cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suppression of mouse skin allograft rejection by protein A-Yersiniae V antigen fusion peptide

V antigen is an established virulence factor of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague. Injection of homogenous staphylococcal protein A-V antigen fusion peptide into mice was previously found to suppress tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma necessary for generation of protective granulomas. Here, we show that BALB/c mice receiving daily intraperitoneal injections of 100 microg of control protein A initiated rejection of C57BL/6 mouse tail skin grafts after 6.2+/-1.1 days. This time doubled to 12.2+/-1.4 days upon similar administration of protein A-V antigen fusion peptide (P<0.001); times of total allograft retention remained constant. This finding indicates that V antigen can postpone inflammation known to be associated with recognition and destruction of foreign tissue by T lymphocytes.
Microwave Ridged Uaveguide Beam Pickups

Sensitive broad-band beam pickups are a prerequisite for improved stochastic beam cooling. The 2-4 GHz and the 4-8 GHz bands have been of particular interest for stochastic cooling applications. This report summarizes the striking results of an investigation of ridged waveguide pickups at Argonne. An upper-to-lower frequency ratio of 2·4:1 is readily obtained with a ridged waveguide as compared to 1.5:1 with a standard waveguide. Wire measurements and tests at the Argonne beam test facility indicate an approximate 20% increase in gain per unit over a stripline with comparable longitudinal spacing. Another advantage of waveguide pickups is construction simplicity. The output is easily coupled to a transmission line. Descriptions of the design, construction, and results are included in this report.
Accurate measurement of monochrome luminance palettes for the calibration of medical LCD monitors

Grayscale medical monitors are commonly calibrated by transforming the image display values sent to a graphic controller using a lookup table (LUT). The calibration LUT is deduced from the uncalibrated luminance response (uLR) of the display system. The uLR of liquid crystal display (LCD) systems is poorly behaved with significant discontinuities occurring in the relative luminance changes. Accurate grayscale calibration of LCD devices thus requires a measurement of the luminance for the full palette of possible output values. A method is reported to acquire the uLR of LCD displays, generate a LUT to achieve precise calibration, and assess the accuracy of the calibration results. A palette of 766 luminance values can be measured in 12 minutes. The accuracy of the method permits the evaluation of relative luminance changes, dL/L, to be made with a precision of .0002 to .0007 for luminance values between 1000 and 1 cd/m2. For seven LCD monitors, 766 values for the uLR were measured and calibration tables deduced. The calibrated luminance response (cLR) for 256 gray values was then compared to the DICOM standard. The root mean squared error of the observed JNDs per luminance interval values ranged from .37 to .59 which is less than the AAPM recommended value of 1.0. A full calibration of this type should be done at installation. However, the stability of LCD systems suggests that periodic recalibration will not be necessary.
Rehabilitation affirmed, rejected, and reaffirmed: Assessments of the effectiveness of offender treatment programs in criminology textbooks, 1956 to 1965 and 1983 to 1992

I examine the coverage of the debate about the effectiveness of offender treatment programs in 53 introductory criminology textbooks: 15 published from 1956 to 1965 and 38 published from 1983 to 1992. My data show that despite continuing skepticism in criminological research about the effectiveness of rehabilitation, most of the older texts and the most recent texts (those published from 1988 to 1992) rate treatment as effective when they take a position on the issue. My study also shows that criminology textbooks often give inadequate coverage to some of the key concepts, such as outcome measures and metaevaluation studies, in the debate about the effectiveness of rehabilitation. I conclude by discussing the implications of my findings for criminology students.
Kinetics of cytokine expression during primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection

Abstract In the present study, we have determined the kinetics of constitutive expression of a panel of cytokines [interleukin (IL) 2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)] in sequential peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from nine individuals with primary human immunodeficiency virus infection. Expression of IL-2 and IL-4 was barely detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. However, substantial levels of IL-2 expression were found in mononuclear cells isolated from lymph node. Expression of IL-6 was detected in only three of nine patients, and IL-6 expression was observed when transition from the acute to the chronic phase had already occurred. Expression of IL-10 and TNF-alpha was consistently observed in all patients tested, and levels of both cytokines were either stable or progressively increased over time. Similar to IL-10 and TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma expression was detected in all patients; however, in five of nine patients, IFN-gamma expression peaked very early during primary infection. The early peak in IFN-gamma expression coincided with oligoclonal expansions of CD8+ T cells in five of six patients, and CD8+ T cells mostly accounted for the expression of this cytokine. These results indicate that high levels of expression of proinflammatory cytokines are associated with primary infection and that the cytokine response during this phase of infection is strongly influenced by oligoclonal expansions of CD8+ T cells.
Estrogen Stimulates Prolactin Gene Transcription by a Mechanism Independent of Pituitary Protein Synthesis

