cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dietary Quality Associated with Self-Reported Diabetes, Osteoarthritis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis among Younger and Older US Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES 2011-2016.

Background: To date, few studies have compared the dietary quality of US adults with diabetes mellitus (DM), osteoarthritis (OA), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by age groups. Methods: This study used cross-sectional data from adult participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2016 to identify dietary quality measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 total and component scores and self-reported disease status for DM, OA, and RA. Associations between the disease status and HEI-2015 total/component scores among younger adults aged 20–59 years (n = 7988) and older adults aged 60 years and older (n = 3780) were examined using logistic regression models. These accounted for the complex survey design and were adjusted for self-reported disease status, sex, race/ethnicity, education levels, income status, weight status, physical activity levels, and smoking status. Results: Among younger adults, 7% had DM, 7% had OA, and 3% had RA. Among older adults, 20% had DM, 32% had OA, and 6% had RA. Moderate added sugar intake was associated with diabetes in all adults. Excess sodium intake was associated with DM among younger adults. Inadequate seafood and plant protein intake was associated with RA among younger adults, while a poor overall dietary pattern was associated with RA among older adults. Conclusions: The dietary quality of US adults varied by self-reported DM, OA, and RA status, and each varied by age group.
The Doctor-Patient Relationship

This chapter contains reprinted works from Dr. Mark Siegler focusing on the doctor-patient relationship and its connection with the field of clinical medical ethics. The works analyze the ethical issues that are often associated with the doctor-patient relationship and discuss how physicians should navigate these concerns in order to ethically provide the best patient care possible. Specific aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, such as confidentiality, patient autonomy, and informed consent, are addressed in relation to the field of clinical medical ethics. The works in this chapter are reprinted with permission.
Childhood Physical Abuse and Antisocial Traits: Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Clusters

Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with both childhood physical abuse (CPA) and antisocial (AS) traits, yet their potential as mediators of the CPA-AS traits link is understudied and the specific roles of individual symptom clusters in this relation is unknown. The current study aimed to examine the mediational role of PTSS in the relation between CPA and AS traits in a sample of low-income African American women with histories of intimate partner violence (IPV). It was hypothesized that avoidance would emerge as a significant mediator, whereas reexperiencing, numbing, and hyperarousal would not. Participants (N = 150) were recruited from a level-1 trauma public hospital and evaluated as part of a randomized controlled trial of a group therapy intervention for low-income, African American women suicide attempters with histories of IPV. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), and International Personality Disorder Examination-Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) were used to measure variables of interest. Using bootstrapping analyses, a parallel mediation model compared PTSS clusters as potential mediators of the CPA-AS traits relation, controlling for IPV. When reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, and hyperarousal were entered simultaneously as potential mediators, only avoidance emerged as a significant mediator of the CPA-AS traits link. Avoidance symptoms may play a unique role in the link between early experiences of CPA and later AS traits among multiply traumatized African American women. Findings have implications for understanding AS traits in the context of early life trauma and suggest that targeting specific PTSS clusters (e.g., avoidance) may improve treatment outcomes for women in this population.
Managing Mergers and Acquisitions: Perspectives from Human Resources

For decades, there has been pervasive evidence that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) often fail to meet their expected financial targets. Although researchers have suggested that many of the factors which contribute to suboptimal acquisition outcomes are “people issues,” acquisition planners frequently give little thought to the people question. The human challenges of M&A are a core concern for human resource (HR) professionals, though they are often granted little influence in acquisition planning. We interviewed Fortune 500 Chief HR Officers to better understand common M&A HR challenges and to develop a set of recommendations for increasing HR’s effectiveness during acquisitions. The collective insights of our participants provide an extensive list of considerations that can help to facilitate firm integration, manage people issues, and improve acquisition performance. The most critical points include creating a clear vision for the acquisition, managing cultural differences, prioritizing the retention of key talent, and clear communication between organizations. Our interviewees also suggested that a holistic understanding of the business strategy would make HR practitioners valuable contributors to strategy from early in the acquisition process.
Deuda y sostenibilidad fiscal: ¿se repite la historia?

La deuda publica, eit particular la interna, esta aumentando sostenidamente en diversos paises de la region, pese a los importantes procesos de ajuste fiscal que se han desarrollado desde mediados de los anos ochenta. Farticulo examina los principales problemas que ello representa para la politica publica. En primer lugar, pasa revista a las condiciones de sostenibili-dad de la deuda publica. A continuacion, analiza los posibles efectos de las privatizaciones, la acumulacion de deuda como contrapartida de la de activos y las obligaciones sin financia-micnto previsto o los pasivos contingentes sobre la sosteni-bilidad en terminos de la tasa tolerable de inflacion; examina los factores que determinan las expectativas en torno a la sostenibilidad fiscal y los efectos de esas expectativas sobre las tasas de interes y los niveles de deuda sostenibles y, por ultimo, considera la medida en que la gestion de la deuda influye sobre su sostenibilidad y viceversa.
Nonparametric Function Estimation Involving Errors-in-Variables

We examine the effect of errors in covariates in nonparametric function estimation. These functions include densities, regressions and conditional quantiles. To estimate these functions, we use the idea of deconvoluting kernels in conjunction with the ordinary kernel methods. We also discuss a new class of function estimators based on local polynomials.
Transcellular metabolism of leukotrienes in the lung.

