cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolism of epidermal tissues, mesophyll cells, and bundle sheath strands resolved from mature nutsedge leaves.

Abstract Mesophyll cells and bundle sheath strands were isolated from Cyperus rotundus L. leaf sections infiltrated with a mixture of cellulase and pectinase followed by a gentle mortar and pestle grind. The leaf suspension was filtered through a filter assembly and mesophyll cells and bundle sheath strands were collected on 20-μm and 80-μm nylon nets, respectively. For the isolation of leaf epidermal strips longer leaf cross sections were incubated with the enzymes and gently ground as above. Loosely attached epidermal strips were peeled off with forceps. The upper epidermis, which lacks stomata, could be clearly distinguished from the lower epidermis which contains stomata. Microscopic evidence for identification and assessment of purity is provided for each isolated tissue. Enzymes related to the C4-dicarboxylic acid cycle such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, malate dehydrogenase (NADP+), pyruvate, Pi dikinase were found to be localized, ≥98%, in mesophyll cells. Enzymes related to operating the reductive pentose phosphate cycle such as RuDP carboxylase, phosphoribulose kinase, and malic enzyme are distributed, ≥99%, in bundle sheath strands. Other photosynthetic enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase, pyrophosphatase, adenylate kinase, and glyceraldehyde 3-P dehydrogenase (NADP+) are quite active in both mesophyll and bundle sheath tissues. Enzymes involved in photorespiration such as RuDP oxygenase, catalase, glycolate oxidase, hydroxypyruvate reductase (NAD+), and phosphoglycolate phosphatase are preferentially localized, ≥84%, in bundle sheath strands. Nitrate and nitrite reductase can be found only in mesophyll cells, while glutamate dehydrogenase is present, ≥96%, in bundle sheath strands. Starch- and sucrose-synthesizing enzymes are about equally distributed between the mesophyll and bundle sheath tissues, except that the less active phosphorylase was found mainly in bundle sheath strands. Fructose-1,6-diP aldolase, which is a key enzyme in photosynthesis and glycolysis leading to sucrose and starch synthesis, is localized, ≥90%, in bundle sheath strands. The glycolytic enzymes, phosphoglyceromutase and enolase, have the highest activity in mesophyll cells, while the mitochondrial enzyme, cytochrome c oxidase, is more active in bundle sheath strands. The distribution of total nutsedge leaf chlorophyll, protein, and PEP carboxylase activity, using the resolved leaf components, is presented. 14CO2 Fixation experiments with the intact nutsedge leaves and isolated mesophyll and bundle sheath tissues show that complete C4 photosynthesis is compartmentalized into mesophyll CO2 fixation via PEP carboxylase and bundle sheath CO2 fixation via RuDP carboxylase. These results were used to support the proposed pathway of carbon assimilation in C4-dicarboxylic acid photosynthesis and to discuss the individual metabolic characteristics of intact mesophyll cells, bundle sheath cells, and epidermal tissues.
Norepinephrine-induced Apoptosis Is Inhibited in Adult Rat Ventricular Myocytes Exposed to Volatile Anesthetics

BACKGROUND Volatile anesthetics are used to provide anesthesia to patients with heart disease under heightened adrenergic drive. The purpose of this study was to test whether volatile anesthetics can inhibit norepinephrine (NE)-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. METHODS Rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were exposed to NE (10 microm) alone or in the presence of increasing concentrations of isoflurane and halothane. RESULTS Isoflurane at 1.6 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) (4 +/- 2% [SD]) and halothane at 1.2 MAC (3 +/- 2%) abolished the percentage of cardiomyocytes undergoing NE-induced apoptosis (34 +/- 8%), as assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) (P < 0.0001). Lower concentrations of isoflurane and halothane markedly decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells. Similarly, isoflurane at 1.6 MAC (5 +/- 3%) and halothane at 1.2 MAC (6 +/- 3%) prevented the increase in annexinV-staining cardiomyocytes (38 +/- 7%; P < 0. 0001). These findings were corroborated with a decreased quantity of NE-induced DNA laddering by volatile anesthetics. Halothane at 1.2 MAC abolished the increase in TUNEL-positive cardiomyocytes exposed to the dihydropyridine Ca2+-channel agonist BAY K-8644 (1 microm) (BAY K-8644 + halothane: 3 +/- 2% vsBAY K-8644: 34 +/- 6%; P < 0. 0001) and the Ca2+-ionophore 4-bromo-A23187 (1 microm) (4-bromo-A23187 + halothane: 2 +/- 2% vs4-bromo-A23187: 13 +/- 4%; P = 0.03). NE treatment increased caspase-9 activity to 197 +/- 62% over control myocytes (P < 0.0001), whereas no caspase-8 activation was detectable. This increase in caspase-9 activity was blocked by isoflurane at 1.6 MAC and halothane at 1.2 MAC. CONCLUSIONS Volatile anesthetics offer significant protection against beta-adrenergic apoptotic death signaling in ventricular cardiomyocytes. The authors present evidence that this protection is mainly mediated through modulation of cellular Ca2+ homeostasis and inhibition of the apoptosis initiator caspase-9.
Large-scale quantum field theory calculations on supercomputers

