cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bayesian information topologies

Abstract A state of the world [ohgr] is drawn to some known prior distribution, [mgr]. Agents receive their information about [ohgr] and form their posterior distributions, P [ohgr] , by conditioning on the sub-σ-fields that represent their information. The mapping [ohgr][map] P [ohgr] contains all of the economically relevant aspects of an agent’s information. ‘Bayesian’ topologies on these mappings are defined by saying that information structures are close if there is only small probability that the posterior distributions are far apart. This approach leads to a characterization of the relation between partition representations of information and σ-field representations of information.
Block of sodium channels by psychotropic drugs in single guinea-pig cardiac myocytes.

Abstract 1. Effects of imipramine and haloperidol on voltage-gated sodium channels were investigated in guinea-pig isolated ventricular myocytes by the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Some additional experiments were also performed with chlorpromazine for the purpose of comparison. 2. All test drugs in micromolar concentrations suppressed the amplitude of peak sodium current associated with step depolarization from a holding potential of -140 mV in a reversible manner. The order of potency was chlorpromazine greater than imipramine greater than haloperidol. 3. Dose-response curves obtained with a holding potential of -140 mV were best fitted by 2:1 stoichiometry in all three drugs and were shifted in the direction of lower concentrations when a holding potential of -90 mV was used. 4. The drug-induced block was not associated with any change in the time courses of sodium current activation and inactivation. 5. Steady-state sodium channel inactivation curve was shifted in the direction of more negative potentials by the drugs. 6. All three drugs also produced marked use-dependent block as demonstrated by a cumulative increase in the block during a train of depolarizing pulses. 7. The use dependence was due to a higher affinity of the drugs for the inactivated state of sodium channels than the resting state and to a very slow repriming of the drug-bound sodium channels from inactivation. 8. The steady-state and use-dependent block of voltage-gated sodium channels by psychotropic drugs may contribute to their cardiotoxic and perhaps antiarrhythmic effect.
Statistical mechanical refinement of protein structure prediction schemes. II. Mayer cluster expansion approach

We investigate the use of a Mayer cluster expansion to quantify changes to the energy landscape of an ab initio protein structure prediction Hamiltonian as side-chain excluded volume radii are increased. The expansion is generalized so that the effect of other changes in the Hamiltonian, which would alone be best treated with a cumulant expansion, can be evaluated simultaneously. The effect of changing the excluded volume radii on various thermodynamic quantities, in particular the free energy and glass transition temperature, is calculated with the expansion and compared to results from simulation. The expansion is found to be sufficiently accurate at the second-order level to be useful for calculating values of the excluded volume radii that refine the energy landscape for structure prediction. This is explicitly checked by a free energy profile analysis and examining the quality of predictions before and after the optimization. A useful method to test whether equilibrium has been attained during molecular dynamics sampling is also described.
A theoretical model of micro-pool lubrication in metal forming

A model of a secondary hydrodynamic lubrication mechanism, which is called micro-pool or micro-plasto hydrodynamic lubrication, has been developed. It shows that, with sufficiently high viscosity and sliding speed, the lubricant trapped in the micro-pools between the tool and workpiece can be drawn into the interface. The friction force is either increased or decreased, depending on the viscosity and sliding speed. Without bulk stretching, the product of the lubricant viscosity and sliding velocity can be used as an index to indicate whether or not micro-pool lubrication will occur. Stretching the workpiece may make a strong influence not only on the thickness of the permeating film but also on the asperity contact area.
Development of aligned-hemp yarn-reinforced green composites with soy protein resin: Effect of pH on mechanical and interfacial properties

Abstract Unidirectional hemp yarn-reinforced green composites were fabricated with soy protein concentrate (SPC) resin processed at various pH values. To preserve the yarn alignment during the fabrication of green composites, hemp yarn was wound onto a metal frame with slight tension and precured SPC resin was applied to the yarns. Effects of pH values on the tensile properties of the SPC resin and hemp yarn/SPC resin interfacial shear strength (IFSS) were investigated. Increasing pH of the SPC resin from 7 to 12 decreased its fracture stress and Young’s modulus from 13.1 MPa and 357.5 MPa to 8.1 MPa and 156.2 MPa, respectively. At the same time fracture strain and moisture content increased from 31.5% and 15.65% to 53·4% and 19.30%, respectively, indicating resin plasticization. However, hemp yarn/SPC resin IFSS increased from 17.7 MPa at pH 7 up to 28.0 MPa at pH 10, after which it decreased. The fracture toughness of the composites increased up to pH of 10 but further increase in pH reduced the toughness. SEM photomicrographs showed fracture surfaces of hemp yarn-reinforced green composites that indicated better resin/fiber interaction at pH of 10 than 7 or 12.
Promiscuous or heterogeneous muscarinic receptors in rat atria? II. Antagonism of responses to carbachol by pirenzepine

