cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcohol-Related Consequences in African American and European American College Students

Approximately 50% of college students report a heavy drinking episode in the past 2 weeks. This pattern of heavy episodic drinking places them at risk for experiencing alcohol-related problems. In addition, important ethnic differences exist between European American and African American college students in terms of drinking. European American college students report consuming more alcohol than African American college students, but little research exists on the differences in types and rates of problems. The current study sought to examine the differences in problems among 451 African American and European American college students using a comprehensive measure of alcohol-related problems. The effect of gender was also examined as research has found consistent gender differences in drinking. European American students experienced more problems overall and greater levels of social/interpersonal problems and risky behaviors even after controlling for drinking level. In addition, women reported significantly greater levels of problems in all domains except physical dependence, risky behaviors, and self-perception when drinking was controlled for.
Microarrayed materials for stem cells

Stem cells hold remarkable promise for applications in disease modeling, cancer therapy, and regenerative medicine. Despite the significant progress made during the last decade, designing materials to control stem cell fate remains challenging. As an alternative, materials microarray technology has received great attention because it allows for high throughput materials synthesis and screening at a reasonable cost. Here, we discuss recent developments in materials microarray technology and their applications in stem cell engineering. Future opportunities in the field will also be reviewed.
Design of 220 GHz electronically scanned reflectarrays for confocal imaging systems

The authors analyze properties of a 220 GHz imaging system that uses a scanned reflectarray to perform electronic beam scanning of a confocal imager for applications including imaging meter-sized fields of view at 50 m standoff. Designs incorporating reflectarrays with confocal imagers have not been examined previously at these frequencies. We examine tradeoffs between array size, overall system size, and number of achievable image pixels resulting in a realistic architecture capable of meeting the needs of our application. Impacts to imaging performance are assessed through encircled energy calculations, beam pointing accuracy, and examining the number and intensity of quantization lobes that appear over the scan ranges of interest. Over the desired scan range, arrays with 1 and 2-bit phase quantization showed similar array main beam energy efficiencies. Two-bit phase quantization is advantageous in terms of pointing angle error, resulting in errors of at most 15% of the diffraction-limited beam size. However, both phase quantization cases considered resulted in spurious returns over the scan range of interest and other array layouts should be examined to eliminate potential imaging artifacts.
Cutaneous IgA deposits in bullous diseases function as ligands to mediate adherence of activated neutrophils.

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis and dermatitis herpetiformis are inflammatory subepidermal blistering diseases characterized by IgA deposits at the cutaneous epithelial basement membrane and in dermal papillae, respectively. Inflammation in both disorders localizes to sites of IgA deposition and is characterized by a predominance of neutrophils. From these observations we postulate that IgA deposits in both diseases may contribute to the recruitment and/or localization of neutrophils. In this study we examined the ability of in vitro and in vivo bound IgA anti-basement membrane autoantibodies from patients with linear IgA builbus dermatosis and in vivo bound IgA deposits in dermal papillae from patients with dermatitis herpetiformis to mediate adherence of neutrophils stimulated by granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The study showed that stimulated neutrophils adhered to basement membranes and dermal papillae containing IgA deposits. Adherence was IgA anti-basement membrane antibody concentration dependent and correlated with the immunofluorescence staining intensity of IgA deposits in dermal papillae. Adherence to IgA deposits but not IgG deposits could be inhibited by purified exogenous secretory IgA but not IgG and adherence to IgG deposits could be inhibited by purified exogenous IgG but not secretory IgA. These results provide direct experimental evidence that cutaneous IgA deposits in linear IgA bullous dermatosis and dermatitis herpetiformis can function as ligands for neutrophil adherence and have a role in the localization of inflammation in these disorders.
Mechanistic Insight into Peroxydisulfate Reactivity: Oxidation of the cis,cis-[Ru(bpy)2(OH2)]2O4+ “Blue Dimer”

One-electron oxidation of the μ-oxo dimer (cis,cis-[RuIII(bpy)2(OH2)]2O4+, {3,3}) to {3,4} by S2O82– can be described by three concurrent reaction pathways corresponding to the three protic forms of {3,3}. Free energy correlations of the rate constants, transient species dynamics determined by pulse radiolysis, and medium and temperature dependencies of the alkaline pathway all suggest that the rate-determining step in these reactions is a strongly nonadiabatic dissociative electron transfer within a precursor ion pair leading to the {3,4}|SO42–|SO4•– ion triple. As deduced from the SO4•– scavenging experiments with 2-propanol, the SO4•– radical then either oxidizes {3,4} to {4,4} within the ion triple, effecting a net two-electron oxidation of {3,3}, or escapes in solution with ∼25% probability to react with additional {3,3} and {3,4}, that is, effecting sequential one-electron oxidations. The reaction model presented also invokes rapid {3,3} + {4,4} → 2{3,4} comproportionation, for which kcom ∼5 × 107 M...
Rethinking Resistance and Recognizing Ambivalence: A Multidimensional View of Attitudes Toward an Organizational Change