We have used an in vitro nuclear transcription system to investigate the mechanisms through which 17β-estradiol regulates PRL gene expression in the rat pituitary. A single injection of this estrogen stimulated the rate of PRL RNA synthesis in nuclei isolated from male rats within 30 min of treatment, and this stimulated rate of PRL RNA synthesis was observed for at least 48 h after injection. In contrast, estrogen treatment had little effect on the rate of GH RNA synthesis. Cycloheximide, at a dose sufficient to inhibit pituitary protein synthesis by greater than 80%, did not block this estradiolmediated stimulation of PRL RNA synthesis through at least the first 8 h after hormone treatment. Estradiol treatment also resulted in a rapid transformation of the pituitary estrogen receptors from the cytosolic to the nuclear form. However, the level of receptor in the nuclear form peaked within 1 h and had returned to near the control value within 6 h of hormone injection. These studies suggest that 17β-estrad...
CYP1A in TCDD toxicity and in physiology-with particular reference to CYP dependent arachidonic acid metabolism and other endogenous substrates.

Toxicologic and physiologic roles of CYP1A enzyme induction, the major biochemical effect of aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation by TCDD and other receptor ligands, are unknown. Evidence is presented that CYP1A exerts biologic effects via metabolism of endogenous substrates (i.e., arachidonic acid, other eicosanoids, estrogens, bilirubin, and melatonin), production of reactive oxygen, and effects on K+ and Ca2+ channels. These interrelated pathways may connect CYP1A induction to TCDD toxicities, including cardiotoxicity, vascular dysfunction, and wasting. They may also underlie homeostatic roles for CYP1A, especially when transiently induced by common chemical exposures and environmental conditions (i.e., tryptophan photoproducts, dietary indoles, and changes in oxygen tension).
pH-RELATED COLOR /CHANGES IN CERTAIN SPECIES OF LAZULINOSPORA, PSEUDOTOMENTELLA, AND TOMENTELLA

SUMMARY The hymenia in basidiocarps of Pseudotomentella atrocyanea (Wakef.) Burds. et M. J. Larsen, Lazulinospora wakefieldii Burds. et M. J. Larsen, L. cyanea (Wakef.) Burds. et M. J. Larsen, Tomentella botryoides (Schw.) Bourd. et Galz., T. griseoviolacea Litsch., and T. ferruginea (Pers. per Pers.: Fr.) Pat., are conspicuous because of a change in wall pigment or diffusate to blue or green when mounted in dilute aqueous KOH. The color change, in buffer solutions ranging from pH 2.6 to 12.6, was related to pH rather than being specific for KOH. The color was most intense at pH 10.0 and 10.7, virtually absent at pH 8.0, and absent at pH 6.8 and below. The color change was reversible. Two specimens of Pseudotomentella atrocyanea (Wakef.) Burds. et M. J. Larsen were recently discovered in Arizona and Lazulinospora wakefieldii Burds. et M. J. Larsen was collected once in central Florida. These fungi and L. cyanea (Wakef.) Burds. et M. J. Larsen (1974) are unusual because of their blue to blue-green basidiocarps and the basidia and basidiospores stain blue in dilute aqueous KOH solution. Basidia and basidiospores of these fungi are microscopically hyaline in distilled H 2O. We postulated that the color reaction in 2% KOH resulted from a high p H, as has been shown for other fungi (Curtin et al., 1940; Sartory and Bainier, 1911; Singer, 1962, p. 94), rather than a specific reaction with KOH. Our tests were designed to determine whether pigments localized in the basidia and spores of P. atrocyanea, L. wakefieldii, and L. cyanea behave as pH indicators. Some tomentelloid fungi are noted for having hyphae or hyphal exudates which turn blue in KOH (Larsen, 1968; 1973) and several have been included.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's revised guidelines for carcinogen risk assessment: evaluating a postulated mode of carcinogenic action in guiding dose–response extrapolation

Abstract There are new opportunities to using data from molecular and cellular studies in order to bring together a fuller biological understanding of how chemicals induce neoplasia. In 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposal to replace its 1986 Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment to take advantage of these new scientific advances in cancer biology. The analytical framework within the new guidelines focuses on an understanding of the mode of carcinogenic action. Mode of action data come into play in a couple of ways in these new guidelines. For example, such information can inform the dose–response relationship below the experimental observable range of tumours. Thus, mode of action data can be useful in establishing more appropriate guidance levels for environmental contaminants. It is the understanding of the biological processes that lead to tumour development along with the response data derived from experimental studies that can help discern the shape of the dose–response at low doses (linear vs. nonlinear). Because it is experimentally difficult to establish “true thresholds” from others with a nonlinear dose–response relationship, the proposed guidelines take a practical approach to depart from low-dose linear extrapolation procedures when there is sufficient experimental support for a mode of action consistent with nonlinear biological processes (e.g., tumours resulting from the disruption of normal physiological processes).
Guess who’s (not) coming to class: student attitudes as indicators of attendance

