cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age-, race-, and gender-specific prevalence of diabetes among smokers.

Abstract A cross-sectional study using the US national 2009 Behavioral-Risk-Factor-Surveillance-System data ( n =425,846) demonstrates that diabetes prevalence was significantly increased after age 35 in ever smokers, irrespective of gender. Diabetes prevalence was significantly increased in white or Hispanic ever smokers after age 25, and in black ever smokers after age 35.
Sociological Theories of Learning Disabilities: Understanding Racial Disproportionality in Special Education

Many researchers have applied sociological theory to concepts of physical disability, leading to the “social model” used by disability advocates and activists, but less work has been done to provide a sociological frame for learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities have constituted the fastest-growing special education population in public school districts, particularly students of color. Though the overrepresentation of students of color in special education programs is well documented, few efforts have been made to apply sociological theories to expand our understanding of this phenomenon. This article provides an overview of this application to the study of learning disabilities and special education, with particular attention to the disproportionate involvement of minority youth in educational programs for students with disabilities.
Assessment of near-surface ground temperature profiles for optimal placement of a thermoelectric device

Abstract For a thermoelectric device driven by the temperature difference between soil and ambient air, previous analytical work has been performed wherein a sinusoidal surface boundary condition was imposed; the results suggested that optimal placement of the lower terminal of the device should be at a nondimensional depth of x ∗ = 2.28, resulting in a 7% increase in power over placement at a much greater depth. Analysis of temperature data taken in conjunction with operation of a thermoelectric device has shown that the optimal depth for the lower thermal reservoir is much shallower than originally thought ( x ∗ ∼ 1), with increases in performance approaching 70% over that experienced at greater depths. Representative data are presented and interpreted, along with recommendations for future work.
Educational Testing in Afghanistan

Afghanistan covers an area about the size of the state of Texas. Its population is given by one source as 13,799,037 inhabitants, but no really exact census figures are available, and those given in official sources are estimates derived by one means or another. The country is landlocked and has no corridor to the sea. This factor, coupled with the meager ground transportation facilities with neighboring countries, has isolated Afghanistan from the outside world.
Smelling more or less: Investigating the olfactory experience of the domestic dog

Abstract The performance of tracking dogs and drug-, disease-, and explosives-detection dogs is a testament to trained dogs’ olfactory acuity. The olfactory experience of an untrained dog, by contrast, has not been well documented. In the current research we begin to remedy that by testing untrained pet dogs’ olfactory perception of quantity. While previous research found that dogs could discriminate visible quantities of more or less food ( Prato-Previde, Marshall-Pescini, & Valsecchi, 2008 ), our results find that, by contrast, companion dogs do not reliably discriminate quantities when the food can be smelled but not seen. Sixty-one percent of dogs (39 of 64), given a choice between closed plates with one and five morsels of food, approached plates with the larger quantity: not significantly more than approached plates with the lesser quantity (binomial, p = .169). We did find that during dogs’ initial investigation of both food amounts, subjects gave more attention to the plate containing the larger quantity (binomial, p Prato-Previde et al.’s (2008) finding that owner interest in a plate holding a lesser quantity of food reliably leads dogs to approach that plate (binomial, p Ward & Smuts, 2007 ), in a third condition testing the effect of adding a strong odor to a visibly larger food quantity, we found that the addition of odor often reversed that preference (44/69 dogs; p
Zinc Tricarballylate Coordination Polymers with a Threaded-Loop Self-Penetrated Layer and Triply Interpenetrated 3,4-Connected Binodal Network Structures: Topological Control through Anion Inclusion

Hydrothermal reaction of zinc perchlorate, tricarballylic acid (H3tca), and bis(4-pyridylmethyl)piperazine (bpmp) resulted in generation of {[Zn3(tca)2(bpmp)(Hbpmp)2](ClO4)2·5H2O}n (1), which possesses an unprecedented self-penetrated two-dimensional (2-D) layered topology with threaded-loop type linkages. A similar reaction using zinc sulfate as precursor afforded the oxoanion-free phase {[Zn3(H2O)4(tca)2(bpmp)2]·8H2O}n (2), which manifests a new yet simple 3-fold interpenetrated (63)(658) 3,4-connected three-dimensional (3-D) binodal network. Both materials undergo blue-violet luminescence upon exposure to UV radiation.
Estimation of Effective Population Size for the Long-Lived Darkblotched Rockfish Sebastes crameri

We report the variance effective population size (Ne) in darkblotched rockfish (Sebastes crameri) utilizing the temporal method for overlapping generations, which requires a combination of age-specific demography and genetic information from cohorts. Following calculations of age-specific survival and reproductive success from fishery data, we genotyped a sample (n = 1087) comprised by 6 cohorts (from 1995 to 2000) across 7 microsatellite loci. Our Ne estimate (Ne) plus 95% confidence interval was (Ne) = 9157 [6495-12 215], showing that the breeding population number could be 3-4 orders of magnitude smaller than the census population size (N) = 24 376 210). Our estimates resemble closely those found for fishes with similar life history, suggesting that the small (Ne)/(N) ratio for S. crameri is most likely explained by a combination of high variance in reproductive success among individuals, genetic structure, and demographic perturbations such as historical fishing. Because small (Ne)/(N) ratios have been commonly associated with potential loss of genetic variation, our estimates need careful consideration in rockfish management and conservation.
Stacked patches with a slot in the common wall for single- and dual-band operation

