cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Economic Change and Environmental Conflict in the Western Mountain States of the USA

Although the Western Mountain region of the USA has experienced substantial change, especially since 1990, there is relatively little understanding of the processes and impacts of restructuring in this largely rural region. In addition to the widely understood shift to service and high technology employment experienced in urban, suburban, and rural places, restructuring in the Western Mountain states has also significantly challenged existing political and social relationships. The authors examine the outcomes of restructuring by exploring economic, social, and political change in Idaho -- a state in the Western USA. Idaho has witnessed a drastic decline in agriculture, ranching, and mining, and a rapid growth in the tourism, recreation, and high-technology sectors. Such changes have contributed to escalating tensions across the state concerning the appropriate use of public lands. The authors illustrate these tensions by exploring an ongoing controversy over the use of Idaho's school-endowment lands. The conflict over how these lands should be used highlights the central role that restructuring has played in political and social conflict over environmental protection and land use in largely rural areas.
Comparison of the biocompatibility of gatifloxacin 0.3% and moxifloxacin 0.5%

Purpose: To compare the ocular biocompatibility of the commercially available ophthalmic solutions of the fourth-generation fluoroquinolones gatifloxacin 0.3% (Zymar; Allergan, Irvine, CA) and moxifloxacin 0.5% (Vigamox; Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, TX). Methods: Pretreatment visual acuity and pupil size were measured in all 14 subjects. In a double-masked design, subjects received drops from masked bottles of gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% and moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.5%, which were placed in either the right or left eye in a randomized fashion at 1-minute intervals. After 5 minutes with their eyes closed, subjects graded discomfort on a scale of 1 to 10. In each eye, visual acuity was measured, conjunctival injection was graded on a scale of 1 to 4, pupil size was measured, individual punctate areas of fluorescein staining were counted (using nonpreserved fluorescein), and corneal epithelial cell dropout was determined with in vivo confocal microscopy. Results: Moxifloxacin 0.5% was associated with a statistically significantly greater degree of conjunctival injection (2.8 vs. 1.2, P ≤ 0.05), discomfort (1 vs. 0.4, P ≤ 0.05), and corneal epithelial cell dropout per high-power field (8.7 vs. 2.6, P ≤ 0.05) than the gatifloxacin 0.3% group at 5 minutes. There was no statistically significant change in pupil size or visual acuity between the 2 treatment groups. Conclusions: Gatifloxacin 0.3% showed statistically significantly greater ocular biocompatibility than moxifloxacin 0.5%, using a frequent dosing interval.
Myosin Binding Protein-C Slow: An Intricate Subfamily of Proteins

Myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C) consists of a family of thick filament associated proteins. Three isoforms of MyBP-C exist in striated muscles: cardiac, slow skeletal, and fast skeletal. To date, most studies have focused on the cardiac form, due to its direct involvement in the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Here we focus on the slow skeletal form, discuss past and current literature, and present evidence to support that: (i) MyBP-C slow comprises a subfamily of four proteins, resulting from complex alternative shuffling of the single MyBP-C slow gene, (ii) the four MyBP-C slow isoforms are expressed in variable amounts in different skeletal muscles, (iii) at least one MyBP-C slow isoform is preferentially found at the periphery of M-bands and (iv) the MyBP-C slow subfamily may play important roles in the assembly and stabilization of sarcomeric M- and A-bands and regulate the contractile properties of the actomyosin filaments.
The role of lipids in renal disease: Future challenges

The role of lipids in renal disease: future challenges. Experimental studies have provided in vivo and in vitro data to support the notion that dyslipidemia contributes to glomerular and interstitial injury of the renal parenchyma. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors are a new class of lipid-lowering agents that have been extensively studied during the past decade. These agents have significant effects on circulating lipids and both renal and vascular injury. New insights into the mechanisms of action of these agents have revealed an important effect on a variety of inflammatory and fibrogenic processes that appear to have major implications for human renal and cardiovascular diseases.
Information and the value of execution guarantees