A survey of 172 undergraduates, carried out during the fall 2002 and spring 2003 semesters at a large research university in the Midwestern United States, found, as expected, a statistically significant positive relationship (r = 0.174, p < 0.05) between the importance students attributed to attendance and the rates at which they subsequently attended class. Data are analysed by students’ gender and levels in school; and attendance rates of students who did not complete the optional survey question on attitudes are compared with attendance rates of students who answered the question. Although attitudes are but one of many complex factors that influence behaviours, university instructors can (and should) nurture and encourage positive attitudes towards the importance of class attendance as a means for minimizing the detrimental effects of student absences.
Immunology of age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in aged individuals. Recent advances have highlighted the essential role of immune processes in the development, progression and treatment of AMD. In this Review we discuss recent discoveries related to the immunological aspects of AMD pathogenesis. We outline the diverse immune cell types, inflammatory activators and pathways that are involved. Finally, we discuss the future of inflammation-directed therapeutics to treat AMD in the growing aged population.
CYTOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF BROWN FAT TISSUE IN COLD-EXPOSED RATS.

In young adult laboratory rats exposed to cold (6°C) the brown adipose tissue undergoes time-dependent increases in cellularity, vascular supply, and total mass. These changes are largely complete after 16 days in the cold and concurrent generally with the development of a thermoregulatory state not greatly dependent upon shivering. Histologically the brown fat changes from a tissue having both unilocular and multilocular fat cell types to one having almost exclusively the latter. During the first 6 to 12 hours in cold, the multilocular cells lose their lipid vacuoles and decrease in size, but these features are restored to normal by 24 hours. Cell proliferation, as estimated by the DNA synthetic index method (using tritiated thymidine autoradiography), appears in the reticuloendothelial cells of the brown fat at 1 day of cold exposure, becomes maximal at 4 days, and returns to the control level by 16 days. In animals injected with tritiated thymidine on the 3rd day of cold exposure and then maintained for 1 or more additional days in the cold, autoradiographs indicate that new brown fat (multilocular) cells arise by cytogenesis from reticuloendothelial progenitor cells and not by proliferation of existing brown fat cells. Throughout this and subsequent periods, cells of the epididymal white adipose tissue slowly decrease in size. Because a thermogenic role in cold acclimation has been established for the brown fat, the reported changes are regarded as adaptive responses to a cold environment.
Approximate convexity of average sums of sets in normed linear spaces

This note gives a sufficient condition under which the average sum of a large but finite number of sets in an arbitrary normed linear space is approximately convex. The result can be deduced as a simple corollary of an analogous result for a nonstandard universe. The latter has independent interest.
Multi-scale homogenization of moving interface problems with flux jumps: application to solidification

In this paper, a multi-scale analysis scheme for solidification based on two-scale computational homogenization is discussed. Solidification problems involve evolution of surfaces coupled with flux jump boundary conditions across interfaces. We provide consistent macro-micro transition and averaging rules based on Hill’s macro- homogeneity condition. The overall macro-scale behavior is analyzed with solidification at the micro-scale modeled using an enthalpy formulation. The method is versatile in the sense that two different models can be employed at the macro- and micro-scales. The micro-scale model can incorporate all the physics associated with solidification including moving interfaces and flux discontinuities, while the macro-scale model needs to only model thermal conduction using continuous (homogenized) fields. The convergence behavior of the tightly coupled macro-micro finite element scheme with respect to decreasing element size is analyzed by comparing with a known analytical solution of the Stefan problem.
Improved Seasonal Prediction of Temperature and Precipitation over Land in a High-Resolution GFDL Climate Model

AbstractThis study demonstrates skillful seasonal prediction of 2-m air temperature and precipitation over land in a new high-resolution climate model developed by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and explores the possible sources of the skill. The authors employ a statistical optimization approach to identify the most predictable components of seasonal mean temperature and precipitation over land and demonstrate the predictive skill of these components. First, the improved skill of the high-resolution model over the previous lower-resolution model in seasonal prediction of the Nino-3.4 index and other aspects of interest is shown. Then, the skill of temperature and precipitation in the high-resolution model for boreal winter and summer is measured, and the sources of the skill are diagnosed. Last, predictions are reconstructed using a few of the most predictable components to yield more skillful predictions than the raw model predictions. Over three decades of hindcasts, the two most predictable...
Does antibody binding to diverse antigens predict future infection