A two-stacked-patch configuration is considered in which the coupling region is moved from the edges to the center by cutting a slot in the lower patch. Measurements show that, under certain conditions, the coupling between the patches is mainly governed by the slot length, which can be easily adjusted to provide different levels of coupling and hence different values of the ratio f/sub 1//f/sub 2/ of the two resonance frequencies. This approach has been used to achieve antenna designs with both small ratio for moderate enhancement of bandwidth and relatively large ratio between center frequencies (f/sub L1//f/sub L2/=1.3) of a dual-band antenna for the Global Positioning System. Experimental results show that the ratio between the two resonances of a stacked patch antenna can be easily controlled with a slot in the lower patch provided that the slot is the major source of coupling between the patches. For electrically thin antennas, this configuration has the advantage of lending itself to analysis methods based on the cavity model or using a 2-D Green's function such as the boundary integral method. >
Control of a Polyethylene Reactor: Handling Sensor Faults

This work considers the problem of control of a gas phase polyethylene reactor subject to intermittent data losses. A fault-tolerant controller is designed that utilizes reconfiguration (switching to an alternate control configuration) in a way that accounts for the process nonlinearity, the presence of constraints and the occurrence of sensor faults. To this end, control configurations are first identified that can be utilized as backup configurations in the event that the primary control configuration is unable to stabilize the system (due to sensor faults). The stability properties of the control configurations, specifically, the set of initial conditions as well as the maximum allowable data loss rate that preserves stability, are explicitly characterized using Lyapunov-based tools. This characterization is utilized in identifying the occurrence of a destabilizing sensor fault in the polyethylene reactor and in preserving closed-loop stability via reconfiguration.
Serine-Threonine Kinase Receptor-Associated Protein (STRAP) Regulates Translation of Type I Collagen mRNAs

Type I collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and is composed of two α1(I) and one α2(I) polypeptides which assemble into a triple helix. For the proper assembly of the collagen triple helix, the individual polypeptides must be translated in coordination. Here, we show that serine-threonine kinase receptor-associated protein (STRAP) is tethered to collagen mRNAs by interaction with LARP6. LARP6 is a protein which directly binds the 5' stem-loop (5'SL) present in collagen α1(I) and α2(I) mRNAs, but it interacts with STRAP with its C-terminal domain, which is not involved in binding 5'SL. Being tethered to collagen mRNAs, STRAP prevents unrestricted translation, primarily that of collagen α2(I) mRNAs, by interacting with eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A). In the absence of STRAP, more collagen α2(I) mRNA can be pulled down with eIF4A, and collagen α2(I) mRNA is unrestrictedly loaded onto the polysomes. This results in an imbalance of synthesis of α1(I) and α2(I) polypeptides, in hypermodifications of α1(I) polypeptide, and in inefficient assembly of the polypeptides into a collagen trimer and their secretion as monomers. These defects can be partially restored by supplementing STRAP. Thus, we discovered STRAP as a novel regulator of the coordinated translation of collagen mRNAs.
Contamination of Commercially Available Fetal Bovine Sera with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Genomes: Implications for the Study of Hepatitis C Virus in Cell Cultures

The establishment of cell cultures for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is important for its study as a human pathogen. However, in reported cell lines, HCV demonstrates low levels of replication detected primarily by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. In attempts to culture HCV, an additional complication was observed. From mock-infected cultures, cDNA of appropriate size was obtained by RT-PCR with primers deduced from conserved domains of the 5' noncoding region of HCV. However, sequence analysis revealed that the cDNA was amplified from bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). All of 7 bovine sera tested were contaminated with BVDV. In conclusion, most commercially available bovine sera are contaminated with BVDV and, although there is no evidence that the virus is infectious, bovine sera should be screened for this virus by RT-PCR when used in conjunction with HCV or for the development or production of vaccine.
Social Achievement Goals, Efficacious Beliefs, and Math Performance in a Predominately African American High School

The study is the first to examine the relationship among students’ social achievement goals, self-efficacy, collective efficacy of classmates and teachers, and math performance. In addition, the st...
Can an Increase in Celiac Disease Be Attributed to an Increase in the Gluten Content of Wheat as a Consequence of Wheat Breeding

In response to the suggestion that an increase in the incidence of celiac disease might be attributable to an increase in the gluten content of wheat resulting from wheat breeding, a survey of data from the 20th and 21st centuries for the United States was carried out. The results do not support the likelihood that wheat breeding has increased the protein content (proportional to gluten content) of wheat in the United States. Possible roles for changes in the per capita consumption of wheat flour and the use of vital gluten as a food additive are discussed.
Translation-Based Projection for Multilingual Coreference Resolution

