degeneration of myelinated axons but spared nerve cell bodies in well myelinated organotypic cultures of cerebellum. The ACPC concentrations used were comparable to those which induce axonal degeneration in vivo. Developing unmyelinated cultures were more sensitive to ACPC than mature cultures and newly myelinating axons appeared to be particularly affected. Supplementing the medium with amino acids, but not with vitamins, prevented toxicity at the lower concentrations of ACPC and afforded considerable protection against the highest concentrations. The protective effect of amino acids could not be accounted for by inhibition of intracellular ACPC transport. These results are considered in terms of other evidence indicating defective protein metabolism in ACPC-treated mice.
Adolescents’ Recognition of Potential Positive and Negative Outcomes in Risky Dating Situations

Risky adolescent behavior represents a significant public health concern, with potential detrimental consequences for youth and society in general. Problem behavior theory suggests that engaging in one type of problem behavior increases the likelihood of other problem behaviors. As a result, understanding how youth perceive common dating risk situations that may place them at risk not only for dating violence but also for a variety of other problem behaviors could inform prevention programming. Using qualitative interviews with 43 urban, predominantly African American adolescents, we assessed risk perceptions via youths' identification of potential positive and negative outcomes associated with dating situations that may place teens at risk for negative outcomes including violence and risk behaviors. Six themes each of potential positive and negative outcomes emerged, including positive themes related to interpersonal skills, relationship connections, having fun, and improving image, and negative themes related to victimization, control, jealousy, conflict, consequences, and reputation. This research has important implications for youth prevention programs, especially those focused on helping adolescents develop healthy relationships.
Effects of the tricothecene mycotoxin diacetoxyscirpenol on fertility and hatchability of broiler breeders

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of 4,15-diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) on fertility and hatchability of broiler breeders. In Experiment 1, naturally mated broiler breeders were studied. A limited daily allocation of feed containing 0 (basal), 1.25, 2.5, or 5.0 mg DAS/kg diet was provided from 67 to 69 wk of age in slat-litter floor pens. Fertility was consistently improved by the 5.0 mg/kg level of DAS and intermittently by the 1.25 and 2.50 mg/kg levels. The effect disappeared upon removal of DAS. In Experiment 2, individually caged broiler breeder males and females were fed a basal diet containing 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg DAS/kg diet from 25 to 27 wk of age. Semen was pooled from males within each treatment and used to inseminate females from each treatment in a 4 x 4 factorial design. Female-related fertility was increased at the 5 and 10 mg DAS/kg levels and male-related fertility was decreased by the 10 and 20 mg DAS/kg levels. Small, fluid-filled cysts were observed on the testes of many DAS-treated males upon necropsy. In summary, low levels of DAS ( or =10 mg DAS/kg) decreased male-related fertility, presumably by direct toxic effects on the testes. Overall, it appeared that levels of DAS below 5 mg DAS/kg feed would not be detrimental to fertility and hatchability.
Machine Help and Human Help in the Emerging Digital Library

As the infrastructure of the digital library takes shape, a range of trends is gradually leading to the disappearance of human help in patron interactions. Taking the place of human help are ever more sophisticated types of machine help. This paper reviews these trends, posits a future scenario of almost total reliance on machine help, and explores implications and policy options for the profession.
Use of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I/Peptide/β2M Tetramers To Quantitate CD8+ Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Specific for Dominant and Nondominant Viral Epitopes in Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Rhesus Monkeys

To evaluate the impact of the diversity of antigen recognition by T lymphocytes on disease pathogenesis, we must be able to identify and analyze simultaneously cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses specific for multiple viral epitopes. Many of the studies of the role of CD8(+) CTLs in AIDS pathogenesis have been done with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)- and simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-infected rhesus monkeys. These studies have frequently made use of the well-defined SIV Gag CTL epitope p11C,C-M presented to CTL by the HLA-A homologue molecule Mamu-A*01. In the present study we identified and fine mapped two novel Mamu-A*01-restricted CTL epitopes: the SIVmac Pol-derived epitope p68A (STPPLVRLV) and the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Env-derived p41A epitope (YAPPISGQI). The frequency of CD8(+) CTLs specific for the p11C,C-M, p68A, and p41A epitopes was quantitated in the same animals with a panel of tetrameric Mamu-A*01/peptide/beta2m complexes. All SHIV-infected Mamu-A*01(+) rhesus monkeys tested had a high frequency of SIVmac Gag-specific CTLs to the p11C,C-M epitope. In contrast, only a fraction of the monkeys tested had detectable CTLs specific for the SIVmac Pol p68A and HIV-1 Env p41A epitopes, and these responses were detected at very low frequencies. Thus, the p11C,C-M-specific CD8(+) CTL response is dominant and the p41A- and p68A-specific CD8(+) CTL responses are nondominant. These results indicate that CD8(+) CTL responses to dominant CTL epitopes can be readily quantitated with the tetramer technology; however, CD8(+) CTL responses to nondominant epitopes, due to the low frequency of these epitope-specific cells, may be difficult to detect and quantitate by this approach.
Black cattle in the cool pastoral highlands of Kenya