Leukotrienes are a family of oxygenated metabolites derived from the 5-lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism via the unstable epoxide intermediate 5(S)5,6-oxido-7,9-trans-11,14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid or leukotriene A4 (LTA4). Leukotrienes have potent effects on inflammatory cell Chemotaxis, adherence, and activation. They also have effects on noninflammatory cells and tissues thus increasing vascular permeability1, inducing smooth muscle contraction, modulating T- and B-cell function2, augmenting natural killer activity3, and inducing fibroblast Chemotaxis4. In humans, the distribution of the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme appears to be limited to inflammatory cells1. Within these cells, the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme is stimulated by millimolar calcium concentrations and ATP 5, associating with the cell membrane via the 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein6. The enzyme then inserts molecular oxygen at the C5 position of unesterified arachidonic acid and, in turn, further converts the resultant hydroperoxide, 5(S)-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HPETE), into LTA4. This epoxide is the pivotal intermediate in the 5-lipoxygenase pathway and can be metabolized within inflammatory cells to 5(S),12(R)-dihydroxy-6, 14-cis, 8, 10-trans-eicosatetraenoic acid (leukotriene B4, LTB4) by LTA4 hydrolase or to 5(S)-hydroxy-6(R)-S-glutathionyl-7, 9-trans-ll, 14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid (leukotriene C4, LTC4) by glutathione-S-transferase 1.
Support for Irregular Computations in Massively Parallel PIM Arrays, Using an Object-Based Execution Model

The emergence of semiconductor fabrication technology allowing a tight coupling betw een high-density DRAM and CMOS logic on the same chip has led to the important new class of Processor-In-Memory (PIM) architectures. Furthermore, large arrays of PIMs can be arranged into massively parallel architectures. In this paper, we outline the salient features of PIM architectures and discuss macroservers, an object-based model for such machines. Subsequently, we specifically address the support for irregular problems provided by PIM arrays. The discussion concludes with a case study illustrating an approach to the solution of a sparse matrix vector multiplication.
Early intensive care unit-acquired hypernatremia in severe sepsis patients receiving 0.9% saline fluid resuscitation

Background Intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired hypernatremia is associated with increased mortality and ascribed to excessive sodium/insufficient free water intakes. We aimed to determine whether the volume of intravenous 0.9% saline fluid resuscitation was associated with hypernatremia in severe sepsis. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients admitted to our medical ICU over 1 year with severe sepsis, and recorded all fluid intakes and plasma sodium levels (Nap) for 5 days along with clinical data. ΔNap was defined as the difference between maximal Nap reached and initial Nap. Hypernatremia was defined as Nap > 145 mmoles/l. Results Among 95 patients with severe sepsis, 29 developed hypernatremia within 5 days (31%), reaching a maximum Nap of 149.1 ± 2.5 mmoles/l on average 3.8 ± 1.5 days after admission. For every 50-ml/kg increase in 0.9% saline intake for the first 48 h, the odds of hypernatremia were 1.61 times larger [confidence interval (CI): 0.98–2.62; P = 0.06] and the mean of ΔNap increased by 1.86 mmoles/l (CI: 0.86–2.86; P < 0.001). Compared with non-hypernatremic patients, hypernatremic patients received more 0.9% saline within the first 48 h (111 ± 50 ml/kg vs. 92 ± 42 ml/kg, P < 0.05) and more other fluids from 48 to 96 h (64 ± 38 ml/kg vs. 42 ± 24 ml/kg, P < 0.05). Patients developing hypernatremia had increased length of mechanical ventilation (12.0 ± 12.6 vs. 9.1 ± 7.2 days, P < 0.05) and ICU mortality (38.5% vs. 13%, P < 0.01). Conclusions Early acquired hypernatremia is a frequent complication in severe sepsis patients and is associated with the volume of 0.9% saline received during the first 48 h of admission.
Body Type and Composition Differences between Placers and Nonplacers in an AIAW Gymnastics Meet

Abstract To determine whether Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) gymnasts competing at the regional level differ significantly from nonathletes (NA) on body composition and somatotype and to determine whether meet placers (P) differ from nonplacers (NP) on the same measurements, anthropometric somatotype and percent fat from skinfold measurements were determined in 71 gymnasts (14 P and 57 NP) at the 1974 AIAW Region VI Championships. The same measurements were made on a reference group of 54 NA. The gymnasts were shorter and lighter in weight with less body fat than the NA. Percent body fat differences (NA = 21.45%; NP = 18.41%; P = 16.82%) were significant (p = .05) among all three groups. Since the two gymnast groups were almost identical in height and weight, the higher relative fat in the NP must have been offset by a lower relative fat-free body weight. Plots for the mean somatotypes of the three groups on standard somatocharts showed distinctly separate positions, with the N...
Criterion for the simultaneous selection of a working correlation structure and either generalized estimating equations or the quadratic inference function approach