To build a coreference resolver for a new language, the typical approach is to first coreference-annotate documents from this target language and then train a resolver on these annotated documents using supervised learning techniques. However, the high cost associated with manually coreference-annotating documents needed by a supervised approach makes it difficult to deploy coreference technologies across a large number of natural languages. To alleviate this corpus annotation bottleneck, we examine a translation-based projection approach to multilingual coreference resolution. Experimental results on two target languages demonstrate the promise of our approach.
Simulating restoration strategies for a southern boreal forest landscape with complex land ownership patterns

Abstract Restoring altered forest landscapes toward their ranges of natural variability (RNV) may enhance ecosystem sustainability and resiliency, but such efforts can be hampered by complex land ownership and management patterns. We evaluated restoration potential for southern-boreal forests in the ∼2.1 million ha Border Lakes Region of northern Minnesota (U.S.A.) and Ontario (Canada), where spatially distinct timber harvest and fire suppression histories have differentially altered forest conditions (composition, age–class distribution, and landscape structure) among major management areas, effectively resulting in forest landscape “bifurcation.” We used a forest landscape simulation model to evaluate potential for four hypothetical management and two natural disturbance scenarios to restore forest conditions and reduce bifurcation, including: (1) a current management scenario that simulated timber harvest and fire suppression practices among major landowners; (2) three restoration scenarios that simulated combinations of wildland fire use and cross-boundary timber harvest designed to emulate natural disturbance patterns; (3) a historical natural disturbance scenario that simulated pre-EuroAmerican settlement fire regimes and windthrow; and (4) a contemporary fire regime that simulated fire suppression, but no timber harvest. Forest composition and landscape structure for a 200-year model period were compared among scenarios, among major land management regions within scenarios, and to six RNV benchmarks. The current management scenario met only one RNV benchmark and did not move forest composition, age–class distribution, or landscape structures toward the RNV, and it increased forest landscape bifurcation between primarily timber-managed and wilderness areas. The historical natural disturbance scenario met five RNV benchmarks and the restoration scenarios as many as five, by generally restoring forest composition, age–class distributions, and landscape structures, and reducing bifurcation of forest conditions. The contemporary natural disturbance scenario met only one benchmark and generally created a forest landscape dominated by large patches of late-successional, fire-prone forests. Some forest types (e.g., white and red pine) declined in all scenarios, despite simulated restoration strategies. It may not be possible to achieve all objectives under a single management scenario, and complications, such as fire-risk, may limit strategies. However, our model suggests that timber harvest and fire regimes that emulate natural disturbance patterns can move forest landscapes toward the RNV.
Linker-Determined Drug Release Mechanism of Free Camptothecin from Self-Assembling Drug Amphiphiles

We report here that the release mechanism of free camptothecin from self-assembling drug amphiphiles can be regulated by use of different linker groups. Our results highlight the significance of the linker group of drug amphiphiles on the drug release efficiency and their consequent in vitro efficacy.
Biomechanical considerations of mandibular lengthening and widening by gradual distraction using a computer model

Results: Distracters oriented parallel to the body of the mandible caused a lateral displacement of the posterior components of the distraction devices and a reduction of the midline distraction gap during mandibular lengthening. These effects were eliminated when the device was oriented parallel to the axis of distraction. Midline symphyseal widening created axial rotation of the mandibular condyles regardless of the orientation of the distracters. Conclusions: Distraction appliances must be oriented parallel to the axis of distraction to prevent adverse biomechanical effects during bilateral mandibular lengthening. Additional ramus osteotomies, using hinged devices for angular correction, may be necessary to compensate for rotational movements of the mandibular condyles secondary to midline osteodistraction.
Decentralized control of a stochastic dynamic resource allocation problem

This paper concerns decentralized control of a certain stochastic and dynamic resource allocation problem. The system consists of two agents, a pricing agent and a service agent. The pricing agent controls the customer arrival rate by dynamically setting prices while the service agent controls the rate at which customers are served. The distinguishing feature of our setup is that the pricing and service agents know different subcomponents of the model but are unwilling or unable to reveal their knowledge of the system to the other agent (or a centralized controller). This means that joint optimization over pricing and service policies is not possible since there is no single agent with knowledge of all relevant system parameters. Within this setup, we show that the centralized optimal pricing and service policies can still be constructed. Specifically, the integrated problem can be decoupled into a dynamic pricing problem (for the pricing agent) and a service rate control problem (for the service agent), and that these single-agent problems can be specified so as to deliver the centralized optimal policies. We also present an iterative algorithm which enables pricing and service agents to construct the centralized optimal policies without having to reveal private knowledge about the system to the other agent.
Restructuring and refinancing technical debt

Given the increasing importance of software to society, the issue of technical debt is becoming more pervasive in software development. Its implications range from incurring small amounts of technical debt to speed up development - a positive - to stalling and making development no longer possible - a huge negative. In this paper, we present a framework that attempts to refine the understanding of technical debt by tracing more links to the financial metaphor, specifically focusing on the concepts of restructuring and refinancing technical debt. This paper looks at technical debt as a leverage product that is contingent upon the liquidity of the debtor. From this perspective, it is then possible to more effectively assess the incurment of technical debt and also to more effectively strategize the use of leverage in software development - accounting for the respective risks and benefits it provides.
Twice-daily beclomethasone dipropionate in the treatment of childhood asthma.

