cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Viral respiratory infection in people with obesity – A review

This review article focused on a statistical analysis of the obesity population’s viral infection rate and compared the effects from different viral respiratory infections, such as abnormal immune responses and hyperglycemia in the population with obesity. Obesity has become more prevalent in developed countries while still less in developing countries. People with obesity have higher adipose fat accumulation underneath the organ membrane and in-between tissues, which can lead to abnormal organ function and respiratory difficulties. Respiratory problems can exist in people with obesity that usually related to hypertension and dyslipidemia. Meanwhile, obesity downregulates many immune and metabolic responses in the body. Viruses like H1N1, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 have pathological damages in the lung shared in common, in which a higher severity was observed in people with obesity. The review was done by an online article search from PubMed, Google Scholar, and NEMJ database to allocate potential case studies and review articles of our keyword criteria. The initial article search layout 206 articles related to obesity, respiratory, and virus in human studies carried out from 2000 to 2020. Further analysis has shown that 15 articles pointed out a clear relationship between obesity and viral infection. Influenza, MERS, and SARS coronaviruses reported a significantly higher infection rate in the population with obesity condition. However, there were inconsistent results regarding the relationship between obesity and pneumonia, in which pneumonia was observed in most viral respiratory infections. Comparing pathological evidence from obesity and SARS viral infections, both share in common on hyperglycemia and increase of ACE engagement, whether it is to increase blood pressure or increase virus entry. Obesity condition itself makes consequent treatments even more difficult. In suggestion, there is a need to conduct further extensive clinical studies on the people with obesity that are COVID-19 positive.
Five- Versus Ten-Fraction Regimens of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Primary and Metastatic NSCLC.

Abstract Introduction At our institution, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has commonly been prescribed with 50 Gy in 5 fractions and in select cases, 50 Gy in 10 fractions. We sought to evaluate the impact of these 2 fractionation schedules on local control and survival outcomes. Methods We reviewed patients treated with SBRT with 50 Gy/5 fraction or 50 Gy/10 fraction for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic NSCLC. Cumulative incidence of local failure (LF) was estimated using competing risk methodology. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method only for patients with stage I disease. Results Of the 353 lesions, 300 (85%) were treated with 50 Gy in 5 fractions and 53 (15%) with 10 fractions. LFs at 3 years were 6.5% and 23.9% and Kaplan-Meier estimate of median time to LF was 17.5 months and 26.2 months, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed increasing planning target volume (hazard ratio 1.01, P = .04) as an independent predictor of increased LF, but tumor size, ultracentral location, and 10 fractions were not. Among patients with stage I NSCLC (n = 298), overall median PFS was 35.6 months and median OS was 42.4 months. There was no difference in PFS or OS between the 2 treatment regimens for patients with stage I NSCLC. Low rates of grade 3+ toxicity were observed, with 1 patient experiencing grade 3 pneumonitis after a 5-fraction regimen of SBRT. Conclusion Dose-fractionation schemes with BED10 ≥ 100 Gy provide superior local control and should be offered when meeting commonly accepted constraints. If those regimens appear unsafe, 50 Gy in 10 fractions may provide acceptable compromise between tumor control and safety with relatively durable control, and minimal negative impact on long-term survival.
Discriminative Validity of Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening in Identifying Concussion Among Collegiate Athletes: A National Collegiate Athletic Association–Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education Consortium Study:

Background:Vestibular and ocular motor screening tools, such as the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS), are recognized as important components of a multifaceted evaluation of sport-related co...
BRCA reversion mutations in a pan-cancer cohort to reveal BRCA-dependence in select noncanonical BRCA-mutant histologies.

3012Background: Loss of BRCA1/2 function leads to homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and can enhance platinum and PARP inhibitor sensitivity in breast, pancreas, prostate, and ovarian cancer...
Reinforcement Learning for Distributed Control and Multi-player Games

This chapter presents the optimal control solution using reinforcement learning (RL). RL methods can successfully learn the solution to the optimal control and game problems online and using measured data along the system trajectories. However, one major challenge is that standard RL algorithms are data hungry in the sense that they must obtain a large number of samples from the interaction with the system to learn about the optimal policy. We discuss data-efficient RL algorithms using concepts of off-policy learning and experience replay and show how to solve \({H}_2\) and \({H}_\infty \) control problems, as well as graphical games using these approaches. Off-policy and experience replay-based RL algorithms allow reuse of data for learning and consequently lead to data-efficient RL algorithms.
What's in a pronoun: Exploring gender pronouns as an organizational identity-safety cue among sexual and gender minorities