On the cool semi-arid highlands of Kenya (1400–2500m) Boran cattle ( Bos indicus ) with dark coats predominate over white ones in pastoralist herds. Natural selection appears to favour dark-coated Boran cattle in these areas because significantly fewer black than white cattle die during drought and black cattle recover weight faster in wet seasons (Finch & Western, 1977). To investigate why cattle with dark coats are favoured, an experiment was designed to test whether the thermal effects of black coats in a cool climate interacted advantageously with the animal's metabolic economy. To date, interest in the metabolic significance of colour in cool climates has been confined largely to laboratory experiments (De Jong, 1976; Hamilton & Heppner, 1967; 0ritsland, 1971). The present experiment was different in that the thermal effect of coat colour on metabolic rate of cattle was investigated in the natural conditions in which they live.
Competition and collaboration among fuzzy reinforcement learning agents

GARIC-Q, introduced earlier by Berenji (1996), performs incremental dynamic programming using intelligent agents which are controlled at the top level by fuzzy Q-learning and at the local level, each agent learns and operates based on GARIC, a technique for fuzzy reinforcement learning. In MULTI-GARIC-Q, agents can collaborate to investigate the state space by training a unique action evaluator which acts as a critic function for all the agents. MULTI-GARIC-Q2 extends MULTI-GARIC-Q by providing more independence to each fuzzy reinforcement learning agent to investigate its state space for an extended time. After the interim learning period is over, all the agents engage in a competition to select a winner who will then continue its learning using the actual dynamic system. The rest of the agents continue learning using copies of a simulated plant. MULTI-GARIC-Q2 provides faster learning while allowing each agent to act and learn more independently.
EDUCATION OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROFESSIONALS

The practice of transportation planning at the regional level has evolved substantially over the past several decades. Once defined as largely a technical exercise, in which the calculation of required roadway capacity was the preeminent activity, transportation planning now encompasses a wide range of sometimes conflicting problems and demands, from growing levels of congestion and worsening air quality to neighborhood preservation and social equity concerns. But are the curricula in the planning and engineering programs that educate and train transportation professionals adequately preparing them for these new challenges? The objective of the study summarized was to compare the kinds of knowledge and skills important to transportation professionals today with the kinds of knowledge and skills that planning and engineering programs provide their students in order to highlight areas for improvement and suggest ways to enhance the education of transportation professionals. The research involved several com...
SYSTAT: a system level timing verifier

Timing verification is one of the most critical steps in the design of digital systems to ensure that the system functions correctly at an expected speed. SYSTAT (SYStem level Timing Analysis Tool) is a static timing verification tool which was developed to address the advanced needs and requirements of engineers at NCR E&M San Diego. An overview is presented of some of the advanced algorithms and techniques used within SYSTAT. Features that are being added to SYSTAT are summarized. >
A fully-asynchronous digital signal processor using self-timed circuits

Self-timed circuits with an appropriate handshake protocol can be used to eliminate the requirement for a global clock in a system. At the board level, asynchronous interfaces already make use of this approach. The natural extension of this concept is to use the same communication between blocks within an IC. To demonstrate this approach, self-timed circuits, or circuits which generate a completion signal, were used, along with interconnection circuits, following a four-cycle handshaking protocol, to design and fabricate a complete general-purpose digital signal processor (DSP). Internally, stages communicate at their own speed, which is an advantage because the speed of operation no longer is constrained by the slowest block in the system. The design methodology becomes modular, the blocks being decoupled with respect to their timing considerations. The DSP contains a full data path, with several feedback paths requiring synchronization between words at different stages of the pipe. Self-timed circuits are used throughout and all communication follows a handshaking protocol. >
High resolution imaging of k-alpha x-rays using an elliptically bent crystal