Carbachol produces both negative and positive inotropy in rat left atria. It is not clear whether these two effects are mediated by two separate cell surface muscarinic receptors or a single receptor interacting with two coupling proteins in the cell membrane. Pirenzepine, known to selectively block some biochemical muscarinic responses, was used in this study to block the biphasic response to carbachol in rat left atria. The negative inotropy to carbachol was blocked by pirenzepine, and Schild analysis indicated a -log dissociation constant (pKb) for the pirenzepine-receptor complex of 6.2. However, the Schild analysis may have been complicated by positive inotropy observed with pirenzepine. This positive inotropic effect was sensitive to blockade by other muscarinic antagonists. In atria from rats pretreated with pertussis toxin, carbachol produced a positive inotropic effect. Schild analysis with pirenzepine for antagonism of this response indicated a -log equilibrium dissociation constant for the pirenzepine-receptor complex of 6.7, significantly different from that for antagonism of negative inotropy. This ostensibly suggested a difference in the receptors mediating these responses. In view of the possible complicating effects of the positive inotropic effects of pirenzepine in this assay, an alternative method for the measurement of pirenzepine affinity was utilized. Resultant analysis was used to measure the pKb for pirenzepine antagonism of negative inotropy to carbachol. This method had the advantage of cancelling the positive inotropy to pirenzepine. Under these circumstances, pirenzepine had a pKb of 6.9, a value not significantly different from for antagonism of the positive inotropy to carbachol. The relevance of these findings is discussed in terms of a single promiscuous muscarinic receptor or heterogeneous receptors in this tissue. These data do not support the hypothesis that two separate receptors mediate these two effects.
Association analysis in an evolutionary context: cladistic analysis of the DRD2 locus to test for association with alcoholism.

Previous studies testing the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) locus for association with alcoholism have produced conflicting results. Failure to screen controls for substance abuse and failure to assess alcoholics for severity have been proposed as causes for the inability of some studies to detect an association. We have reevaluated the involvement of DRD2 mutations in susceptibility to alcoholism with a cladistics-based association analysis after restricting an alcoholic sample to more severe cases. For the present study we tested 55 alcoholic probands and 80 normal controls for differences in the frequency of six haplotypes at the DRD2 locus. The haplotypes were derived from five di-allelic polymorphisms spanning all but the first exon of the DRD2 gene. A cladogram constructed from the haplotypes provided the evolutionary context for a nested statistical analysis. We found no significant evidence for association of the DRD2 haplotypes analyzed with the more severe alcoholic phenotype. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 81:411–419, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
344: Preeclampsia is a risk factor for cesarean delivery in the setting of induction of labor

INDUCTION OF LABOR LENA KIM, ANJALI KAIMAL, YVONNE CHENG, SHANI DELANEY, ANGIE CHILD, AARON CAUGHEY, Kaiser Permanente, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hayward, California, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California OBJECTIVE: To determine if women with preeclampsia have a higher risk of labor induction failure than women without preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine cesarean delivery rates between women with and without preeclampsia undergoing labor induction in four subgroups: term nulliparous, term multiparous, preterm nulliparous, and preterm multiparous. We included all induced singleton pregnancies 24 weeks gestational age at a single institution. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to control for parity and gestational age, as well as other potential confounders (maternal age, race/ethnicity, prior cesarean history, epidural use, medical comorbidities, and BMI). RESULTS: Our cohort included 3,481 women. Term nulliparous preeclamptics had higher cesarean delivery rates than non-preeclamptics (n 1761, 33 v. 24%, p 0.003). Although not significant, term multiparous preeclamptics had more cesarean deliveries as well (n 1213, 17 v. 13%, p 0.305). Preterm preeclamptics also had significantly higher labor induction failure rates compared to non-preeclamptics among both nulliparous (n 254, 26 v. 7%, p 0.001) and multiparous (n 253, 26 v. 8%, p 0.001) women. In multivariable analysis preeclampsia still conferred an increased risk of labor induction failure (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.38 2.56). CONCLUSION: Women with preeclampsia had higher failure rates of labor induction than women without preeclampsia regardless of parity or gestational age at delivery, even when controlling for other potential confounders.
Relationship between junction radius and reverse leakage of silicide Schottky-barrier diodes

Unguarded Schottky-barrier diodes exhibit excessive leakage current in the reverse-current direction. A portion of this excess current has always been attributed to sharp-edge effects. In this paper, the sharp-edge-related excess reverse current is attributed to the additional barrier lowering that is due to the electric-field enhancement present near the diode edges. Mathematical relationships describing the effect of the edge radius on the I-V characteristics of unguarded diodes are developed. These relationships are then used to model an unguarded Schottky-barrier diode. The correlation between the junction radius and the diode characteristics was found to be strong in the reverse-current direction. In the foward direction, the diode characteristics were not greatly affected, and thus the large diode-quality factors of unguarded diodes cannot be attributed to the sharp-edge effect. A comparison is made between the experimental characteristics of Pd 2 Si/ nSi and VSi 2 /nSi diodes and those obtained from modeling.
Nondestructive inspection in adhesive-bonded joint CFRP using pulsed phase thermography