SUMMARY We studied diverse antigen binding in hosts and the outcome of parasitism. We used captive-bred F1 descendants of feral rock pigeons (Columba livia) challenged with blood-feeding flies (Hippoboscidae) and a protozoan parasite (Haemoproteus). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and immunoblots were used to test (i) whether pre-infection IgY antigen binding predicts parasite fitness and (ii) whether antigen binding changes after infection. Assays used extracts from three pigeon parasites (northern fowl mite, Salmonella bacteria and avian pox virus), as well as nonparasitic molecules from cattle, chicken and keyhole limpet. Binding to hippoboscid and S. enterica extracts were predictive of hippoboscid fly fitness. Binding to extracts from hippoboscids, pox virus and nonparasitic organisms was predictive of Haemoproteus infection levels. Antigen binding to all extracts increased after parasite challenge, despite the fact that birds were only exposed to flies and Haemoproteus. Immunoblots suggested innate Ig binding to parasite-associated molecular markers and revealed that new antigens were bound in extracts after infection. These data suggest that host antibody binding to diverse antigens predicts parasite fitness even when the antigens are not related to the infecting parasite. We discuss the implications of these data for the study of host–parasite immunological interaction.
Intrinsic cognitive models

Theories concerning the structure, or format, of mental representation should (1) be formulated in mechanistic, rather than metaphorical terms; (2) do justice to several philosophical intuitions about mental representation; and (3) explain the human capacity to predict the consequences of worldly alterations (i.e., to think before we act). The hypothesis that thinking involves the application of syntax-sensitive inference rules to syntactically structured mental representations has been said to satisfy all three conditions. An alternative hypothesis is that thinking requires the construction and manipulation of the cognitive equivalent of scale models. A reading of this hypothesis is provided that satisfies condition (1) and which, even though it may not fully satisfy condition (2), turns out (in light of the frame problem) to be the only known way to satisfy condition (3).
Thwarting Blackhole Attacks in Disruption-Tolerant Networks using Encounter Tickets

Nodes in disruption-tolerant networks (DTNs) usually exhibit repetitive motions. Several recently proposed DTN routing algorithms have utilized the DTNs' cyclic properties for predicting future forwarding. The prediction is based on metrics abstracted from nodes' contact history. However, the robustness of the encounter prediction becomes vital for DTN routing since malicious nodes can provide forged metrics or follow sophisticated mobility patterns to attract packets and gain a significant advantage in encounter prediction. In this paper, we examine the impact of the blackhole attack and its variations in DTN routing. We introduce the concept of encounter tickets to secure the evidence of each contact. In our scheme, nodes adopt a unique way of interpreting the contact history by making observations based on the collected encounter tickets. Then, following the Dempster-Shafer theory, nodes form trust and confidence opinions towards the competency of each encountered forwarding node. Extensive real-trace-driven simulation results are presented to support the effectiveness of our system.
Abundance of Three Bacterial Populations in Selected Streams

The population sizes of three bacterial species, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Burkholderia cepacia, and Pseudomonas putida, were examined in water and sediment from nine streams in different parts of the United States using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Population sizes were determined from three sites (upstream, midstream, and downstream) in each stream to compare differences in the occurrence and distribution of the species within each stream and among streams. Physical and chemical variables measured reflected differences in environmental conditions among the streams. In the water, B. cepacia numbers were highest in the agricultural, Iowa stream. P. putida numbers were highest in the southern coastal plain streams, Black Creek (GA) and Meyers Branch (SC). Compared to the other two species, the abundance of A. calcoaceticus was similar in all the streams. In sediment, the greatest abundance of all three species was found in the Iowa stream, while the lowest was in Hugh White Creek (NC). Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) explained 95.8% and 83.9% of the total variation in bacterial numbers in water and sediment of the streams, respectively. In sediments and water, B. cepacia numbers were related to nitrate concentrations. A. calcoaceticus in water clustered with several environmental variables (i.e., SRP, pH, and conductivity) but benthic populations were less well correlated with these variables. This study reveals the potential influence of various environmental conditions on different bacterial populations in stream communities.
1H and 13C NMR Assignments of Acridine

Abstract A complete set of unambiguous 1H and 13C NMR assignments of Acridine in CDCl3 has been made using nuclear overhauser (NOE) experiments and 2D NMR techniques. The usefulness of 20 Heteronuclear technique using long range (13C−1H) couplings leading to proper assignment of the two quaternary carbons in the molecule is also highlighted. Accurate (1H−1H) coupling constants obtained after a spectral simulation are presented. Several 13C−1H couplings and 1-bond 13C−13C couplings are also reported.
Geographic disparities in access to the medical home among US CSHCN.