Abstract Large-scale calculations are used to evaluate the spin forces among quarks, from first principles. Applications to hadronic spectroscopy are discussed.
The Twilight o Reform: Advanced Progressives After the Armistice

(1971). The Twilight o Reform: Advanced Progressives After the Armistice. The Historian: Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 349-364.
The worldwide burden of postpartum haemorrhage: Policy development where inaction is lethal

Most maternal deaths occur to women who are not attended by trained health professionals. Postpartum hemorrhage is the single most common cause of maternal death. The delivery of large haemochorial placenta in our species predisposes to heavy bleeding and can be dealt with only by using effective uterotonics. The 1987 Safe Motherhood Initiative has failed to reduce maternal mortality significantly, and shortages of trained personnel will not be remedied in the foreseeable future. Bold new policies are imperative and need to be derived from an appropriate evidence base. It is suggested that these should include the low-cost shock garments in primary health facilities and making misoprostol easily accessible in both the public and private sector.
Regulation of G1/S transition and induction of apoptosis in HL‐60 leukemia cells by fenretinide (4HPR)

We previously reported that all-trans retinoic acid (RA) and fenretinide (4HPR) suppress HL-60 leukemia cell growth and cause partial cell arrest in the G1-to-S phase. Moreover, 4HPR but not RA induces apoptosis in HL-60 cells. To investigate further the observed biological effects, cyclin D1 and cdk4 expression and the level of phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein Rb were assessed. Cyclin D1 and cdk4 expression and Rb phosphorylation were significantly reduced, by 40-75%, after 24 hr of treatment with RA or 4HPR; these decreases were either transient, e.g., only at 24 hr for cdk4, or sustained for 72 hr. In general, more pronounced decreases were seen in the 4HPR-treated cells. Evidence for 4HPR-induced apoptosis comes from (1) cleavage of the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) to an 89-kDa truncated product, (2) appearance of DNA ladders on agarose gel electrophoresis, and (3) higher incorporation in situ of digoxigenin nucleotides into the free 3'-ends of DNA. Overnight pretreatment with 0.5-5.0 microM of the CPP32 inhibitor DEVD, but not the ICE inhibitor YVAD, significantly reduced the specific processing of PARP, suggesting that CPP32 is involved in the mechanism of action of 4HPR. Analysis of 2 lipid-derived second messengers, ceramide and diacylglycerol (DAG), as a function of time of treatment with RA or 4HPR, showed ceramide but not DAG to be significantly albeit transiently increased 2-fold at 3 hr, by 4HPR. To test further whether ceramide may be involved in the signaling cascade that culminates in the induction of apoptosis in 4HPR-treated HL-60 cells, the effects of fumonisin B1, an inhibitor of ceramide synthase, were studied. Simultaneous treatment of cells with 4HPR and 25-100 microM fumonisin B1 resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the elevation in ceramide, the extent of PARP cleavage, and induction of apoptosis. Pretreatment with DEVD or YVAD, on the other hand, had no effect on the 4HPR-induced increase in ceramide.
Weak amenability of CAT(0) cubical groups

We prove that if G is a discrete group that admits a metrically proper action on a finite-dimensional CAT(0) cube complex X, then G is weakly amenable. We do this by constructing uniformly bounded Hilbert space representations πz for which the quantities zl(g) are matrix coefficients. Here l is a length function on G obtained from the combinatorial distance function on the complex X.
IB4-Binding DRG Neurons Switch from NGF to GDNF Dependence in Early Postnatal Life

We have tested the role of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in regulating a group of putatively nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons that do not express calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and that downregulate the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor tyrosine kinase, TrkA, after birth. We show that mRNA and protein for the GDNF receptor tyrosine kinase, Ret, are expressed in the DRG in patterns that differ markedly from those of any of the neurotrophin receptors. Most strikingly, a population of small neurons initiates expression of Ret between embryonic day 15.5 and postnatal day 7.5 and maintains Ret expression into adulthood. These Ret-expressing small neurons are selectively labeled by the lectin IB4 and project to lamina IIi of the dorsal horn. Ret-expressing neurons also express the glycosyl-phosphatidyl inositol-linked (GPI-linked) GDNF binding component GDNFR-alpha and retrogradely transport 125I-GDNF, indicating the presence of a biologically active GDNF receptor complex. In vitro, GDNF supports the survival of small neurons that express Ret and bind IB4 while failing to support the survival of neurons expressing TrkA and CGRP. Together, our findings suggest that IB4-binding neurons switch from dependence on NGF in embryonic life to dependence on GDNF in postnatal life and are likely regulated by GDNF in maturity.
Risk perception following exposure to a job-related electrocution accident: the mediating role of perceived control

