cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transporting Functional Family Therapy to Community-Based Programs

A web-based modified Delphi study identified facilitators and barriers of implementing Functional Family Therapy at five community mental health agencies located in the northeastern part of the United States. Three levels of staff comprising 13 panelists (3 administrators, 3 supervisors, and 7 clinicians) completed the study. Group consensus was reached on four facilitators and one barrier. The four facilitators (collaboration, training, agencies’ readiness, and funding source expectations) and one barrier (lack of appropriateness for some populations) provide a better understanding of community-based issues when trying to transport and implement evidence-based family programs. Future research investigating the experiences of families and clients receiving services will provide a more systemic perspective.
Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Ocular and Adnexal Infections

The nontuberculous (also called "atypical") mycobacteria have become increasingly important causes of systemic as well as ocular morbidity in recent decades. All ocular tissues can become infected with these organisms, particularly in patients who are predisposed following ocular trauma, surgery, use of corticosteroids, or are immunocompromised. Because of their relative resistance to available antibiotics, multidrug parenteral therapy continues to be the mainstay of treatment of more serious ocular and adnexal infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Periocular cutaneous, adnexal, and orbital NTM infections remain rare and require surgical debridement and long-term parenteral antibiotic therapy. NTM scleritis may occur after trauma or scleral buckling and can cause chronic disease that responds only to appropriate antibiotic therapy and, in some cases, surgical debridement and explant removal. NTM infectious keratitis following trauma or refractive surgical procedures is commonly confused with other infections such as Herpes simplex keratitis and requires aggressive topical therapy and possible surgical debridement, particularly in those cases occuring after laser in situ keratomileusis. Only 18 cases of endophthalmitis due to NTM have been reported. Systemic and intraocular antibiotic therapy and multiple vitrectomies may be needed in NTM endophthalmitis; the prognosis remains poor, however. Disseminated NTM choroiditis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients with immune reconstitution during highly active anti-retroviral therapy is a rare infection that can present as a necrotizing chorioretinitis with dense vitritis, mimicking many other entities and needs to be recognized so that timely, life-saving treatment can be administered. Regardless of which ocular tissue is infected, all NTM ocular infections present similar challenges of recognition and of therapeutic intervention. We clarify diagnosis and delineate modern, effective therapy for these conditions.
Assessing the Effects of Nutrient Management in an Estuary Experiencing Climatic Change: The Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina

Eutrophication is a serious water quality problem in estuaries receiving increasing anthropogenic nutrient loads. Managers undertaking nutrient-reduction strategies aimed at controlling estuarine eutrophication are faced with the challenge that upstream freshwater segments often are phosphorus (P)-limited, whereas more saline downstream segments are nitrogen (N)-limited. Management also must consider climatic (hydrologic) variability, which affects nutrient delivery and processing. The interactive effects of selective nutrient input reductions and climatic perturbations were examined in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE), North Carolina, a shallow estuary with more than a 30-year history of accelerated nutrient loading and water quality decline. The NRE also has experienced a recent increase in Atlantic hurricanes and record flooding, which has affected hydrology and nutrient loadings. The authors examined the water quality consequences of selective nutrient (P but not N) reductions in the 1980s, followed by N reductions in the 1990s and an increase in hurricane frequency since the mid-1990s. Selective P reductions decreased upstream phytoplankton blooms, but increased downstream phytoplankton biomass. Storms modified these trends. In particular, upstream annual N and P concentrations have decreased during the elevated hurricane period. Increased flushing and scouring from storms and flooding appear to have enhanced nutrient retention capabilities of the NRE watershed. From a management perspective, one cannot rely on largely unpredictable changes in storm frequency and intensity to negate anthropogenic nutrient enrichment and eutrophication. To control eutrophication along the hydrologically variable freshwater–marine continuum, N and P reductions should be applied adaptively to reflect point-source–dominated drought and non–point-source–dominated flood conditions.
Associations of smoking with hospital-based care and quality of life in patients with obstructive airway disease.

Study objectives To investigate the relationship between direct or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and both hospital-based care (HBC) and quality of life (QOL) among subjects with asthma. Study design We report baseline cross-sectional data on 619 subjects with asthma, including direct or ETS exposure and QOL, and prospective longitudinal data on HBC using administrative databases for 30 months following baseline evaluation. Setting and patients Participants were health maintenance organization members with physician-diagnosed asthma involved in a longitudinal study of risk factors for hospital-based asthma care. Measurements Demographic characteristics and QOL were assessed with administered questionnaires, including the Marks Asthma Quality-of-Life (AQLQ) and SF-36 questionnaires. HBC was defined as episodes per person-year of hospital-based asthma care, which included emergency department and urgency care visits, and hospitalizations for asthma. Results Current smokers reported significantly worse QOL than never-smokers in two of five domains of the AQLQ (p Conclusions Direct or environmental tobacco exposure prospectively predicted increased health-care utilization for asthma and reduced QOL in patients with asthma. These findings add to our existing knowledge of the detrimental effects of tobacco smoke and are of relevance specifically to patients with asthma.
Role of Vitamin D in Cardiovascular Health