Chronic nonsteroid-dependent childhood asthma was treated by adding beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) or placebo (P) to the daily regimen of theophylline (T). Subjects (6–12 years) were selected based on daily control of asthma by T at necessary T levels in sera of 10–20 μg.Active BDP (200 μg b.i.d.) and P groups were randomly assigned. Each subject's baseline values were evaluated on a 4-week open phase followed by a 10–12 week double-blind phase. Daily diaries were kept for signs, symptoms, Wright peak flow recordings, and medication requirements. Visits were monitored for urine and serum cortisols, pulmonary function tests (PFT), objective changes, and medication compliance. Demographics between both groups were nonsignificant (NS).Baseline PFTs in P group were significantly better than the BDP group. Serum and urine cortisols and ACTH responses were NS (p < 0.05). Drug efficacy for asthma characteristics was significantly improved in the BDP group (p < 0.05) only. The BDP group maximized their respons...
Quantitative blood flow estimation error due to the in-plane component of the flow with intravascular ultrasound

Previously, we presented the flow estimation error introduced by in-plane flow using a slow-time FIR (finite impulse response) filter-bank method to measure quantitatively blood flow decorrelation through the image plane of an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging system. There exists a monotonic relationship between blood flow velocity and the normalized second moment of the slow-time spectrum for flow orthogonal to the imaging plane of a side-looking catheter array However, in the presence of an in-plane flow component, this monotonic relationship changes due to a shift and spread of slow-time spectra. These two effects cause the normalized second moment to increase, resulting in flow overestimates. By applying appropriate tilts to slow-time signals, however, the slow-time spectrum shifts back to DC and the orthogonal estimation method can be used. We present a method to correct this overestimation and estimate accurately blood flow through the image plane in real-time. Independent simulations show that, for blood flowing at angles between /spl plusmn/6/spl deg/ and /spl plusmn/15/spl deg/ at a speed of 30 cm/sec, flow would be overestimated by as much as 14.82% and 72.24% respectively using the direct filter-bank approach. However, this overestimation error can be corrected using the modified method presented, reducing the estimation error by a factor of 28.9 and 34.64 for those angles, respectively.
The adaptive increase in ethanol metabolism due to pretreatment with ethanol: A rapid phenomenon

Abstract Simple models were developed to study changes in oxygen uptake in perfused rat liver and increases in ethanol metabolism in vivo. Results obtained 2.5 hours following a large dose of ethanol were quantitatively similar to those seen after 24 hours or 5 weeks. The rapidity of the increase indicated that SIAM represents an activation rather than an adaptation. Pathways responsible for the swift increase in alcohol metabolism (SIAM) in the perfused rat liver were investigated through the use of ouabain and were found to be related to diminished glycolysis and another unidentified pathway. Investigation of pathways responsible for the increase in ethanol metabolism in vivo following ethanol treatment implicated the alcohol dehydrogenase pathway as that mainly responsible for the adaptive increase, although a catalase-H2O2-dependent component was also involved. The rate of NADH reoxidation generally appeared to be the rate-limiting step. In addition, the genetic aspect of SIAM was indicated through selective breeding resulting in F1 generations of non-SIAM and SIAM rats.
Distribution and oligomeric association of splice forms of Na+-K+-ATPase regulatory γ-subunit in rat kidney

Renal Na+-K+-ATPase is associated with the γ-subunit (FXYD2), a single-span membrane protein that modifies ATPase properties. There are two splice variants with different amino termini, γa and γb. ...
A framework for self-healing and optimizing routing techniques for mobile ad hoc networks

On demand routing protocols provide scalable and cost-effective solutions for packet routing in mobile wireless ad hoc networks. The paths generated by these protocols may deviate far from the optimal because of the lack of knowledge about the global topology and the mobility of nodes. Routing optimality affects network performance and energy consumption, especially when the load is high. In this paper, we define routing optimality using different metrics such as path length, energy consumption along the path, and energy aware load balancing among the nodes. We then propose a framework of Self-Healing and Optimizing Routing Techniques (SHORT) for mobile ad hoc networks. While using SHORT, all the neighboring nodes monitor the route and try to optimize it if and when a better local subpath is available. Thus SHORT enhances performance in terms of bandwidth and latency without incurring any significant additional cost. In addition, SHORT can be also used to determine paths that result in low energy consumption or to optimize the residual battery power. Thus, we have detailed two broad classes of SHORT algorithms: Path-Aware SHORT and Energy-Aware SHORT. Finally, we evaluate SHORT using the ns-2 simulator. The results demonstrate that the performance of existing routing schemes can be significantly improved using the proposed SHORT algorithms.
Speed sensorless AC drive fed by three-level inverter with full-dimensional spiral vector control for improved low-speed performance