In this article I review studies of resistance to change and advocate new research based on a reconceptualization of individual responses to change as multidimensional attitudes. A challenging question for research and practice arises: How can we balance the organizational need to foster ambivalent attitudes toward change and the individual need to minimize the potentially debilitating effects of ambivalence? I conclude by highlighting the importance of examining the evolution of employee responses to change over time and the need to understand responses to change proposals that emerge from bottom-up. egalitarian change processes.
Prenatal diagnosis of FGFR3 mutations in thanatophoric dysplasia types I and II

Thanatophoric dysplasia types I and II (TD1 and TD2) are autosomal dominant lethal skeletal dysplasias TD1 is more common and is characterized by rhizomelia, platyspondyly and megalencephaly. Straight femora, taller vertebral bodies and severe cloverleaf skull characterize TD2. TD1 is caused by sporadic mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). Eight distinct FGFR3 missense mutation located in exon 7 (C742T: R248C, C746G: S249C), exon 10 (G1108T. G370C, A1111T: S371C, A1118G: Y373C), and exon 19 (T2419G: J807G, T2419A: J807R, A2421T: J807C) have been described. These mutations either create unpaired cysteine residues in the FGFR3 extracellular domain or disrupt the stop codon, leading to translation of an additional 144 ammo acids. One common FGFR3 mutation has been found in all patients with TD2 (A1948G. K650E). This mutation is within the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain of the FGFR3 gene. We report here the results of mutation analysis of FGFR3 exons 7, 10, and 19 in 76 patient samples referred to our laboratory to rule out TD1 and TD2. Clinical information was derived from ultrasound studies, X-rays, and/or obtained at autopsy and ranged from short limbs to a classical description of TD1 or TD2. Genomic DNA was isolated from a variety of tissues including amniotic fluid cells (direct and tissue culture), chorionic villus cells (direct and tissue culture) and fetal tissues (frozen tissue or tissue culture) and analyzed by PCR amplification followed by either restriction enzyme analysis or allele specific oligonucleotide analysis. An identifiable mutation was found in 56.6% of samples analyzed (43). Eight patients were found to have the A1948G. K650E TD2 mutation. Thirty-five patients had TD 1 mutations. The C742T: R248C mutation was found most frequently (20 patients), followed by the A118G: Y373C (8 patients). Four patients possessed the C746G:S249C mutation and 2 patients possessed mutations in the exon 19 stop codon. Test results are available approximately 7 days from receipt of the sample in the laboratory. Information provided by DNA analysis of the FGFR3 gene provides important information to patients.
Epidermoid Cyst of the Testicle

We describe the case of a 13-year-old boy with testicular epidermoid cyst who presented with a painless testicular mass. Epidermoid cyst of the testis is a benign, non-teratomatous tumor. It is often possible to make the diagnosis preoperatively, combining typical sonographic features with normal biochemical tumor markers. Preoperative diagnosis will allow for testis-sparing surgery and prevent unnecessary orchiectomy.
Human cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene proximal promoter contains dietary cholesterol positive responsive elements and mediates expression in small intestine and periphery while predominant liver and spleen expression is controlled by 5'-distal sequences. Cis-acting sequences mapped in transgenic mice.

The plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) facilitates the transfer of high density lipoprotein cholesteryl esters to other lipoproteins and appears to be a key regulated component of reverse cholesterol transport. Earlier studies showed that a CETP transgene containing natural flanking sequences (−3.4 kilobase pairs (kbp) upstream, +2.2 kbp downstream) was expressed in an authentic tissue distribution and induced in liver and other tissues in response to dietary or endogenous hypercholesterolemia. In order to localize the DNA elements responsible for these effects, we prepared transgenic mice expressing six new DNA constructs containing different amounts of natural flanking sequence of the CETP gene. Tissue-specific expression and dietary cholesterol response of CETP mRNA were determined. The native pattern of predominant expression in liver and spleen with cholesterol induction was shown by a −3.4 (5′), +0.2 (3′) kbp transgene, indicating no major contribution of distal 3′-sequences. Serial 5′-deletions showed that a −570 base pairs (bp) transgene gave predominant expression in small intestine with cholesterol induction of CETP mRNA in that organ, and a −370 bp transgene gave highest expression in adrenal gland with partial dietary cholesterol induction of CETP mRNA and plasma activity. Further deletion to −138 bp 5′-flanking sequence resulted in a transgene that was not expressed in vivo. Both the −3.4 kbp and −138 bp transgenes were expressed when transfected into a cultured murine hepatocyte cell line, but only the former was induced by treating the cells with LDL. When linked to a human apoA-I transgene, the −570 to −138 segment of the CETP gene promoter gave rise to a relative positive response of hepatic apoA-I mRNA to the high cholesterol diet in two out of three transgenic lines. Thus, 5′-elements between −3,400 and −570 bp in the CETP promoter endow predominant expression in liver and spleen. Elements between −570 and −370 are required for expression in small intestine and some other tissues, and elements between −370 and −138 contribute to adrenal expression. The minimal CETP promoter element associated with a positive sterol response in vivo was found in the proximal CETP gene promoter between −370 and −138 bp. This region contains a tandem repeat of a sequence known to mediate sterol down-regulation of the HMG-CoA reductase gene, suggesting either the presence of separate positive and negative sterol response elements in this region or the use of a common DNA element for both positive and negative sterol responses.
Androgen metabolism by and binding to mature rabbit epididymal tissue: The effects of castration