Abstract Sexual and gender minorities face unwelcoming organizational environments, and may avoid workplace settings that fail to signal their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) employees. Exposure to an identity-safety cue, or a signal that an organizational environment values LGBTQ+ employees, may attract sexual and gender minorities to organizational settings. Here, we report three experiments and an internal meta-analysis that examined whether the presence of an employee's gender pronouns (i.e., personal pronouns reflecting one's gender identity) in an employee biography, acts as an identity-safety cue for sexual and gender minorities. We found that relative to an employee biography with pronouns absent, the inclusion of gender pronouns resulted in more positive organizational attitudes among predominantly cisgender lesbian, gay, and bisexual participants (Experiment 1), as well as transgender and gender non-conforming participants (Experiments 2 & 3). Moreover, the inclusion of gender pronouns promoted positive organizational attitudes, regardless of whether the disclosure of pronouns was required or optional by the organization (Experiment 3). We also found evidence that the inclusion of pronouns signaled identity-safety via multiple aspects of the organizational environment. That is, the inclusion of pronouns also promoted perceptions the organization was procedurally fair for sexual and gender minorities (Experiment 2 & 3), as well as perceptions that employees and managers were allies for LGBTQ+ employees (Experiment 3); and, each of these perceptions positively related to organizational attitudes. The present experiments demonstrate that the inclusion of gender pronouns effectively signals identity-safety and encourages positive organizational attitudes among LGBTQ+ persons.
Examining the needs of persons experiencing homelessness: Bringing the voice of lived experience to policy priorities

Policy related to homelessness varies across federal, state, and local levels influencing access to health and social services among persons experiencing homelessness. With a diversity of community stakeholders comes a diversity of ideas about which health and social services to provide and prioritize. Despite the unique insights PEH are able to offer on their own situations, their voices often remain excluded from research and policy. The aim of the current study was to identify the basic needs and health and social service priorities of PEH, to incorporate these voices into policy decisions and prioritization. Fifteen participants age 18 and older who had any experience of homelessness in Salt Lake Countyparticipated in in-depth qualitative interviews between February and March 2020. Open-ended questions enabled the interviews to naturally progress and focus on what was most relevant to participants and their experience. Data were categorized into the services and supports identified as the most needed by PEH and to help lift people out of homelessness: 1) Housing and shelter, 2) Income and employment, 3) Transportation, 4) Food, 5) Physical and mental health services, and 6) Social support. We describe the needs, challenges, and solutions as identified and narrated by study participants. Findings offer critical insight into how the homelessness crisis should be approached by policymakers as the ways in which PEH understand and utilize the system of available resources and supports must align with their abilities and realities. Without these in-depth discussions with PEH about how they understand and meet their basic needs, there will be ongoing gaps in service delivery and mismatches in the attempts made to serve this population.
Children’s Aggression and DSM-III-R Symptoms Predicted by Parent Psychopathology, Parenting Practices, Cortisol, and Ses

A handful of studies over the past 10 years have examined whether cortisol (a hormone which in humans is associated with stress and catabolic processes) is related to behavioral measures of aggression or conduct problems. In reviewing this small literature, McBurnett and Pfiffner (McBurnett & Pfiffner, in press) reached the tentative conclusion that low cortisol may be associated only with the most severe, chronic, and aggressive subtype of disruptive behavior. The basis for this hypothesis was that three studies found no significant association between cortisol and diagnostic status when the experimental groups were based on a diagnosis of a disruptive behavior disorder (Kruesi, Schmidt, Donnelly, Euthymia & others, 1989) or diagnosis of Conduct Disorder (CD), (Scerbo & Kolko, 1994) (Targum, Clarkson, Magac-Harris, Marshall & Skwerer, 1990), and that significant findings only emerged from designs in which diagnostic groups were more finely subtyped. In a sample of adults, cortisol was abnormally low only in prisoners who had both Antisocial Personality Disorder and a history of habitual violence (Virkkunen, 1985). When that sample was reanalyzed using childhood characteristics as a grouping variable, only prisoners with a developmental history of Undersocialized Aggressive CD were found to have abnormally low cortisol. This suggested that low cortisol was to be found only among groups who were chronically violent and psychopathic. In a clinic sample of boys, low cortisol was not found to be characteristic of the diagnosis of CD, but cortisol was found to be significantly low in boys who had CD and no anxiety disorder when compared to boys with CD who also had an anxiety disorder (McBurnett et al., 1991). Analyses of follow-up data on these same subjects suggested that cortisol was low in boys with DSM-IV Childhood Onset CD when compared to those with Adolescent Onset CD (McBurnett & Pfiffner, in press) and that low cortisol was associated only with overt, aggressive CD symptoms and not with covert CD symptoms (McBurnett, Lahey, Capasso & Loeber, 1996). These findings are consistent with the interpretation that low cortisol is characteristic only of those boys with CD who have a chronic, aggressive, low anxiety (psychopathic?) form of the disorder, similar to the interpretation of the Virkkunen (1985) study. We were interested in finding out whether this biological variable (low cortisol) was associated with chronic CD independently of known psychosocial correlates of CD, or whether the biological and the psychosocial correlates accounted for essentially the same variance in the development of chronic CD.
In-flight simulation with pilot-center of gravity offset and velocity mismatch