In low speed control of a speed-sensorless induction motor drive, machine stator resistance variation is commonly attributed to the deterioration in motor flux and speed estimation. Further analysis shows that the estimated value of field orientation angle is corrupted by accumulative errors from the integration of motor terminal variables which have low signal/noise ratio. An error loop-effect speeds up the degradation process. Control information starvation takes place in conventional sensorless control systems which control the machine spiral vectors in reduced dimension in this situation. A novel control scheme is developed to improve the control of motor current, torque and speed. The scheme employs full dimensional vector control approach and is less sensitive to the combined effect of the error sources and loop effect in the frequency range of interest. Preliminary experimental tests demonstrate promising results which are achievable even below 0.5 Hz.
Item Variances and Median Splits: Some Encouraging and Reassuring Findings

The article by Bissonnette, Ickes, Bernstein, and Knowles (1990) presented in this issue contains a series of simulations which vary widely in the degree to which they resemble the parameters that have been found in actual data. Their conclusions feature warnings based on simulations containing large confounds between trait extremity and item variance. In real data, however, the corresponding confounds typically have been small. When Bissonnette et al. used appropriately small confounds in their simulations, their results showed that median split techniques failed to inflate Type I error rates. The constructive implications of Bissonnette et al.'s simulations indicate that moderator-variable researchers should always perform a simple check for range restriction and for variance-extremity confounds, and that there is no danger of spurious conclusions as long as these checks conform to what has typically been found with real data.
Integrating ecophysiology and forest landscape models to improve projections of drought effects under climate change

Fundamental drivers of ecosystem processes such as temperature and precipitation are rapidly changing and creating novel environmental conditions. Forest landscape models (FLM) are used by managers and policy-makers to make projections of future ecosystem dynamics under alternative management or policy options, but the links between the fundamental drivers and projected responses are weak and indirect, limiting their reliability for projecting the impacts of climate change. We developed and tested a relatively mechanistic method to simulate the effects of changing precipitation on species competition within the LANDIS-II FLM. Using data from a field precipitation manipulation experiment in a pinon pine (Pinus edulis) and juniper (Juniperus monosperma) ecosystem in New Mexico (USA), we calibrated our model to measurements from ambient control plots and tested predictions under the drought and irrigation treatments against empirical measurements. The model successfully predicted behavior of physiological variables under the treatments. Discrepancies between model output and empirical data occurred when the monthly time step of the model failed to capture the short-term dynamics of the ecosystem as recorded by instantaneous field measurements. We applied the model to heuristically assess the effect of alternative climate scenarios on the pinon-juniper ecosystem and found that warmer and drier climate reduced productivity and increased the risk of drought-induced mortality, especially for pinon. We concluded that the direct links between fundamental drivers and growth rates in our model hold great promise to improve our understanding of ecosystem processes under climate change and improve management decisions because of its greater reliance on first principles.
Role for actin filament turnover and a myosin II motor in cytoskeleton-driven disassembly of the epithelial apical junctional complex

Disassembly of the epithelial apical junctional complex (AJC), composed of the tight junction (TJ) and adherens junction (AJ), is important for normal tissue remodeling and pathogen-induced disruption of epithelial barriers. Using a calcium depletion model in T84 epithelial cells, we previously found that disassembly of the AJC results in endocytosis of AJ/TJ proteins. In the present study, we investigated the role of the actin cytoskeleton in disassembly and internalization of the AJC. Calcium depletion induced reorganization of apical F-actin into contractile rings. Internalized AJ/TJ proteins colocalized with these rings. Both depolymerization and stabilization of F-actin inhibited ring formation and disassembly of the AJC, suggesting a role for actin filament turnover. Actin reorganization was accompanied by activation (dephosphorylation) of cofilin-1 and its translocation to the F-actin rings. In addition, Arp3 and cortactin colocalized with these rings. F-actin reorganization and disassembly of the AJC were blocked by blebbistatin, an inhibitor of nonmuscle myosin II. Myosin IIA was expressed in T84 cells and colocalized with F-actin rings. We conclude that disassembly of the AJC in calcium-depleted cells is driven by reorganization of apical F-actin. Mechanisms of such reorganization involve cofilin-1-dependent depolymerization and Arp2/3-assisted repolymerization of actin filaments as well as myosin IIA-mediated contraction.
Alternatives For Incorporating Opportunity Cost Of Time In Recreation Demand Models

The importance of accounting for a respondent’s travel time in recreation demand models is well established. In practice, most analysts use a fixed fraction of the respondent’s wage rate to value travel time. However, other approaches have been suggested in the literature. In this paper revealed and stated preference data on Iowa wetland usage is used to explore various specifications of travel time. It is shown that the choice of a particular specification has a direct impact on welfare estimates as well as the consistency between revealed and stated preference data.
ENABLING DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING FOR INTERNET ANALYSIS WITH GENX