In this study we examined geographic disparities in med- ical home access among US children with special health care needs (CSHCN) aged 0 to 17 years. METHODS: The 2005-2006 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs was used to estimate prevalence and odds of not having a medical home and 5 component outcomes according to state. Logistic regression was used to examine individual-level and state- level determinants of access. RESULTS: Medical home access varied substantially across geo- graphic areas. CSHCN in Alaska, Arizona, Washington, DC, Florida, Illi- nois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nevada, and Virginia had at least 50% higher adjusted odds of not having a medical home than CSHCN in Iowa. The adjusted prevalence of CSHCN lacking a medical home varied from a low of 46% in Iowa and Ohio to a high of 59% in Alaska and 61% in New Jersey. CSHCN in several western and southwestern states experi- enced greater problems with access to a personal doctor/nurse, a usual source of care, specialty care referrals, care coordination, and family-centered care. Adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, household socioeconomic status, language use, insurance coverage, and functional limitation reduced state disparities in access. CSHCN in states with higher immigrant and non-English-speaking populations had significantly lower medical home access. Increases in state health care expenditure and infrastructure and Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program eligibility were associated with increased access to a personal doctor/nurse. CONCLUSIONS: Although individual-level sociodemographic and state- level health policy variables are important predictors of access, sub- stantial geographic disparities remain, with CSHCN in several western and northeastern states at high risk of not having a medical home. Pediatrics 2009;124:S352-S360
Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: It Is Time for International Consensus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)2 has been defined as any degree of glucose intolerance with an onset or first recognition during pregnancy (1–3). Fetal complications of GDM include macrosomia (large baby, which leads to birth injuries), shoulder dystocia, and neonatal hypoglycemia, and adverse outcomes for the mother are an increased risk of cesarean delivery, preeclampsia, and hypertension during pregnancy, as well as a significantly higher risk of subsequent type 2 diabetes. Treating women with GDM reduces at least some of the adverse outcomes (4). Estimates of the prevalence of GDM range from <1% to 28%, reflecting the different diagnostic criteria and populations studied. The increasing prevalence of GDM in the US is congruent with the marked increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Pregnant women have been evaluated for diabetes for more than 50 years. Notwithstanding the 5 international workshops devoted to GDM that have been held between 1979 and 2005, there is lack of agreement concerning the optimal method to identify “any degree of glucose intolerance.” The criteria for both screening and diagnosing GDM vary considerably among countries and often between diabetes and obstetric organizations in a single country (5). Screening recommendations range from none (do not screen) to selective (screen only those at high risk) to universal. Approaches for screening tests include fasting glucose, random glucose, or, more commonly, a glucose challenge in which the patient ingests 50 g glucose (regardless of the time of the last meal). If the 1-h postload plasma glucose concentration exceeds the threshold, a full diagnostic oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is performed; however, 2 thresholds [140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) or 130 mg/dL (7.2 mmol/L)] are generally used. Approximately 15% of women have concentrations that exceed the higher cutoff, which identifies approximately 80% of women with GDM, whereas the use of …
Trellis coded quantization of memoryless and Gauss-Markov sources

Trellis-coded quantization (TCQ) is developed and applied to the encoding of memoryless and Gauss-Markov sources. The theoretical justification for the approach is alphabet-constrained rate distortion theory, which is a dual to the channel capacity argument that motivates trellis-coded modulation (TCM). The authors adopt the notions of signal set expansion, set partitioning, and branch labeling of TCM, but modify the techniques to account for the source distribution, to design TCQ coders of low complexity with excellent mean-squared-error (MSE) performance. For a memoryless uniform source, TCQ provides an MSE within 0.21 dB of the distortion-rate bound at all positive (integral) rates. The performance is superior to that promised by the coefficient of quantization for all of the best lattices known in dimensions 24 or less. For a memoryless Gaussian source, the TCQ performance at rates of 0.5, 1, and 2 b/sample is superior to all previous results the authors found in the literature. The encoding complexity of TCQ is very modest. TCQ is incorporated into a predictive coding structure for the encoding of Gauss-Markov sources. Simulation results for first-, second-, and third-order Gauss-Markov sources are presented. >
A failure to learn from the past

On the evening of 2 November 1988, someone "infected" the Internet with a worm program. That program exploited flaws in utility programs in systems based on BSD-derived versions of UNIX. The flaws allowed the program to break into those machines and copy itself, thus infecting those systems. This program eventually spread to thousands of machines, and disrupted normal activities and Internet connectivity for many days. It was the first major network-wide attack on computer systems, and thus was a matter of considerable interest. We provide a brief chronology of both the spread and eradication of the program, a presentation about how the program worked, and details of the aftermath. That is followed by discussion of some observations of what has happened in the years since that incident. The discussion supports the title-that the community has failed to learn from the past.
Moving Beyond Normal Accidents and High Reliability Organizations: A Systems Approach to Safety in Complex Systems

In this century society faces increasingly large-scale accidents and risks emerging from our own wondrous technologies. Two prominent organizational approaches to safety, Normal Accident Theory and High Reliability Organizations, have focused attention on a variety of industries that deal with hazardous situations, developed concepts to explicate organizational structure and culture, and debated whether accidents are inevitable in complex systems. We outline these approaches and identify some limitations, including narrow definitions, ambiguity about key concepts, confusion of reliability and safety, and overly pessimistic or optimistic conclusions. We believe that the debate between NAT and HRO can become a more productive three-way conversation by including a systems approach to safety emerging from engineering disciplines. The more comprehensive systems approach clarifies the strengths and weaknesses of NAT and HRO and offers a more powerful repertoire of analytic tools and intervention strategies to m...
The God Within