Perceived control was proposed to be a significant mediator for the relation often observed between mental simulation (simulation heuristic) and perceived personal risk for future lethal events. Baron and Kenny's (1986) procedure for testing a mediational hypothesis was used to evaluate this hypothesis. Employees of a recreational facility where a lifeguard was accidently electrocuted and a matched control group (N = 32) estimated their perceived risk for future electrocution events, how much personal control they believed they had over preventing future events, and the degree of clarity for mentally simulating future events. Although perceived control was not found to be a significant mediator for the relation between mental simulation and perceived risk as hypothesized, both mental simulation and perceived control accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in perceived risk for future electrocution events. The trauma group reported significantly higher ratings for perceived risk and mental simulation of future events. However, the trauma group did not differ from the non-trauma group on perceived control over future events. Possible explanations for the relatively high degree of perceived control over future electrocution events within the trauma group, in spite of their experience with a near-fatal electrocution event, are discussed.
ISOTOPIC COMPOSITIONS OF TERRESTRIAL THORIUM: A SEARCH IN TERRESTRIAL THORIUM FOR THE UNIDENTIFIED EXCESS 4.6 MeV ALPHA-ACTIVITY OF LUNAR THORIUM

Since thorium in lunar crystalline rocks was reported to be excessive in 4.6 MeV alpha-activity up to 80%, which was attributed to a long-lived isomer of232Th with an origin different from normal thorium, we have measured alpha-spectra of various terrestrial thorium in order to see if terrestrial thorium also contains some excess 4.6 MeV alpha-activity. The results showed that the content of the excess 4.6 MeV alpha-activity in terrestrial thorium, if any, is much less than 3%. An approach to set an upper limit for the excess alpha-activity in terrestrial thorium is proposed. The origin of the excess alpha-activity is discussed.
A Causal-Correlational Investigation Of The Performance, Satisfaction, And Reward Relationship

In recent years, an increasing number of researchers have exhibited an interest in the possible relationships between the variables of task performance, organizational rewards, and worker satisfaction. The most recent theoretical proposition holds that any empirical relationship between the variables is directly dependent upon performance-reward contingencies. The research reported was designed to empirically investigate the causal inferences concerning the relationship between contingent rewards and performance, contingent rewards and satisfaction, and performance and satisfaction within an organizational setting where rewards (pay) are strongly contingent upon performance.The results of the data analysis support the proposition that performance-contingent rewards have direct causal impact on performance. However, due to the low predictive correlations, no generalized causal priority could be empirically verified between contingent rewards and satisfaction or between performance and satisfaction.
Novel application of a balloon-anchoring technique for the realignment of a prolapsed Pipeline Embolization Device: a technical report

Background Flow-diverting stents represent a substantial advancement in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. They can, however, be associated with unique complications that may require management through adjunctive techniques. Objective To present a technical report of a salvage technique used to realign a prolapsed Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) during the treatment of a giant internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm. Methods A patient in his late 70s with an incidental giant supraclinoid ICA aneurysm presented for endovascular consideration. Treatment was planned using the PED. Following placement of the device there were two focal areas of incomplete expansion and balloon angioplasty was performed. This manipulation resulted in foreshortening of the distal aspect of the PED which caused the device to prolapse into the aneurysm. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to regain distal access, a salvage technique was attempted in which a balloon was inflated in the middle cerebral artery and, by applying traction, the PED was realigned with the parent artery. Results After the PED was realigned, direct distal catheter access was achieved and a second Pipeline device was deployed, successfully covering the aneurysm neck with resultant flow stasis. The patient had no postoperative issues and was discharged 2 days later without deficit. Conclusions The balloon-anchoring technique was successfully used to realign a PED that had prolapsed into a giant ICA aneurysm. This maneuver prevented potentially disastrous complications and allowed the satisfactory completion of the aneurysm embolization. This represents a useful salvage technique that should be considered when encountering a prolapsed stent.
N2Fixation Response to Drought in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.)