This paper describes how an XML mapping of a product neutral standard, GenCAM sm , has been used in combination with a JavaScript XML parser to enable product-data driven analysis from a web interface. This client side processing of detailed design data results in greater accuracy of analysis inputs, lower Internet bandwidth requirements, and greater intellectual property security. The web interface lowers the barriers to use of sophisticated CAE analysis software, enabling tool use by product and process experts throughout the supply chain. An example illustration based on a Plated Through Hole thermomechanical analysis is presented. Application to an Internet-based Engineering Service Bureau is discussed.
Adolescent Growth and Development with Implications for Youth SportsCoaches

The past 20 years have witnessed a rapid growth in youth and school based sports. With about 60 million American youth participating in organized sports, the need has never been greater for coaches that understand the rapid physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence, especially during peak height velocity. The purpose of this commentary is to advocate for applying scientific principles of adolescent growth and development to youth sports coaching. The vehicle for this argument is a hypothetical high school and two fictitious coaches. It was concluded that well-informed and reflective coaches could readily apply basic principles of adolescent growth and development to practice design and game competition. The likely results include a better, safer, more rewarding experience for millions of youth.
Where's the text? The problem of validation in psychoanalysis.

Whatever their differences, the various schools of psychoanalysis all subscribe to the case study, based on clinical vignette and anecdote, as the “text” of psychoanalysis. Because the typical case study presents not the actual analytic dialogue but a reconstruction based on the analyst's selective memory , the use of such a text renders problematic the validation of an analyst's case formulation, and has traditionally diminished the epistemological status of psychoanalysis. Pristine clinical data, as would be provided by verbatim transcripts of audio-recorded analytic sessions, are rarely created and even more rarely made public. Study of the psychoanalytic process is thereby made impossible, whether by clinical exegesis, qualitative analysis , or quantitative statistical analysis . Yet the analytic community, highly resistant to this public documentation, continues to marshal five common arguments against it. These arguments are reviewed and responded to in the belief that such documentation would enhance the field's intellectual status by allowing the problem of clinical validation to be addressed in ways that move beyond appeals to the authority of private clinical experience. In his provocative book, Is There a Text in This Class? , the literary theorist Stanley Fish (1986) tells the following story, whence the book's title: On the first day of the new semester a colleague at Johns Hopkins University was approached by a student who, as it turned out, had just taken a course from me. She put to him what I think you would agree is a perfectly straightforward question: “ Is there a text in this class? ”
Thermally triggered self-assembly of folded proteins into vesicles.

We report thermally triggered self-assembly of folded proteins into vesicles that incorporates globular proteins as building blocks. Leucine zipper coiled coils were combined with either globular proteins or elastin-like polypeptides as recombinant fusion proteins, which form “rod–coil” and “globule-rod–coil” protein complex amphiphiles. In aqueous solution, they self-assembled into hollow vesicles via temperature-responsive inverse phase transition. The characteristic of the protein vesicle membranes enables preferential encapsulation of simultaneously formed protein coacervate. Furthermore, the type of encapsulated cargo extends to small molecules and nanoparticles. Our approach offers a versatile strategy to create protein vesicles as vehicles with biological functionality.
Joint full-waveform inversion of time-lapse seismic data sets

We present a technique for reconstructing subsurface model changes from time-lapse seismic survey data using fullwaveform inversion (FWI). The technique is based on simultaneously inverting multiple survey vintages, with regularization of the model difference. In addition to the fully simultaneous FWI that requires the solution of a larger optimization problem, we propose a simplified cross-updating workflow that can be implemented using the existing FWI tools. The proposed methods are demonstrated on synthetic examples, and their robustness with regard to repeatability issues is compared to alternative techniques, such as parallel, sequential, and doubledifference methods.
Laboratory Evaluation of Adjuvants for Use with Baculovirus heliothis Virus

Formulations of Elcar ( Baculovirus heliothis ) consisting of potential adjuvants were evaluated in standardized laboratory bioassay tests against 24-h-old Heliothis zea (Boddie) larvae. A cottonseed flour adjuvant consisting of 62.5% cottonseed flour, 12.5% cottonseed oil, 25% sucrose, and 0.004% Tween 80 caused significantly higher bioassay mortality rates than the other adjuvants evaluated or than a standard Elcar-water formulation. Evaluation of the individual constituents of this adjuvant indicated that the cottonseed flour or those combinations including cottonseed flour caused significantly higher mortality rates than did either the individual or combinations of cottonseed oil, sucrose, or Tween 80. The compatibility and potential of selected gustatory, thixotrophic, protective, and surfactant agents indicated that these agents may cause slight inhibition of the insecticidal activity of the formulations. The amount of cottonseed flour in the test formulations was directly related to insecticidal activity; activity decreased as flour content was reduced from 15% (highest) to 0.5% (lowest). Formulations containing 7.5% cottonseed or soybean flour provided the most consistent mortality rates and represented the upper limit of mixability. No differences in mortality rates occurred among a 7.5% cottonseed flour, a 7.5% cottonseed flour hydrolyzate, and a 5% cottonseed flour formulation, indicating that the active factor (s) is water soluble and is not related to particulate size or content. The addition of various adjuvants to formulations containing Elcar increased bollworm bioassay mortality rates 8- to 10-fold in laboratory tests.
Cross-linking-based flexibility and proximity relationships between the TM segments of the Escherichia coli YidC.