This is a new feature of Substance Use and Misuse that the editors hope will bring a new focus on substance use and misuse throughout history and in diverse cultures. Up until modern times, cultures throughout history have associated different substances with specific deities, incorporated them into specific myths, and used substances in specific rituals. Examining these associations is likely to give insight into how these substances were viewed in various cultures and the place that they had in those cultures. Consequently, we offer this new feature exploring these associations as a way of increasing understanding of the functions of substance use in different cultures over historical time.
A review of college-level health textbooks for coverage of type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome

Objective:Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome are increasingly relevant health problems for United States (US) college-aged students and their family members. This study’s aim was to determine the extent to which these chronic conditions were covered in leading college-level personal health textbooks and to what degree the books emphasized the preventive steps students can take to promote their health and minimize development or worsening of these conditions.Design:A convenience sample of 10 leading college-level personal health textbooks was used in this cross-sectional study.Setting:Textbooks selected for analysis are frequently used in introductory personal health courses on college campuses across the US.Method:Textbooks were coded for level of coverage for select criteria that included risk factors, definitions, prevalence among college-aged youth, African Americans, and Hispanics, serious consequences associated with unmanaged type 2 diabetes, presence of self-assessment tool, predi...
Theories categorical in power n+2

Abstract We find all theories in n -variable logic which are not categorical in power n + 2 .
Additional Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale at the High School Level: A Replication and Extension

This study reports findings from a validation study of the Student Risk Screening Scale for use with 9th- through 12th-grade students (N = 1854) attending a rural fringe school. Results indicated high internal consistency, test-retest stability, and inter-rater reliability. Predictive validity was established across two academic years, with Spring Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS) scores differentiating students with low-, moderate-, and high-risk status on office discipline referrals, grade point averages, and course failures during the following academic year. Teacher ratings evaluating students’ performance later in the instructional day were more predictive than teacher ratings evaluating students’ performance earlier in the instructional day. Educational implications, limitations, and future research directions are presented.
The Stroke Genetics Network Living Up to Its Potential

See related articles, p 2694 and e120. Unraveling the genetics of a heterogeneous condition such as stroke is challenging. Even the recognized subtypes of ischemic stroke have multiple underlying causes (the subtypes have subtypes). For example, cardioembolic stroke can be caused by atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathies, congestive heart failure, and endocarditis (to name just a few entities). Should investigators focus on the genetic underpinnings of cardioembolic stroke as a single entity or focus more narrowly on each particular underlying cause? In comparison with other clinical phenotypes such as coronary artery disease, for which dozens of novel loci have been discovered, genome-wide association studies on stroke have been relatively uninformative, at …
Extremity rhabdomyosarcoma: Biological principles, staging, and treatment

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood and adolescence with 20% of the primary tumors anatomically located on extremities. It is a complicated entity that requires careful planning and coordination between the surgical oncologist and other members of the therapeutic team for successful treatment. Even with the most effective regimens more than 50% of patients will die from progressive, usually distant disease. Further progress may require new therapeutic agents or techniques. The surgical oncologist is a necessary and often prominent member of the team. Elements of the biological behavior, histopathology, clinical staging, and treatment of extremity rhabdomyosarcomas occurring in children are discussed. In particular, the importance of the alveolar subtype in determination of prognostic risk as well as new findings regarding the molecular biologic determinants of phenotypic behavior are mentioned. Finally, innovative methods of local control like regional arterial perfusion and rapid intraoperative brachytherapy are addressed.
Molecular Pathology of Lung Cancers

Lung carcinomas are among the most common and deadly tumors worldwide. Historically, lung tumors have been treated with a combination of surgery and or chemoradiotherapy with minimal impact on survival in the large numbers of patients who present with advanced stage disease. Microscopic classification of lung cancers beyond separation of small cell carcinomas from “nonsmall cell” carcinomas has been unable to successfully stratify lung cancer patients into distinct treatment groups. However, in the last decade, a number of breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular genetics of lung cancer have led to the advent of “targeted therapy” with response of selected tumors to certain kinase inhibitors and dramatically improved progression-free survival for patients with these cancers. This chapter will present the established molecular subtypes of lung cancers for which targeted therapies are part of clinical practice (EGFR-mutant adenocarcinoma, ALK-rearranged adenocarcinoma), as well as emerging subtypes characterized by different genetic alterations that are currently the focus of clinical therapeutic trials.
Airway Assessment for Office Sedation/Anesthesia

Whenever a patient is about to receive sedation or general anesthesia, no matter what the technique, the preoperative assessment of the airway is one of the most important steps in ensuring patient safety and positive outcomes. This article, Part III in the series on airway management, is directed at the ambulatory office practice and focuses on predicting the success of advanced airway rescue techniques.
Can matrix coherence be efficiently and accurately estimated