Many forms of damages in fiber reinforcement polymer (FRP) composites are difficult to detect because they occurs in subsurface layers of the composites. One challenging need for inspection capabilities is in adhesively bonded joints between composite components, a common location of premature failure in aerospace structures. This paper investigates pulsed phase thermography (PPT) imaging of fatigue damage in these adhesively bonded joints. Simulated defects were created to calibrate parameters for fatigue loading conditions, PPT imaging parameters, and a damage sizing algorithm for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) single lap joints. Afterwards, lap joint specimens were fabricated with varying quality of manufacturing. PPT imaging of the pristine specimens revealed defects such as air bubbles, adhesive thickness variations, and weak bonding surface between the laminate and adhesive. Next, fatigue testing was performed and acquired PPT imaging data identified fatigue induced damage prior to final failure cycles. After failure of each sample, those images were confirmed by visual inspections of failure surface.
Model management in organizations

Abstract The premise that the personal computer/spreadsheet explosion will result in the evolution of model management within organizations is explored. The authors use Nolan's stage model of organizational data processing activity as a basis for discussing the nature of change in organizations as local computing capability proliferates. The mainframe era resulted in the recognition of data as a resource and gave rise to data administration. The authors expect that the personal computer era and the accompanying spreadsheet explosion will lead to the recognition of models as a valuable and manageable resource. The role of model administration within organizations is discussed as are software tools for supporting this functional activity. The information resource encyclopedia, an extension of the traditional data dictionary concept, and the model management system are introduced as integral components for supporting model administration. An example is presented to suggest an integrative approach for implementing an MMS in a spreadsheet environment.
Crystallization during polymerization of diazomethane. II. Studies of model compounds and chain extension of etched polyethylene single crystals by chemical reaction

In order to study the mechanism of crystallization during polymerization, a method to produce living oligomer crystal nuclei was developed. The living oligomers are diazoketones prepared from their carboxylic acids or acid chlorides. These diazoketones were proved to be reactive toward boron trifluoride etherate. The complex could be further chain-extended through a living polymerization mechanism with diazomethane. The optimal conditions for the reactions were worked out using model compounds. These reactions were then applied to chain extension of etched polyethylene single crystals. The reactions were confirmed by a combination of time-dependent differential thermal analysis, molecular weight determination, nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared analysis. The importance and potential application of such reactions for the study of nucleation and crystallization, and final properties of the resulting polymers are discussed.
Deletion of immunoregulatory cells during ficoll-sodium metrizoate isolation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Abstract The separation of cells using 1.077 g/ml density Ficoll-sodium metrizoate may not be appropriate for the study of lymphocyte mitogen responses, or probably other tests as well, as it appears to selectively delete an immunoregulatory lymphocyte subpopulation. We have evaluated two common methods of separating lymphocytes for study from peripheral whole blood, Ficoll-sodium metrizoate centrifugation and simple sedimentation/cotton column purification, which yield cell populations quite similar in viability and in proportion of E-rosetting cells. Yet cultures of lymphocytes isolated by the two methods differ considerably in their response to PHA stimulation and in the suppressibility of this response by the addition of serum from cancer patients. By sequentially separating peripheral blood first by sedimentation/cotton column purification, then again by Ficoll-sodium metrizoate centrifugation, two distinct populations of cells were obtained, neither of which could respond well to PHA stimulation alone, nor exhibit suppression by cancer serum supplementation. However, when the two lymphocyte populations were mixed in proportions similar to those found in whole blood, PHA stimulatory and suppressor activities were restored. The lymphocyte subpopulation with density greater than the 1.077 g/ml Ficoll-sodium metrizoate was found to regulate in vitro lymphocyte response to PHA.
Creeping reaction zone in a catalytic, fixed-bed reactor: a cell model approach

Abstract A coupled cell model is used to study the creeping of the reaction zone in catalytic fixed-bed reactors. Axial conduction is found to give rise to a discrepancy between the overall rate of heat generation and that of heat removal and such a discrepancy causes the creep of the reaction zone. An explicit formula for the creep velocity is derived in terms of the end conditions, superficial velocity, heat capacity ratio between phases, and heat of reaction. The individual effect of superficial velocity, reactant feed concentration, and feed temperature is investigated numerically and all the results turn out to be consistent with experimental observations of others. Potential applications are also suggested.
Discrete integration of continuous Kalman filtering equations for time invariant second-order structural systems