Similarity transformations which preserve modal characteristics and pilot's acceleration cues in in-flight simulation are presented. The model transformation for lateral acceleration matching is developed. A velocity-mismatch example, based on a VRA simulation of the Space Shuttle, illustrates that acceleration matching is achieved at the expense of mismatching in cues which are secondary to the simulated piloting task, while primarily cues are preserved. The approach is applicable for both implicit and explicit model-following, and it can easily be extended to the longitudinal case.
Sketching Earth-Mover Distance on Graph Metrics

We develop linear sketches for estimating the Earth-Mover distance between two point sets, i.e., the cost of the minimum weight matching between the points according to some metric. While Euclidean distance and Edit distance are natural measures for vectors and strings respectively, Earth-Mover distance is a well-studied measure that is natural in the context of visual or metric data. Our work considers the case where the points are located at the nodes of an implicit graph and define the distance between two points as the length of the shortest path between these points. We first improve and simplify an existing result by Brody et al. [4] for the case where the graph is a cycle. We then generalize our results to arbitrary graph metrics. Our approach is to recast the problem of estimating Earth-Mover distance in terms of an l1 regression problem. The resulting linear sketches also yield space-efficient data stream algorithms in the usual way.
Effects of maternal phenylketonuria on the rat fetus.

Abstract In chronically phenylketonuric rats, delayed intrauterine development was observed in spite of prolongation of gestation by 1 to 3 days. Bilateral cataracts (7 of 24 fetuses) and fetal resorption also were observed. These findings are in keeping with the high incidence of abortion, malformation, and mental retardation among the nonphenylketonuric offspring of phenylketonuric mothers. The phenylalanine level of both human and animal fetuses has been shown to be 2 to 6 times greater than that of the phenylketonuric mother, apparently due to active transport of amino acids by the placenta. It is suggested that the elevated level of phenylalanine in intrauterine life is especially disastrous due to the lack of an adequate blood-brain barrier in the mebryo.
A future modal in Cherokee: a special case of distributed exponence

In this article we argue from distributional and semantic evidence that the affixal combination of ta- plus -i in Cherokee is a circumfixal marker of modality rather than a marker of future tense plus one of motion, as claimed in previous descriptive accounts. We then provide a morphosyntactic analysis within the Distributed Morphology framework, in which ta-/-i instantiates a (deontic) Modal head that has undergone Enrichment and subsequent Fission. Our analysis of ta-/-i as a modal opposes previous characterizations of ta-/-i as future tense, accounting for the various meanings yielded by these affixes and for the fact that ta-/-i can co-occur with other tense markers in the language. Furthermore, the Distributed Morphology analysis constitutes an important contribution to the literature on the phenomenon of distributed exponence and paves the way for future formal treatments of TAMM morphology in Cherokee and other Iroquoian languages.
Bone density is maintained during forced disuse in hibernators throughout both the active and hibernation seasons (1166.1)

Long-term space flight produces a decrease in bone density that poses a hazard for astronauts during and after missions in space. Bone loss is due in part to disuse since long-term bed rest immobil...
Pyostomatitis vegetans: A clinical marker of silent ulcerative colitis.

Pyostomatitis vegetans (PV) is a rare, benign, and chronic disorder of the oral soft tissues characterized by the presence of multiple pustules with an erythematous base. PV is considered a highly specific clinical marker for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The first reports of PV were documented by Hallopeau in 1898, who described 2 cases with unusual pustular dermatosis and oral lesions that he called pyodermite vegetante. The term pyostomatitis vegetans was coined by McCarthy in 1949, who believed that it was a variant of pyodermite vegetante. Since McCarthy’s report in 1949, approximately 50 cases have been published in the literature. In this report, we present a typical case of PV.
Multi-source Neural Activity Estimation and Sensor Scheduling: Algorithms and Hardware Implementation

Electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements are used to localize neural activity by solving the electromagnetic inverse problem. In this paper, we propose a new approach based on the particle filter implementation of the probability hypothesis density filter (PF-PHDF) to automatically estimate the unknown number of time-varying neural dipole sources and their parameters using EEG/MEG measurements. We also propose an efficient sensor scheduling algorithm to adaptively configure EEG/MEG sensors at each time step to reduce total power consumption. We demonstrate the improved performance of the proposed algorithms using simulated neural activity data. We map the algorithms onto a Xilinx Virtex-5 field-programmable gate array (FPGA) platform and show that it only takes 10 ms to process 100 data samples using 6,400 particles. Thus, the proposed system can support real-time processing of an EEG/MEG neural activity system with a sampling rate of up to 10 kHz.
A new product construction for partial difference sets

Relatively few constructions are known of negative Latin square type Partial Difference Sets (PDSs), and most of the known constructions are in elementary abelian groups. We present a product construction that produces negative Latin square type PDSs, and we apply this product construction to generate examples in p-groups of exponent bigger than p.
Gating as a Control Element in Constrictive Binding and Guest Release by Hemicarcerands