The x-ray ray-tracing package Shadow is used to determine the optimal elliptical surface for high-resolution x-ray-imaging of laser-irradiated targets. The crystals will be deployed in experiments to diagnose the transport of x-ray generating electrons that are accelerated by the laser. High-current, relativistic electron beams propagating through solid targets may be susceptible to filamentation instabilities in which the beam breaks up, along its transverse dimensions, into a system of smaller co-propagating current threads. Experimentally, high-resolution, coherent-transition-radiation imaging of the rear surface of high-current-carrying targets has shown a structured pattern of emission that is indicative of electronbeam filamentation. For target thicknesses greater than 30 microns, filaments with radii around 2 to 3 microns were separated by up to 10 microns. However, no independent confirmation of the filamentation has been obtained. The resolving power of spherically bent crystals is limited by spherical aberration to around 15 microns making them incapable of detecting such structured patterns. By eliminating spherical aberration, elliptically bent crystal provide the potential to produce images with a spatial resolution down to 5 microns. Results comparing the x-ray imaging properties of elliptically bent and spherically bent crystals will be presented.
Electrochemical Analysis of Carbon Interdigitated Microelectrodes

*,zEnvironmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USAA procedure to fabricate carbon microelectrodes consisting of a patterned arrangement of interdigitated electrodes is described.Conventional semiconductor processing techniques involving photolithography to pattern photoresist layers on a Si wafer permit aconvenient method to form the interdigitated structure. The photoresist is then converted to carbon by pyrolysis. The iodine-iodideredox reaction was used to demonstrate the performance of the carbon interdigitated electrode.© 1999 The Electrochemical Society. S1099-0062(99)04-071-7. All rights reserved.Manuscript submitted April 19, 1999; revised manuscript received May 10, 1999. Available electronically July 9, 1999.
Conversion of 7α,12α-dihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one to 5α-cholestane-3α,7α,12α-triol by iguana liver microsomes

The role of 7a,l2a-dihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one as an intermediate in the formation of 5a-bile acids from cho- lesterol was investigated with liver preparations of Zguana iguana in vitro. The microsomal fraction of iguana liver catalyzed the transformation of 7a,12a-dihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one to 5a- cholestane-3a,7a,l2a-triol in good yield. 7a,l2a-dihydroxy- 5a-cholestan-3-one served as an intermediate. Under the con- ditions employed, formation of the corresponding 50-isomers could not be detected. High speed supernatant solution and mitochondrial fraction of iguana liver did not reduce 7a,12a- dihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one to a measurable extent. The microsomal enzyme system required NADPH as hydrogen donor and was inactive in the presence of NADH. It is suggested that 7cu,l2a-dihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one may serve as a common intermediate in the formation of 5a- and 5&bile acids from cholesterol.
Concurrent SCI and TBI: Epidemiology, Shared Pathophysiology, Assessment, and Prognostication

Traumatic neurologic injuries, such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), cause long-term disability. “Dual diagnosis” refers to concurrent diagnosis of SCI and TBI following traumatic injury. Rate of dual diagnosis has been increasing in the United States, accounting for 2.46 per 100,000 admissions in 2008. As with isolated SCI and TBI, dual diagnosis more frequently occurs in men and following motor vehicle collisions. At this time, there are only limited data on the pathophysiology, medical complications, and outcomes of patients with dual diagnosis. In this review article, we will discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and functional outcomes after dual diagnosis injury. We will also summarize the clinical presentation and management of common medical complications arising from injury, such as spasticity, dysautonomias (autonomic dysfunction in SCI and paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in TBI), heterotopic ossification, and neuroendocrine dysfunction. It is important to understand the role that dual diagnosis plays in the rehabilitation course and long-term outcomes in order to implement a tailored rehabilitation program.
Comparative performance of clinical membrane lungs.

Gas transfer and hemodynamic performance of adult-size membrane oxygenator systems is presented and discussed. Standardized bovine extracorporeal evaluation protocols allow direct comparison of the over-all performance characteristics of current-generation clinical artificial membrane lungs.
The Interplay of Maternal Sensitivity and Toddler Engagement of Mother in Predicting Self-Regulation.

Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, a cross-lag mediation model was tested to examine longitudinal relations among low-income mothers' sensitivity; toddlers' engagement of their mothers; and toddler's self-regulation at ages 1, 2, and 3 years (N = 2,958). Age 1 maternal sensitivity predicted self-regulation at ages 2 and 3 years, and age 2 engagement of mother mediated the relation between age 1 maternal sensitivity and age 3 self-regulation. Lagged relations from toddler self-regulation at ages 1 and 2 years to later maternal sensitivity were not significant, suggesting stronger influence from mother to toddler than vice versa. Model fit was similar regardless of child gender and depth of family poverty. (PsycINFO Database Record
When Do Friends Prevent Friends from Hooking Up Intoxicated? An Examination of Sex Differences and Hypothetical Intoxication in Peer Interventions

Despite the risks involved when mixing alcohol with casual sexual activity, the majority of college students engage in hookups, and the majority of those hookups involve alcohol. This study focused on the protective role college students’ peers can play and the situational factors that might influence their willingness to intervene when a close friend is about to hook up intoxicated. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study investigated differences in students’ (N = 1270) attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to persuade a close friend not to engage in a hypothetical drunken hookup using a 2 (friend sex) × 2 (participant sex) × 2 (sober/intoxicated) factorial design. Results indicated significant differences in the TPB variables. Participants intended to intervene with female friends, but not male friends, and women were more likely to intervene than men. Participants in the sober condition had stronger intentions to intervene than those in the intoxicated condition, but this effect was driven by increases in men’s intentions when sober. Implications for theory and prevention programming are discussed.
Mycoplasma genitalium: a new kid on the block

Mycoplasma genitalium, once thought to be a benign organism, is now considered a significant cause of non-gonococcal urethritis. In this article the author describes how to identify infections and how to manage them.
Survivability of Commercial Backbones with Peering: A Case Study of Korean Networks

The Internet is a key technology for the information age. It has evolved as a fundamental communication mechanism across a wide range of sectors (academic, personal, business, government, etc.) and spans the globe. This worldwide communication system is operated by multiple network providers. Internet Backbone Providers (IBPs) manage their own long-haul transmission networks with high bandwidths to transit Internet traffic and a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) mainly provide customers with access by connecting them to IBPs (Malecki 2002; Dodd 2002).
Mechanisms of Immunosuppression: Effects of Cyclophosphamide on Cellular Immunity

A course of cyclophosphamide administered to guinea pigs after immunization with mycobacteria led to a transient inhibition of cutaneous hypersensitivity to tuberculin protein. This treatment resulted in generalized depletion of lymphoid cells, including lymphopenia, and a substantial reduction in the number of macrophages found in induced peritoneal exudates. Results of in vivo cell transfer studies indicated that cyclophosphamide-treated recipients were rendered transiently unresponsive to purified tuberculin protein (PPD). However, sensitized lymph node cells from drug-treated donors were capable of transferring immunity to normal recipients. In vitro tests of cellular immunity with lymph node cells from drug-treated animals yielded discordant results. The proliferative response to both PHA and PPD was significantly impaired. However, these lymphoid cells functioned normally in assays for migration inhibition factor (MIF). Thus, these data suggest that cyclophosphamide can limit proliferation without impairing intermitotic functions of sensitized lymphocytes, such as the release of MIF. Results of this study suggest that cyclophosphamide does not impair development of a population of specifically sensitized T-type lymphocytes. However, several components of the expression phase are affected; the resultant anergy is probably due to a summation of effects on lymphocytes and macrophages.
Health Impact of Climate Change in Older People: An Integrative Review and Implications for Nursing

Purpose Older people account for the highest proportion of mortality from extreme weather events associated with climate change. This article aims to describe the health impacts of climate change on older people. Type of Study An integrative review was conducted with 30 studies retrieved from PubMed, EBSCO, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) on climate stressors, determinants of resilient capacity, risk factors, and health outcomes. Findings Heat, temperature variability, and air pollution increase mortality risk in older people, especially from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Floods are linked with increasing incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Facing these adversities, older people exhibit both vulnerability and resilience. Conclusions Research gaps exist in understanding the full spectrum of the resilience experience of older people, and appreciating areas wherein nursing can play a pivotal role. Clinical Relevance Recognizing the vulnerabilities of older people in the context of climate change is important. Identifying opportunities to promote resilience is an important focus for nurses to develop tailored and targeted nursing interventions.
Abstract 380: SAA Lipidation and Delipidation by Hepatocytes