Generalized estimating equations (GEE) are commonly used for the marginal analysis of correlated data, although the quadratic inference function (QIF) approach is an alternative that is increasing in popularity. This method optimally combines distinct sets of unbiased estimating equations that are based upon a working correlation structure, therefore asymptotically increasing or maintaining estimation efficiency relative to GEE. However, in finite samples, additional estimation variability arises when combining these sets of estimating equations, and therefore the QIF approach is not guaranteed to work as well as GEE. Furthermore, estimation efficiency can be improved for both analysis methods by accurate modeling of the correlation structure. Our goal is to improve parameter estimation, relative to existing methods, by simultaneously selecting a working correlation structure and choosing between GEE and two versions of the QIF approach. To do this, we propose the use of a criterion based upon the trace of the empirical covariance matrix (TECM). To make GEE and both QIF versions directly comparable for any given working correlation structure, the proposed TECM utilizes a penalty to account for the finite-sample variance inflation that can occur with either version of the QIF approach. Via a simulation study and in application to a longitudinal study, we show that penalizing the variance inflation that occurs with the QIF approach is necessary and that the proposed criterion works very well.
Programmable subsurface acoustic recording system

Upgrading of the US Naval Oceanographic Office's electronic package for the moored acoustic vertical array (MAVA) buoy system is considered. The MAVA can simultaneously record the outputs of as many as 12 hydrophones for 32 hours. A low-power microprocessor-based design was chosen for versatility. The effective recording time is put to maximum use with the ability to program start and stop times on an event-by-event basis. Amplifier gains can be automatically selected based on maximum probable peak amplitudes using the automatic gain select function. The effective dynamic range of ambient-noise measurements is greatly increased using the prewhitening filter. Long deployment times are possible due to greatly reduced power consumption between events. Automatic testing, status reporting, and a user-friendly interface are also provided. >
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Software Quality Models

Software reliability is increasingly important in today's marketplace. When traditional software development processes fail to deliver the level of reliability demanded by customers, radical changes in software development processes may be needed. Business process reengineering (BPR) is the popular term for comprehensive redesign of business processes. This paper focuses on the business processes that produce commercial software, and illustrates the central role that models have in implementation of BPR. Software metrics and software-quality modeling technology enable reengineering of software development processes, moving from a static process model to a dynamic one that adapts to the expected quality of each module. We present a method for cost-benefit analysis of BPR of software development processes as a function of model accuracy. The paper defines costs, benefits, profit, and return on investment from both short-term and long-term perspectives. The long-term perspective explicitly accounts for software maintenance efforts. A case study of a very large legacy telecommunications system illustrates the method. The dependent variable of the software-quality model was whether a module will have faults discovered by customers. The independent variables were software product and process metrics. In an example, the costs and benefits of using the model are compared to using random selection of modules for reliability enhancement. Such a cost-benefit analysis clarifies the implications of following model recommendations.
Prey‐Dependent Cell Size In A Protozoan Predator*: PREY SIZE and Didinium SIZE

SYNOPSIS. the cell size of Didinium nasutum was found to be dependent on the size of the Paramecium species available as prey. Didinium feeding on P. tetraurelia averaged 5.6 × 105μm3. the cell volume of Didinium increased with increasing prey size for the 5 prey species tested, to 9.1 × 105μm3 for Didinium feeding on P. caudatum. Didinium nearing a cell division ranged in size from 8.6 × 105μm3 on P. tetraurelia to 12.9 × 105μm3 on P. caudatum. the range in cell volume is such that Didinium feeding on P. caudatum are larger than the size at which Didinium divide when feeding on P. tetraurelia. This morphologic plasticity in cell volume allows Didinium to exploit a wide size range of Paramecium species as prey. It is proposed that the size of a Didinium may have profound effects on its ability to encounter and capture prey of different sizes.
Recent Minnesota mass results.