Observational studies strongly associate vitamin D deficiency with a variety of cardiovascular diseases beyond defects in bone and calcium metabolism. Vitamin D has multiple mechanisms that potentially may affect cardiovascular health. Because vitamin D deficiency is common, therapies directed at the replacement of vitamin D may be beneficial. To date however, studies evaluating vitamin D supplementation are few and have not consistently shown benefit. It is possible that the lack of benefit in these studies may have arisen from suboptimal levels of vitamin D supplementation or other unknown factors. Nevertheless, the growing body of observational data and consistent findings of relatively high rates of low vitamin D serum levels warrant further well-designed studies to investigate the relation between vitamin D and cardiovascular health. In conclusion, vitamin D is now recognized as important for cardiovascular health and its deficiency as a potential risk factor for several cardiovascular disease processes.
Protein machines and self assembly in muscle organization

The remarkable order of striated muscle is the result of a complex series of protein interactions at different levels of organization. Within muscle, the thick filament and its major protein myosin are classical examples of functioning protein machines. Our understanding of the structure and assembly of thick filaments and their organization into the regular arrays of the A-band has recently been enhanced by the application of biochemical, genetic, and structural approaches. Detailed studies of the thick filament backbone have shown that the myosins are organized into a tubular structure. Additional protein machines and specific myosin rod sequences have been identified that play significant roles in thick filament structure, assembly, and organization. These include intrinsic filament components, cross-linking molecules of the M-band and constituents of the membrane-cytoskeleton system. Muscle organization is directed by the multistep actions of protein machines that take advantage of well-established self-assembly relationships. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
CONCURRENT RESURGENCE AND BEHAVIORAL HISTORY

The contribution of past experiences to concurrent resurgence was investigated in three experiments. In Experiment 1, resurgence was related to the length of reinforcement history as well as the reinforcement schedule that previously maintained responding. Specifically, more resurgence occurred when key pecks had been reinforced on a variable-interval 1-min schedule than a variable-interval 6-min schedule, but this effect may have been due either to the differential reinforcement rates or differential response rates under the two schedules. When reinforcement rates were similar (Experiment 2), there was more resurgence of high-rate than low-rate responding. When response rates were similar (Experiment 3), resurgence was not related systematically to prior reinforcement rates. Taken together, these three experimental tests of concurrent resurgence illustrate that prior response rates are better predictors of resurgence than are prior reinforcement rates.
A viscous-inviscid interactive compressor calculation

A viscous-inviscid interactive procedure for subsonic flow is developed and applied to an axial compressor stage. Calculations are carried out on a two-dimensional blade-to-blade region of constant radius assumed to occupy a mid-span location. Hub and tip effects are neglected. The Euler equations are solved by MacCormack's method, a viscous marching procedure is used in the boundary layers and wake, and an iterative interaction scheme is constructed that matches them in a way that incorporates information related to momentum and enthalpy thicknesses as well as the displacement thickness. The calculations are quasi-three-dimensional in the sense that the boundary layer and wake solutions allow for the presence of spanwise (radial) velocities.
Suppression of the EGF-dependent induction of c-myc proto-oncogene expression by transforming growth factor β in a human breast carcinoma cell line

Alterations in c-myc proto-oncogene expression after treatment of human mammary carcinoma MDA-468 cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and/or transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) have been investigated. A stimulation of c-myc messenger RNA was detected within 60 min after treatment with EGF. This induction persisted for at least 24 hr, albeit to a lower extent. The early and late increase in c-myc mRNA levels induced by EGF were inhibited by the presence of TGF beta. TGF beta alone induced little change in c-myc mRNA levels. The effect of TGF beta represents a novel action of this hormone at the level of gene expression.
Reclassification of SRU equipment to ASME Section VIII Division 1

This paper investigates the possibility of reclassifying Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) reaction furnace equipment to design rules that meet ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Section VIII Division 1, which is the standard for pressure vessel design. Currently most SRU equipment is designed and constructed following the design rules of ASME (BPVC) I, as they were considered steam generators or boilers. Plant inspection experiences difficulties testing and inspecting the components of a reaction furnace because of the mixture of ASME (BPVC) design rules with different inspection intervals. These difficulties include limited accessibility for inspecting the shell side of a Waste Heat Boiler (WHB), with an inspection interval of 24 months, without removing the tubes that are designed to the ASME (BPVC) VIII rules, with an inspection interval of 36 months. The objective of code reclassification is to extend the Testing & Inspection (TI Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj). DOI 10.1002/htj.20352
Progress in identification of electromagnetic systems

We review progress in identification of electromagnetic systems. We introduce the basic ideas with a brief discussion of forward and inverse problems. We next give some history, emphasizing the basic issues involved. We follow with some results and an assessment of present capabilities and limitations. We conclude with some recommendations for future work in electromagnetic identification
Inviscid Cone Flows with Surface Mass Transfer.