In many markets, uncertainty about whether a trade is executed can be removed by paying a price premium. We use financial markets as a particular setting in which to study this trade-off. In particular, we assess the role of information in the choice between certain trade at a price premium in an intermediated dealer market and contingent trade in a dark pool. Our setting consists of intrinsic traders and speculators, each endowed with heterogeneous fine-grained private information as to an asset's value, that endogenously decide between these two venues. We solve for an equilibrium in this setting, and address three main questions: First, how does the level of information of a trader and her competitors affect their behavior-i.e., how does the choice between certain and contingent trade depend on information structure? Second, how does the level of premium for certain trade over contingent trade affect the strategic behavior of traders? And finally, how should market makers intermediating certain trade set transaction costs to maximize profit, in the presence of an option for contingent trade? We derive the following implications from our model:(1) Information and the choice between certain and contingent trade. We find that, in general, the dark pool is utilized by uninformed or mildly informed traders, whereas highly informed traders will trade in the open market. Furthermore, there is adverse selection in the dark pool, in the sense that buy (sell) orders are more likely to be filled when the dark pool price is above (resp. below) the true value.(2) The impact of transaction costs on adverse selection. Surprisingly, in the partial equilibrium setting where the transaction costs in the open market are exogenously specified, the fill rate in the dark pool (and therefore adverse selection) is not monotonically related to the bid-offer spread: for example, when the dark pool price is above true value, the fill rate for buyers in the dark pool falls at lower transaction costs, and rises at higher transaction costs.(3) Market making in the open market. We find that a dark pool lowers a monopolist's choice of transaction cost in the open market. Further, we find the surprising insight that the monopolist's profit also increases as traders become more informed.
Antecedents and Consequences of Franchising: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges

Franchising is a popular and multifaceted business arrangement that has attracted considerable research attention. Past inquiry has focused on franchising’s antecedents, consequences, and factors that moderate these relationships. The authors review recent progress within franchising research and identify gaps in the literature. They also describe how researchers could build greater knowledge about franchising by further leveraging various organizational theories and by drawing from a number of business and social science fields whose insights have not yet significantly influenced franchising research.
Retrospective Evaluation and Adjustment of Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Measurements for Bone Mineral Density Research Studies

Abstract Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is widely used for bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. Prospective daily quality control procedures such as cumulative sum (CUSUM) plots and Shewhart charts are very important and commonly used for routine monitoring of DXA measurements. These procedures are less suitable for post hoc adjustment of DXA measurements for clinical research studies, if and when that is needed. Extending previous methods, we propose and illustrate a simple statistical method for retrospective quality evaluation that may be used to adjust BMD measurements before they are analyzed in clinical research studies. Using multivariate regression, this method allows for simultaneous adjustment of different types of temporal variation such as sudden jumps, simple linear trends, changes in the slope of these trends, quadratic terms, and seasonal fluctuations. Adjusting the measurements to account for different types of temporal trends decreases the variance of bone mass density measurements and is an inexpensive way to increase the power of a study without increasing the sample size. The method is illustrated with measurements of two different phantoms used on the same DXA, with 2 and 3 yr of data, respectively. Results were consistent for both phantoms, with a gradual trend and a sudden jump, as well as a seasonal fluctuation term.
The Function of T and NIL in LISP

The conventional pure LISP interpreter written in pure LISP is commonly believed to be executable. As it turns out, this interpreter does not recognize the atoms t and nil — commonly regarded as part of pure LISP. The problem is explained, and the interpreter is fixed.
MODIS Cloud-Top Property Refinements for Collection 6

AbstractThis paper summarizes the Collection-6 refinements in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) operational cloud-top properties algorithm. The focus is on calibration improvements and on cloud macrophysical properties including cloud-top pressure–temperature–height and cloud thermodynamic phase. The cloud phase is based solely on infrared band measurements. In addition, new parameters will be provided in Collection 6, including cloud-top height and a flag for clouds near the tropopause. The cloud parameters are improved primarily through 1) improved knowledge of the spectral response functions for the MODIS 15-μm carbon dioxide bands gleaned from comparison of coincident MODIS and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) radiance measurements and 2) continual comparison of global MODIS and Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) instantaneous cloud products throughout the course of algorithm refinement. Whereas the cloud-top macrophysical parameters...
A case for high performance computing with virtual machines

Virtual machine (VM) technologies are experiencing a resurgence in both industry and research communities. VMs offer many desirable features such as security, ease of management, OS customization, performance isolation, check-pointing, and migration, which can be very beneficial to the performance and the manageability of high performance computing (HPC) applications. However, very few HPC applications are currently running in a virtualized environment due to the performance overhead of virtualization. Further, using VMs for HPC also introduces additional challenges such as management and distribution of OS images.In this paper we present a case for HPC with virtual machines by introducing a framework which addresses the performance and management overhead associated with VM-based computing. Two key ideas in our design are: Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) bypass I/O and scalable VM image management. VMM-bypass I/O achieves high communication performance for VMs by exploiting the OS-bypass feature of modern high speed interconnects such as Infini-Band. Scalable VM image management significantly reduces the overhead of distributing and managing VMs in large scale clusters. Our current implementation is based on the Xen VM environment and InfiniBand. However, many of our ideas are readily applicable to other VM environments and high speed interconnects.We carry out detailed analysis on the performance and management overhead of our VM-based HPC framework. Our evaluation shows that HPC applications can achieve almost the same performance as those running in a native, non-virtualized environment. Therefore, our approach holds promise to bring the benefits of VMs to HPC applications with very little degradation in performance.
A comparison of the chronic treatment effects of venlafaxine and other antidepressants on serotonin and norepinephrine transporters.