A general form for the first-order representation of the continuous second-order linear structural-dynamics equations is introduced to derive a corresponding form of first-order continuous Kalman filtering equations. Time integration of the resulting equations is carried out via a set of linear multistep integration formulas. It is shown that a judicious combined selection of computational paths and the undetermined matrices introduced in the general form of the first-order linear structural systems leads to a class of second-order discrete Kalman filtering equations involving only symmetric sparse N x N solution matrices.
Isogroups of differential ideals of vector-valued differential forms: Application to partial differential equations

An older geometric technique for the study of invariance groups of partial differential equations, originally proposed by one of the authors and F. B. Estabrook, is generalized and extended to problems involving exterior equations for vector-valued or Lie algebra-valued exterior differential forms. Use of the method is demonstrated in the study of the symmetry groups of the two-dimensional Dirac equation and the full Yang-Mills free-field equations in Minkowski spacetime.
Simultaneous Statistical Inference in the Normal Multiple Linear Regression Model

Abstract An F-test of linear hypotheses is compared with Bonferroni t-tests. The individual confidence intervals from Bonferroni t-tests are uniformly shorter than S-intervals implied by the F-test. Power curves are constructed for a few specific alternative hypotheses as functions of the correlation between regressors for the special case of two hypotheses and two regressors. The power of the two procedures is similar when the correlation is small. For highly correlated regressors, however, the power of the Bonferroni method is generally inferior. Thus, if regressors can be controlled to be uncorrelated, the Bonferroni method is clearly superior; otherwise neither method dominates.
Double-blind comparison of meclofenamate sodium plus codeine, meclofenamate sodium, codeine, and placebo for relief of pain following surgical removal of third molars

A single-dose, randomized, double-blind, parallel-treatment study was performed in 200 outpatients with acute pain caused by the surgical removal of impacted third molars. Meclofenamate 100 mg plus codeine 60 mg, meclofenamate 50 mg plus codeine 30 mg, meclofenamate 100 mg, codeine 60 mg, and placebo treatment groups were compared for sum of pain intensity differences, peak pain intensity difference, sum of pain relief scores, peak pain relief, number of observations at which pain was half relieved, overall evaluation of effectiveness, and time to remedication with a backup analgesic. Meclofenamate 100 mg plus codeine 60 mg was significantly more effective (P less than .005) than codeine 60 mg for all variables except number of observations at which pain was half relieved. Both meclofenamate-codeine combinations and meclofenamate 100 mg alone were significantly more effective (P less than .005) than placebo for all variables. Eleven adverse experiences were reported in 7 patients (3.5%); the most common was somnolence in 1 patient receiving meclofenamate 100 mg plus codeine 60 mg, in 2 treated with meclofenamate 50 mg plus codeine 30 mg, and in 1 treated with codeine 60 mg.
Boundary line between the strength and endurance regions in manual lifting.

Previous work by Mital et al. showed that repetitive dynamic strength (RDS) of individuals is a better predictor of psychophysically acceptable weight (PAW) than either the maximal dynamic strength (MDS) or maximal static strengths (MSSs). It was also pointed out that somewhere between a frequency of one lift per minute and a frequency of three lifts per minute, the orientation of lifting tasks changes and muscular strengths no longer remain the limiting factor. This paper reports the results of a follow-up study conducted to pinpoint the lifting frequency just beyond which this transition takes place. The results indicated that a significant correlation existed between RDS and PAW for lifting frequencies up to 1·5 lifts per minute. Beyond 1·5 lifts per minute, no significant correlation between the two measures was found. We therefore concluded that lifting tasks performed every 40 seconds, or less frequently, are strength oriented. For those tasks which require lifting more frequently than once every 40 seconds, individual's strengths are not a limiting factor.
Linear stability in an ideal incompressible fluid

We give an explicit construction of approximate eigenfunctions for a linearized Euler operator in dimensions two and three with periodic boundary conditions, and an estimate from below for its spectral bound in terms of an appropriate Lyapunov exponent. As a consequence, we prove that in dimension 2 the spectral and growth bounds for the corresponding group are equal. Therefore, the linear hydrodynamic stability of a steady state for the Euler equations in dimension 2 is equivalent to the fact that the spectrum of the linearized operator is pure imaginary. In dimension 3 we prove the estimate from below for the spectral bound that implies the same equality for every example where the relevant Lyapunov exponents could be effectively computed. For the kinematic dynamo operator describing the evolution of a magnetic field in an ideally conducting incompressible fluid we prove that the growth bound equals the spectral bound in dimensions 2 and 3.
Maternal personality as a moderator of relations between difficult infant temperament and attachment security in low-income families.