Abstract : The paper discusses a simple, exact solution of the inviscid equations of motion which includes the effect of surface mass transfer. The slip surface location is determined solely from the solution of the injectant flow field.
America’s conservation police: agencies in transition

Examines the history of US conservation police agencies and notes how changes in social values and recreational activities have increased the demands for the protection of wildlife and other natural resources. This has led to the creation of departments of natural resources (DNRs). DNRs have placed an increasingly heavier burden on conservation police departments and have demanded a wider range of tasks and responsibilities of them. These more general policing tasks have, in turn, cast the formerly law enforcement‐oriented conservation police into a more generalist police‐like posture.
The effects of feeding by the rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, on the growth and yield components of rice, Oryza sativa

1 The effects of feeding by larvae of the rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, on the growth and yield components of rice, Oryza sativa, were evaluated using four varieties of rice, ‘Cocodrie’, ‘Cypress’, ‘Bengal’ and ‘XP1003’, over 2 years. 2 Both adults and larvae of L. oryzophilus feed on rice plants, but it is feeding by the larval stage that causes economic losses. Feeding by L. oryzophilus larvae resulted in extensive damage to root systems. Pruning of root systems resulted in a decrease in tiller number and shoot biomass of rice plants in the vegetative stage of growth. 3 Yield losses were due to a combination of decreases in panicle densities, numbers of grains per panicle, and grain weights. Decreases in panicle densities were a direct result of the reductions in tiller numbers. Reductions in numbers of grains per panicle and grain weights probably resulted from decreases in shoot biomass. 4 Injury by rice water weevil larvae is chronic. The tillering stage of rice suffered the majority of weevil damage, but the growth effects were not manifested until later.
Quantitative image analytics for stratified pulmonary medicine

Recently we proposed spatio-pathological stratification of lungs from multiple subjects. This enabled a pulmonary disease landscape to objectively diagnose pathology, track progression and assess pharmacologic response within and across patients. Even though the approach based on unsupervised affinity propagation clustering of a symmetric pairwise dissimilarity metric showed strong statistical and clinical correlation, it did not address the possibility of candidates being potential outliers within a cluster and consequently being triaged to suboptimal personalized care. In this paper, we address this limitation through the use of an asymmetric dissimilarity metric and a density-based outlier detection technique to identify the natural outliers within the individual clusters. In a database of 370 datasets, 28 outliers were detected among 20 clinically correlated clusters. The proposed quantitative analytics could facilitate an optimized landscape wherein every patient is triaged through the most appropriate individualized pulmonary care.
Amiodarone and thyroid function: Clinical implications during antiarrhythmic therapy

Amiodarone, an iodinated benzofuran derivative, has electrophysiologic effects on cardiac muscle akin to those of hypothyroidism. It is possible that the drug exerts its salutary effect, at least in part, by selectively inhibiting the action of triiodothyronine (T3) on the myocardium. The drug produces complex changes in thyroid hormones, with significant elevations in thyroxine (T4) and reverse T3 (rT3), with minor decreases in T3, and with minor and transient increases in thyroid-stimulating hormone, but without effect on thyroid-binding globulin. These changes may interfere with the biochemical evaluation of thyroid function. Rarely, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism may develop during the course of amiodarone therapy, a complication caused by the iodine contained in the drug rather than by the direct pharmacologic actions of the compound. The incidence of altered thyroid function induced is likely to vary with populations susceptible to iodine-induced goiter. Under the action of amiodarone, serum rT3 levels increase as a function of dose and duration of therapy and therefore provide a basis for judging the magnitude of in vivo drug cumulation. It was found that therapeutic efficacy was usually predictable on the basis of the attainment of a defined range of serum values, established by a correlation of rT3 levels with therapeutic responses both during loading and maintenance phases as well as after withdrawal of treatment of steady-state drug effects. Serious adverse effects occurred nearly always in association with four- to fivefold increases of rT3 above baseline values, and disappeared when such levels fell as a result of dosage reduction or after temporary drug discontinuation. The data suggest that the determination of serum rT3 levels during amiodarone therapy provides a simple and reliable technique for monitoring the drug's antiarrhythmic efficacy and toxicity, thereby enhancing its clinical utility. The use of rT3 levels may permit the development of a safe but optimal therapeutic regimen for the control of a wide spectrum of refractory atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The use of this technique, however, presupposes the allowance that must be made for variations in the methods for the serum assay of rT3 and of the systemic conditions in which the rT3 levels fluctuate relative to severity of the illness.
Pneumoperitoneum in the cancer patient