Background Venlafaxine blocks both serotonin and norepinephrine transporters (SERT and NET), with higher affinity for SERT. Serotonergic effects occur with lower doses, whereas both serotonergic and noradrenergic effects occur with higher doses of venlafaxine. Chronic treatment of rats with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors decreases SERT binding sites, whereas similar treatment with selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors decreases NET binding sites. We hypothesizebd that venlafaxine would affect monoamine transporters dose-dependently, with low doses causing selective reduction of SERT binding sites and higher doses reducing both SERT and NET binding sites. Methods Rats were treated for 21 days with a low (15 mg/kg/day) or high (70 mg/kg/day) dose of venlafaxine, vehicle, or other antidepressants. The SERT and NET density was determined by quantitative autoradiography. Results Neither dose of venlafaxine nor amitriptyline reduced binding to either the SERT or NET. In rats with noradrenergic terminals destroyed by 6-hydroxydopamine, venlafaxine still failed to reduce SERT binding. Also, rats treated simultaneously with sertraline plus desipramine exhibited reductions in both SERT and NET binding. Conclusions Chronic venlafaxine treatment affected SERT and NET binding differently from paroxetine or desipramine. The inability of venlafaxine to reduce SERT or NET binding sites is not due to its dual uptake inhibiting properties.
Thermal Expansion of LX‐17, PBX 9502, and Ultrafine TATB

A large quantity of linear strain and LCTE data from −55 °C to 75 °C on LX-17, PBX 9502 and ultrafine TATB (ufTATB) is presented. Axial and diametral measurements are blended to give final densities, which agree with the liquid immersion values of Baytos et al. The nominal densities at 21, −55 and 75 °C in g⋅cm−3 are: LX-17 1.90, 1.920, 1.874; PBX 9502 1.89, 1.907, 1.867; ufTATB 1.80, 1.822, 1.778. Data taken radially show more thermal expansion than that taken transversely in cut-up parts; both must be combined to get the density. There is no difference between virgin and recycled TATB. Rachet growth data is presented, both at low pressure and at higher pressure, where the swelling is diminished. A Kel-F strain curve is presented and the theoretical maximum densities are computed.
Cutaneous barrier function after cold exposure in hairless mice: a model to demonstrate how cold interferes with barrier homeostasis among workers in the fish-processing industry.

Dry skin and eczema only seldomly occur in workers in the Danish fish-processing industry (FPI) during work, when their fingers and palms have a low skin surface temperature, low transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and a high capacitance. However, shortly after work, when the skin temperature has become normal, TEWL levels increase to above normal, and capacitance decreases to below normal, followed by the development of dry skin or chapping, which subsequently revert to normal over a period of hours. These observations suggest that workers in the FPI may have a defect in skin barrier function, which is, however, masked by a low skin temperature, resulting in misleadingly low TEWL levels during work. To test this hypothesis, we disrupted the permeability barrier in hairless mice with topical acetone, and exposed the treated skin to ice for 3.5 h. Although TEWL rates immediately after cold exposure were low, suggesting normal barrier recovery, TEWL increased to levels slightly above pre-cold exposure levels (i.e. levels just after the barrier was disrupted with acetone) when the skin temperature reverted to normal (> or = 15 min). The changes in TEWL were paralleled by equivalent changes in percutaneous penetration of the electron-dense tracer lanthanum nitrate. This indicates that cold masks a defective barrier, and inhibits barrier repair. After a few hours at ambient temperatures, normal barrier recovery was observed. Electron microscopy revealed empty or partially empty lamellar bodies during the first 30 min post-cold exposure. After 1 h the majority of nascent LBs displayed normal morphology. Moreover, histochemical studies showed a delayed reappearance of stratum corneum intercellular lipids following cold exposure. These results demonstrate that cold exposure prevents barrier recovery after acetone disruption, and provide an explanation for the occupational dermatosis observed in the fish-processing industry and related occupations.
Control of Aromatase Activity in Luteal and Ovarian Nonluteal Tissue of Pregnant Rats

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the aromatizing capacity of luteal and nonluteal tissues throughout the second half of pregnancy and to find out what regulates the aromatizing systems in both the corpora lutea and ovarian nonluteal tissues of the pregnant rat. Luteal and nonluteal tissues obtained between days 12–22 of pregnancy were incubated for 4 h in vitro with testosterone (T) substrate. The net synthesis of 17β-estradiol (E) was masured as an index of aromatase activity. Corpora lutea isolated on all days of pregnancy exhibited a striking capacity to convert T to E. The aromatizing capacity of luteal tissue increased significantly from day 12 through day 15, then declined steadily until the end of pregnancy. The nonluteal tissue synthesized significantly less E than the luteal tissue, with the levels of E produced remaining constant through day 19 and increasing by day 22. Hypophysectomy on day 12 of pregnancy resulted in a complete loss of aromatase activity in nonluteal tissue a...
Municipal sewage sludge application on Ohio farms: tissue metal residues and infections