Theoretical modeling of the dynamics of complexation and decomplexation of guest molecules by container molecules reveals that gating has a critical influence on the ease of formation and stability of host-guest complexes. Hosts equipped with gates can form very stable complexes with a variety of guests under readily achievable conditions. Gating involves conformational processes of the host molecule that alter the size of the portals through which guest molecules pass. “French door” and “sliding door” mechanisms of gate opening are identified.
Pathology of Eosinophilic Esophagitis: What the Clinician Needs to Know

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) is a clinical pathologic syndrome characterized by influx of numerous eosinophils into the esophageal epithelium. It is important for clinicians to be aware of the spectrum, as well as the characteristic location and distribution, of morphologic changes in EOE to maximize the diagnostic yield in mucosal biopsy specimens. The major pathologic features of EOE include eosinophilic microabscesses, surface layering of eosinophils often associated with surface sloughing of necrotic squamous cells, and peak eosinophil counts usually greater than 15 per high power field (hpf) within the squamous epithelium. Minor features, which are frequent but less specific, include marked basal cell hyperplasia, lengthening of lamina propria papillae, intercellular edema, and lamina propria fibrosis with chronic inflammation. The number, distribution, and location of intraepithelial eosinophils in EOE vary greatly between previously published studies. Thus, utilization of a diagnostic cutoff point for intraepithelial eosinophils in EOE, particularly in the absence of other major features of EOE, is currently considered unwise. In fact, some patients may show combined features of both gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and EOE, which complicates the histologic analysis of these patients. In contrast to GERD, EOE typically involves longer lengths of the esophagus, affects the proximal equally, or even more, than the distal esophagus, and the pathologic findings are often patchy in distribution. As a result, it is highly recommended that clinicians obtain biopsies from patients suspected of have EOE only after treatment with high-dose proton pump inhibitor therapy, and that biopsies be obtained from both the proximal and distal esophagus in both normal and abnormal appearing areas.
An 'ACE' of a test

A 57-year-old cardiac transplant recipient was admitted for the management of heart failure. He had severe graft coronary arteriosclerosis and normal left ventricular systolic function. In addition, the patient had hypertension and diabetes mellitus. During the hospitalization, enalapril was initiated for the control of hypertension. A progressive increase in the serum …
Climate change: Too much of a bad thing.

There are various — and confusing — targets to limit global warming due to emissions of greenhouse gases. Estimates based on the total slug of carbon emitted are possibly the most robust, and are worrisome. How quickly greenhouse-gas emissions need to be reduced in order to avoid what has been termed dangerous climate change is of fundamental importance. Two papers in this issue tackle the question from different standpoints, yet come to broadly similar conclusions. Meinshausen et al. relate the cumulative emission of greenhouse gasses by 2050 to the probability of exceeding the 2 °C of global warming above pre-industrial temperatures adopted by more than 100 countries as the threshold of dangerous climate change. They find that only about a third of economically recoverable oil, gas and coal reserves can be burned if global warming of 2 °C is to be avoided by 2100, an amount of fossil fuel that would be burned by 2029 if consumption remains at today's levels. Allen et al. use a combined climate and carbon cycle model to produce simulations spanning a range of climate futures consistent with the changes already observed. The 500 billionth tonne of anthropogenic carbon since 1750 was recently released into the atmosphere, and Allen et al. find that releasing a trillion tonnes of carbon in total is likely to cause a peak warming exceeding the 'acceptable' 2 °C temperature increase. Every tonne released thereafter increases the committed maximum warming in a predictable way, regardless of when it is released. Any effective climate mitigation regime must therefore achieve a cap on cumulative carbon dioxide emissions — one trillion tonnes would be a possible though optimistic target. In News and Views, Gavin Schmidt and David Archer consider these papers and other recent work focusing on establishing achievable emissions targets.
Anterior Segment and Retinal Pigmentary Abnormalities in Arteriohepatic Dysplasia

Arteriohepatic dysplasia (AHD, Alagille's syndrome) is presumed to be one of the six known familial intrahepatic cholestatic syndromes, all of which present with neonatal jaundice or failure to thrive, or both. Accurate early diagnosis of the proper syndrome is important, as arteriohepatic dysplasia has a good prognosis, whereas the other syndromes usually lead to death in infancy or early adulthood. Posterior embryotoxon was found in all five of our patients and may be one of the hallmarks of this syndrome. Axenfeld's anomaly was present in three of five patients, and retinal pigmentary abnormalities were found in four of five patients. Variable abnormalities were found in the cardiovascular system, bones, central nervous system, kidneys, endocrine system, and body habitus. Inheritance may be autosomal dominant as vertical transmission was documented in one family. Liver function improves during the first five years of life so that only the ocular and skeletal signs may be present in adults.
Simple Iterative Procedures for Two-Parameter Gamma Distribution Maximum Likelihood Estimates