I wish to report on several features of the work of the Mass Measuring group at the University of Minnesota that have occurred since the 1967 Winnipeg conference. The main efforts recently have been in three areas; (a) the measurements of U235 U238, and Th232 (b) a study of the feasibility of mass measurements of short half-life radioactive isotopes, and (c) development of a new technique for peak matching which may be used with only partially resolved doublets.
Functional Characterization of MHC Class II-Restricted CD8+CD4− and CD8−CD4− T Cell Responses to Infection in CD4−/− Mice

Classical CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells recognize Ag presented by MHC class II (MHCII) and MHC class I (MHCI), respectively. However, our results show that CD4(-/-) mice mount a strong, readily detectable CD8(+) T cell response to MHCII-restricted epitopes after a primary bacterial or viral infection. These MHCII-restricted CD8(+)CD4(-) T cells are more similar to classical CD8(+) T cells than to CD4(+) T cells in their expression of effector functions during a primary infection, yet they also differ from MHCI-restricted CD8(+) T cells by their inability to produce high levels of the cytolytic molecule granzyme B. After resolution of a primary infection, epitope-specific MHCII-restricted T cells in CD4(-/-) mice persist for a long period of time as memory T cells. Surprisingly, upon reinfection the secondary MHCII-restricted response in CD4(-/-) mice consists mainly of CD8(-)CD4(-) T cells. In contrast to CD8(+) T cells, MHCII-restricted CD8(-)CD4(-) T cells are capable of producing IL-2 in addition to IFN-gamma and thus appear to have attributes characteristic of CD4(+) T cells rather than CD8(+) T cells. Therefore, MHCII-restricted T cells in CD4(-/-) mice do not share all phenotypic and functional characteristics with MHCI-restricted CD8(+) T cells or with MHCII-restricted CD4(+) T cells, but, rather, adopt attributes from each of these subsets. These results have implications for understanding thymic T cell selection and for elucidating the mechanisms regulating the peripheral immune response and memory differentiation.
[Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I has rapid onset vasoconstrictor activity in the cat

Responses to the synthetic substrate [Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I were investigated in the hindlimb vascular bed of the cat, a system in which local angiotensin-converting enzyme activity is high. Under constant-flow conditions, injections of [Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I into the perfusion circuit in doses of 1-300 micrograms caused dose-related increases in perfusion pressure that were rapid in onset and that were not changed by the presence of a time-delay coil in the perfusion circuit upstream from the site of peptide injection. The synthetic substrate was approximately 100-fold less potent than angiotensin I and II, and responses to [Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I were not altered by captopril in a dose that inhibited pressor responses to angiotensin I but did not alter responses to angiotensin II. Responses to [Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I, angiotensin I, and angiotensin II were inhibited by DUP-532 and candesartan but were not altered by the angiotensin AT2 receptor antagonist PD-123319. The present data show that [Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I has significant vasoconstrictor activity in the hindlimb vascular bed of the cat and suggest that responses are mediated by the activation of AT1 receptors and that activation of AT2 receptors is not involved. The present data show that the onset of responses to [Pro11,D-Ala12]angiotensin I and angiotensin II are similar and are not dependent on the action of the angiotensin-converting enzyme. The present data suggest that conversion of the synthetic substrate to an active peptide occurs rapidly within the hindlimb vascular bed or that the peptide may have direct AT1 receptor-stimulating activity.
Planar spline trajectory following for an autonomous helicopter

This paper proposes a technique for planar trajectory following for an autonomous aerial robot. A trajectory is modeled as a planar spline. A behavior-based control system. which stabilizes the robot and enforces trajectory following, has been implemented and tested on an autonomous helicopter. Results from two flight, experiments are presented. The trajectory tracking error is on the order of the size of the robot (1.8 m). Given the inherent error in GPS positioning, and environmental disturbances (wind), this is quite reasonable.
The electoral risk of redistricting: Evidence from the United States

Abstract This article investigates whether redistricting poses an electoral risk to the re-election of incumbent US representatives. Incumbency is conceptualized as a ‘treatment’ that representatives can apply to congressional districts through traditional means of district attentiveness and representativeness. Redistricting is conceived as a naturally occurring phenomena, that is, a quasi-experiment. It is used to measure the risk of redistricting by comparing the electoral support received by incumbents in their ‘old’ territory, which has been previously exposed to the treatment of incumbency, to the level of support they receive in various kinds of ‘new’ territory added by redistricting, which has not yet been exposed to the effects of their incumbency. Analysis of county election returns for six American states from 1972 to 1984 indicate that incumbents initially receive marginally less support in the ‘new’ territory when compared with the ‘old’ but that incumbents are able to quickly eliminate the difference between the two kinds of territory. The analysis concludes that redistricting does not pose a serious threat to incumbent re-election.
Converting a DNA damage checkpoint effector (UmuD2C) into a lesion bypass polymerase (UmuD'2C).

During the SOS response of Escherichia coli to DNA damage, the umuDC operon is induced, producing the trimeric protein complexes UmuD2C, a DNA damage checkpoint effector, and UmuD′2C (DNA polymerase V), which carries out translesion synthesis, the basis of ‘SOS mutagenesis’. UmuD′2, the homodimeric component of DNA pol V, is produced from UmuD by RecA‐facilitated self‐cleavage, which removes the 24 N‐terminal residues of UmuD. We report the solution structure of UmuD′2 (PDB ID 1I4V) and interactions within UmuD′–UmuD, a heterodimer inactive in translesion synthesis. The overall shape of UmuD′2 in solution differs substantially from the previously reported crystal structure, even though the topologies of the two structures are quite similar. Most significantly, the active site residues S60 and K97 do not point directly at one another in solution as they do in the crystal, suggesting that self‐cleavage of UmuD might require RecA to assemble the active site. Structural differences between UmuD′2 and UmuD′–UmuD suggest that UmuD′2C and UmuD2C might achieve their different biological activities through distinct interactions with RecA and DNA pol III.
Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of two regimens of Oka/Merck varicella vaccine (Varivax®) in healthy adolescents and adults