Abstract Transmission of infectious agents and translocation of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn from anaerobically digested sludge to the tissues of farm animals grazing on pastures to which sludge was applied (2–10 metric tons per hectare) were studied on eight farms. No significant health risk associated with the possible presence in sludge of Salmonella spp., or of common animal parasites including Nematodirus spp., Strongylus spp., Strongyloides spp., Trichuris spp., Eimeria spp., Ascaris spp., and Ancylostomum spp. was noted. Caudal fold as well as cervical tuberculin testing indicated no conversions from negative to positive following exposure of cattle to sludge. Significantly higher fecal Cd concentrations were detected in samples collected from cattle soon after being placed on sludge-treated pastures compared to preexposure values in the same animals. Significant Cd and Pb accumulations were found in the kidneys of calves grazing sludge-treated pastures compared to control calves. Although older cows grazing sludge-treated pastures had significantly higher blood Pb levels, no metal accumulation was observed in other tissues. Statistically significant accumulations of Cd and Pb in the kidney of calves grazing these pastures for a relatively short period suggest that caution should be exercised to avoid prolonged grazing of cattle on pastures receiving heavy sludge applications, especially with sludges containing high concentrations of heavy metals.
Bone cancer pain: Causes, consequences, and therapeutic opportunities

Common cancers, including cancers of the breast, lung, and prostate, frequently metastasize to multiple bones where they can cause significant and life-altering pain. Similar to cancer itself, the factors that drive bone cancer pain evolve and change with disease progression. Once cancer cells have metastasized to bone, both the cancer cells and their associated stromal cells generate pain by releasing algogenic substances including protons, bradykinin, endothelins, prostaglandins, proteases, and tyrosine kinase activators. The release of these factors by cancer/stromal cells can induce sensitization and activation of nerve fibers that innervate the bone. Additionally, these factors can drive a remarkable increase in the number, size, and activity of bone-destroying osteoclasts, which can ultimately result in fracture of the tumor-bearing bone. Tumor growth in bone can also generate a neuropathic pain by directly injuring nerve fibers as well as inducing an active and highly pathological sprouting of both sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers that normally innervate the bone. This structural reorganization of sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers in the bone, combined with the cellular and neurochemical reorganization that occurs in the spinal cord and brain, appears to contribute to the peripheral and central sensitization that is common in advanced bone cancer pain. These mechanistic insights have begun to lead to advances in both how we understand and treat bone cancer pain.
Sample-Size Requirements for Evaluating Population Size Structure

Abstract A method with an accompanying computer program is described to estimate the number of individuals needed to construct a sample length-frequency with a given accuracy and precision. First, a reference length-frequency assumed to be accurate for a particular sampling gear and collection strategy was constructed. Bootstrap procedures created length-frequencies with increasing sample size that were randomly chosen from the reference data and then were compared with the reference length-frequency by calculating the mean squared difference. Outputs from two species collected with different gears and an artificial even length-frequency are used to describe the characteristics of the method. The relations between the number of individuals used to construct a length-frequency and the similarity to the reference length-frequency followed a negative exponential distribution and showed the importance of using 300–400 individuals whenever possible.
Rheological Properties of Cheddar Cheese During Heating and Cooling

Abstract Rheological properties of different Cheddar cheeses were characterized using a dynamic test. Cheddar cheeses with four fat contents (15.3, 22.8, 37.3, and 45.6% fat in the dry matter—FDM) and two moisture contents (58.1 and 62.4% moisture in non fat portion—MNFP) at 2, 4, 12, and 24 wk old were used in this study. Time sweep mode was used to characterize the elastic (G ′) and viscous (G ″) properties of Cheddar cheese at a constant frequency of 1 Hz and strain 0.5%. G ′ and G ″ of the cheese were determined during heating from 25 to 60°C and cooling from 60 to 25°C. G ′ decreased from 9.0 to 0.07 MPa during heating and increased from 0.07 to 9.0 MPa during cooling of Cheddar cheese. G ″ showed similar trend as that of G ′ although magnitude of change were about one log higher. The reduction in % FDM of Cheddar cheese increased G ′ from 5.5 to 9.0 MPa and increased G ″ from 2.5 to 6.0 MPa at 25°C. A similar trend was observed at other temperatures. Proteolysis during ripening of cheese lead to dec...
HYDRODYNAMIC DAMPING. FLOW-INDUCED OSCILLATIONS, AND BIHARMONIC RESPONSE

A brief review of damping is followed by a comparison of three sets of lift-force data for circular cylinders, subjected only to transverse oscillation. Then the significance of two-dimensional or biharmonic oscillations (in both the in-line and transverse directions) is discussed in light of experiments undertaken for that purpose, to simulate more closely the true nature of flow-induced oscillations.
On recovering detailed face deformation under general lighting using height from shading