Background Cancer patients may be at increased risk for pneumoperitoneum due to local tumor invasion, immunosuppression, chemotherapy, and frequent endoscopy. The purpose of this study was to characterize clinical presentations and management strategy for pneumoperitoneum in cancer patients.
Amphiphilic Networks. 9. Surface Characterization

Amphiphilic networks consisting of hydrophobic polyisobutylene and a hydrophilic polymer, such as poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) or poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDAAm), were prepared and their surfaces characterized by various techniques. According to XPS C 1s spectra, the atomic ratios O/C and N/C were considerably lower at the outermost surface (ca. 20-100 A) than in the bulk of the networks. The surface morphologies of amphiphilic networks of various compositions were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface microroughness greatly increased by swelling in water or n-heptane which suggests surface heterogeneity. According to surface energetics studies by dynamic contact angle (DCA) measurements of dry and wet samples, the surfaces of the networks are heterogeneous and highly mobile; specifically, dry surfaces rapidly rearrange upon exposure to water
Characteristics of human arterial smooth muscle cell cultures infected with cytomegalovirus

Distinct, sequential events occurring during the destruction and simultaneous regrowth of human arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) cultures infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV, AD169 strain) were characterized. The events were influenced by the typical phenotypic diversity reflecting relative states of differentiation of the SMC cultures. Progenitors of regeneration were a surviving population of small, undifferentiated or relatively undifferentiated SMCs. As these cells reached confluence focally, the number of cells reactive with antismooth muscle serum, i.e. differentiating, increased, and in some postconfluent foci the organization of SMCs resembled the topography of uninfected cultures. Thus, infected SMC cultures had a limited capacity to repopulate, to organize typically, and to differentiate. However, continuing cytopathic effects gradually destroyed much of the regrowth, and a relatively large, nondividing SMC with prominent cytoplasmic filaments, similar to SMCs in terminal, uninfected cultures, predominated. Infected cultures consisting overwhelmingly of the large terminal phenotype were far less productive of infectious CMV than cultures populated by SMCs with continuing capacity to divide. Gradually, cultures consisting of the terminal phenotype deteriorated as a result of sporadic cytopathic effects of CMV and an effect resembling “senescent” degeneration in uninfected, nondividing cultures in late passage. The infected, terminal phenotype could be a latent or persistent source of CMV antigen or nucleic acid-positive cells detected by different investigators in normal and in atheromatous, human tissue, assuming that it exists and survives for an extended period in vivo after infection of vascular SMC.
Capturing signatures of anomalous behavior in online social networks

This paper introduces PHYSENSE, a scalable framework for topic-dependent influence computation on large online social networks (OSNs) with application to generation of signatures of anomalous activity. PHYSENSE estimates and sets up sociological influence models to compute the diffusion of activity potential in the neighborhood of each of the nodes on the OSN. PHYSENSE then scales these to significant parts of the OSN by propagating the activity potentials through the graph topology, thereby generating the influence landscape in the form of an equivalent Green's function matrix. The computationally efficient dynamic update phase of PHYSENSE tracks the time and topic dependent changes in the influence landscape.
Barium-stimulated chemosensory activity may not reflect inhibition of background voltage-insensitive K+ channels in the rat carotid body.

Abstract To test the hypothesis that the voltage-insensitive background leak K+ channel is responsible for the oxygen-sensitive properties of glomus cells in the rat carotid body (CB) we used Ba2+, a non-specific inhibitor of K+ currents. In vitro changes in cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]c) and chemosensory discharge were studied to measure the effect of Ba2+. In normal Tyrode buffer, Ba2+ (3 and 5 mM) significantly increased carotid sinus nerve (CSN) discharge over baseline firing rates under normoxia (P o 2∼120 Torr) from ∼150 to ∼600 imp/0.5 s. However, addition of 200 μM Cd2+ which completely blocked increase in CSN activity stimulated by hypoxia (P o 2∼30 Torr), hypercapnia (P co 2∼60 Torr, P o 2∼120 Torr) and high CO (P co ∼550 Torr, P o 2∼120 Torr) did not significantly inhibit Ba2+-stimulated CSN discharge. The response to hypoxia is abolished with Ca2+-free tyrode buffer containing 10 mM EGTA. Yet, in the same buffer, Ba2+ increased CSN discharge from ∼2 to ∼180 imp/0.5 s. With 200 μM Cd2+ and 10 mM EGTA, Ba2+ still increased CSN discharge from ∼2 to ∼150 imp/0.5 s. Oligomycin (2 μg) abolished the hypoxic response. However, in the presence of oligomycin CSN response to Ba2+ was significant. Since Ba2+ increased neural discharge under conditions where hypoxia stimulated CSN discharge is completely abolished, we suggest that the effect of Ba2+ on CSN discharge may not have anything to do with the oxygen sensing mechanism in the CB.
The influence of space and time varying distortions on objective intelligibility estimators for region-of-interest video