When minced epididymal tissue from intact sexually mature rabbits was incubated with 8.25 × 10−9 M [3H]-testosterone for 2 h at 0°C, followed by 1 h at 23°C, approx 10% of the unbound ether-soluble radioactivity in the cytosol was [3H]-H17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one (5αDHT) and approx. 2% was [3H]-5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol (diols) and unidentified polar metabolites. Castration resulted in a decrease in 5αDHT formation. This decrease became significantly different (P < 0.05) by 4 days postcastration. The same pattern of 5αDHT formation was observed when the incubation was conducted for 3 h at 0–4°C, except that the absolute amount and percentages of metabolites formed was reduced. Examination of binding to the slowly dissociating epididymal androgen cytoplasmic receptor indicated that the greatest amount of binding occurred 2–6 days after castration and returned to pre-castration levels by the 10th day after castration. Greater binding of androgens to the cytoplasmic receptor occurred upon incubation at 0°C than at 23°C. This was taken to indicate that nuclear translocation of the receptor-hormone complex had occurred during the 23°C incubation. Despite the post-castration induced decline in 5αDHT formation, the relative amount of 5αDHT bound to the cytoplasmic receptor remained virtually unchanged during the entire 14 day period after castration that was studied. Little radioactivity was bound to the KC1 extract of nuclei or was present in the post KCl extract nuclear debris when the minces were incubated at 0°C and most of the label present was testosterone. When the samples were incubated at 23°C, both testosterone and 5αDHT were present in the above nuclear fractions during the entire post-castration period. The time-course of maximal androgen binding to nuclei was similar to the time-course of maximal binding to the cytoplasmic receptor.
Prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in subgroups of elderly persons with anemia: association with anemia of inflammation

Anemia and vitamin D deficiency are conditions that both result in significant morbidity and increase with age. The potential relationship between them remains poorly understood, particularly in the elderly. We used the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the association of vitamin D deficiency with anemia subtypes in persons aged ≥ 60 years. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum levels < 20 ng/mL, and anemia was defined according to World Health Organization criteria. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with anemia prevalence independent of age, sex, or race/ethnicity (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.05; P = .02) and varied significantly by anemia subtype (P overall = .003). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 33.3% in the nonanemic population, 56% in anemia of inflammation (AI; P = .008), and 33.0% in unexplained anemia (P = .55). Non-Hispanic blacks had a 7-fold increased risk of AI compared with whites, and this was partially attenuated after adjusting for vitamin D deficiency. These data show that vitamin D deficiency is associated with specific subtypes of anemia in the elderly, especially in those with AI. Vitamin D may suppress inflammatory pathways, and studies to determine whether vitamin D supplementation ameliorates AI are warranted.
Effect of downregulation of germline transcripts on immunoglobulin A isotype differentiation.

In this study we determined the role of immunoglobulin (Ig) germline transcripts in the isotype switch differentiation of the cloned lymphoma B cell line CH12.LX. In initial studies, we showed that addition of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and interleukin 4 (IL-4), either alone or in combination, augment switching from membrane (m)IgM+ to mIgA+ cells, and that increased switching is preceded and paralleled by an increase in the steady-state level of alpha germline transcripts (alpha GLT). Interestingly, TGF-beta and IL-4 affect switching in different ways, as shown by the fact that IL-4 increases and TGF-beta decreases the number of dual-positive (mIgM+/mIgA+) cells; in addition, TGF-beta and IL-4 have different effects on the time course of induction of alpha GLT. In subsequent studies, we established that we could downregulate alpha GLT levels in CH12.LX B cells by transfecting an expression vector that can be induced to produce transcripts antisense to the I alpha exon. Using this approach we downregulated alpha GLT in CH12.LX B cells undergoing switching in the presence of TGF-beta and IL-4 and showed that such downregulation led to decreased switching, as evidenced by decreased appearance of dual-positive B cells as well as decreased IgA synthesis relative to IgM synthesis. This result was corroborated by the fact that incubation of CH12.LX cells with phosphorothio-oligo antisense DNA to I alpha sequence also led to a decrease in the number of dual-positive cells and in the IgA/IgM secretion ratio. In summary, IgA isotype differentiation in CH12.LX B cell, particularly the steps necessary for the elaboration of mIgM+/mIgA+ switch intermediate cells, is inhibited by downregulation of alpha GLT; it is therefore apparent that alpha GLT plays a key role in the initial stage of isotype switch differentiation.
A comparison of the sleep-wake patterns of cosleeping and solitary-sleeping infants.