Matrix coherence has recently been used to characterize the ability to extract global information from a subset of matrix entries in the context of low-rank approximations and other sampling-based algorithms. The significance of these results crucially hinges upon the possibility of efficiently and accurately testing this coherence assumption. This paper precisely addresses this issue. We introduce a novel sampling-based algorithm for estimating coherence, present associated estimation guarantees and report the results of extensive experiments for coherence estimation. The quality of the estimation guarantees we present depends on the coherence value to estimate itself, but this turns out to be an inherent property of samplingbased coherence estimation, as shown by our lower bound. In practice, however, we find that these theoretically unfavorable scenarios rarely appear, as our algorithm efficiently and accurately estimates coherence across a wide range of datasets, and these estimates are excellent predictors of the effectiveness of sampling-based matrix approximation on a case-by-case basis. These results are significant as they reveal the extent to which coherence assumptions made in a number of recent machine learning publications are testable.
Self-Assembly, Guest Capture, and NMR Spectroscopy of a Metal–Organic Cage in Water

A green organic–inorganic laboratory experiment has been developed in which students prepare a self-assembling iron cage in D2O at room temperature. The tetrahedral cage captures a small, neutral molecule such as cyclohexane or tetrahydrofuran. 1H NMR analysis distinguishes captured and free guests through diagnostic chemical shifts, splitting patterns, diffusion coefficients (using DOSY), and the appearance of captured hydrophobic molecules in D2O even when free guests are insoluble in water. Students are invited to test their hypotheses about guest binding and to perform control and competition experiments. All of the reagents are commercial, the 23-component self-assembly is complete in 1 week at room temperature (requiring neither workup nor purification), and the product solution is intensely purple. In their laboratory reports, students effectively related organic chemistry with molecular self-assembly, supramolecular chemistry, and host–guest interactions.
Government Expenditure, Economic Growth and Conditional Convergence: What Does the Penn World Table 7.0 Tell Us?

The Penn World Table 7.0 is a comprehensive database covering measures of GDP and its components for almost all countries over the period 1960-2009. We explore the relationship between the size of government expenditure, as a share of GDP, and its effect on conditional convergence for 150 countries over the period 1970-2009 within the framework of the Solow growth model. We utilize a battery of statistical tests to analyze the data including panel regression methods and associated tests. The complete panel results are compared to OLS cross sectional results as well as various regional subsets. The results indicate that there is an inverse relationship with government expenditure and economic growth and that there is a positive relationship with private investment and economic growth. We find that the speed of conditional convergence increases with the addition of the size of government and level of openness. However, this varies by region and indicates that within region convergence to a steady state level of GDP per capita is perhaps more likely to take place than between region convergence. Our results support the idea of convergence club, whereby the slower growing and/or poorer nations of a region are catching up with the faster growing, richer nations of that same region. Finally, much of government expenditure appears to either have been used inefficiently or not for the promotion economic growth, while private investment on the other hand does lead to increased economic growth.
Stochastic control problem for reflected diffusions in a convex bounded domain

* 2 where A(v) = -(i/2)tr(~o V ) -g-V + c , V is the gradient operator n denotes the outward unit normal to O • tr(.) is the trace and * denotes the transpose. In this way, the initial stochastic control problem (1.2) is connected to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation with Neumann boundary conditions (1.3). We characterize the optimal cost function u(x) as the unique stationary function of the corresponding nonlinear semigroup. Also, under some conditions, we construct an optimal Markovian control.
Photophysical properties of a series of electron-donating and -withdrawing platinum acetylide two-photon chromophores.

To explore spectroscopic structure−property relationships in platinum acetylides, we synthesized a series of complexes having the molecular formula trans-bis(tributylphosphine)-bis(4-((9,9-diethyl-7-ethynyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)ethynyl)-R)-platinum. The substituent, R = NH2, OCH3, N(phenyl)2, t-butyl, CH3, H, F, benzothiazole, CF3, CN, and NO2, was chosen for a systematic variation in electron-donating and -withdrawing properties as described by the Hammett parameter σp. UV/vis, fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectra, transient absorption spectra on the fs−ps time scale, and longer time scale flash photolysis on the ns time scale were collected. DFT and TDDFT calculations of the T1 and S1 energies were performed. The ES and ET values measured from linear spectra correlate well with the calculated results, giving evidence for the delocalized MLCT character of the S1 state and confinement of the T1 exciton on one ligand. The calculated T1 state dipole moment ranges from 0.5 to 14 D, showing the polar, charge-...
Intramolecular Hydrogen Transfer Reactions of Thiyl Radicals from Glutathione: Formation of Carbon-Centered Radical at Glu, Cys, and Gly