Abstract Rapidly converging iterative procedures for obtaining exact maximum likelihood estimates of the two-parameter gamma distribution scale and shape parameters are presented. These procedures yield estimates of parameters associated with a likelihood ratio test based on the two-parameter gamma distribution for investigating possible treatment-induced scale differences.
Questioning the Web 2.0 Discourse: Social Roles, Production, Values, and the Case of the Human Rights Portal

This article interrogates the notion of Web 2.0, understanding it through three related conceptual lenses: (1) as a set of social relations, (2) as a mode of production, and (3) as a set of values. These conceptual framings help in understanding the discursive, technological, and social forces that are at play in Web 2.0 architectures. Based on research during a two-year period, the second part of this article applies these lenses to the case of the Human Rights Portal, a Web portal designed to leverage the participatory knowledge production ethos of Web 2.0 for human rights organizations. This section discusses the design process and the ways in which the discourse of Web 2.0 as parsed through the three lenses described informed this process.
Anger, hostility, internalizing negative emotions, and intimate partner violence perpetration: A meta-analytic review

Prior reviews have identified elevated trait anger as a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Given that 10 years have passed since the last comprehensive review of this literature, we provide an updated meta-analytic review examining associations among anger, hostility, internalizing negative emotions, and IPV for male and female perpetrators. One hundred and five effect sizes from 64 independent samples (61 studies) were included for analysis. IPV perpetration was moderately associated with the constructs of anger, hostility, and internalizing negative emotions. This association appeared stronger for those who perpetrated moderate to severe IPV compared to those who perpetrated low to moderate IPV, and did not vary across perpetrator sex, measurement method, relationship type, or perpetrator population. Implications and limitations of findings were reviewed in the context of theoretical models of IPV, and future directions for empirical and clinical endeavors were proposed.
Fluorescence of Pc 4 in U87 cells following photodynamic therapy

Introduction: Given the length of procedures and the brightness of operating room lights, there is concern that photosensitizers used to locate brain tumors and treat them with photodynamic therapy (PDT) may photobleach before they can be fully utilized. The phthalocyanine photosensitizer Pc 4 is resistant to photobleaching. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that exposure of Pc 4-loaded glioma cells to photoactivating light will result in continuing fluorescence of Pc 4. Methods: U87 human glioma cells were cultured in MEM with 5% penicillin/streptomycin, 5% sodium pyruvate, 10% fetal bovine serum, and 25 mM HEPES. These cultures were given 0 or 125 nM Pc 4, followed 2 hours later by three separate exposures of 200 J/cm 2 of red light (l max = 675 nm). Confocal fluorescence images were collected before and after each exposure. Results: Pc 4 fluorescence was localized to cytoplasmic membranes of the U87 glioma cells, as previously seen in other types of cells. After exposure to PDT, Pc 4 fluorescence was not reduced and even increased. Discussion: Pc 4 may be useful for the intra-operative detection of glioma by fluorescence and for PDT, since neither Pc 4 level nor its fluorescence is likely to decrease during exposure to operating room lights.
Tissue engineering strategies for immature teeth with apical periodontitis.

Abstract Introduction Regenerative endodontic treatment on immature teeth with apical periodontitis is promising but still not well-established. The purpose of this study was to explore novel strategies to engineer a vital support structure within a root canal space by a combination of induced blood clot, exposure of dentin matrix, and a cross-linked collagen scaffold. Methods Apical periodontitis was induced in 6 dogs with immature teeth ( n = 64). After disinfection, the following groups were randomly assigned: blood clot (BC) alone, BC with a cross-linked collagen scaffold (CCS), BC with exposure of dentin matrix by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and BC with CCS and EDTA. Positive (infected only) and negative controls (untreated) were also included. The dogs were followed up for 3.5 months and killed. Periradicular healing and root wall thickening were radiographically analyzed and statistically evaluated. The jaws were then fixed, demineralized, and subjected to histologic analyses. Newly formed mineralized tissues were histomorphometrically analyzed, quantified, and statistically evaluated. Results Radiographically there was significant difference in periradicular healing and root wall thickening ( P P Conclusions The use of cross-linked collagen scaffold and exposure of dentin matrix combined with blood clot might provide an efficient approach to generate a vital support structure for the treatment of immature teeth with apical periodontitis.
Determinism or democracy? The Marxisms of Eduard Bernstein and Sidney Hook

Comparaison de l'interpretation des notions marxistes de necessite historique, determinisme et democratie chez E. Bernstein et S. Hook. Alors que le premier critique le materialisme historique et l'idee de l'inevitabilite du socialisme, le second tente de rehabiliter le marxisme traditionnel a partir d'une interpretation pragmatique de la methode dialectique.
Bcl-x and the regulation of survival in the immune system.