A multicenter clinical trial was conducted among 757 healthy adolescents and adults, 13-54 years, to compare two regimens of Oka/Merck varicella vaccine with respect to safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity. Participants were randomized to receive two injections of vaccine either four or eight weeks apart and were followed for clinical reactions and serologic response. The two vaccine regimens were equally well tolerated. The seroconversion rates (gpELISA) four weeks after injection 1 and 2 were 72 and 99%, respectively, for those who received vaccine four weeks apart and 78 and 99%, respectively, for those who received vaccine eight weeks apart. The differences in seroconversion rates were not statistically significant. However, delaying the second dose to eight weeks resulted in a higher antibody titer one month after the second injection. Administration of a two-dose regimen of varicella vaccine to susceptible adolescents and adults is well tolerated and highly immunogenic.
Neural correlates of taste and pleasantness evaluation in the metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of cardiometabolic abnormalities that commonly occur together and increase risk for cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Having MetS, especially during middle-age, increases the risk for dementia in later life. Abdominal obesity is a central feature of MetS; therefore, increased efforts to prevent obesity and identify predictors of weight gain are of extreme importance. Altered processing of food reward in the brain of obese individuals has been suggested to be a possible mechanism related to overeating. We scanned fifteen healthy middle-aged controls (aged 44–54) and sixteen middle-aged adults with MetS after a fast (hungry) and after a preload (sated), while they rated the pleasantness of sucrose (sweet) and caffeine (bitter) solutions. Data were analyzed using voxelwise linear mixed-effects modeling, and a region of interest analysis to examine associations between hypothalamic activation to sweet taste and BMI during hunger and satiety. The results indicate that middle-aged individuals with MetS respond with significantly less brain activation than controls without MetS during pleasantness evaluation of sweet and bitter tastes in regions involved in sensory and higher-level taste processing. Participants with higher BMI had greater hypothalamic response during pleasantness evaluation of sucrose in the sated condition. Importantly, this study is the first to document differential brain circuitry in middle-aged adults with MetS, a population at risk for poor physical and cognitive outcomes. Future research aimed at better understanding relationships among MetS, obesity, and brain function is warranted to better conceptualize and develop interventions for overeating in these disorders.
Two Key Strategies for Teaching Prevention: Specialized Course and Infusion

Prevention is taught only rarely in counseling and counseling psychology curricula. Failure to teach it suggests that graduates may be less likely to conduct prevention. In this article, we describe two key strategies for addressing this problem, where prevention is being taught through (a) required courses, and (b) infusion within existing courses. Four training programs, two examples of each mode, are presented from the University of Cincinnati, Pennsylvania State University, Boston College, and the University of Minnesota. We describe the processes involved in developing and implementing these key pedagogical strategies that lead, we intend, to broadened application.
Trichostatin A affects the secretion pathways of beta and intestinal endocrine cells

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) were recently identified as having significant clinical potential in reversing β-cell functional inhibition caused by inflammation, a shared precursor of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. However, HDACi are highly complex and little is known of their direct effect on important cell secretion pathways for blood glucose regulation. The aims of the present study were to investigate the effect of HDACi on insulin secretion from β-cells, GLP-1 secretion from L-cells, and recombinant insulin secretion from engineered L-cells. The β-cell line βTC-tet, L-cell line GLUTag, or recombinant insulin-secreting L-cell lines were exposed to Trichostatin A for 24h. Effects on insulin or GLP-1 mRNA, intracellular protein content, processing efficiency, and secretion were measured by real-time PCR, ELISA, and radioimmunoassay. HDACi increased secretion per viable cell in a dose-dependent manner for all cell types. Effects on mRNA levels were variable, but enhanced intracellular polypeptide content and secretion were comparable among cell types. Enhanced recombinant insulin secretion was sustained for seven days in alginate microencapsulated L-cells. HDACi enhances β- and L-cell secretion fluxes in a way that could significantly improve blood glucose regulation in diabetes patients and holds potential as a novel method for enhancing insulin-secreting non-β or β-cell grafts.
Trans-placental Gradients of Large Neutral Amino Acids (LNAA) in Baboon Pregnancy With Fasting,Feeding and Tryptophan (TRP) Infusion † 298