Abstract Nitrogen fixation activity in common bean is generally thought to be low and sensitive to soil drying and, consequently, drought can have important negative effects on N accumulation and yield potential. The objectives of this research were to examine the response of N 2 fixation to drought stress in common bean, and to test the hypothesis that drought sensitivity of N 2 fixation in common bean is linked to ureide levels in the plants. Two glasshouse experiments were conducted to compare the responses of leaf transpiration and acetylene reduction activity (ARA) to soil water contents. ARA decrease during soil dehydration was found to lag behind the decline in transpiration. This indicates that ARA is relatively less sensitive to soil dehydration compared to leaf gas exchange. Further, in comparing two cultivars there was no consistent difference in the relative response of ARA and transpiration to soil drying. The ureide concentrations measured in common bean plants were low, ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 mmol l -1 in xylem sap exudates. Ureide concentrations in the sap exudate varied significantly among the two genotypes even though there was no difference in ARA response to drought. It was concluded that in common bean, the lower sensitivity of N 2 fixation to drought compared to leaf gas exchange could be related to low ureide concentrations in petioles and xylem sap.
Application of a fiber-reactive chitosan derivative to cotton fabric as an antimicrobial textile finish

A fiber-reactive chitosan derivative, O-acrylamidomethyl-N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan chloride (NMA-HTCC), was applied to cotton fabrics by a cold pad-batch method in the presence of an alkaline catalyst to evaluate its use as a durable antimicrobial textile finish. The antimicrobial activities of the NMA-HTCC treated cotton fabrics were evaluated quantitatively against Staphylococcus aureus. The cotton treated with NMA-HTCC at a concentration of 1% on weight of fabric showed 100% of bacterial reduction. The activity was maintained over 99% even after being exposed to 50 consecutive home laundering condition. The effect of an anionic surfactant on the antimicrobial activity of the NMA-HTCC treated fabric was discussed.
Predictive models and CAD methodology for pattern dependent variability

Lithography, etch and stress are dominant effects impacting the functionality and performance of designs at 65 nm and below. This paper discusses pattern dependent variability caused by these effects and discusses a model-based approach to extracting this variability. A methodology to gauge the extent of this pattern dependent variability for standard cells is presented by looking at the difference in transistor parameters when the cell is analyze in different contexts. A full-chip methodology that addresses the delay change due to systematic varation has been introduced to analyze and repair a 65 nm digital design.
Perpetrators’ and Victims’ Attributions for IPV A Critical Review of the Literature

Research shows that there are a variety of reasons why people self-report engaging in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, but few studies report victims’ attributions for their partners’ IPV perpetration. Because there are two acting partners in relationships, as well as the IPV incidents that occur in the relationships, to fully understand the dynamics of IPV, both partners’ perceptions of why the incidents occur must be understood. The authors of this article systematically reviewed the available empirical evidence regarding male and female perpetrators’ endorsed attributions for their IPV perpetration, as well victims’ attributions for their partners’ IPV perpetration. Several literature databases were explored, resulting in 50 articles that met the criteria for inclusion in this review. IPV perpetrators’ commonly endorsed attributions for physical and psychological IPV consisted of control, anger, retaliation, self-defense, to get attention, and an inability to express oneself verbally. Rese...
Potential for Response Bias in Family Surveys About End-of-Life Care in the ICU

Background: After-death surveys are an important source of information about the quality of end-of-life care, but response rates generally are low. Our goal was to understand the potential for nonresponse bias in survey studies of family members after a patient’s death in the hospital ICU by identifying differences in patient demographics and delivery of palliative care between patients whose families respond to a survey about end-of-life care and those whose families do not. Methods: We performed a cohort study of patients who died in the ICU at 14 hospitals. Surveys were mailed to family members 1 to 2 months after the patient’s death. Chart abstraction was completed on all patients, assessing demographic characteristics and previously validated indicators of palliative care. Results: Of the 2,016 surveys sent to families, 760 were returned, for a response rate of 38%. Patients whose family members returned the surveys were more likely to be white (88% vs 74%, respectively; p < 0.001); to be older (71 years vs 69 years, respectively; p 0.015); and to have received more indicators of palliative care, including medical record documentation of family present at death, involvement of spiritual care, and dying after a decision to limit life-sustaining therapies (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients whose family members responded to a survey about end-of-life care were more likely to be white, older, and have indicators of palliative care documented in the medical record. Because these patients likely received higher quality palliative care, these findings suggest that the response bias in end-of-life care research is toward overestimating the quality of palliative care. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00685893 (CHEST 2009; 136:1496–1502) Abbreviation: DNR do not resuscitate
A signal processing framework for vehicle re-identification and travel time estimation

Link travel times are crucial information for advanced traveler information system and traffic management applications. However, current systems for estimating them have many limitations. In order to improve travel time estimation, a novel framework for vehicle re-identification via signature matching is proposed. Individual vehicles are matched between well-separated stations in a road transportation network using signatures captured by roadway embedded sensors. Statistical signal processing techniques are used to develop robust signature pre-processing algorithms that support the subsequent signature matching problem, which is formulated using techniques from communication theory. A probabilistic modeling of the observed matching assignments is used to devise a travel time estimation algorithm that is robust to potential misidentifications. The proposed method is tested under real traffic scenarios and satisfactory link travel time measures are reported.
Expression and function of PML-RARA in the hematopoietic progenitor cells of Ctsg-PML-RARA mice.