A variety of experimental models indicate that programmed cell death, or apoptosis, of lymphocytes is a key mechanism in the homeostatic regulation of immunity. Apoptosis is important in early B-and T-cell development to delete cells with nonfunctional antigen receptors, and is also critical for censoring self-reactive cells at the immature lymphocyte stage and at various stages after lymphocytes reach maturity. In this article we focus on the role of the apoptosis regulatory gene bcl-x in controlling survival during lymphocyte development and following B-and T-cell activation. Interesting parallels are observed for bcl-x expression between the B-and T-lineages. The available data also indicate that bcl-x and bcl-2 are expressed in reciprocal patterns during the lifespan of a lymphocyte, suggesting unique regulatory roles for these two survival proteins.
Antibiotic prophylaxis following lower urinary tract instrumentation.

The value of routine antibiotic prophylaxis was assessed in 362 women undergoing lower urinary tract instrumentation. A three-day course of a once-a-day dose of 1 g of cefadroxil was compared with a three-day course of 100 mg of nitrofurantoin three times a day, in a randomized investigator blinded placebo controlled study. Both study drugs were significantly more effective in preventing postinstrumentation urinary tract infections than placebo (p < 0.003). Differences in efficacy between the two test drugs were not significant; however, side effects in the nitrofurantoin group were more frequent and severe than those in the cefadroxil group. Cefadroxil also offered the advantage of a once-daily dosing schedule.
The virtues of contemporary emotivism

The core of Alasdair Maclntyre's After Virtue is an attack on emo tivism: "... it is indeed in terms of a confrontation with emotivism that my own thesis must be defined" (p. 21). But at best Maclntyre's arguments apply only to an early emotivist strawman, for Maclntyre ignores the sturdier version that developed in later logical positivism. That neglected later emotivism develops key emotivist points into a more comprehensive and powerful system: a mature emotivist theory that passes unscathed through the Maclntyre gauntlet. This essay will describe that stronger contemporary emotivism and defend it against Maclntyre's critique. In the early logical positivist fervor of Language, Truth and Logic when metaphysics was being razed and a scientific philosophy was dawning Ayer was somewhat intemperate in formulating emotivism.1 No one denies it. Ayer later states that:
A homolog of Subtilisin-like Proprotein Convertase 7 is essential to anterior neural development in Xenopus.

Background Subtilisin-like Proprotein Convertase 7 (SPC7) is a member of the subtilisin/kexin family of pro-protein convertases. It cleaves many pro-proteins to release their active proteins, including members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family of signaling molecules. Other SPCs are known to be required during embryonic development but corresponding data regarding SPC7 have not been reported previously. Methodology/Principal Findings We demonstrated that Xenopus SPC7 (SPC7) was expressed predominantly in the developing brain and eye, throughout the neural plate initially, then more specifically in the lens and retina primordia as development progressed. Since no prior functional information has been reported for SPC7, we used gain- and loss-of-function experiments to investigate the possibility that it may also convey patterning or tissue specification information similarly to Furin, SPC4, and SPC6. Overexpression of SPC7 was without effect. In contrast, injection of SPC7 antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MO) into a single blastomere at the 2- or 4-cell stage produced marked disruption of head structures; anophthalmia was salient. Bilateral injections suppressed head and eye formation completely. In parallel with suppression of eye and brain development by SPC7 knockdown, expression of early anterior neural markers (Sox2, Otx2, Rx2, and Pax6) and late eye-specific markers (β-Crystallin and Opsin), and of BMP target genes such as Tbx2 and Tbx3, was reduced or eliminated. Taken together, these findings suggest a critical role for SPC7–perhaps, at least in part, due to activation of one or more BMPs–in early patterning of the anterior neural plate and its derivatives. Conclusion/Significance SPC7 is required for normal development of the eye and brain, possibly through processing BMPs, though other potential substrates cannot be excluded.
Effective Crisis Management through Established Stakeholder Relationships: Malden Mills as a Case Study

This article investigates the postcrisis communication of Aaron Feuerstein, chief executive officer of Malden Mills, after a fire destroyed his textile mill. It explains how leadership communicatio...
Price effects of airline consolidation: evidence from a sample of transatlantic markets

We offer an analysis of price effects of airline consolidation on a sample of transatlantic markets. While joining airlines’ networks through code-sharing decreases interline fares by up to 22.5% relative to those of non-consolidated carriers, and alliance membership also produces cost savings that decrease fares by up to 10%, antitrust immunity has no significant price effect for interline trips. Evidence that antitrust immunity increases fares on non-stop routes where it decreases competition is not robust. While total effect of airline consolidation on interline fares is about the same as indicated by previous studies, we suggest different sources of this effect. This paper is the first one presenting empirical evidence of no significant price effects of antitrust immunity.
Quantum well earth science testbed