The YidC family members function to insert proteins into membranes in bacteria, chloroplasts, and mitochondria, and they can also act as a platform to fold and assemble proteins into higher-order complexes. Here, we provide information about the proximity relationships and dynamics of the five conserved C-terminal transmembrane (TM) regions within Escherichia coli YidC. By using a YidC construct with tandem thrombin protease sites introduced into the cytoplasmic loop C1, cross-linking between paired-Cys residues located within TM segments or in the membrane border regions was studied using thio-specific homobifunctional cross-linking agents with different spanner lengths or by iodine-catalyzed disulfide formation. These in vivo cross-linking studies that can detect transient interactions and different conformational states of the protein show that TM3, TM4, TM5, and TM6 each have a face oriented toward TM2 of the in vivo expressed YidC. The studies also reveal that YidC is a dynamic protein, as cross-link...
Probabilistic Interpretation of CSEM Resistivity

Summary Probabilistic rock physics modeling provides a way of interpreting CSEM-derived resistivities that accounts for the ambiguous relationship between resistivity and hydrocarbon presence. A synthetic data example illustrates how the interpretation of a resistivity anomaly depends on prior knowledge of rock and fluid properties. Because the depth interval sensed by CSEM is typically much larger than the net thickness of the target reservoir, the assumed properties of the non-net can have a large impact on the interpretation.
Clinical Analysis of the Treatment of 118 Cases of Infant Pneumonia with Cefmetazon

[Objective] To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of Cefmetazon in the treatment of infant pneumonia.[Methods]118 infant pneumonia patients were found sensitive to Cefmetazon through bacteriostatic test in vitro and were given Cefmetazon vein transfusion 100~150mg/kg.d,bid or qid;the patients' temperature,peripheral hemogram,blood BUN and ALT changes were observed;bacteria culture was made on the 7~10 days' sputum;the symptoms and physical signs were recorded in order to judge the efficacy and side effects.[Results]After 10 to 14 days' treatment,108 cases totally recovered,6 cases had obvious effect,4 cases had no effect,and the total effective rate was 96.6%.[Conclusion] Cefmetazon is significantly effective and reliable in the treatment of infant pneumonia.
Circulating Aldosterone Levels and Disease Severity in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Objectives: It is not known whether aldosterone levels are associated with increased mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The primary goal of this study was to determine whether circulating aldosterone levels predict severity of PAH in terms of hemodynamic characteristics and mortality. Methods: Patients with stable PAH were enrolled at the Baylor PH program. The plasma levels of aldosterone and BNP were measured. Clinical, hemodynamic, and outcome data was collected by chart review. Mean follow up time from study enrollment was 39 ± 102 months. Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess time to death. Results: There were 125 PAH patients with plasma aldosterone levels. Median aldosterone level was 9.9 pg/ml (25th-75th percentile: 4.1 pg/ml, 27.1 pg/ml) and median brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level was 67.5 pg/ml (25th- 75th percentile: 31 pg/ml, 225 pg/ml). Aldosterone levels were not significantly associated with BNP levels, six-minute walk distance, Borg dyspnea score, right ventricular systolic pressure, cardiac output and cardiac index. However, the association between aldosterone and right atrial pressure was dependent on mineralocorticoid receptor blocker treatment (Coef.=2.88, 95CI: 1.19, 4.56, p=0.001). By log-rank statistic there was no statistical difference between the survival of patients divided by median aldosterone level (p=0.914). However, there was a significant difference in patient survival between the BNP categories (p 180 pg/mL) had a shorter survival time. conclusions: The aldosterone level was not associated with increased mortality in PAH but was a marker of disease severity.
Herpesvirus type 2 in genitourinary tract infections.

Six of 8 patients with herpes genitalis were found to have herpesvirus in the urine. All patients with viruria experienced dysuria while the 2 patients with recurrent lesions and no dysuria did not have virus in the urine. The virus was recovered primarily from the cells in the urinary sediment. The observations suggest that dysuria associated with herpes genitalis may be caused by herpetic cystitis.
Oligopolistic Competition and Consumer Benchmarking in a Rivalrous Consonance Market Structure: Measurable Characteristics

Chapter 8 dealt with optimization models for price and core quality characteristics of an isolated firm when those core characteristics were the extent and consistency of product durability and the length of warranty period, and were for products which do not age or wear out with time and those that do. This chapter extends this decision making into a duopolistic model of strategic interdependence under the regime of rivalrous consonance described and illustrated in Chapter 3. As in Chapter 8, firms’ decisions involve ρi, μi, σi and wi, or price, mean time to failure (MTTF) the standard deviation of the MTTF density function, and length of warranty period. In the interest of focussing on the implications of duopolistic rivalry, the models in this chapter will deal only with the case of products that suffer wear and tear with age, so that the probability of failure rises with the age of the product.
Maintenance of Blinding in Clinical Trials and the Implications for Studying Analgesia Using Cannabinoids.