Objective estimators for video are expected to estimate accurately subjective ratings provided by humans. This work presents a subjective experiment designed to acquire intelligibility ratings for a collection of compressed ASL videos. The distortions present in the experimental database are analyzed in terms of their impact on the performance of objective estimators. Distortions that do not significantly vary across space or time cannot adequately challenge traditional objective estimators, such as PSNR and RMS distortion contrast, and an objective intelligibility measure designed specifically for ASL video provides negligible improvements in prediction accuracy. Distortions that vary across space and time, affecting only localized regions in the video, are considered spatially and temporally diverse. When the distortions present in the experimental database are sufficiently diverse, the objective intelligibility measure estimates subjective ratings more accurately than PSNR and RMS distortion contrast.
Intraspinal substance p-containing projections to the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil in pigeon, Columba livia: High-performance liquid chromatography, radioimmunoassay and electron microscopic evidence

Abstract The present study uses quantitative and electron microscopic methods to investigate the hypothesis that intraspinal substance P-sympathetic preganglionic neuron circuitry exists in vertebrates. 17,18 Radioimmunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to: (1) characterize the chemical nature of the substance P-like immunoreactivity in the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil; and (2) quantify the relative contributions of brain stem, primary sensory and intraspinal neurons to the substance P content within the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil. Electron microscopic observations on the localization of substance P-like immunoreactivity within the preganglionic neuropil caudal to complete thoracic spinal cord transections are also reported. High-performance liquid Chromatographie analyses demonstrate that pigeon substance P-like immunoreactivity co-migrates with synthetic substance P, suggesting that the substance P-like material is authentic substance P content within the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil. Electron microscopic observations on the localization of substance P-like immunoreactivity within the preganglionic neuropil caudal to complete preganglionic cell column (inclusive of intermediate spinal laminae V and VII as well as preganglionic neurons located within nucleus intercalatus spinalis); (2) cutting the dorsal rootlets entering the last cervical (C14) and first two thoracic (T1, T2) spinal segments resulted in massive depletion of substance P content in dorsal horn of T1, but no detectable losses within the preganglionic cell column or ventral horn of Tl; and (3) total mid-thoracic (T3–4) spinal cord transection significantly depleted the substance P content in the preganglionic cell column (T3–4) as well as in the dorsal (T1–4) and ventral horns (T2–4). Ultrastructural examination of the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil caudal to spinal transections (survival times of 3–14 days) revealed the presence of numerous, intact, normal appearing substance P-like immunoreactive terminals. Immunolabeled terminals formed asymmetric contacts on medium-sized and small caliber dendrites. Extensive degeneration was evident in this material as well. The ultrastructural features of degenerating processes were distinctive and quite dissimilar in appearance from those exhibiting substance P-like immunoreactive staining. No evidence for damage-induced sequestration of substance P-like material into glial elements was found. The above observations are consistent with earlier findings in rat and pigeon, and provide new quantitative and qualitative evidence to support the hypothesis that intraspinal substance P-containing interneurons contribute to the afferentation to the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil of vertebrates.
A Phase I Study of Midostaurin and Azacitidine in Relapsed and Elderly AML Patients

Abstract Background Midostaurin is a novel, orally available Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) tyrosine kinase inhibitor that induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of leukemic cells expressing mutant and wild type FLT3 receptors, and has shown potential synergism with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Patients and Methods We conducted a phase I study of azacitidine (intravenous 75 mg/m 2 daily for 7 days) with escalating doses of oral midostaurin (25 mg twice per day [b.i.d.], 50 mg b.i.d., and 75 mg b.i.d.) on days 8 to 21 of a 28-day cycle in untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older patients and/or relapsed AML. Patients were eligible regardless of FLT3 mutation status. Trough blood samples for pharmacokinetics were obtained on days 8, 15, and 21 before midostaurin dosing. Results Seventeen patients with a median age of 73 (range, 57-83) years were enrolled; 5 patients had previous conventional treatment and none of the patients had FLT3 mutations. Dose-limiting toxicities were not observed. Hospitalizations, primarily for infections, occurred in one-third of treatment cycles. Fourteen patients were evaluable for response: 3 attained complete remission and 2 had hematologic improvement. Median (range) survival from enrollment was 6 (1 to ≥ 19) months. Three patients died within 60 days of enrollment (2 progressive disease, 1 non–dose-limiting toxicity, treatment-related). Pharmacokinetic data at 75 mg orally b.i.d. showed increased trough levels of midostaurin during cycle 2 compared with cycle 1 and persistent and increasing levels of its active metabolite, CGP52421. Conclusion The combination of sequential azacitidine and midostaurin is safe and tolerable with response rates comparable with azacitidine alone and should be studied further in FLT3 mutation-positive AML.
Forecasting Tropical Cyclone Recurvature. Part II. An Objective Technique Using an Empirical Orthogonal Function Representation of Vorticity Fields