Face tracking and animation are important components for many human computer interface applications. Facial motion produces transient features such as wrinkles and shading changes, which are important yet difficult issues for both analysis (tracking) and synthesis (animation). Previous approaches were mostly based on extensive training appearance examples. However it is difficult for collect samples to cover all possible lighting conditions and head poses. In this paper, we attempt to recover detailed facial geometrical changes due to facial motion under general lighting. The recovered geometry can then be used for the analysis and synthesis of the transient features and shading changes under new lighting conditions. The method is based on shading information and thus suitable for facial areas without permanent features.
Community management, self-interest and environmental preservation in the Amazon

Community-based conservation supposedly meets mutual needs of people and natural resources. We examined decision-making behind management of resource extraction and agriculture in a community reserve in Peru. We conclude that self-interested motivations have the potential to create inadequate environmental protection for particular segments of the resource base. Community reserve members, ecotourism, population demographics and the sometimes unpredictable nature of outside influences impact adherence to regulations. Community-based conservation can benefit from local involvement and self-motivation. Success, however, will require analysis from multiple disciplines and should be assessed on a case by case basis to account for the diversity of influencing factors.
α- and γ-tocopherol prevent age-related transcriptional alterations in the heart and brain of mice

To investigate the global effects of vitamin E supplementation on aging, we used high-density oligonucleotide arrays to measure transcriptional alterations in the heart and brain (neocortex) of 30-month-old B6C3F1 mice supplemented with α- and γ-tocopherol since middle age (15 months). Gene expression profiles were obtained from 5- and 30-month-old controls and 30-month-old mice supplemented with α-tocopherol (1g/kg), or a mixture of α- and γ-tocopherol (500mg/kg of each tocopherol). In the heart, both tocopherol supplemented diets were effective in inhibiting the expression of genes previously associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased innate immunity, while having a moderate effect on age-related transcriptional alterations linked to the stress response and protein synthesis. In the brain, induction of genes encoding ribosomal proteins and proteins involved in ATP biosynthesis was observed with aging and was markedly prevented by the mixture of α- and γ-tocopherol supplementation, but not by α-tocopherol alone. These results demonstrate that middle age-onset dietary supplementation with α- and γ-tocopherol can partially prevent age-associated transcriptional changes and that these effects are tissue- and tocopherol-specific.
A framework for application-specific customization of network services

We propose a network service framework where common network functions such as routing and multicast can be customized on a per-application basis. Network service customization is achieved through service plug-in modules that can be dynamically loaded by applications. In addition to their customization, services can also be composed to form complex aggregate services. Finally, our framework is deployed using an overlay network infrastructure.
Evaluation of Pooling Strategies for Acute HIV-1 Infection Screening Using Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing

ABSTRACT A 128-member specimen pooling scheme for acute HIV infection (AHI) detection was evaluated using 21 AHI specimens (range, 1,520 to 500,000 copies/ml) previously identified by RNA testing of 16-member plasma pools. HIV-1 RNA was detectable in 128-member pools for all 21 specimens; however, one pool created from a specimen with 1,827 copies/ml was nonreactive in one of three replicates.
Outcomes of patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia: worse disease or sicker patients?

background. Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is an entity distinct from community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). HCAP has a higher case-fatality rate, due either to HCAP organisms or to the health status of HCAP patients. The contribution of HCAP criteria to case-fatality rate is unknown. methods. We conducted a retrospective review of adult patients admitted with a diagnosis of pneumonia from July 2007 through November 2011 to 491 US hospitals. HCAP was defined as having at least 1 of the following: prior hospitalization within 90 days, hemodialysis, admission from a skilled nursing facility, or immune suppression. We compared characteristics of patients with CAP and patients with HCAP and explored the contribution of HCAP criteria to case-fatality rate in a hierarchical generalized linear model. results. Of 436,483 patients hospitalized with pneumonia, 149,963 (34.4%) had HCAP. Compared to CAP patients, HCAP patients were older, had more comorbidities, and were more likely to require intensive care unit (ICU) care. In-hospital case-fatality rate was higher among patients with HCAP, compared to those with CAP (11.1% vs 5.1%, P ! .001). After adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, presence of other infections, early ICU admission, chronic and acute medications, early tests and therapies, and length of stay, HCAP remained associated with increased case-fatality rate (odds ratio [OR], 1.35 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.32‐1.39]); odds of death increased for each additional HCAP criterion (OR [95% CI]: 1 criterion, 1.27 [1.23‐1.31], 2 criteria, 1.55 [1.49‐1.62], and 3 or more criteria, 1.88 [1.72‐2.06]). conclusions. After adjustment for differences in patient characteristics, HCAP was associated with greater case-fatality rate than CAP. This difference may be due to HCAP organisms or to HCAP criteria themselves.
Increasing community health worker productivity and effectiveness: a review of the influence of the work environment

Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly recognized as a critical link in improving access to services and achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals. Given the financial and human resources constraints in developing countries, CHWs are expected to do more without necessarily receiving the needed support to do their jobs well. How much can be expected of CHWs before work overload and reduced organizational support negatively affect their productivity, the quality of services, and in turn the effectiveness of the community-based programmes that rely on them? This article presents policy-makers and programme managers with key considerations for a model to improve the work environment as an important approach to increase CHW productivity and, ultimately, the effectiveness of community-based strategies. A desk review of selective published and unpublished articles and reports on CHW programs in developing countries was conducted to analyse and organize findings on the elements that influence CHW productivity. The search was not exhaustive but rather was meant to gather information on general themes that run through the various documents to generate perspectives on the issue and provide evidence on which to formulate ideas. After an initial search for key terminology related to CHW productivity, a snowball technique was used where a reference in one article led to the discovery of additional documents and reports. CHW productivity is determined in large part by the conditions under which they work. Attention to the provision of an enabling work environment for CHWs is essential for achieving high levels of productivity. We present a model in which the work environment encompasses four essential elements—workload, supportive supervision, supplies and equipment, and respect from the community and the health system—that affect the productivity of CHWs. We propose that when CHWs have a manageable workload in terms of a realistic number of tasks and clients, an organized manner of carrying out these tasks, a reasonable geographic distance to cover, the needed supplies and equipment, a supportive supervisor, and respect and acceptance from the community and the health system, they can function more productively and contribute to an effective community-based strategy. As more countries look to scale up CHW programmes or shift additional tasks to CHWs, it is critical to pay attention to the elements that affect CHW productivity during programme design as well as implementation. An enabling work environment is crucial to maximize CHW productivity. Policy-makers, programme managers, and other stakeholders need to carefully consider how the productivity elements related to the work environment are defined and incorporated in the overall CHW strategy. Establishing a balance among the four elements that constitute a CHW’s work environment will help make great strides in improving the effectiveness and quality of the services provided by CHWs.
The Progesterone Receptor Coactivator Hic-5 Is Involved in the Pathophysiology of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disorder primarily associated with pelvic pain and infertility in up to 10% of women of reproductive age. Recent studies suggest that resistance to progesterone action may contribute to the development and pathophysiology of this disorder. In this study we examined the in vivo and in vitro expression and function of one progesterone receptor (PR) coactivator, Hic-5, in human endometrium and endometrial stromal fibroblasts (hESFs) from 29 women with and 30 (control) women without endometriosis. Hic-5 was highly expressed in stromal, but not epithelial, cells in women without endometriosis, in a cycle-dependent manner. In contrast, Hic-5 expression was not regulated during the menstrual cycle in hESFs from women with endometriosis and was significantly reduced in hESFs from women with vs. without disease. Hic-5 mRNA expression throughout the cycle in endometrium from control women, but not those with endometriosis, correlated with expression of PR. Hic-5 mRNA in hESFs was significantly up-regulated in control but not endometriosis hESFs after treatment in vitro with 8-bromoadenosine-cAMP for 96 h but only modestly after 14 d of progesterone treatment. Hic-5 silencing did not influence cAMP-regulated gene expression but affected genes regulated solely by progesterone (e.g. DKK1 and calcitonin). Together the data suggest that the proposed progesterone resistance in endometrium from women with endometriosis derives, in part, from impaired expression of the PR coactivator, Hic-5, in endometrial tissue and cultured endometrial stromal fibroblasts.
Expression of the de novo DNA methyltransferases (dnmt3 - dnmt8) during zebrafish lens development.

Background: De novo DNA methylation is thought to be critical for cellular reprogramming during tissue differentiation and development. Little is known about the roles of de novo DNA methylation during eye development, and particularly during lens development. The lens is composed of lens epithelial (LE) and lens fiber (LF) cells, with proliferative LE cells giving rise to differentiated LFs at the “transition zone.” Given the unique architecture and developmental program of the lens, and the involvement of de novo DNA methylation during differentiation events in other tissues, we sought to identify de novo DNA methyltransferases expressed in the zebrafish lens. Results: Zebrafish possess six de novo DNA methyltransferase genes, dnmt3 – dnmt8. At 24 hr postfertilization (hpf), all six are expressed ubiquitously throughout the eye. By 72 hpf, dnmt3 and dnmt5 become restricted to cells of the retinal ciliary marginal zone (CMZ), dnmt4 and dnmt7 to cells of the CMZ and LE, and dnmt6 and dnmt8 to ganglion cells and cells of the inner nuclear layer of the retina. Conclusions: These data identify regions of the eye where de novo methyltransferases could mediate DNA methylation events during development. Overlapping expression domains also suggest functional redundancy within this gene family in the eye. Developmental Dynamics 243:350–356, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sulfate storage and stability on representative commercial lean NOx trap components