Because PML-RARA-induced acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a morphologically differentiated leukemia, many groups have speculated about whether its leukemic cell of origin is a committed myeloid precursor (e.g. a promyelocyte) versus an hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC). We originally targeted PML-RARA expression with CTSG regulatory elements, based on the early observation that this gene was maximally expressed in cells with promyelocyte morphology. Here, we show that both Ctsg, and PML-RARA targeted to the Ctsg locus (in Ctsg-PML-RARA mice), are expressed in the purified KLS cells of these mice (KLS = Kit+Lin−Sca+, which are highly enriched for HSPCs), and this expression results in biological effects in multi-lineage competitive repopulation assays. Further, we demonstrate the transcriptional consequences of PML-RARA expression in Ctsg-PML-RARA mice in early myeloid development in other myeloid progenitor compartments [common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) and granulocyte/monocyte progenitors (GMPs)], which have a distinct gene expression signature compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Although PML-RARA is indeed expressed at high levels in the promyelocytes of Ctsg-PML-RARA mice and alters the transcriptional signature of these cells, it does not induce their self-renewal. In sum, these results demonstrate that in the Ctsg-PML-RARA mouse model of APL, PML-RARA is expressed in and affects the function of multipotent progenitor cells. Finally, since PML/Pml is normally expressed in the HSPCs of both humans and mice, and since some human APL samples contain TCR rearrangements and express T lineage genes, we suggest that the very early hematopoietic expression of PML-RARA in this mouse model may closely mimic the physiologic expression pattern of PML-RARA in human APL patients.
Relationship of Medication Use to Health-Related Quality of Life Among a Group of Older American Indians:

This cross-sectional study examines the relationship of polypharmacy to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among a group of older American Indians. An in-home interview and survey were administered to 63 community-dwelling American Indians aged 50 or older who were taking four or more prescription medications regularly. With the component summary scores from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 instrument analyzed as dependent variables, only the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score (r = .30, p = .02), and not the Mental (r = .06, p = .67), was associated with degree of polypharmacy. This association with PCS score remained significant even after controlling for age, sex, and chronic disease score (adjusted β = -.91, p = .045). This study is the first to describe the relationship between polypharmacy and HRQoL among a group of American Indians, and the results support the need for larger and more comprehensive studies of medication use in this special population.
Minimal-order Wiener filter for a system with exact measurements

Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an optimal steady-state state estimator are derived under the assumption that this estimator is a linear functional of the measurements and a finite number of derivatives of the exact measurements. Our conditions are shown to be dual to the generalized Legendre-Clebsch conditions of the dual optimal singular regulator. A separation principle is derived and it is shown that as all process and measurement noise vanishes, the error covariance of our filter converges to a null matrix.
Removal of Group B Streptococci Colonizing the Vagina and Oropharynx of Mice with a Bacteriophage Lytic Enzyme

Group B streptococci (GBS) are the leading cause of neonatal meningitis and sepsis worldwide. The current treatment strategy is limited to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis in pregnant women to prevent early-onset neonatal diseases, but considering the potential for antibiotic resistance, the risk of losing control over the disease is high. To approach this problem, we have developed a bacteriophage (phage) lytic enzyme to remove colonizing GBS. Bacteriophage muralytic enzymes, termed lysins, are highly evolved molecules designed to degrade the cell wall of host bacteria to release phage particles from the bacterial cytoplasm. Several different lysins have been developed to specifically kill bacterial pathogens both on mucosal surfaces and in blood and represent a novel approach to control infection. A lysin cloned from a phage infecting GBS was found to contain two putative catalytic domains and one putative binding domain, which is similar to the domain organization of some staphylococcal phage lysins. The lysin (named PlyGBS) was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified PlyGBS efficiently killed all tested GBS serotypes in vitro. In a mouse model, a single dose of PlyGBS significantly reduced bacterial colonization in both the vagina and oropharynx. As an alternative strategy for intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, this approach may be used to reduce vaginal GBS colonization in pregnant women before delivery or to decontaminate newborns, thus reducing the incidence of GBS-associated neonatal meningitis and sepsis.
Adipogenesis of adipose-derived stem cells may be regulated via the cytoskeleton at physiological oxygen levels in vitro

Introduction Obesity, which is excessive expansion of white adipose tissue, is a major risk factor for several serious health issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Efforts to combat obesity and related diseases require understanding the basic biology of adipogenesis. However, in vitro studies do not result in lipid composition and morphology that are typically seen in vivo, likely because the in vitro conditions are not truly representative of in vivo adipose tissue formation. In vitro, low oxygen tension and cytoskeletal tension have been shown to independently regulate adipogenesis, but in vivo, these two factors simultaneously influence differentiation.
Toward an Understanding of Elderly Seasonal Migration Using Origin-Based Household Data:

Analyses of data from a statewide household survey of older Minnesotans provide estimates of seasonal migration activity that are substantially higher than previous census-based estimates. More important, the data allow for comparisons between the migrant and nonmigrant populations of the same origin state (Minnesota). The findings show distinct differences between the two populations for many socioeconomic household characteristics.
Hyperammonemia, Bane of the Brain

Ammonia, normally produced from catabolism of amino acids, is a deadly neurotoxin. As such, the concentration of free ammonia in the blood is very tightly regulated and is exceeded by two orders of magnitude by its physiologic derivative, urea. The normal capacity for urea production far exceeds the rate of free ammonia production by protein catabolism under normal circumstances, such that any increase in free blood ammonia concentration is a reflection of either biochemical or pharmacologic impairment of urea cycle function or fairly extensive hepatic damage. Clinical signs of hyperammonemia occur at concentrations > 60 micromol/L and include anorexia, irritability, lethargy, vomiting, somnolence, disorientation, asterixis, cerebral edema, coma, and death; appearance of these findings is generally proportional to free ammonia concentration, is progressive, and is independent of the primary etiology. Causes of hyperammonemia include genetic defects in the urea cycle ("primary") or organic acidemias ("secondary"), as well as genetic or acquired disorders resulting in significant hepatic dysfunction. Thus, because of the neurotoxic implications of hyperammonemia and the typical absence of other specific laboratory abnormalities, appearance of the clinical signs should trigger an emergent search for elevated blood ammonia concentration.
AnyStitch: a tool for combining electron backscatter diffraction data sets

Recent advances in electron backscatter diffraction equipment and software have permitted increased data acquisition rates on the order of hundreds of points per second with additional increases in the foreseeable future likely. This increase in speed allows users to collect data from statistically significant areas of samples by combining beam-control scans and automated stage movements. To facilitate data analysis, however, the individual tiles must be combined, or stitched, into a single data set. In this paper, we describe a matlab(®) (The Mathworks, Inc., Natick, MA, USA) program to facilitate stitching of electron backscatter diffraction data. The method offers users a wide range of controls for tile placement including independent overlaps for horizontal and vertical tiles and also includes a parameter to account for systematic stage positioning errors or improperly calibrated scan rotation. The code can stitch data collected on either square or hexagonal grids and contains a function to reduce the resolution of square grid data if the resulting file is too large (or has too many grains) to be opened by the analysis software. The software was primarily written to work with TSL(®) OIM™ data sets and includes a function to quickly read compressed *.osc files into a variable in the matlab(®) workspace as opposed to using slower, text-reading functions. The output file is in *.ang format and can be opened directly by TSL(®) OIM™ Analysis software. A set of functions to facilitate stitching of text-based *.ctf files produced by Oxford Instruments HKL systems are also included. Finally, the code can also be used to combine *.tif images to produce a montage. The source code, a graphical user interface and a compiled version of the software was made available in the online version of this paper.
Parental Limited English Proficiency and Health Outcomes for Children With Special Health Care Needs: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background One in 10 US adults of childbearing age has limited English proficiency (LEP). Parental LEP is associated with worse health outcomes among healthy children. The relationship of parental LEP to health outcomes for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) has not been systematically reviewed. Objective To conduct a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature examining relationships between parental LEP and health outcomes for CSHCN. Data Sources PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Social Science Abstracts, bibliographies of included studies. Key search term categories: language, child, special health care needs, and health outcomes. Eligibility Criteria US studies published between 1964 and 2012 were included if: 1) subjects were CSHCN; 2) studies included some measure of parental LEP; 3) at least 1 outcome measure of child health status, access, utilization, costs, or quality; and 4) primary or secondary data analysis. Methods Three trained reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data. Two separate reviewers appraised studies for methodological rigor and quality. Results From 2765 titles and abstracts, 31 studies met eligibility criteria. Five studies assessed child health status, 12 assessed access, 8 assessed utilization, 2 assessed costs, and 14 assessed quality. Nearly all (29 of 31) studies used only parent- or child-reported outcome measures, rather than objective measures. LEP parents were substantially more likely than English-proficient parents to report that their CSHCN were uninsured and had no usual source of care or medical home. LEP parents were also less likely to report family-centered care and satisfaction with care. Disparities persisted for children with LEP parents after adjustment for ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Conclusions and Implications Parental LEP is independently associated with worse health care access and quality for CSHCN. Health care providers should recognize LEP as an independent risk factor for poor health outcomes among CSHCN. Emerging models of chronic disease care should integrate and evaluate interventions that target access and quality disparities for LEP families.
Impacts of Lapse Rates on Low-Level Rotation in Idealized Storms