Background:The L amino acid transporter regulates the flux of LNAA across the blood brain barrier (BBB) according to their plasma concentrations. Thus,the ratio of TRP to the sum of concentrations of other LNAA (Ratio) will determine TRP flux through the BBB and influence the serotonin content of the brain. Similar transport mechanisms regulate the flux of LNAA across the placenta, suggesting that variations in maternal Ratio(MRatio) might influence fetal Ratio (FRatio) and in turn, fetal brain serotonin levels and behaviour.
Staged Nephrectomy Versus Bilateral Laparoscopic Nephrectomy in Patients With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Purpose: In patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease we compared the outcome of bilateral laparoscopic nephrectomy at a single operation vs staged nephrectomy, including 1 during transplantation and the other via laparoscopic unilateral nephrectomy.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease requiring renal transplantation and native bilateral nephrectomy. We compared transplantation with ipsilateral nephrectomy to transplantation alone and then compared unilateral to bilateral laparoscopic native nephrectomy. Indications included pain, infection, bleeding and compressive symptoms.Results: We followed 42 patients, including 16 with transplantation and nephrectomy, 22 with transplantation alone and 4 awaiting transplantation. In those with transplantation vs transplantation with nephrectomy there were no differences in median age (48.3 vs 53.3 years, p = 0.178) or greatest kidney length (19.5 vs 20.9 cm, p = 0.262). Operativ...
Concurrent polarimetric measurements of painted metal and illuminating skylight compared with a microfacet model

Previous visible-band laboratory measurements have shown that polarization data can be used to determine optical properties of materials such as the index of refraction with controlled illumination sources. For outdoor measurements, the complex illumination formed by the polarized sky for visible wavelengths makes this process considerably more difficult. This paper reports polarization measurements for horizontal painted-metal and PVC plates and the background atmosphere from a quickly changeable dual-field imaging polarimeter which provides polarization of ground-based objects nearly concurrently with full-sky polarization. A microfacet model has been developed which accounts for the polarized sky illumination and solar-reflecting and flat-reflecting microfacets. Data from this model have been used to explain the primary features of the polarization observed when viewing painted metal and PVC plates outdoors with clear skies. Future work will attempt to use this model with polarimeter data to retrieve the index of refraction of the observed plates.
PHASE EQUILIBRIA AND INTERFACIAL PHENOMENA IN THE Mg-Al-O SYSTEM AT 800°C

Etude de la mouillabilite des surfaces de ceramiques (Al 2 O 3 , MgAl 2 O 4 et MgO) par des alliages d'aluminium en utilisant Al-Mg-O comme un systeme modele. Interpretation des reactions entre les alliages Al-Mg et les supports en ceramique par la stabilite de phases
Group Administration of the Children's Attributional Style Interview

Research testing the reformulated theory of learned helplessness has been limited by the psychometric properties of instruments used to measure children's attributional style. Thus, the goal of this investigation was to modify a relatively new measure of attributional style that has demonstrated strong psychometric properties with young children and test its psychometric properties in a group administration with a sample of 238 fifth- and sixth-grade children. Results revealed strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability, significant correlations with another measure of attributional style, depressive symptoms, optimism, learned helplessness, and a factor structure that was consistent with theory. Overall, these results provide initial support for the use of a modified paper-and-pencil version of the Children's Attributional Style Interview in a group-administered format for children as young as fifth and sixth grade.
Period-doubling systems as small-signal amplifiers.

Near the onset of a period-doubling bifurcation, any dynamical system can be used to amplify perturbations near half the fundamental frequency: The closer the bifurcation point, the greater the amplification. An analytic expression for the frequency response curve is derived explicitly for the driven Duffing oscillator. Results of analog simulations are presented to check the main features of the theory. We propose that the superconducting Josephson parametric amplifier is an example of this amplification process.
Hippocampectomy and the attenuation of blocking.

Rats with dorsal and ventral hippocampal lesions and sham-operated controls were tested in two experiments using Kamin's [(1968). In M. R. Jones (Ed.), “Miami Symposium on the Prediction of Behavior.” Miami: University of Miami Press; (1969). In B. Campbell and R. Church (Eds.), “Punishment and Aversive Behavior.” New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts] two-stage blocking paradigm. In Experiment 1 hippocampal and sham rats conditioned to a compound conditioned stimulus (CS) (tone + light) suppressed on nonreinforced test trials to either element. In contrast, hippocampal and sham rats trained to tone or to light prior to conditioning to the compound CS performed differentially when tested to the redundant cue: Conditioning was blocked for shams, while blocking was severely attenuated with hippocampal rats. In Experiment 2 two parameters known to affect learning rate were manipulated to determine whether a general or specific deficit was responsible for the unblocking in hippocampal rats. Neither manipulation produced blocking in hippocampal rats suggesting that the attenuation of blocking observed in hippocampal rats was due to an impairment in attention rather than to a general learning deficit. The results indicate hippocampectomy produces an inability to exclude irrelevant or redundant information from the stimulus flux.
Investigation of stability characteristics of cold‐season convective precipitation events by utilizing the growth rate parameter