Abstract An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) representation of relative vorticity is used to forecast recurvature (change in storm heading from west through north to cast of 360°) of western North Pacific tropical cyclones. A pattern recognition approach is adapted in which the synoptic conditions at recurvature time and each 12-h interval up to 96 h prior to recurvature are to be distinguished from the synoptic pattern for straight-mover storms. Synoptic descriptors are defined in terms of the time-dependent principal components of the vorticity fields for the individual maps. A standard discriminant analysis approach using 250-mb vorticity fields correctly identifies recurvers and straight movers in 80% and 66%, respectively, of the 782 cases. For a specific discriminant analysis that is derived to separate recurvers (74% correct) from straight movers (81% correct), the accuracy is higher than for the operational track prediction techniques and the official forecasts considered in Part I of this stud...
Parasites and Predators of the Species of a Saddled Prominent Complex at Groton, Vermont

Eleven parasites and predators of the saddled prominent, heterocampa guttivitta (Walker), were found in a severe infestation of a forest at Groton, Vermont. The most active predator was the bronzed grackle, Quiscalus versicolor Vieillot. Cralichneumon sublatus Cresson was abundant in the forest and is considered to be one of the more important of the parasites. Several larvae of Sympiesis tischeriae Ashmead were observed feeding on a larva of H. guttivitta and this represents a new host record. The Ascomycete Cordyceps sp. was also a major parasite of H. guttivitla pupae. H. biundata Walker also occurred in the same microenvironment with H. guttivitla and these 2 species form the “Heterocampa complex” in this forest.
Natural frequencies of cantilever blades with resilient roots

It is difficult to enforce infinite rigidity at the root of a cantilever during vibration tests. The “cantilever” frequencies measured from a single response curve are the resonant frequencies of the entire system, including the effects of indeterminate root conditions. In some structural systems, such as bladed disk assemblies, system resonances may occur in a cluster near a blade cantilever frequency, so that it is difficult to distinguish between assembly modes and the blade cantilever frequency. It is shown that in such cases, a more accurate determination of actual cantilever frequencies may be made by computing the ratio of tip and root displacements as a function of excitation frequency.
Measurement Invariance of Social Axioms in 23 Countries

In a demanding test of measurement invariance, we examine the relative cross-cultural generalizability of the five-factor model of social axioms in samples from 23 nations (total N = 7,275). With some modifications, results showed modest evidence of both configural and factorial invariance of the measure. Even such modest evidence is impressive in such a diverse sample and with such a stringent test, but nonetheless, areas are noted where the Social Axioms Survey could be improved to achieve better fit for invariance tests.
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Ligands Enhance Human B Cell Antibody Production and Differentiation

examined the role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)/RXR pathway on human B cell differentiation. We demonstrated that activated B cells up-regulate their expression of PPAR. We also show that nanomolar levels of natural (15-deoxy12,14 -prostaglandin J2) or synthetic (rosiglitazone) PPAR ligands enhanced B cell proliferation and significantly stimulated plasma cell differentiation and Ab production. Moreover, the addition of GW9662, a specific PPAR antagonist, abolished these effects. Retinoid X receptor (RXR) is the binding partner for PPAR and is required to produce an active transcriptional complex. The simultaneous addition of nanomolar concentrations of the RXR ligand (9-cis-retinoic acid) and PPAR ligands to CpG-activated B cells resulted in additive effects on B cell proliferation, plasma cell differentiation, and Ab production. Furthermore, PPAR ligands alone or combined with 9-cis-retinoic acid enhanced CpG-induced expression of Cox-2 and the plasma cell transcription factor BLIMP-1. Induction of these important regulators of B cell differentiation provides a possible mechanism for the B cell-enhancing effects of PPAR ligands. These new findings indicate that low doses of PPAR/RXR ligands could be used as a new type of adjuvant to stimulate Ab production. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 183: 6903– 6912.
Six models for the social accountability of computing

This paper briefly examines six public policy strategies for including the "social accountability of computing". "Social accountability" denotes ways of organizing computer specialists, organized groups that develop, manufacture, sell or use computer-based systems, and their markets, so that the broader public is well served. The six models which are examined here include:1. Market arrangements2. Administrative authority3. Professional control4. Regulatory commissions to administer legislative acts5. Judical enforcement and review of legislative acts6. Citizen actionEach is applicable to a different context in which computer-based services are provided. And collectively, they span the set of policy instruments available in liberal democracies. While these models have been extensively developed and examined in a variety of settings, their appropriateness for computing is usually tacitly assumed, rather than grounded in careful analyses. Upon close inspection, each model is found to have severe problems in either its practical effectiveness or its appropriateness for computing.
Stability problems in point contact solar cells