This study examined whether 3–15, month-old cosleeping infants displayed differences in time spent in active versus quiet sleep, and in the number/duration of nighttime awakenings when compared with solitary-sleeping infants; and also whether they spent the majority of the night sleeping face-to-face, as previously reported. Nine cosleeping and nine solitary-sleeping infants were matched on age, gender, ethnicity, maternal age, and family SES. Video recordings of nighttime sleep yielded percentage of time in active sleep, quiet sleep, and awake, number of wakenings, and the percentage of time cosleeping infants and mothers spent face-to-face. Across age, cosleeping infants had more awakenings per night mean 5.8(1.50) versus 3.2(1.95); t=3.16, p =.006). The percent of the nighttime spent awake did not differ between groups, suggesting that cosleeping infants had shorter awakenings. Cosleeping infants spent 40% of the night face-to-face with their mothers.
Energy and substituent effects on the mass spectra of substituted benzophenones

For two competing decompositions of the same molecular ion to give products [A1+] and [A2+], the ratio [A1+]/[A2+], is equal to the ratio of rate constants for the formation of the stable ions. Thr ratios, [Y C7H4O+]/[C7H5O+], were determined for several benzophenones for electron energies from 15 to 70 eV. Plots of log [Y C7H4O+]/[C7H5O+] vs.[ω+] gave good straight lines at all energies. Similar correlations have been reported for log [Y C7H6+]/[C7H7+] from substituted diphenyl ethanes and are also true for substituted acetophenones, log [YoCO+]/[CH3CO+]. A few charge exchange data were obtained which showed the same general trend as the electron-impact data and emphasize the contribution of low energy ions in the 70 eV mass spectra. Relatively poor correlations were obtained for the [Y C6H4+] and [C6H5+] ions that are formed by both one-step and two-step decompositions.
Antigiardial Activity of Isoflavones from Dalbergia frutescens Bark

Several isoflavones [formononetin (1), castanin (5), odoratin (6), glycitein (7), pseudobaptogenin (8), fujikinetin (9), and cuneatin (10)] were isolated from Dalbergia frutescens, and their antiprotozoal activities were determined against Giardia intestinalis. Among these compounds, formononetin (1) was the most potent antigiardial agent, with an IC(50) value of 30 ng/mL (approximately 0.1 microM), as compared to the value for metronidazole, the current drug of choice, of 100 ng/mL (approximately 0.6 microM). Three isoflavones closely related to formononetin [daidzein (2), biochanin A (3) and genistein (4)] were also evaluated, but they were at least 100 times less active than 1. Formononetin (1) may thus be an interesting lead for development of new antigiardial agents or as a probe for a new mechanistic target.
Association of gastrointestinal illness and recreational water exposure at an inland U.S. beach

Recent epidemiology studies examining U.S. recreational water exposure and illness relationships have focused primarily on coastal and Great Lakes beaches. Human-made lakes in the U.S. have received little attention in epidemiology studies despite contributing to more waterborne disease epidemics annually than coastal U.S. waters. In a comprehensive beach cohort study, we examined relationships between water quality indicators and reported adverse health outcomes among users of a beach at an inland U.S. lake. Human health data was collected over 26 swimming days during the 2009 swimming season in conjunction with water quality measurements. Adverse health outcomes were reported 8–9 days post-exposure via a phone survey. Wading, playing or swimming in the water was observed to be a significant risk factor for GI illness (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 3.2; CI 1.1, 9.0). Among water users, Escherichia coli density was significantly associated with elevated GI illness risk where the highest E. coli quartile was associated with an AOR of 7.0 (CI 1.5, 32). GI illness associations are consistent with previous freshwater epidemiology studies. Our findings are unique in that our observations of positive associations with GI illness risk are based upon a single daily E. coli measurement. Lastly, this study focused on an understudied issue, illness risk at inland reservoirs. Our results support the usefulness of E. coli as a health-relevant indicator of water quality for this inland U.S. beach.
Laboratory Testing of Waste Glass Aqueous Corrosion; Effects of Experimental Parameters