[1] The seldom utilized growth rate parameter (σ2), which predicts how rapidly a small-amplitude disturbance will grow in a conditional symmetrically unstable environment, was applied to study the stability characteristics of convective precipitation case studies across the central United States during the winter seasons of 2003–2004 and 2004–2005. The goals were to improve our understanding of how the environment becomes destabilized over a relatively short period of time, as well as to determine approximately where and when elevated thunderstorms are likely to develop. The comprehensive evaluation comprised a case study example and summary of statistics obtained by tabulations at the initiation site and spatial compositing of all case studies identified. The doubling time for the convection (the time required for a convective element to achieve twice its current depth) was found to be on the order of 1.3 h, which is consistent with the typical timescale for moist slantwise convection resulting from the release of conditional symmetric instability. The development of cold-season precipitation with lightning (i.e., thundersnow) and any associated banding was correctly and most accurately predicted from trends in plots of σ2 analyzed at the level at which the highest significant growth rates occurred. While this naturally varied from one event to the next, the average elevation tended to be close to 650 hPa. Furthermore, a term-by-term diagnosis of the mathematical expression for the growth rate was determined to be quite useful as another means of identifying the type of instability released within instances of wintertime convection. By calculating the individual contributions to the growth rate and observing whether a positive or negative response was obtained, the nature of the stability regime present was also ascertained. The inclusion of a set of non-thundering snowstorms helped to substantiate the assumption that atmospheres are less stable and more susceptible to vertical motions during those occasions where lightning develops in wintertime scenarios. Thus an outlook for elevated, cold-season thunderstorms can be more accurately issued by identifying regions where reduced values of equivalent potential vorticity (i.e., small symmetric stability or instability) are collocated with estimates of high σ2 (i.e., where small-scale slantwise perturbations will grow). Given the overall success, it is hoped that some of the conclusions established by this work will be implemented routinely in an operational environment and provide forecasters an additional, essential tool in dealing with nowcasting situations of hazardous winter weather events.
Expanding nursing's practice terrain: imperatives for future viability.

Changes in perceptions of health needs, which are increasingly sociocultural in nature, and changes in health services shifting from medical control to entrepreneurial opportunities and corporate business control will necessarily have an impact on nursing. Nurses can capitalize on this, expanding their practice dimensions within the boundaries of current employment as well as joining in competitive health marketplace ventures. This will ensure relevance and continued viability of the profession in a dynamic, open, health services field.
Seeing Black and the Color of Representation

This essay examines the tensions between dichotomies concerning the color black through the work of the abstract expressionist Norman Lewis and through some of Lewis’s philosophical ambitions that have found a place in the work of the contemporary artist Ellen Gallagher. Seizing an opportunity that liberated midcentury New York artists from naturalism and the shadows of European hegemony, Lewis may have found a liberation of his own in the abstraction and formalism that Gallagher now deftly manipulates. Gallagher’s work suggests a new aesthetic code that subverts the black subject in a formalist milieu and that, like Lewis’s oeuvre, presents simultaneous themes around the visibility and invisibility of blackness and speaks to an unmistakable black presence in the evolution and miscegenation of modernity.
Interferometric phase velocity measurements in the auroral electrojet

A double-probe electric field detector and two spatially separated fixed-bias Langmuir probes were flown on a Taurus-Tomahawk sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat Research Range in March 1982. Interesting wave data have been obtained from about 10s of the downleg portion of the flight during which the rocket passed through the auroral electrojet. Here the electric field receiver and both density fluctuation (delta-n/n) receivers responded to a broad band of turbulence centered at 105 km-altitude and at frequencies generally below 4 kHz. Closer examination of the two delta-n/n turbulent waveforms reveals that they are correlated; from the phase difference between the two signals, the phase velocity of the waves in the rocket reference frame is inferred. The magnitude and direction of the observed phase velocity are consistent either with waves which travel at the ion sound speed or with waves which travel at the electron drift velocity. The observed phase velocity varies by about 50 percent over a 5 km altitude range, an effect which probably results from shear in the zonal neutral wind, although, unfortunately, no simultaneous neutral wind measurements exist to confirm this.
Chronic estrogen effects on 5-hydroxytryptamine-mediated responses in hippocampal pyramidal cells of female rats.

Abstract Intracellular recording techniques were used to assess the effect of chronic estrogen treatment of ovariectomized (OVX) rats on CA1 pyramidal cell properties and serotonin (5-HT)-mediated responses in the dorsal hippocampus. The magnitude of the 5-HT 1A -mediated hyperpolarization and concomitant change in membrane resistance elicited by 15 μM 5-HT was greater in pyramidal cells from OVX rats treated with estrogen (OVX + ES) than in pyramidal cells from OVX rats. Estrogen treatment did not alter the cellular membrane properties or the reduction in AHP amplitude elicited by 15 μM 5-HT. The modulation of 5-HT neurotransmission by estrogen may contribute to variations in mood which are associated with the menstrual cycle.
Taphonomy of Tortoises Deposited by Birds and Bushmen