Single-crystal silicon point-contact solar cells show a degradation in their efficiency after being exposed to concentrated sunlight. Two mechanisms appear to be responsible: an increase in surface recombination velocity caused by ultraviolet light, possibly due to electron injection from the silicon into the oxide, and a gradual lowering of the effective carrier lifetime that occurs when the cell is under high-level injection for an extended period of time. Point-contact solar cells whose front-side passivation has a phosphorus as well as a thermal oxide diffusion are dramatically more resistant to ultraviolet radiation damage. Modeling results indicate that it is possible to make a point-contact solar cell that is 26.8% efficient after massive ultraviolet exposure. >
Sleep Related Cardiovascular Risk.: New Home-Based Monitoring Technology for Improved Diagnosis and Therapy

Although 20% of myocardial infarctions (MIs) and 15% of sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) occur between midnight and 6:00 A.M., nocturnal cardiac death remains an underappreciated and poorly understood phenomenon. The risk of nocturnal SCD may be-especially high in patients with coronary disease confounded by apnea, heart failure, recent Ml, pause-dependent Torsade de Pointes, and near miss victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or siblings of SIDS vistims. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and dreaming, significant bursts in sympathetic nervous system activity may compromise coronary flow and trigger life-threatening arrhythmia in susceptible individuals. In non-REM or slow wave sleep, hypotension may lead to malperfusion of the heart and brain as a result of a lowered pressure gradient through stenosed vessels. Obstructive sleep apnea, which afflicts 1.5 million Americans, can generate reductions in arterial oxygen saturation, which may lead to hypertension and greatly increased risk of myocardial infarction. Cardiac medications which cross the blood-brain barrier have the potential to alter sleep structure and provoke nightmares with severe cardiac autonomic discharge. Recently, new streamlined technology has been developed for tracking of sleep state. Among the most promising is the Nightcap, an unobtrusive, low cost device which accurately detects sleep state from eyelid and head movement with algorithms which could be incorporated into the circuity of ambulatory ECG recorders. Sleep states present unique autonomic, hemodynamic, and respiratory challenges to the diseased myocardium which cannot be replicated by daytime diagnostic tests. Because of the magnitude of the problem of nocturnal death and the availability of new practical technology for combined monitoring of sleep state and ECG, more widespread nighttime monitoring of the cardiac patient seems warranted.
Non-invasive imaging for the detection of human embryonic aneuploidy at the blastocyst stage

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrated that non-invasive imaging of cell cycle parameters over the first 48 hours can predict blastocyst formation and may allow for earlier embryo selection. It has also been suggested that aneuploid embryos may exhibit abnormal timing in early cell divisions. Thus, we performed non-invasive imaging and genetic analysis of human embryos to determine whether cell cycle parameters prior to day 3 correlate with ploidy at the blastocyst stage. DESIGN: Non-invasive image analysis of human embryos from the 2-pronuclei to blastocyst stage, in conjunction with polar body, blastomere and trophectoderm biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Supernumerary IVF zygotes were thawed, underwent laser polar body biopsy and were imaged using darkfield illumination every 5 minutes over 5 days. Three parameters were measured: duration of first cytokinesis, time to second mitotic division and synchronicity in the appearance of the 3rd and 4th cells. Arrested embryos were disaggregated and individual blastomeres analyzed by array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH). Embryos reaching the blastocyst stage underwent trophectoderm biopsy, and in certain cases, whole embryo aCGH. RESULTS: Of 23 embryos imaged, 18 embryos were analyzed successfully with aCGH. 5 embryos arrested prematurely and their biopsies failed to amplify. Confirming previous studies, 7 of 8 embryos with normal cell cycle parameters developed to the blastocyst stage, whereas among the 15 embryos with abnormal parameters, 2 developed into blastocysts. Of the 8 embryos that exhibited normal parameters, 5 were euploid (62.5%). Of the 10 embryos with abnormal parameters, only 4 were euploid (40%). CONCLUSION: Results suggest a correlation between normal early cell cycle parameters and euploidy. Current research efforts are aimed at defining non-invasive parameters for aneuploidy detection and prediction of human embryo viability. Supported by: March of Dimes (6-FY10-351 to RARP).
New concepts in herpes simplex virus vaccine development: notes from the battlefield

The recent discovery that T cells recognize different sets of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 epitopes from seropositive symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals might lead to a fundamental immunologic advance in vaccine development against herpes infection and diseases. The newly introduced needle-free mucosal (i.e., topical ocular and intravaginal) lipopeptide vaccines provide a novel strategy that might target ocular and genital herpes and possibly provide ‘heterologous protection’ from HIV-1. Indeed, mucosal self-adjuvanting lipopeptide vaccines are easy to manufacture, simple to characterize, extremely pure, cost-effective, highly immunogenic and safe. In this review, we bring together recent published and unpublished data that illuminates the status of epitope-based herpes vaccine development and present an overview of our recent approach to an ‘asymptomatic epitope’-based lipopeptide vaccine.
A Tool for Scalable Profiling and Tracing of Java and Native Code Interactions