Abstract A thermal hyperspectral imager is underdevelopment which utilizes the compact Dyson optical configuration and the broadband (8–12 μm) quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array technology. The Dyson configuration uses a single monolithic prism-like grating design which allows for a high throughput instrument (F/1.6) with minimal ghosting, stray light and large swath width. The configuration has the potential to be the optimal high resolution imaging spectroscopy solution for aerial and space remote sensing applications due to its small form factor and relatively low power requirements. The planned instrument specifications are discussed as well as thermal design trade-offs. The current design uses a single high power cryocooler which allows operation of the QWIP at 40 K with adequate temperature stability. Calibration testing results (noise equivalent temperature difference, spectral linearity and spectral bandwidth) and laboratory emissivity plots from samples are shown using an operational testbed unit which has similar specifications as the final airborne system. Field testing of the testbed unit was performed to acquire plots of emissivity for various known standard minerals (quartz, opal, alunite). A comparison is made using data from the ASTER spectral library. The current single band (8–9 μm) testbed utilizes the high uniformity and operability of the QWIP array and shows excellent laboratory and field spectroscopic results.
Dynamic mechanisms of voltage collapse

Abstract This paper presents the result of a thorough voltage stability analysis of a simple power system. Three mechanisms of dynamic voltage collapse are incorporated: generator excitation limit, load dynamics and on-load tap-changer. The effect of each individual mechanism is analyzed first and then the combined effects are used to reconstruct a voltage collapse. It is observed that the voltage stability region shrinks as the generator operates at the excitation limit. It is also found that the appropriate time to lock the on-load tap-changer is when the system trajectory enters the region where the load voltage increases.
Successful Multimodal Therapy for Kaposiform Hemangioendothelioma Complicated by Kasabach-Merritt Phenomenon: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We present the management challenge provided by a patient with kaposiform hemangioendothelioma associated with Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon. A female child presented at 14 months of age with an ecchymotic swelling of her right upper arm and axilla. Subsequently, she developed profound thrombocytopenia and hypofibrinogenemia (Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon). Biopsy of the lesion revealed kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, which has been reported as the predominant pathologic diagnosis associated with Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon. To achieve involution of the lesion and preserve function of the arm, the following interventions were involved: embolization, systemic interferon, cyclophosphamide, epsilon aminocaproic acid, and compression therapy. The clinical management of this patient was formidable until we arrived at the proper combination of therapies. Multimodal intervention may be required to manage fastidious hemangioendotheliomas of childhood, achieve clinical improvement, and prevent further morbidity.
Effects of hyperons on the vibrations of neutron stars

Hyperon and resonance particle effects on neutron star vibration, discussing vibrational energy storage and atmospheric electromagnetic generation
Phospholipid/fatty acid-induced secondary structural change in β-lactoglobulin during heat-induced gelation.

Effects of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and the predominant fatty acids (FAs) in milk, butyrate, oleate, and palmitate, on secondary structural changes in β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) during heat-induced gelation were analyzed on the basis of circular dichroism (CD) spectra. Small-strain oscillatory measurements were carried out to characterize viscoelastic properties of the heat-induced gels. In the absence of added salt, PC and FAs induced helix formation of β-LG on heating to 80 °C and increased the storage moduli (G‘) of heat-induced gels. In the presence of 500 mM NaCl, PC did not change the CD spectrum of β-LG but decreased G‘. In contrast, butyrate substantially unfolded β-LG in 500 mM NaCl on heating, forming very elastic gels with increased G‘ values. Palmitate and oleate induced β-LG gel formation at 25 °C without heating; heating to 80 °C almost completely unfolded β-LG in 500 mM NaCl. Keywords: β-Lactoglobulin; phosphatidylcholine; fatty acid; gelation; secondary structure; viscoelasticity
Rates of radiative recombination to form HD+ and HeH+

Abstract The rates of radiative recombination to form HD + and HeH + along the ground electronic state potential surface have been calculated from known potentials. These exact quantum calculations are compared with a classical model. For the formation HD + , the classical model predicts the rate in the range of 100–1000 K. Below 100 K, the rate is dominated by the effect of low energy shape resonances. For the formation of HeH + , the classical model predicts the correct temperature dependence.
Neighborhood Violence and its Association with Mothers’ Health: Assessing the Relative Importance of Perceived Safety and Exposure to Violence

This paper presents a cross-sectional study examining the influence of neighborhood violence on multiple aspects of mothers’ health. While the influence of neighborhood violence on health is important to understand for all populations, mothers are especially important as they play a key role in protecting their children from the consequences of violence. Three hundred and ninety-two Baltimore City mothers of children 5 years and younger completed a self-administered survey that included questions about perceptions of their safety as well as their personal experiences with neighborhood violence. Separate models were run to compare the relationship between each measurement of neighborhood violence and five diverse health-related determinants and outcomes: self-reported health status, smoking, exercise, average hours of sleep a night, and sleep interruption. Controlling for mother’s age, child’s age, maternal education, and marital status, mothers with high exposure to neighborhood violence were twice as likely to report poorer health, smoking, never exercising, and poor sleep habits. Maternal perception of neighborhood safety was not related to any of the assessed health-related determinants and outcomes. This study emphasizes the importance of measuring exposure to neighborhood violence rather than solely assessing perceived safety. Neighborhood violence was a common experience for mothers in this urban sample, and should be considered by health professionals in trying to understand and intervene to improve the health of mothers and their children.
Direct Integration of Field Equations - Abstract