A literature survey has been performed to assess the effects of the temperature, glass surface area/leachate volume ratio, leachant composition, leachant flow rate, and glass composition (actual radioactive vs. simulated glass) used in laboratory tests on the measured glass reaction rate. The effects of these parameters must be accounted for in mechanistic models used to project glass durability over long times. Test parameters can also be utilized to highlight particular processes in laboratory tests. Waste glass corrosion results as water diffusion, ion-exchange, and hydrolysis reactions occur simultaneously to devitrify the glass and release soluble glass components into solution. The rates of these processes are interrelated by the affects of the solution chemistry and glass alteration phases on each process, and the dominant (fastest) process may change as the reaction progresses. Transport of components from the release sites into solution may also affect the observed corrosion rate. The reaction temperature will affect the rate of each process, while other parameters will affect the solution chemistry and which processes are observed during the test. The early stages of corrosion will be observed under test conditions which maintain dilute leachates and the later stages will be observed under conditions that generate more concentratedmore » leachate solutions. Typically, water diffusion and ion-exchange reactions dominate the observed glass corrosion in dilute solutions while hydrolysis reactions dominant in more concentrated solutions. Which process(es) controls the long-term glass corrosion is not fully understood, and the long-term corrosion rate may be either transport- or reaction-limited.« less
Distributed cable sensors with memory feature for post-disaster damage assessment

A new design of distributed crack sensors is presented for the condition assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) structures during and immediately after an earthquake event. This study is mainly focused on the performance of cable sensors under dynamic loading, particularly their ability to memorize the crack history of an RC member. This unique memory feature enables the post-earthquake condition assessment of structural members such as RC columns, in which the earthquake-induced cracks are closed immediately after an earthquake event due to gravity loads and they are visually undetectable. Factors affecting the onset of the memory feature were investigated experimentally with small-scale RC beams under cyclic loading. Test results indicated that both crack width and the number of loading cycles were instrumental in the onset of the memory feature of cable sensors. Practical issues related to dynamic acquisition with the sensors were discussed. The sensors were proven to be fatigue resistant from the shake table tests of RC columns. They continued to show useful signal after the columns can no longer support additional loads.
The updated RGD Pathway Portal utilizes increased curation efficiency and provides expanded pathway information

The RGD Pathway Portal provides pathway annotations for rat, human and mouse genes and pathway diagrams and suites, all interconnected via the pathway ontology. Diagram pages present the diagram and description, with diagram objects linked to additional resources. A newly-developed dual-functionality web application composes the diagram page. Curators input the description, diagram, references and additional pathway objects. The application combines these with tables of rat, human and mouse pathway genes, including genetic information, analysis tool and reference links, and disease, phenotype and other pathway annotations to pathway genes. The application increases the information content of diagram pages while expediting publication.
ACCEPTOR BINDING ENERGIES IN GAN AND ALN

We employ effective-mass theory for degenerate hole bands to calculate the acceptor binding energies for Be, Mg, Zn, Ca, C, and Si substitutional acceptors in GaN and AlN. The calculations are performed through the 6$\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$6 Rashba-Sheka-Pikus and the Luttinger-Kohn matrix Hamiltonians for wurtzite (WZ) and zinc-blende (ZB) crystal phases, respectively. An analytic representation for the acceptor pseudopotential is used to introduce the specific nature of the impurity atoms. The energy shift due to polaron effects is also considered in this approach. The ionization energy estimates are in very good agreement with those reported experimentally in WZ GaN. The binding energies for ZB GaN acceptors are all predicted to be shallower than the corresponding impurities in the WZ phase. The binding-energy dependence upon the crystal-field splitting in WZ GaN is analyzed. Ionization levels in AlN are found to have similar ``shallow'' values to those in GaN, but with some important differences which depend on the band structure parametrizations, especially the value of the crystal-field splitting used.
Iteration Partitioning for Resolving Stride Conflicts on Cache-Coherent Multiprocessors

We develop compile-time iteration partitioning techniques for private-cache shared-memory mulriprocessors. Our techniques assign loop iterations to a set of processors so that cache coherency traffic due io interprocessor communication is minimized and load balance is maintained. In contrast to most previous research that has examined uniformly-generated dependences, we develop methods for non-uniform dependences that are generated by stride conflicts. Furthermore, we consider the effects of a long cache line size and minimize false coherency traffic. Our methods can handle conflicts between any two integer strides. We have conducted experiments on a 32-processor KSR-1 from Kendall Square Research which show 2x performance improvement using our partitioning algorithm over standard contiguous partitioning techniques.
On Hicks's Concept of Perfect Stability in Multiple Exchange

The concept of static stability and its conditions, as defined by Professor Hicks in Value and Capital,1 have received a great deal of attention in the literature.2 Most of the discussion has been conducted in terms of the validity of a purely static stability analysis and its relationship to dynamic stability properties. This paper poses the question whether there is not a fundamental ambiguity in the definition of Hicksian perfect stability for a given market equilibrium which makes the concept treacherous analytically.
Prevention works; so does treatment (if you make it to the doctor)