Java workloads have two different execution spaces: one in JVM and the other in the native environment. Understanding workload activity in native and non-native (Java) spaces and its impact on the overall resource consumption of Java workloads can be very useful. For example, this knowledge can be exploited in code optimization and for efficient process level scheduling especially in emerging hybrid systems. Existing Java run time tracing tools are quite heavyweight and/or offer limited useful information for understanding Java and native space interactions. We developed an extremely lightweight tracing tool for enterprise Java workloads. The tool captures detailed per-thread statistics related to resource usage and activity in JVM and native spheres. Efficient design based on innovative thread and memory management principles enables us to achieve scalable monitoring with our tool on multi-core systems running enterprise workloads. The information captured by the tool is used to build workload profiles which can then be used for predictive performance of Java workloads in emerging systems and architectures.
Regulation of Apoptotic c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Signaling by a Stabilization-Based Feed-Forward Loop

A sequential kinase cascade culminating in activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) plays a fundamental role in promoting apoptotic death in many cellular contexts. The mechanisms by which this pathway is engaged in response to apoptotic stimuli and suppressed in viable cells are largely unknown. Here, we show that apoptotic stimuli increase endogenous cellular levels of pathway components, including POSH, mixed lineage kinases (MLKs), and JNK interacting protein 1, and that this effect occurs through protein stabilization and requires the presence of POSH as well as activation of MLKs and JNKs. Our findings suggest a self-amplifying, feed-forward loop mechanism by which apoptotic stimuli promote the stabilization of JNK pathway components, thereby contributing to cell death.
Psychophysiological experimental design for use in human-robot interaction studies

This paper outlines key experimental design issues associated with the use of psychophysiological measures in human-robot interaction (HRI) studies and summarizes related studies. Psychophysiological measurements are one tool for evaluating participantspsila reactions to a robot with which they are interacting. A brief review of psychophysiology is provided which includes: physiological activities and response tendencies; common psychophysiological measures; and advantages/issues related to psychophysiological measures. Psychophysiological experimental design recommendations are given for information required from participants before the psychophysiological measures are performed; a method to reduce habituation; post-testing assessment process; determining adequate sample sizes; and testing methods commonly used in HRI studies with recommended electrode placements. Psychophysiological measures should be utilized as part of a multi-faceted approach to experimental design including self-assessments, participant interviews, and/or video-recorded data collection methods over the course of an experimental study. Two or more methods of measurement should be utilized for convergent validity. Although psychophysiological measures may not be appropriate for all HRI studies, they can provide a valuable evaluation tool of participantspsila responses when properly incorporated into a multi-faceted experimental design.
The photoelectron spectrum of the benzaldehyde anion

Abstract The benzaldehyde radical anion was produced in the gas phase and studied using negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis of the photoelectron spectrum found the adiabatic electron affinity, EAa(C6H5CHO), to be 0.35 ± 0.05 eV. Two active modes of benzaldehyde are observed in the photodetachment of the C6H5CHO anion: ν7, the C O stretch (1728 cm−1) and ν6, the non-phenyl C H stretch (2806 cm−1). DFT electronic structure calculations have been carried out and are in agreement with the experimental spectrum. The optimized geometries of both C6H5CHO X ˜ 1A′ and C6H5CHO X ˜ 2A” are planar. The excess electron in the benzaldehyde anion is found to be delocalized in its π* (a”) anti-bonding orbital.
MATING TYPES OF CHLAMYDOMONAS FROM THE COLLECTION OF GILBERT M. SMITH

SUMMARY After the death of Dr. Gilbert M. Smith on July 11, 1959, the strains of Chlamydomonas maintained in his collection were sent to the Culture Collection of Algae at Indiana University. Axenic cultures of 29 strains were investigated to determine the nature of their sexual behavior. Mating types for 6 species (C. elliptica var. britannica, C. frankii, C. minutissima, C. moewusii f. microstigmata, C. reinhardtii, C. smithii) produced zygotes when agar cultures were harvested with sterile distilled water or low nitrogen medium and the complementary mating types for each species were mixed. Three species, C. moewusii f. microstigmata, C. reinhardtii, and C. smithii, produced sufficient zygotes to be of value in experimental work. C. smithii is an undescribed species interfertile with C. reinhardtii. The description of C. smithii will be published in a separate paper. Fourteen mating types of Chlamydomonas originally isolated and maintained by Smith are now maintained in the Culture Collection.
International Competition In Research And Development; Incentives To Subsidize And Retaliate

Is laissez faire optimal in international trade under conditions of imperfect competition? Possible economic profits may tempt governments to intervene in trade in order to enhance the national income. An intriguing intervention is subsidizing a firms research and development (R&D) efforts. This paper presents Bertrand competitors, in an international duopoly, who invest in R&D directed towards process innovation. Ironically, a subsidy may not be welfare-enhancing.