Le principal but de cette presente etude etait de determiner si la susceptibilite maternelle au stress (reactivite au stress et alienation) modere la relation entre le temperament infantile difficile et la securite de l'attachement dans un echantillon de 82 jeunes meres noires americaines a revenus bas, vivant dans des quartiers pauvres et pour la plupart celibataires. Les meres ont repondu a des questionnaires sur la personnalite adulte et le temperament infantile lorsque leur bebes avaient a peu pres 10 mois. L'attachement fut mesure lorsque les bebes avaient a peu pres un an. Le temperament difficile du bebe et la reactivite maternelle au stress etaient inversement lies a la securite d'attachement du bebe. L'alienation maternelle n'etait pas liee a la securite d'attachement du bebe. La reactivite maternelle au stress et l'alienation ont modere le lien entre les peurs et l'attachement du bebe, mais pas le lien entre la souffrance du bebe, les restrictions et l'attachement. Contrairement a ce qu'on attendait, les relations negatives entre les peurs et l'attachement du bebe n'ont emerge que lorsque les meres avaient une faible reactivite au stress ou lorsqu'elles n'avaient qu'une alienation basse ou moyenne.
Anti-inflammatory actions of endogenous and exogenous interleukin-10 versus glucocorticoids on macrophage functions of the newly born

Anti-inflammatory actions of endogenous and exogenous interleukin-10 versus glucocorticoids on macrophage functions of the newly born
A fiber optic approach for in vivo minimally invasive study of tissue optical properties

Based on a fiber-optic approach, we present a fundamental in vivo study of optical properties and light transmission characteristics of single and multiple tissue layers and blood in a Sprague Dawley rat model. In our experiments, we utilize either coherent laser sources with various energy and spectral characteristics or incoherent light sources in a broadband spectral range covering the visible and near-infrared (from 400 nm to 1200 nm). The measurement techniques are based on a simple minimally invasive fiber-optic light delivery system that provides an effective method for homogeneously and precisely controlling the light irradiation of the tissue medium as well as being a highly sensitive detector of the tissue's scattered light. The delivery-sensor probes are placed into different tissue layers (skin, sub-cutaneous connective and deep connective tissue, back muscle, bone and spinal cord) and blood, and broadband spectral transmission characteristics of these media are measured in vivo . The transmission spectra are analyzed in order to determine the specificity of interaction of different tissues with light. The main goal is to determine the most effective coherent or incoherent light sources and their optimal parameters that might be used for minimally invasive therapeutic and optical diagnostics techniques.
Parental work schedules, family process, and early adolescents' risky behavior

Abstract Using data on a large contemporary sample of 10 to 14 year olds from the NLSY-CS, this paper examines whether mothers' and fathers' work schedules are associated with parental monitoring and adolescent–parent closeness, and with adolescents' substance use and delinquency. Regression results for two-parent families indicate that parental nonstandard work schedules have mixed associations with family process, tending to improve monitoring but also having some deleterious effects on reported closeness. Regression results for single-mother families also show mixed effects. These results provide support for the hypothesis that nonstandard work schedules have offsetting effects on family process. Consistent with this hypothesis, in analyses for both two-parent and single-parent families, there are few significant associations between parents' work schedules and adolescents' risky behavior. These findings suggest that parental nonstandard work schedules have mainly neutral effects on early adolescents' risky behavior, because although they may reduce closeness, they also tend to improve monitoring. However, the results also raise a red flag about single mothers working rotating shifts, which we find is associated with an elevated likelihood that children have engaged in all three types of delinquent behavior.
A framework for research utilization applied to seven case studies.

Background It is widely acknowledged that prevention research often is not fully or adequately used in health practice and/or policies. This study sought to answer two main questions: (1) Are there characteristics of research utilization in communities that suggest stages in a process? (2) What factors, including barriers and facilitators, are associated with the use of prevention research in community-based programs, policies, and practices? Methods Researchers used a multiple case study design to retrospectively describe the research-utilization process. A conceptual framework modified from Rogers’s diffusion of innovations model and Green’s theory of participation were used. Data were gathered from archival sources and interviews with key people related to any one of seven community-based practices, programs, or policies. Fifty-two semistructured interviews were conducted with program or project staff members, funding agency project managers, community administrators and leaders, community project liaisons, innovation champions, and other members of the research user system. Results Participation in the process of research utilization was described by using characteristics of collaborative efforts among stakeholders. Program champions or agents linking research resources to the community moved the research-utilization process forward. Practices, programs, or policies characterized by greater community participation generally resulted in more advanced stages of research utilization. Conclusions Investigating the interactions among and contributions of linking agents and resource and user systems can illuminate the potential paths of prevention research utilization in community settings. Because community participation is a critical factor in research utilization, prevention researchers must take into account the context and needs of communities throughout the research process.
The role of intraflagellar transport proteins in ciliary assembly and function