AbstractAdiabatic lapse rates appear to be a common feature in the lower troposphere on tornado days. This article reviews physical reasons why lapse rates may influence surface vortex intensification and reports on numerical simulations designed to study the key processes. In the idealized numerical model, an initial mesocyclone-like vortex and nonvarying convection-like heat source are used in different environmental stability profiles. The scales of interest in these simulations typify those of a parent supercell, and the developing circulations constitute direct responses to the imposed heating.Downward parcel displacements are needed for surface vortex development in environments with no preexisting surface vorticity. In the simulations, under neutral stratification there is strong heating-induced subsidence anchored near the storm edge, whereas under stable stratification there are instead gravity waves that propagate away to the far field. In addition, under weak or neutral low-level stratification...
Characterization of a Commercial Gated Silicon Intensified Target Vidicon for Transient, Nonrepetitive Radiation Sources

Response linearity and dynamic range of a gated silicon intensified target vidicon multichannel detector are evaluated for applications involving short pulse, nonrepetitive exposure. A high intensity pulsed hollow cathode lamp and an electrically vaporized thin film plasma generator were used as radiation sources. Qualitative aspects of the vidicon are discussed by analogy with photographic emulsions. The effects of intensifier stage voltage on image intensity and focus are considered. Charging curves are presented for various electron beam scan times and for multiple as well as single interrogation scans. The effect of erase scans prior to the exposure on the shape of the charging curves also is considered. These charging curves suggest that target surface saturation effects result in very inefficient target charging, and multiple interrogation scans are required for quantitative information retrieval. The use of target preparation scans reduces charging efficiency. Using the intensifer gate pulse width for exposure control, plots of target response vs exposure are shown to be linear over at least two decades of exposure but only with multiple interrogation scans using long scan times on a small region of the target surface.
Test cost minimization through adaptive test development

The ever-increasing complexity of mixed-signal circuits imposes an increasingly complicated and comprehensive parametric test requirement, resulting in a highly lengthened manufacturing test phase. Attaining parametric test cost reduction with no test quality degradation constitutes a critical challenge during test development. The capability of parametric test data to capture systematic process variations engenders a highly accurate prediction of the efficiency of each test for a particular lot of chips even on the basis of a small quantity of characterized data. The predicted test efficiency further enables the adjustment of the test set and test order, leading to an early detection of faults. We explore such an adaptive strategy, by introducing a technique that prunes the test set based on a test correlation analysis. A test selection algorithm is proposed to identify the minimum set of tests that delivers a satisfactory defect coverage. A probabilistic measure that reflects the defect detection efficiency is used to order the test set so as to enhance the probability of an early detection of faulty chips. The test sequence is further optimized during the testing process by dynamically adjusting the initial test order to adapt to the local defect pattern fluctuations in the lot of chips under test. Experimental results show that the proposed technique delivers significant test time reductions while attaining higher test quality compared to previous adaptive test methodologies.
Self-Defense and the State

This article is a contribution to a symposium honoring Sandy Kadish. This article seeks to explore whether and to what extent our understanding of self-defense depends upon a citizen's relationship with the state. Part II begins by setting forth Professor Kadish's claim that self-defense is "a right to resist aggression" that is held by a citizen against the state. After contending that such an account is insufficient to justify self-defense, the remainder of the article seeks to explore the relationship between the state and self-defense. Part III argues that self-defense is a pre-political moral right, as opposed to a political right that is constructed by the social contract. Recognizing that even if self-defense is a moral right it will eventually intersect with the state, Part IV examines this intersection, discussing how different theories of the state may yield different self-defense rules and how the state's failure to recognize self-defense may undermine its legitimacy. Part V discusses the relationship between the state and self-defense at the levels of constitutional right and criminal law rule. From this examination I ultimately conclude that a project that seeks to understand self-defense from a purely moral dimension is not only completely defensible but also most likely to yield answers to the fundamental disagreements about self-defense's justification, but a project that seeks to understand our criminal law's adoption of any particular self-defense doctrine must be cognizant of the multiple layers of moral, political, and jurisprudential theory that make the law what it is.
Precision cancer medicine: Hype or hope?