Abstract In the semi-arid Karoo of South Africa's central plateau, tortoises are commonly preyed upon by raptors, some of which roost on ledges in the backs of small rock shelters. In the past, any suitable ledge could be occupied only when the shelter was not in use by Bushman hunter–gatherers. Thus, both agents could have contributed tortoise elements to the faunal deposits which accumulated in the shelter fills over the past two millennia. Element survival and breakage rates of tortoise remains in a recent shelter roost accumulation show reversed frequencies to those for tortoise carcasses left at raptor kill sites: what is abundant at the roost (skeletal elements, particularly from the neck and head) are scarce at the kills. When the roost sample is compared with the Bushman foodwaste sample beneath it, the two are readily distinguished by their element composition and condition. A surface sample from a neighbouring shelter without roosting ledges is also rich in skeletals, but lacks the characteristic cranials and vertebrae. Small carnivores are the suspected non-human agents. Although radiocarbon dates indicate an earlier hiatus in this sequence, no such raptor-like tortoise assemblages are detectable at this level.
Stresses in a long hollow cylinder subjected to a band of uniform pressure on the outer surface

Die Arbeit gibt eine Fourier-Integral-Losung fur den Spannungsverlauf in einem Hohlzylinder, der einer axialsymmetrischen Radiallast langs eines Bandes an der Aussenflache unterworfen wird. Es wird fur dunne Wande eine Methode fur die Approximation der Integranden entwickelt. Damit wird die Auswertung der Interale mit der Residuenmethode moglich. Numerische Ergebnisse werden fur den Fall eines unendlich schmalen Lastbandes fur ein Radienverhaltnis von 9∶10 und fur eine Poissonsche Zahl von 0,3 ausgegeben. Die Ergebnisse werden mit denjenigen zweier Naherungstheorien verglichen sowie mit Ergebnissen fruherer numerischer Integrationen.
Sequences Outside the Homeodomain of Bicoid Are Required for Protein-Protein Interaction

The Drosophila morphogenetic protein Bicoid (Bcd) is required for the development of anterior structures of the embryo. Bcd, a homeodomain protein, is distributed as an anterior-to-posterior gradient in the embryo. It stimulates the expression of the hunchback (hb) gene in the anterior half in an all-or-none fashion. We have recently shown that Bcd binds cooperatively to a hb enhancer element and proposed that cooperative DNA binding is facilitated by an interaction between Bcd molecules. In this report, we further analyze the interaction between Bcd molecules and define regions important for protein-protein interaction. We show that the homeodomain of Bcd alone fails to interact with another Bcd molecule efficiently. The protein sequence flanking either side of the homeodomain restores the protein-protein interaction function. Mutations in the homeodomain that affect DNA binding do not adversely affect the protein-protein interaction function, suggesting that the surfaces for DNA binding and protein-protein interaction are separable. Finally, we demonstrate that the homeodomain of Bcd alone, unlike the intact Bcd, fails to bind DNA cooperatively. These results further support the notion that cooperative DNA binding is facilitated by the interaction between Bcd molecules. They strongly suggest that protein-protein interaction is an important property of Bcd for its biological activities.
A HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE IGA PROTEASE-LIKE PROTEIN PROMOTES INTIMATE INTERACTION WITH HUMAN EPITHELIAL CELLS

Summary Haemophilus influenzae represents a common cause of human disease and an important source of morbidity and mortality. Disease caused by this organism begins with colonization of the upper respiratory tract. Several studies indicate that H. influenzae is capable of binding to and entering cultured human cells, properties which are potentially of relevance to the process of colonization. In the present study, we isolated an H. influenzae gene designated hap, which is associated with the capacity for In vitro attachment and entry. Analysis of the derived amino acid sequence of hap demonstrated significant homology with the serine-type lgA1 proteases expressed by H. influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is notable that the hap product shares the catalytic domain of the lgA1 proteases and appears to be processed and secreted in an analogous manner. We speculate that the hap gene product is an important determinant of colonization, perhaps enabling the organism to evade the local immune response and thereby persist within the respiratory tract.
Applicability of white light scanning interferometry for high-resolution characterization of surface defects

Current requirements for structural integrity, product safety, process feedback control and smart structures require methods for monitoring material properties and component performance to improve quality control and decrease maintenance costs. In most applications the onset of damage occurs at the component surface due to plastic deformation, fretting, corrosion, or crack nucleation. Therefore, the first step in nondestructive evaluation of a component is a thorough evaluation of the surface conditions. White light interferometry provides a fast, non- contact method of characterizing the 3D surface topography with a 3 nm vertical resolution. Thus far, white light interferometry has not been widely utilized as a nondestructive inspection tool. In this paper, the applicability of white light interferometry for monitoring damage progression for applications that are surface condition sensitive will be examined. These applications include corrosion initiation and progression, fretting damage characterization, combustion byproduct characterization and surface crack detection. For each application, a method for obtaining a quantitative measure of damage and a metric that can be used to determine remaining component life will be discussed.