The sensory and motility functions of cilia play critical roles in the development of vertebrates and defects in these organelles lead to a wide range of structural birth defects. The intraflagellar transport (IFT) system is required for building all types of mammalian cilia. IFT particles are composed of about 20 proteins and these proteins are highly conserved across ciliated species. IFT25 and IFT27, however, are absent from certain ciliated organisms like Caenorhabditis and Drosophila suggesting that they may have a unique role distinct from ciliogenesis. We generated Ift25 and Ift27 null mice and show that these proteins are not required for ciliary assembly but are required for proper Hedgehog signaling, which in mammals occurs within cilia. Mutant mice die at birth with multiple phenotypes indicative of Hedgehog signaling dysfunction. Cilia lacking IFT25/27 have defects in the signal-dependent transport of multiple Hedgehog components including Patched-1, Smoothened, and Gli2 and fail to activate the pathway upon stimulation. These are the first examples of null IFT mutations that perturb Hedgehog signaling independent of ciliary architecture. Thus, IFT function is not restricted to assembling cilia where signaling occurs but also plays a direct role in signal transduction events.
The Mexican American Elderly and Supplemental Security Income: Reasons and Characteristics AssociatedWith Nonuse

Using a national data set, this project examines the underutilization of formal services by older ethnic minorities. Specifically, the project reveals that olderMexican Americans, although likely to report income below the official poverty line, report low utilization rates of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Analysis further reveals that among older Mexican Americans who are eligible to receive SSI, those participants who had used another formal program in the previous year, had at least some formal education, lived with others, and/or reported that too many medical bills was a problem were statistically less likely to use SSI. Furthermore, the most commonly reported reasons for not using SSI were lack of knowledge and previous feelings of discrimination or mistreatment by SSI representatives and other formal providers.
Normothermic central hypovolemia tolerance reflects hyperthermic tolerance.

Purpose To test the hypothesis that those who are highly tolerant to lower body negative pressure (LBNP) while normothermic are also highly tolerant to this challenge while hyperthermic.
Short Communication : Short-day photoperiod during the dry period decreases expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling in mammary gland of dairy cows

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are induced by prolactin and act through negative feedback to inhibit cytokine signaling. We hypothesized that lower prolactin concentrations in cows exposed to short-day photoperiod (SD; 8 h light:16 h dark) lead to decreased expression of SOCS, which mediate the effects of SD on mammary proliferation during the dry period. Multiparous Holstein cows were dried off 60 d before expected calving and were assigned to long-day photoperiod (LD; 16 h light:8 h dark) or SD during the dry period. Mammary biopsies were obtained at -40, -20, -10, and +10 d relative to expected calving, and expression of SOCS-1, SOCS-2, SOCS-3, and cytokine-inducible SH2-containing protein (CIS) mRNA was assessed by real-time, quantitative, reverse transcription-PCR. Expression of all SOCS increased over time and expression of SOCS-3, SOCS-2, and CIS mRNA was lower in mammary gland of SD cows. These data suggest that lower SOCS expression in cows exposed to SD during the dry period may enhance prolactin signaling to the mammary gland, thereby augmenting mammary development during pregnancy and milk production in the subsequent lactation. Changes in SOCS expression during pregnancy and lactation imply that SOCS may regulate mammary gland development and function in dairy cows.
Polyclonal B cell differentiation and loss of gastrointestinal tract germinal centers in the earliest stages of HIV-1 infection.

Background The antibody response to HIV-1 does not appear in the plasma until approximately 2–5 weeks after transmission, and neutralizing antibodies to autologous HIV-1 generally do not become detectable until 12 weeks or more after transmission. Moreover, levels of HIV-1–specific antibodies decline on antiretroviral treatment. The mechanisms of this delay in the appearance of anti-HIV-1 antibodies and of their subsequent rapid decline are not known. While the effect of HIV-1 on depletion of gut CD4+ T cells in acute HIV-1 infection is well described, we studied blood and tissue B cells soon after infection to determine the effect of early HIV-1 on these cells. Methods and Findings In human participants, we analyzed B cells in blood as early as 17 days after HIV-1 infection, and in terminal ileum inductive and effector microenvironments beginning at 47 days after infection. We found that HIV-1 infection rapidly induced polyclonal activation and terminal differentiation of B cells in blood and in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) B cells. The specificities of antibodies produced by GALT memory B cells in acute HIV-1 infection (AHI) included not only HIV-1–specific antibodies, but also influenza-specific and autoreactive antibodies, indicating very early onset of HIV-1–induced polyclonal B cell activation. Follicular damage or germinal center loss in terminal ileum Peyer's patches was seen with 88% of follicles exhibiting B or T cell apoptosis and follicular lysis. Conclusions Early induction of polyclonal B cell differentiation, coupled with follicular damage and germinal center loss soon after HIV-1 infection, may explain both the high rate of decline in HIV-1–induced antibody responses and the delay in plasma antibody responses to HIV-1. Please see later in the article for Editors' Summary
The association of body mass index and externally perceived attractiveness across race/ethnicity, gender, and time.