Abstract The design of analgesic clinical trials invariably involves a comparison between placebo and active study medication. An assumption is made that treatment effects can be approximated by subtracting the response to placebo from that attained with the use of active study medication. However, the psychoactivity of cannabinoids may unmask their presence and lead to an expectation and/or conditioning of pain relief. For example, study participants biased toward the belief that cannabis is beneficial for their condition might be more inclined to report positive effects if they were to accurately identify the active treatment because of its psychoactivity. This may lead to incorrect assumptions regarding the efficacy of a cannabinoid. Methodologies designed to counteract unmasking need to be implemented in the design phase of a study. During the clinical trial, it is also important to query participants as to which treatment they believe they have received. Blinding can be considered to be preserved whe...
Histone H2B-IFI16 Recognition of Nuclear Herpesviral Genome Induces Cytoplasmic Interferon-β Responses

IFI16 (gamma-interferon-inducible protein 16), a predominantly nuclear protein involved in transcriptional regulation, also functions as an innate immune response DNA sensor and induces the IL-1β and antiviral type-1 interferon-β (IFN-β) cytokines. We have shown that IFI16, in association with BRCA1, functions as a sequence independent nuclear sensor of episomal dsDNA genomes of KSHV, EBV and HSV-1. Recognition of these herpesvirus genomes resulted in IFI16 acetylation, BRCA1-IFI16-ASC-procaspase-1 inflammasome formation, cytoplasmic translocation, and IL-1β generation. Acetylated IFI16 also interacted with cytoplasmic STING and induced IFN-β. However, the identity of IFI16 associated nuclear proteins involved in STING activation and the mechanism is not known. Mass spectrometry of proteins precipitated by anti-IFI16 antibodies from uninfected endothelial cell nuclear lysate revealed that histone H2B interacts with IFI16. Single and double proximity ligation microscopy, immunoprecipitation, EdU-genome labeled virus infection, and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that H2B is associated with IFI16 and BRCA1 in the nucleus in physiological conditions. De novo KSHV and HSV-1 infection as well as latent KSHV and EBV infection induces the cytoplasmic distribution of H2B-IFI16, H2B-BRCA1 and IFI16-ASC complexes. Vaccinia virus (dsDNA) cytoplasmic replication didn’t induce the redistribution of nuclear H2B-IFI16 or H2B into the cytoplasm. H2B is critical in KSHV and HSV-1 genome recognition by IFI16 during de novo infection. Viral genome sensing by IFI16-H2B-BRCA1 leads to BRCA1 dependent recruitment of p300, and acetylation of H2B and IFI16. BRCA1 knockdown or inhibition of p300 abrogated the acetylation of H2B-IFI16 or H2B. Ran-GTP protein mediated the translocation of acetylated H2B and IFI16 to the cytoplasm along with BRCA1 that is independent of IFI16-ASC inflammasome. ASC knockdown didn’t affect the acetylation of H2B, its cytoplasmic transportation, and the association of STING with IFI16 and H2B during KSHV infection. Absence of H2B didn’t affect IFI16-ASC association and cytoplasmic distribution and thus demonstrating that IFI16-H2B complex is independent of IFI16-ASC-procaspase-1-inflammasome complex formed during infection. The H2B-IFI16-BRCA1 complex interacted with cGAS and STING in the cytoplasm leading to TBK1 and IRF3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of pIRF3 and IFN-β production. Silencing of H2B, cGAS and STING inhibited IFN-β induction but not IL-1β secretion, and cGAMP activity is significantly reduced by H2B and IFI16 knockdown during infection. Silencing of ASC inhibited IL-1β secretion but not IFN-β secretion during de novo KSHV and HSV-1 infection. These studies identify H2B as an innate nuclear sensor mediating a novel extra chromosomal function, and reveal that two IFI16 complexes mediate KSHV and HSV-1 genome recognition responses, with recognition by the IFI16-BRCA1-H2B complex resulting in IFN-β responses and recognition by IFI16-BRCA1 resulting in inflammasome responses.
Multiple Roles for Hedgehog Signalling in Zebrafish Eye Development

The Hedgehog signalling pathway is important in a large number of developmental contexts. In this review, several functions of this pathway for vertebrate eye formation and differentiation will be discussed, with an emphasis on information derived from the zebrafish model. The highlighted roles for Hedgehog signalling include those in photoreceptor development, ganglion cell development, retinal cell proliferation and cell death, and the initiation of retinal neurogenesis.