Abstract Components found in a commercial lean NOx trap have been studied in order to determine their impact on sulfate storage and release. A micro-reactor and a diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrometer (DRIFTS) were used to compare components MgAl2O4, Pt/MgAl2O4, Pt/Al2O3, Pt/Ba/Al2O3, Pt/CeO2–ZrO2, and Pt/Ba/CeO2–ZrO2, as well as physical mixtures of Pt/Al2O3 + MgAl2O4 and Pt/Ba/CeO2–ZrO2 + MgAl2O4. Desulfation temperature profiles as well as DRIFTS NOx and SOx storage spectra are presented for all components. This systematic approach highlighted the ability of the underlying support to impact sulfate stability, in particular when Ba was supported on ceria–zirconia rather than alumina the desulfation temperature decreased by 60–120 °C. A conceptual model of sulfation progression on the ceria–zirconia support is proposed that explains the high uptake of sulfur and low temperature release when it is employed. It was also determined that the close proximity of platinum is not necessary for much of the sulfation and desulfation chemistry that occurs, as physical mixtures with platinum dispersed on only one phase displayed similar behavior to samples with platinum dispersed on both phases.
The ratio of deoxyadenosine to deoxyguanosine adducts formed by (+)-(7R,8S,9S,10R)-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene in purified calf thymus DNA and DNA in V-79 cells is independent of dose.

The hypothesis that the decrease in the proportion of mutations at AT base pairs in Chinese hamster V-79 cells treated with increasing doses of (+)-(R,S,S,R)-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide ((+)-BPDE) is due to saturation of A for adduct formation was investigated by comparing the ratio of dA to dG adducts formed at high (0.48 microM) and low (0.04 microM) doses of [3H]-labeled (+)-BPDE. The dA to dG adduct ratio was similar in both calf thymus DNA and the genomic DNA in V-79 cells, and did not change with dose. For the V-79 cells, this ratio was also unaffected by a 24-h post treatment repair incubation.
The Use of the Allen Correction in the Quantitative Determination of Urinary Porphobilinogen

The method of Mauzerall and Granick for the quantitative determination of urinary δ-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen was found, in our hands, to give falsely elevated values for porphobilinogen. The use of the Allen correction appears to resolve this problem.
Religious Activity and Depression among Community-Dwelling Elderly Persons with Cancer: The Moderating Effect of Race

Objectives. Research has been oriented toward elucidating the links between religion and mental health. The purpose of this article is to further our knowledge in this area by examining the effect of religious activity on depressive symptomatology among community-dwelling elderly persons with cancer. We also test whether these effects differ between Blacks and Whites. Methods. We use two waves of data collected from a community-dwelling sample of elderly persons living in North Carolina. Depressive symptomatology is measured using four subscales from the CES-D 20 scale: somatic-retarded activity, depressed affect, positive affect, and interpersonal relations. Measures of religious activity include service attendance, religious devotion, and watching or listening to religious programs. Results. The findings indicate that among Blacks with cancer, religious activity is related to lower levels of depressive symptomatology; no such relationship is found for respondents with other illnesses or no illness. Further, the effects of religious activity are stronger among Blacks than Whites. Discussion. The analyses lend support to the hypothesis that religious activity is a strong predictor of depression in elderly adults with cancer. This finding, however, is not as strong as we had anticipated.
Suppression of DHEA Sulfotransferase (Sult2A1) during the Acute Phase Response

The acute-phase response (APR) induces alterations in lipid metabolism, and our data suggest that this is associated with suppression of type II nuclear hormone receptors that are key regulators of...
Estimating the probability of toxicity at the target dose following an up‐and‐down design

One of the most important aspects of a phase I trial or other acute toxicity study is estimating accurately the probability of toxicity that is associated with the recommended dose. We use the biased coin up-and-down design to allocate and isotonic regression to estimate toxicity probabilities and determine the recommended dose. We then derive, using bootstrap methods, an estimate of the probability of toxicity at the recommended dose. Small sample properties of this estimator are also evaluated. Published in 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SourceSync: a distributed wireless architecture for exploiting sender diversity