Traditional cancer treatments rely on the use of cytotoxic agents, and the choice of regimen is based on the cancer’s anatomical origin and histology. Advances in cancer genomics and molecular profiling have shown that different cancers can be driven by the same mutations/signaling pathways, and
The Public and Private Dental Safety Net: Implementation of the ACA and their Roles in Access to Care for Medicaid and Expansion Populations

The capacity of the public (community health centers) and private (private practitioners) dental safety net will be stretched through the expansion of dental coverage to an estimated 20.9 million primarily adults through the ACA’s Medicaid expansion. Current and future capacity of the dental safety net was evaluated through a study of CHCs and private practice dentists in Iowa, as a way to model issues for other parts of the country. Access was found to be limited in the private dental safety net: only 16% of private practitioners accepted all new Medicaid patients, while the other 84% accepted either only some new (42%) or no new (42%) Medicaid patients. The public dental safety net was also limited in that there are only 14 clinics in the state and although they expected demand to increase, they reported limitations in their ability to respond. New programs may need to be developed so that access to dental care can meet the expected demand.
Bilirubin Binding Capacity in the Preterm Neonate

Total serum/plasma bilirubin (TB), the biochemical measure currently used to evaluate and manage hyperbilirubinemia, is not a useful predictor of bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity in premature infants. Altered bilirubin-albumin binding in premature infants limits the usefulness of TB in premature infants. In this article, bilirubin-albumin binding, a modifying factor for bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity, in premature infants is reviewed.
Stable High-Order Schemes and DNS of Boundary-Layer Stability on a Blunt Cone at Mach 8

The objectives of this paper are two fold: 1) to present new high-order (12th or higher order) explicit and compact finite difference schemes with stable boundary closures for the DNS of transitional or turbulent flows; 2) to present results of numerical simulation of nonlinear boundary layer stability of Mach 7.99 axisymmetric flow over a blunt cone. The first part of this paper presents a way to stabilize high-order finite difference schemes with boundary closures. Current numerical methods used in most practical DNS studies of compressible flows are limited to 6th-order or lower in the interior and 4th-order or lower on the boundary because of the numerical instability of the boundary closure schemes. This paper shows that this numerical instability for high-order schemes based on uniform grids is due to the instability of polynomial interpolation based on uniform grids (the Runge phenomena). It is shown that the instability can be overcome for arbitrarily high-order finite difference schemes with stable boundary closure schemes if the schemes are derived directly on a non-uniform stretched grid. Explicit formulas for computing the coefficients of high-order compact (and explicit) schemes on nonuniform grids are derived. The second part of the paper is motivated by a project of NATO RTO Working Group 10 on Boundary Layer Transition to conduct numerical simulation of nonlinear boundary layer stability for blunt cone at Mach 7.99 corresponding to Stetson's experiment. The emphasis is on the nonlinear second mode instability of the hypersonic boundary layer observed in the experiments. The initial results of the first test case under the isothermal wall condition are presented and compared with the experimental results.
Toward the Construction of an Efficient Set of Robot Arm Operator Performance Metrics

As part of a larger project to identify and validate relevant quantitative measures of robot arm operator proficiency, fifteen metrics of arm maneuvering and hand controller performance were defined and measured for 3-DOF translational movement tasks. Twelve freshly trained operators provided performance data for seven target-acquisition task scenarios involving a variety of distance combinations along the X, Y, and Z axes. Metrics included indicators of task component times, distance traveled, inefficient (inverse) motion, maximum velocities, amount of multi-axis control, and input control onset times along the three axes. Pairwise correlations of all measures and scatter plots of variables yielding strong intercorrelations were examined to determine the potential underlying causes of the significant relationships. By identifying subsets of metrics with explainable co-dependencies, the overall metric set can be reduced to a limited number of key metrics that serve as effective discriminators of operator ...
Study on Efficiency of Energy Saving and Emission Reduction by Region Based DEA Model

A model for energy saving and emission reduction efficiency indices was established by using data envelopment analysis(DEA).By comparing the potential scales,it selected Chinese regions as the basic unit of appraisement.It also classified the indicators and drew out appraisal indicator system concerning the practice of both China and foreign countries.The utilization efficiency of energy and water resource and emission efficiency of main pollutants such as wastewater and SO_2 for 31 provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions in China for the year of 2007 were comprehensively analyzed.The analytical results show that the effciency of energy Saving and emission reduction are relatively low,the potentials are great.
Medium-Term Strategies for Long-Term Goals

Japan faces four fiscal challenges. Its population is aging. Its economy is stagnant. Its budget is massively in deficit. And the organization of spending and taxing authority between the central and local governments is not well designed to encourage efficient provision of public services.
A Modern Survey on Teaching Public Health Law in the United States

Major advances, ground-breaking scholarship, and new programs in public health law over the past several decades have helped define and reform the field. The extent to which public health law is established as a distinct topic for graduate academic study, however, is uncertain. In the early 1990s, the numbers of academics whose work focused largely on public health law were few. Only a handful of schools of law, public health, and medicine regularly offered core courses in public health law (although many graduate courses in health law, bioethics, or public health policy featured select public health law topics). Collectively, these courses laid a strong foundation of instruction in public health law. Still, questions remain as to whether public health law has progressed as a topic of academic pursuit in American graduate institutions. Who is teaching core courses in public health law? Where are these courses taught? How are they designed and what specific topics are covered?