Glutathione thiyl radicals (GS(•)) were generated in H(2)O and D(2)O by either exposure of GSH to AAPH, photoirradiation of GSH in the presence of acetone, or photoirradiation of GSSG. Detailed interpretation of the fragmentation pathways of deuterated GSH and GSH derivatives during mass spectrometry analysis allowed us to demonstrate that reversible intramolecular H-atom transfer reactions between GS(•) and C-H bonds at Cys[(α)C], Cys[(β)C], and Gly[(α)C] are possible.
Self-Expanding Metal Stent (SEMS): an innovative rescue therapy for refractory acute variceal bleeding

Background: Acute variceal bleeding (AVB) is a life-threatening complication of liver cirrhosis or less commonly splenic vein thrombosis. Pharmacological and endoscopic interventions are cornerstones in the management of variceal bleeding but may fail in 10 – 15 % of patients. Rescue therapy with balloon tamponade (BT) or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) may be required to control refractory acute variceal bleeding effectively but with some limitations. The self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) is a covered, removable tool that can be deployed in the lower esophagus under endoscopic guidance as a rescue therapy to achieve hemostasis for refractory AVB. Aims: To evaluate the technical feasibility, efficacy, and safety of SEMS as a rescue therapy for AVB. Methods: In this review article, we have performed an extensive literature search summarizing case reports and case series describing SEMS as a rescue therapy for AVB. Indications, features, technique, deployment, success rate, limitations, and complications are discussed. Results: At present, 103 cases have been described in the literature. Studies have reported 97.08 % technical success rates in deployment of SEMS. Most of the stents were intact for 4 – 14 days with no major complications reported. Stent extraction had a success rate of 100 %. Successful hemostasis was achieved in 96 % of cases with only 3.12 % found to have rebleeding after placement of SEMS. Stent migration, which was the most common complication, was observed in 21 % of patients. Conclusion: SEMS is a safe and effective alternative approach as a rescue therapy for refractory AVB.
Serum beta-glucuronidase activity of various species: possible correlation with susceptibility to atherosclerosis.

SummarySerum beta-glucuronidase activity has been studied in a number of species: man, swine, pigeon, chicken, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, cat, and dog. The values appear to correlate with the susceptibility of the species to spontaneous or induced atherosclerosis.
Personality and Small Groups An Interdisciplinary Perspective

This review illuminated the need for interdisciplinary integration of research on personality and groups. Network analysis of references cited in 13 previous reviews showed that this literature is ...
Anti-α-glucosidase Activity of Eucommia ulmoides Leaves Vinegar

This paper studied the changes in anti-α-glucosidase activity(AGA) of Eucommia ulmoides leaves under the optimal fermentation conditions.In order to elucidate that why the AGA of the leaves changed,total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid were assayed using UV-Vis spectrophotometer.It was found that the total flavonoids,chlorogenic acid and AGA all decreased during the entire fermentation.Cellulase hydrolysis could release some flavonoids and chlorogenic acid and then lead to the increase in AGA,and the alcoholization would further increase the activity.However,the level of AGA decreased during the acetic acid fermentation,and was even lower than that of the leaves hydrolyzed by cellulase.
Determining the Tsallis parameter via maximum entropy

The nonextensive entropic measure proposed by Tsallis [C. Tsallis, J. Stat. Phys. 52, 479 (1988)] introduces a parameter, $q$, which is not defined but rather must be determined. The value of $q$ is typically determined from a piece of data and then fixed over the range of interest. On the other hand, from a phenomenological viewpoint, there are instances in which $q$ cannot be treated as a constant. We present two distinct approaches for determining $q$ depending on the form of the equations of constraint for the particular system. In the first case the equations of constraint for the operator $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{O}$ can be written as $\mathrm{Tr}({F}^{q}\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{O})=C$, where $C$ may be an explicit function of the distribution function $F$. We show that in this case one can solve an equivalent maxent problem which yields $q$ as a function of the corresponding Lagrange multiplier. As an illustration the exact solution of the static generalized Fokker-Planck equation (GFPE) is obtained from maxent with the Tsallis enropy. As in the case where $C$ is a constant, if $q$ is treated as a variable within the maxent framework the entropic measure is maximized trivially for all values of $q$. Therefore $q$ must be determined from existing data. In the second case an additional equation of constraint exists which cannot be brought into the above form. In this case the additional equation of constraint may be used to determine the fixed value of $q$.
Binswanger's disease: a cause of dementia in the elderly

Evaluation of dementia has expanded as our attention to the aged and their maladies has increased. Alzheimer's disease continues to occupy the number one position as a cause of dementia, but vascular dementia also assumes great importance as one of the preventable causes of mental deterioration. Binswanger's disease, a type of vascular or multi-infarct dementia, will be seen more as our diagnostic technologies improve. An appropriate clinical picture combined with normal laboratory values and a CT brain scan with white matter lucencies and frequent basal ganglia infarcts confirm the diagnosis of Binswanger's. Treatment is symptomatic, with prevention of further infarcts.