In this work the integral expressions of the field equations in electrostatics, magnetostatic, and electrodynamics are derived first with the aid of a scale-vector Green's theorem. The results can be interpreted by the proper sets of potential functions. For the electrodynamic case we call attention to the fact that Schelkunoff's formulas derived by applying the equivalence principle are equivalent to Stratton and Chu's. The superior nature of Franz's formulas based on the method of dyadic Green Functions is then reviewed and shown to contain the missing line integrals deliberately added by Stratton and Chu, which are also missing in Schelkunoff's formula.
Some Microbiological Observations on the Antibiotic-Fed Chick,

Abstract MANY growth studies dealing with antibiotic supplementation have included limited bacteriological studies in an endeavor to elucidate the mechanism of growth promotion. Sieburth et al. (1951) found no consistent and reproducible modification of the cecal microflora by low growth-promoting levels of penicillin and terramycin fed to turkey poults over a four week period. Rosenberg et al. (1952) also failed to show a modification of the fecal microflora of chicks fed diets supplemented with five progressively doubled concentrations of terramycin. However, other reports have indicated that the cecal and fecal microflora are significantly altered by antibiotic supplementation of the feed. March and Biely (1952) reported that aureomycin supplementation caused a consistent lowering of the population of lactobacilli of the feces during the five week experimental period. On the other hand, Anderson, Cunningham and Slinger (1952) on the basis of counts made at ten weeks of age, reported an increase in most …
Note: Charge transfer in a hydrated peptide group is determined mainly by its intrinsic hydrogen-bond energetics

Charge transfer in a hydrogen-bonded N-methylacetamide(H2O)3 system is obtained from ωB97X-D/6-31++G** and CHelpG atomic charge calculations of individual peptide-water interactions as well as that of the entire complex. In the latter, the electron transfer to water is 0.19 e, influenced primarily by the hydrogen bonds to the C=O group. The values of such charge transfer are paralleled by the corresponding intrinsic hydrogen-bond energies. These results support the desirability of incorporating charge transfer in molecular mechanics energy functions.
Medium energy ion beam analysis and modification of Langmuir-Blodgett thin films

Abstract The erosion behavior of cadmium arachidate Langmuir-Blodgett films is studied under 270 keV He and Ar ion irradiation. Initial characterization by medium energy time-of-flight backscattering yields a thickness and stoichiometry consistent with an unmodified film. In addition, time-of-flight elastic recoil detection is used to monitor the hydrogen evolution from the films as a function of the cumulative dose. After a dose of 5 × 10 14 Ar ions/cm 2 , the film is reduced to less than 50% of its initial thickness and depleted in hydrogen. Smaller losses are measured for He at a dose of nearly 1 × 10 15 ions/cm 2 . Dramatic changes are observed in the interference color of 50-layer films under ion erosion. Measurements by ellipsometry yield thicknesses which are consistent with the backscattering estimates and indicate an increase in the refractive index of the film. The response of cadmium arachidate to energetic ions is compared with the cadmium salt of ω-tricosenoic acid, which can polymerize due to the presence of a CC double bond.
Probing an extended region of Δ m 2 with rapidly oscillating 7 Be solar neutrinos

If ${}^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ solar neutrinos can be observed in real time experiments, then an extended region of $\ensuremath{\Delta}{m}^{2}$ can be probed by a proper analysis of the rapidly changing phase of vacuum oscillations due to the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit about the Sun. For the case of maximal vacuum mixing, a kind of Fourier analysis of expected data for one year's time could uniquely pick out $\ensuremath{\Delta}{m}^{2}$ if it lies in the region $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}--(6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}){(\mathrm{eV})}^{2}.$
Stress Relief in Contact-Aided Cellular Compliant Mechanisms

Cellular structures with an internal contact-mechanism are investigated. These contact-aided compliant mechanisms are shown to reduce the local tensile stresses, thereby providing additional global strain before yielding or fracture failure compared to honeycomb or auxetic cellular structures. An analytical model for such structures is developed and it is validated using FEA simulations. Two different materials are considered for comparison. More than 100% improvement in global strain capability is possible using the contact. A high-strain morphing aircraft skin is examined as an application of these mechanisms. The contact-aided cellular compliant mechanisms are more advantageous in terms of both the structural mass as well as the global strain compared to a non-contact design. In the application considered the stress-relief mechanism increased the global strain capability by as high as 37%.Copyright © 2008 by ASME