Diversity is an intrinsic property of wireless networks. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of many distributed protocols like ExOR, MORE, SOAR, SOFT, and MIXIT that exploit receiver diversity in 802.11-like networks. In contrast, the dual of receiver diversity, sender diversity, has remained largely elusive to such networks.This paper presents SourceSync, a distributed architecture for harnessing sender diversity. SourceSync enables concurrent senders to synchronize their transmissions to symbol boundaries, and cooperate to forward packets at higher data rates than they could have achieved by transmitting separately. The paper shows that SourceSync improves the performance of opportunistic routing protocols. Specifically, SourceSync allows all nodes that overhear a packet in a wireless mesh to simultaneously transmit it to their nexthops, in contrast to existing opportunistic routing protocols that are forced to pick a single forwarder from among the overhearing nodes. Such simultaneous transmission reduces bit errors and improves throughput. The paper also shows that SourceSync increases the throughput of 802.11 last hop diversity protocols by allowing multiple APs to transmit simultaneously to a client, thereby harnessing sender diversity. We have implemented SourceSync on the FPGA of an 802.11-like radio platform. We have also evaluated our system in an indoor wireless testbed, empirically showing its benefits.
Interface solutions for interface side effects

Human-computer interfaces often give rise to a variety of side effects, including eyestrain, headache, fatigue, and motion sickness (aka cybersickness, simulator sickness). We might hope that improvements in interface design would tend to reduce these side effects. Unfortunately, history reveals just the opposite: The incidence and severity of motion sickness (for example) is positively related to the progressive sophistication of display technology and systems. In this presentation, I enquire about the future of interface technologies in relation to side effects. I review the types of side effects that occur and what is known about the causes of interface side effects. I suggest new ways of understanding relations between interface technologies and side effects, and new ways to approach the problem of interface side effects.
Population Genetic Structure and Life History Variability in Oncorhynchus nerka from the Snake River Basin

Abstract We used the variation at 64 allozyme loci to examine genetic relationships among 32 samples of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and kokanee (resident sockeye salmon) from the Snake River basin and other North American locations. The genetic differentiation among populations was pronounced: Wright's F ST was higher (0.244) than has been reported in any other study of Pacific salmon. A detailed examination of the O. nerka from lakes in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho was undertaken to help guide recovery planning for the endangered Redfish Lake population and to help resolve the relationships between the resident and anadromous forms. In Redfish Lake, adult sockeye salmon that returned in 1991–1993 were genetically distinct from local kokanee but similar to a small group of “residual” sockeye salmon discovered in the lake in 1992. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the original sockeye salmon population was not extirpated by Sunbeam Dam early in this century. Populations of O. nerka t...
Partitionable services: A framework for seamlessly adapting distributed applications to heterogeneous environments

Several recently proposed infrastructures permit client applications to interact with distributed network-accessible services by simply "plugging in" into a substrate that provides essential functionality, such as naming, discovery, and multi-protocol binding. However much work remains before the interaction can be considered truly seamless in the sense of adapting to the characteristics of the heterogeneous environments in which clients and services operate. This paper describes a novel approach for addressing this shortcoming: the partitionable services framework, which enables services to be flexibly assembled from multiple components, and facilitates transparent migration and replication of these components at locations closer to the client while still appearing as a single monolithic service. The framework consists of three pieces: (1) declarative specification of services in terms of constituent components; (2) run-time support for dynamic component deployment; and (3) planning policies, which steer the deployment to accomodate underlying environment characteristics. We demonstrate the salient features of the framework and highlight its usability and performance benefits with a case study involving a security-sensitive mail service.
Rational solvent selection strategies to combat striation formation during spin coating of thin films

Striation defects in spin-coated thin films are a result of unfavorable capillary forces that develop due to the physical processes commonly involved in the spin-coating technique. Solvent evaporation during spinning causes depletion at the surface of the more volatile solution components while simultaneous viscous out-flow occurs providing the main source of solution thickness reduction during any typical spinning run. The composition changes in the surface layer can either stabilize or destabilize the surface with respect to convective motions within the coating solution. Destabilization (and therefore possible striation formation) happens when the surface composition changes so that a larger surface tension will develop. Thus, a careful cross-referencing of solvent volatility with surface tension effects can help establish solution conditions that will prevent this instability from arising. A plot of solvent vapor pressure (P v) versus solvent surface tension (σ) is introduced and utilized to help discuss the impact of solvent choice when making coatings via spin coating. One important result is that when desiring to deposit a coating having a surface tension of σsolid, then it is favorable to use a fully miscible solvent that has a higher surface tension (i.e., σliquid > σsolid). More complicated solution mixtures were also examined, including dual-solvent systems and water-containing systems.
Closed Loop Knock Intensity Characteristics of a Classical Knock Control System

Abstract The closed loop behavior of knock control systems is hard to assess in any repeatable way because the response observed in any given simulation or experiment is heavily dependent on the particular random arrival of knock events in that instance. Recent work, however, has begun to address this issue by computing the statistical characteristics and time-varying distribution of the response, thereby encompassing all possible instances of the knock process. This paper briefly reviews this work using an improved notation, and then extends the method in order to compute the closed loop knock intensity distribution which is more fundamentally related to the risk of knock-related engine damage experienced by the engine.