In 1995, clinical trials in cardiology brought good news to both the interventionalist "hawks" and the diet-conscious, psychosocially minded "doves". Hypertension highlights included case-control studies suggesting that nifedipine increases mortality of hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease, and that diuretics sparing magnesium and potassium (triamterene, spironolactone, amiloride) have a third to a half the risk of sudden cardiac death of thiazide or loop diuretics. Atherosclerosis research was dominated by the revelation that statins ~educe progression of atherosclerosis, infarction, and mortality from all causes in men (non-significant trend in women) up to 70 years of age with known coronary disease. Benefit was apparent even in those with average cholesterol, which by definition can no longer be called normal. In the West of Scotland trial of men aged 45-64 with moderate hypercholesterolaemia, normal blood pressures, and no previous infarction, pravastatin reduced total mortality by 22% at 5 years. Nine randomised trials have now compared bypass with angioplasty. Mortality overall is identical; bypass is probably preferable for patients with left main or multiple severe stenoses, particularly with ventricular dysfunction or diabetes. Those with two or three vessel disease with little ventricular dysfunction may opt for angioplasty because of the reduced morbidity (including stroke) and earlier return to work; costs are slightly lower. These trials preceded the introduction of stents, which should further reduce costs and need for reintervention. Restenosis is now less of a problem in the larger coronary segments amenable to stenting. Ticlopidine has reduced the need for warfarin, and heparin coating of stents reduces reocclusion. Other new approaches to overcome restenosis include local delivery of radiation and toxins, the antisense oligonucleotide to c-myc, and growth factors to accelerate endothelial regeneration. Myocardial infarction trials showed improved survival with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors given in the first 24 hours. Routine angioplasty and intra-aortic balloon pumping seem to save lives. Heart failure trials were notable for the 67% reduction in mortality with carvedilol, a p-blocker with some o!-blocking and antioxidant properties. Low starting doses are advised. Atrial fibrillation now seems amenable to atrioventricular node modification to reduce the ventricular response. Atrial flutter responds to ablation of the reentrant circuit; ventricular tachycardia less so. Preliminary results from trials of the automatic implanted cardioverter defibrillator suggests that lives will be saved although benefits relative to amiodarone and [3-blockers will not be
The Effect of Post-Identification Feedback, Delay, and Suspicion on Accurate Eyewitnesses

We examined whether post-identification feedback and suspicion affect accurate eyewitnesses. Participants viewed a video event and then made a lineup decision from a target-present photo lineup. Regardless of accuracy, the experimenter either, informed participants that they made a correct lineup decision or gave no information regarding their lineup decision. Immediately following the lineup decision or after a 1-week delay, a second experimenter gave some of the participants who received confirming feedback reason to be suspicious of the confirming feedback. Following immediately after the confirming feedback, accurate witnesses did not demonstrate certainty inflation. However, after a delay accurate witnesses did demonstrate certainty inflation typically associated with confirming feedback. The suspicion manipulation only affected participants’ certainty when the confirming feedback created certainty inflation. The results lend support to the accessibility interpretation of the post-identification feedback effect and the erasure interpretation of the suspicion effect.
Mechanical Properties and Deformation Behavior of the Double Gyroid Phase in Unoriented Thermoplastic Elastomers

The mechanical properties of the double gyroid (DG) cubic phase in glassy−rubbery block copolymer systems are examined. The stress−strain properties of an isoprene-rich polystyrene/polyisoprene/polystyrene (SIS) triblock and a polystyrene/polyisoprene (SI) starblock DG, both comprised of two separate interpenetrating glassy networks embedded in rubbery matrices, are compared to those of the sphere, cylinder, and lamellar morphologies. This 3-dimensionally interpenetrating periodic nanocomposite is found to have superior properties over those of its classical counterparts, attributable to the morphology rather than to the volume fraction of the glassy component, the architecture of the molecule, or the molecular weight. The DG is the only polygranular/isotropic thermoplastic elastomer morphology which exhibits necking and drawing and which requires considerably higher stresses for deformation up to 200% strain than any of the three classical microdomain morphologies. The deformation behavior of the DG is f...
Disproportionate Minority Confinement of Juveniles A National Examination of Black–White Disparity in Placements, 1997-2006

Beginning in fiscal year 1994, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention included, as a requirement for a state to receive Federal Formula Grants, the determination of whether disproportionate minority confinement existed in its juvenile justice system, the identification of its causes, and the development and implementation of corrective strategies. The current study examined the extent to which U.S. juvenile justice systems have been successful in reducing disproportionate minority confinement—specifically, disproportionate African American incarceration—since the implementation of the office’s initiative. The findings suggest that, on average, there has been a reduction of nearly one fifth in the disproportionate Black:White ratio of juvenile placements, controlling for the groups’ rate of arrests during the past decade.
Can a video curriculum on the social determinants of health affect residents' practice and families' perceptions of care?