Abstract Purpose Being perceived by others as unattractive is associated with negative health and social consequences. Overweight individuals may be more likely to be perceived by others as unattractive, thereby further endangering their well-being. Our objective was to determine whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with perceptions by others regarding attractiveness and whether this relationship was similar across race/ethnicity, gender, and time. Methods We analyzed Waves I and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative longitudinal study of adolescents. We used participant gender- and race/ethnicity-stratified multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between BMI and interviewer-rated attractiveness (1 = unattractive, 2=average, 3=attractive, 4=very attractive) controlling for participant age, household income, and maternal education. Results BMI was positively associated with risk of being categorized as unattractive (relative to very attractive) by the interviewer in black (Wave I: relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.26, CI: 1.18, 1.33; Wave III: RRR=1.14, CI: 1.08, 1.20), Hispanic (Wave I: RRR=1.23, CI: 1.11, 1.36; Wave III: RRR=1.22, CI: 1.12, 1.34), and white (Wave I: RRR=1.25, CI: 1.19, 1.32; Wave III: RRR=1.22, CI: 1.17, 1.28) females in both waves of data collection. Only in African American females, the risk of being rated unattractive with increasing BMI declined significantly between waves ( p = .00018). Trends were similar in males, although the magnitude of risk was smaller and nonsignificant in most groups. Conclusions Interviewers were more likely to rate those with higher BMIs as unattractive; this finding was similar across gender and racial/ethnic groups with few exceptions and was stable across time.
The in vivo response of invariant natural killer T cells to glycolipid antigens.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a subset of T lymphocytes that recognizes glycolipid antigens presented by the major histocompatibility complex class I–related protein CD1d. Although iNKT cells have received a lot of attention as targets for the development of immunotherapies, few studies have investigated the in vivo response of iNKT cells to glycolipid antigen activation. Accumulating evidence indicates that iNKT cells generate a dynamic response to in vivo activation by glycolipid antigens that is characterized by surface receptor downmodulation, expansion, cytokine production, cross talk with other cells, homeostatic contraction, and acquisition of an anergic phenotype. These studies provide new insight into the biology of iNKT cells and have important implications for designing safe and effective iNKT cell–based vaccines and therapies.
A Composite Linkage Map from Three Crosses Between Commercial Clones of Cacao, Theobroma cacao L.

In this paper, we report the construction of the first composite map of cacao from linkage data of one F2 and two F1 mapping populations with a high number of codominant markers in common. The combination of linkage information from all three maps results in the currently most precise estimates of marker locations and distances between markers, especially in densely marked areas. JoinMap®V4 software was used for all marker quality assessment and mapping. Individual (sub-composite) maps and the composite map contained 10 major linkage groups, corresponding to the number of cacao chromosomes. Homogeneity of marker placement was very high among sub-composite maps, the composite map, and the designated “reference” map. Care was exercised in the re-creation of sub-composite maps and the composite map to include only markers with acceptable mapping quality parameters. The composite map places more markers with higher precision than any individual map. This research clearly demonstrates for the first time a very high level of marker homogeneity among commercial cacao clones compared to other species. The observed homogeneity between different maps, including the composite one, is probably due to a narrow genetic base of commercial cacao clones. Markers linked to identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) are more likely to retain linkage in other commercial clones, rendering the QTLs in cacao potentially more stable than in other species.
Characteristics of 10 kV SiC MOSFET and PIN Diode and Their Application Prospect in High Voltage High Frequency DC/DC Converter

10 kV power 4H-SiC DiMOSFET and PIN diodes are currently under development by a number of organizations in the United States with the aim to enable their application in high voltage high frequency power conversion applications. The aim of this study is to obtain key device characteristics of these devices through device simulation so that realistic application prospect of these devices can be provided. In particular, the emphasis is on obtaining loss characteristics of these devices as well as solving issues that limit their applications. One identified issue is the dV/dt induced false turn on in 10 kV 4H-SiC MOSFET. One approach to solve this problem is proposed. Based on these understandings, the prospect of using these devices in a high voltage (24 kV) high frequency (20 kHz) DC/DC converter is discussed.
Anomaly localization in large-scale clusters

A critical problem facing by managing large-scale clusters is to identify the location of problems in a system in case of unusual events. As the scale of high performance computing (HPC) grows, systems are getting bigger. When a system fails to function properly, health-related data are collected for troubleshooting. However, due to the massive quantities of information obtained from a large number of components, the root causes of anomalies are often buried like needles in a haystack. In this paper, we present a localization method to automatically find out the potential root causes (i.e. a subset of nodes) of the problem from the overwhelming amount of data collected system-wide. System managers can focus on examining these potential locations, thereby significantly reducing human efforts required for anomaly localization. Our method consists of three interrelated steps: (1) feature collection to assemble a feature space for the system; (2) feature extraction to obtain the most significant features for efficient data analysis by applying the principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm; and (3) outlier detection to quickly identify the nodes that are ldquofar awayrdquo from the majority by using the cell-based detection algorithm. Preliminary studies are presented to demonstrate the potential of our method for localizing anomalies in a computing environment where the nodes perform comparable tasks.
Fat, Desire and Disgust in the Colonial Imagination