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is one of the most striking acute phase reactants that can rapidly increase 1000-fold in plasma concentration in response to inflammatory cytokines. SAA in lipid-free form exh...
Molecular Cogs: Interplay between Circadian Clock and Cell Cycle

The cell cycle and the circadian clock operate as biological oscillators whose timed functions are tightly regulated. Accumulating evidence illustrates the presence of molecular links between these two oscillators. This mutual interplay utilizes various coupling mechanisms, such as the use of common regulators. The connection between these two cyclic systems has unique interest in the context of aberrant cell proliferation since both of these oscillators are frequently misregulated in cancer cells. Further studies will provide deeper understanding of the detailed molecular connections between the cell cycle and the circadian clock and may also serve as a basis for the design of innovative therapeutic strategies.
The Development of a Community of Practice for Educators Working with Newcomer, Spanish-Speaking Students.

Drawing on 3 years of observational, survey, and interview data, this article highlights the importance of communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) for school staff members supporting Spanish-...
The Collegial Network

When one of us (P. M.) visited Timbuktu, Mali, the native physician, upon learning that a visiting physician was in town, went to the hotel. Although he spoke no English, our conversation, through an interpreter, immediately turned to medicine, lasted six hours, and included discussions of patients, practice, and medical education.
Market opportunities for organic foods as a local product

The article aims to discover further means of promoting the organic food in the market. The article analyses some results of the two questionnaire surveys and explores the costumers’ and consumers’ interest in both organic foods and regionally branded products. At the moment, it seems to be there a low interrelation between organic products and products with a regional brand. At the same time, there is a quite high interest of costumers in local food products.
Ethephon Suppresses Flowering and Improves the Aesthetic Value of Purple Passion Plant (Gynura aurantiaca)

Abstract Gynura aurantiaca is a colorful foliage plant with velvety purple hairs that cover the green leaves and stems. However, its malodorous flowers and tendency towards a leggy appearance have ...
The Impact of Missing Value Imputation on the Interpretations of Predictive Models: A Case Study on One-year Mortality Prediction in ICU Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction poses significant health risks and financial burden on healthcare and families. Prediction of mortality risk among AMI patients using rich electronic health record (EHR) data can potentially save lives and healthcare costs. Nevertheless, EHR-based prediction models usually use a missing data imputation method without considering its impact on the performance and interpretability of the model, hampering its real-world applicability in the healthcare setting. This study examines the impact of different methods for imputing missing values in EHR data on both the performance and the interpretations of predictive models. Our results showed that a small standard deviation in root mean squared error across different runs of an imputation method does not necessarily imply a small standard deviation in the prediction models9 performance and interpretation. We also showed that the level of missingness and the imputation method used can have a significant impact on the interpretation of the models.
Principles of long-term fluids handling in paper-based wearables with capillary-evaporative transport.

We construct and investigate paper-based microfluidic devices, which model long-term fluid harvesting, transport, sensing, and analysis in new wearables for sweat analysis. Such devices can continuously wick fluid mimicking sweat and dispose of it on evaporation pads. We characterize and analyze how the action of capillarity and evaporation can cooperatively be used to transport and process sweat mimics containing dissolved salts and model analytes. The results point out that non-invasive osmotic extraction combined with paper microfluidics and evaporative disposal can enable sweat collection and monitoring for durations longer than 10 days. We model the fluid flow in the new capillary–evaporative devices and identify the parameters enabling their long-term operation. We show that the transport rates are sufficiently large to handle natural sweat rates, while we envision that such handling can be interfaced with osmotic harvesting of sweat, a concept that we demonstrated recently. Finally, we illustrate that the salt film deposited at the evaporation pad would eventually lead to cessation of the process but at the same time will preserve a record of analytes that may be used for long-term biomarker monitoring in sweat. These principles can be implemented in future platforms for wearable skin-interfacing assays or electronic biomarker monitors.