Abstract Introduction Screening and management of the social determinants of health (SDH) are critical for child health promotion. We sought to evaluate the impact of a facilitated video curriculum on resident SDH screening competence, parental perceptions of resident practice, resident-initiated referrals to a medical–legal partnership (MLP), and formula distribution to food-insecure families. Methods This was a pre–post study with concurrent control performed at a large pediatric residency program. Second- and third-year residents were assigned to control and intervention groups on the basis of their continuity clinic day. The curriculum included videotaped vignettes of screening for SDH and a "day in the life" series of families describing the impact of intervention on their lives. Residents completed self-assessments on screening competence and resource knowledge. After a well-child encounter, families (3 per resident) assessed their level of trust and respect for the resident and the number of SDHs screened for. MLP referral rates and formula distribution were compared. Results The intervention group's self-assessed competence in screening for housing, benefits, and educational concerns was significantly higher compared to controls (each P ≤ .05). Parents' rating of trust and respect was high and did not differ between groups. Screening for each SDH was higher in the intervention group with domestic violence (odds ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.01–4.63) and depression (odds ratio 2.63, 95% confidence interval 1.15–5.99), reaching statistical significance. MLP referral rates increased ( P = .06), and formula distribution ( P = .02) reached statistical significance in the intervention group. Conclusions This SDH video curriculum improved resident self-assessed screening competence, parental perception of screening, and both MLP referrals and formula distribution.
A new approach to estimate stability region of interconnected nonlinear systems via the nonlinear comparison principle

An approach is presented to optimally estimate stability regions of interconnected nonlinear systems via the nonlinear comparison principle. The estimate is optimal in the sense that, for a given Lyapunov function and a given comparison inequality associated with the interconnected system, no better estimate than the one presented can be achieved. This is achieved in three steps. Optimal estimates of stability regions of isolated subsystems are obtained. The exact stability region of the comparison system is established. A constructive methodology is applied to enlarge the estimated stability region of the interconnected system. >
Shaking up traditional training with lynda.com

Supporting the diverse technology training needs on campus while resources continue to dwindle is a challenge many of us continue to tackle. Institutions from small liberal arts campuses to large research universities are providing individualized training and application support 24/7 by subscribing to the lynda.com Online Training Library(r) and marketing the service to various combinations of faculty, staff and students. As a supplemental service on most of our campuses, lynda.com has allowed us to extend support to those unable to attend live lab-based training, those who want advanced level training, those who want training on specialized applications, and those who want to learn applications that are not in high demand. The service also provides cost effective professional development opportunities for everyone on campus, from our own trainers and technology staff who are developing new workshops, learning new software versions or picking up new areas of expertise from project management to programming, to administrative and support staff who are trying to improve their skills in an ever-tighter economic environment. On this panel discussion, you will hear about different licensing approaches, ways of raising awareness about lynda.com on our campuses, lessons learned through implementation, reporting capabilities, and advice we would give for other campuses looking to offer this service.
Unified on-chip memory allocation for SIMT architecture

The popularity of general purpose Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) is largely attributed to the tremendous concurrency enabled by its underlying architecture -- single instruction multiple thread (SIMT) architecture. It keeps the context of a significant number of threads in registers to enable fast ``context switches" when the processor is stalled due to execution dependence, memory requests and etc. The SIMT architecture has a large register file evenly partitioned among all concurrent threads. Per-thread register usage determines the number of concurrent threads, which strongly affects the whole program performance. Existing register allocation techniques, extensively studied in the past several decades, are oblivious to the register contention due to the concurrent execution of many threads. They are prone to making optimization decisions that benefit single thread but degrade the whole application performance.Is it possible for compilers to make register allocation decisions that can maximize the whole GPU application performance? We tackle this important question from two different aspects in this paper. We first propose an unified on-chip memory allocation framework that uses scratch-pad memory to help: (1) alleviate single-thread register pressure; (2) increase whole application throughput. Secondly, we propose a characterization model for the SIMT execution model in order to achieve a desired on-chip memory partition given the register pressure of a program. Overall, we discovered that it is possible to automatically determine an on-chip memory resource allocation that maximizes concurrency while ensuring good single-thread performance at compile-time. We evaluated our techniques on a representative set of GPU benchmarks with non-trivial register pressure. We are able to achieve up to 1.70 times speedup over the baseline of the traditional register allocation scheme that maximizes single thread performance.
Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Neutrophils Regulates Granulopoiesis via IL-23 and IL-17

Homeostatic regulation of neutrophil production is thought to match neutrophil elimination to maintain approximately constant numbers in the blood. Here, we show that IL-17, a cytokine that regulates granulopoiesis through G-CSF, is made by gammadelta T cells and unconventional alphabeta T cells. These neutrophil-regulatory T cells (Tn) are expanded in mice that lack leukocyte adhesion molecules, which have neutrophilia and defective neutrophil trafficking. Normal neutrophils migrate to tissues, where they become apoptotic and are phagocytosed by macrophages and dendritic cells. This curbs phagocyte secretion of IL-23, a cytokine controlling IL-17 production by Tn cells. Adoptive transfer of wild-type, but not adhesion molecule-deficient, neutrophils into mice deficient in beta2 integrins transiently decreases neutrophilia and reduces levels of serum IL-17. Antibody blockade of the p40 subunit of IL-23 reduces neutrophil numbers in wild-type mice. These findings identify a major homeostatic mechanism for the regulation of neutrophil production in vivo.
Continuous spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section in the morbidly obese