This article tracks the relatively unexamined ways in which ethnographic, travel and medical knowledge interrelated in the construction of fat stereotypes in the nineteenth century, often plotted along a temporal curve from ‘primitive’ corpulence to ‘civilized’ moderation. By showing how the complementary insights of medicine and ethnography circulated in beauty manuals, weight-loss guides and popular ethnographic books – all of which were aimed at middle-class readers and thus crystallize certain bourgeois attitudes of the time – it argues that the pronounced denigration of fat that emerged in Britain and France by the early twentieth century acquired some of its edge through this ongoing tendency to depict desire for and acceptance of fat as fundamentally ‘savage’ or ‘uncivilized’ traits. This tension between fat and ‘civilization’ was by no means univocal or stable. Rather, this analysis shows, a complex and wide-ranging series of similarities and differences, identifications and refusals can be traced between British and French perceptions of their own bodies and desires and the shortcomings they saw in foreign cultures. It sheds light as well on those aspects of their own societies that seemed ‘primitive’ in ways that bore an uncomfortable similarity to the colonial peoples they governed, demonstrating how a gendered, yet ultimately unstable, double standard was sustained for much of the nineteenth century. Finally it reveals a subtle and persistent racial subtext to the anti-fat discourses that would become more aggressive in the twentieth century and which are ubiquitous today.
Colorectal liver metastasis after 90Y radioembolization therapy: Pilot study of change in MDCT attenuation as a surrogate marker for future FDG PET response

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether changes in attenuation and size of liver metastatic lesions of colorectal cancer at MDCT 1 month after 90Y radioembolization treatment are predictive of response at FDG PET 3 months after treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Twenty patients with colorectal liver metastasis consecutively treated with 90Y radioembolization underwent triphasic MDCT of the liver at baseline and 1 and 3 months after treatment and FDG PET at baseline and 3 months after treatment. Percentage change in tumor attenuation at MDCT (volumetric attenuation), tumor size at MDCT (according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST] and World health Organization [WHO] criteria), and volume-weighted maximum standardized uptake value at FDG PET were evaluated. The correlation between FDG PET response 3 months after treatment and response according to RECIST, WHO criteria, and attenuation 1 month after treatment was evaluated. RESULTS. Only 13.3% of patients with FDG...
CENP-A is phosphorylated by Aurora B kinase and plays an unexpected role in completion of cytokinesis

Aurora B is a mitotic protein kinase that phosphorylates histone H3, behaves as a chromosomal passenger protein, and functions in cytokinesis. We investigated a role for Aurora B with respect to human centromere protein A (CENP-A), a centromeric histone H3 homologue. Aurora B concentrates at centromeres in early G2, associates with histone H3 and centromeres at the times when histone H3 and CENP-A are phosphorylated, and phosphorylates histone H3 and CENP-A in vitro at a similar target serine residue. Dominant negative phosphorylation site mutants of CENP-A result in a delay at the terminal stage of cytokinesis (cell separation). The only molecular defects detected in analysis of 22 chromosomal, spindle, and regulatory proteins were disruptions in localization of inner centromere protein (INCENP), Aurora B, and a putative partner phosphatase, PP1γ1. Our data support a model where CENP-A phosphorylation is involved in regulating Aurora B, INCENP, and PP1γ1 targeting within the cell. These experiments identify an unexpected role for the kinetochore in regulation of cytokinesis.
How much guidance is given in the operating room? Factors influencing faculty self-reports, resident perceptions, and faculty/resident agreement.

Background Guidance in the operating room impacts resident confidence and ability to function independently. The purpose of this study was to explore attending surgeon guidance practices in the operating room as reported by faculty members themselves and by junior and senior residents. Methods This was an exploratory, cross-sectional survey research study involving 91 categorical residents and 82 clinical faculty members at two academic general surgery training programs. A series of analyses of variance along with descriptive statistics were performed to understand the impact of resident training year, program, and surgeon characteristics (sex and type of surgery performed routinely) on guidance practices. Results Resident level (junior versus senior) significantly impacted the amount of guidance given as reported by faculty and as perceived by residents. Within each program, junior residents perceived less guidance than faculty reported giving. For senior guidance practices, however, the differences between faculty and resident practices varied by program. In terms of the effects of surgeon practice type (mostly general versus mostly complex cases), residents at both institutions felt they were more supervised closely by the faculty who perform mostly complex cases. Conclusion More autonomy is given to senior than to junior residents. Additionally, faculty report a greater amount of change in their guidance practices over the training period than residents perceive. Faculty and resident agreement about the need for guidance and for autonomy are important for achieving the goals of residency training.