The use of a continuous spinal anaesthetic technique for the caesarean delivery of three morbidly obese patients is described and the advantages discussed.
Space Syntax and Walking in a New Urbanist and Suburban Neighbourhoods

Prevailing measures of street design have largely ignored the relational properties between local and global street design as correlates of walking behaviour. This study contributes to understanding relationships between the syntactical properties of street design and walking behaviour by examining whether space syntax measures in New Urbanist and conventional suburban neighbourhoods are associated with the walking patterns of residents in these communities. Relying on geographic information systems, survey data and travel diaries, the study relates control, local integration and global integration to walking behaviour, while adjusting for the effect of individual- and household-level characteristics. It finds significant relationships between the number of leisure trips and all three syntactical measures. It also finds a consistent positive relationship between total utilitarian walking and two of the space syntax variables, control and global integration. By explaining individuals' walking behaviour usi...
The neurotoxic MEC-4(d) DEG/ENaC sodium channel conducts calcium: implications for necrosis initiation

Hyperactivation of the Caenorhabditis elegans MEC-4 Na(+) channel of the DEG/ENaC superfamily (MEC-4(d)) induces neuronal necrosis through an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) and calpain activation. How exacerbated Na(+) channel activity elicits a toxic rise in cytoplasmic Ca(2+), however, has remained unclear. We tested the hypothesis that MEC-4(d)-induced membrane depolarization activates voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (VGCCs) to initiate a toxic Ca(2+) influx, and ruled out a critical requirement for VGCCs. Instead, we found that MEC-4(d) itself conducts Ca(2+) both when heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes and in vivo in C. elegans touch neurons. Data generated using the Ca(2+) sensor cameleon suggest that an induced release of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) is crucial for progression through necrosis. We propose a refined molecular model of necrosis initiation in which Ca(2+) influx through the MEC-4(d) channel activates Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release from the ER to promote neuronal death, a mechanism that may apply to neurotoxicity associated with activation of the ASIC1a channel in mammalian ischemia.
Effects of Sodium Chloride and Polyphosphate Pretreatments on Fowl Meat Processed in Flexible Pouches

Abstract Deboned, skinless white and dark meat from fowl was pretreated by overnight soaking at 3 C in either deionized water, 2% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution, 3% Kena solution (sodium polyphosphate), or 2% NaCl plus 3% Kena solution. Meat was subsequently water cooked 90 min at 92 C: then diced and batched with ground cooked skin, fat, and broth. Ingredients were packaged and sealed in flexible retortable pouches and retorted at 121 C (250 F). Finished products were evaluated for proximate composition, mineral content, and sensory properties. Presoaking the meat in water or 2% NaCl had little effect on product composition or sensory properties after retorting. Soaking in Kena, with or without NaCl, increased moisture, decreased percentage protein, and increased ash. Kena plus NaCl had significantly higher Na and CI contents than all other treatments. Finished products made from meat presoaked in Kena, with or without NaCl, were lighter in color, more tender, and less off-flavored than products presoaked in water or 2% NaCl only. Product made from Kena plus NaCl differed significantly from product made from Kena alone in higher initial juiciness, increased perception of seasoning, and higher Na and CI contents; however, there were no significant differences in other parameters. The value of increased juiciness and seasoning perceived versus the value of increased Na content would need to be considered in making a recommendation on the use of polyphosphates with or without NaCl to improve fowl meat products. If dietary sodium content is a concern, small differences in quality may be negated by increased sodium content resulting from treatment with polyphosphates plus NaCl.
Limb Alignment Improves with Computer-Assisted Navigation in Total Knee Replacement, But Questions Remain

The value of intraoperative computer navigation during total knee arthroplasty has been debated for more than a decade. Despite substantial research, contradictory results and reservations about the cost and efficacy of the technology have contributed to the failure of computer navigation to become the accepted standard for establishing limb alignment during knee replacement surgery. In their paper, Zhang and colleagues report the results of a well-designed, prospective, randomized study that was conducted to compare the short-term clinical and radiographic results of total knee arthroplasty performed with computer navigation with the results of total knee arthroplasty performed with conventional mechanical instruments. The authors attempted to control for as many variables as possible by studying patients with bilateral knee arthritis who were undergoing simultaneous bilateral knee replacement. For each patient, both the order of the surgery and the knee that was assigned to the computer-navigation group were selected by randomization. During the follow-up period, the clinician, radiologist, and patient were blinded with regard to the type of procedure that had been performed on each knee. The outcomes recorded included overall limb alignment on full-length radiographs; various parameters of prosthetic positioning on both standard radiographs and …