cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State-level estimates of the number of volunteer police in the United States

To effectively develop and evaluate policing policies and practices, researchers and stakeholders need to know the numbers of volunteer police officers. Limited national estimates exist in the United States, but have shortcomings. This study collects state-level counts of volunteer police from all 50 states (and the District of Columbia), and finds that relying on state-level counts of volunteer police officers is not an effective way of capturing this information. The implications are discussed and a solution is suggested.
Chapter 5 Starch Gelatinization

Abstract Starch occurs as highly organized structures, known as starch granules. Starch has unique thermal properties and functionality that have permitted its wide use in food products and industrial applications. When heated in water, starch undergoes a transition process, during which the granules break down into a mixture of polymers‐in‐solution, known as gelatinization. The sequence of structural transformations that the starch granule undergoes during this order‐to‐disorder transition has been extensively researched. None of the published starch gelatinization theories can fully and adequately explain the exact mechanism of sequential structural changes that starch granules undergo during gelatinization. This chapter analyzes several published theories and summarizes our current understanding of the starch gelatinization process.
A Numerical Method for Simulating Fast-Swimming Motions

A numerical method for the simulation of thin, elastic immersed boundaries in a two-dimensional fluid is introduced. The method is Lagrangian and combines the use of vortices and impulse elements (vortex dipoles). Consequently, it is best suited for applications where the Reynolds number is high. The example presented here is the motion of an undulating filament, simulating the swimming of an organism in a slightly viscous fluid.
A Cost-Optimization Model in Multi-agent System Routing for Drone Delivery

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have received attention in the last decade because of their low cost, small size, and programmable features. Drone delivery is one of the most promising applications to deliver packages efficiently. However, there are still doubts like “How to overcome the drone’s limited capacity and battery life?”. This paper will show a proposal to solve this problem by collaborating a drone delivery system with existing public transportation. A delivery system composed by UAVs and buses is a heterogeneous multi-agent system. This study will allocate the tasks to the UAVs and buses in the context of the multi-agent delivery system. Also, this work finds a path for each package by solving the vehicle routing problem (VRP) to find the cost-optimized path given the heterogeneous multi-agent system and minimize the number of UAVs needed for deliver. The experimental results show that the routing algorithm will reduce the total mileage and the number of UAVs given the same set of orders.
Use of digital game based learning and gamification in secondary school science: The effect on student engagement, learning and gender difference

This study aimed to identify the impact of a game based learning (GBL) application using computer technologies on student engagement in secondary school science classrooms. The literature reveals that conventional Science teaching techniques (teacher-centered lecture and teaching), which foster rote learning among students, are one of the major concerns in Pakistan Education system. This leads to student disengagement in science lessons eventually resulting in student absenteeism and dropouts from the schools. This study consisted of five stages: (1) examining the impact of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) and gamification on engagement, learning and gender difference, and literature related to using DGBL models for instructional design; (2) planning learning activities and developing a GBL application based on a specific content in Science; (3) conducting an intervention with a sample of 72 participants of 8th grade (aged 12---15) in a low cost private school of Pakistan following quasi-experimental research framework; (4) observing behaviour and emotions of the participants during science lessons; (5) conducting pre and post tests to assess the learning outcomes of participants followed by focus groups discussion. Analysis from Friedman test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test show that the GBL application has a positive influence on student engagement. However, GBL application was not equally effective for all students since girls outperformed boys in terms of engagement and learning outcomes. This study gives insights into the development of better educational games to promote student learning.
Alcohol Use and Frailty Risk among Older Adults over 12 Years: The Health and Retirement Study.

ABSTRACTObjectives: The primary goal was to examine the relationship between alcohol use and frailty, a variable characterizing late-life decline, in a national, longitudinal survey of older adults living in the United States.Methods: The sample drawn from the Health and Retirement Study included 9,499 stroke-free participants over age 65 in 2000. The sample was 59.1% female, and had a mean age of 74.25 years (SD = 6.99). Follow-up data was from 2004, 2008, and 2012. Frailty was defined phenotypically using the Paulson-Lichtenberg Frailty Index (PLFI). Alcohol use was measured via self-report. Control variables included age, race, education, socio-economic status (SES), depressive symptomatology, medical burden score, body mass index (BMI), and partner status. With abstinent participants as the reference group, logistic regressions were conducted to determine prevalent frailty at 2000, and Cox’s proportional hazard models were utilized to determine time to incident frailty over a 12-year period.Results: R...
Perioperative Factors Affecting Ambulatory Outcomes Following Laparoscopic-Adjustable Gastric Banding.

Objective Morbidly obese patients are traditionally hospitalised following bariatric surgery. However, laparoscopic-adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is amenable for ambulatory care. We hypothesised that the majority of patients can receive an ambulatory LAGB and that both surgical and anaesthetic perioperative factors will significantly affect non-ambulatory LAGB outcomes. Methods Medical records of 201 consecutive LAGB patients performed at the University of Kansas Medical Centre during a 3-y period were reviewed. Demographic, medical, laboratory, anaesthetic, intraoperative and postoperative data were collected. Factors associated with non-ambulatory outcomes were identified and analysed using logistic regression, and a classification tree analysis was used to rank the descriptive model factor to the non-ambulatory outcome. Results Average patient age was 43.4±11.4 years, and average body mass index was 48.2±10.3 kg m2-1. A total of 155 patients (77.1%; 95% confidence interval, 71%-83%; p<0.0001) were discharged home within 2-3 hours of surgery, whereas 36 stayed for 23 hours and 10 required hospital admission for 1-2 days. Increased surgical port numbers (p=0.007), ≥50% of total intraoperative fentanyl administered in the recovery room (post-anaesthesia care unit) for the treatment of postoperative pain (p=0.007) and a lack of prophylactic beta-blockade (p=0.001) were three factors associated with non-ambulatory outcomes. Obstructive sleep apnoea was not associated with a non-ambulatory outcome (p=0.83). Conclusion The majority of patients received an ambulatory LAGB. Meticulous laparoscopic surgical technique with the least feasible number of access ports and multimodal analgesic technique aimed at reduction of postoperative opioid consumption are the most important factors for a successful ambulatory LAGB outcome.
When Electrochemistry Met Methane: Rapid Catalyst Oxidation Fuels Hydrocarbon Functionalization.

An electrochemical strategy for rapid generation of the highly reactive species necessary for C−H bond functionalization may enable improved technology for methane conversion.
Molecular Level Investigation of CH4 and CO2 Adsorption in Hydrated Calcium–Montmorillonite

We have studied the mechanism of intercalation and methane adsorption from a H2O/CH4/CO2 mixture on a prototypical swelling shale component, Ca–montmorillonite. We employed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations at 323 K and 90 bar to obtain molecular level information on adsorption energetics, speciation, and structural and thermodynamic properties. Interaction of CH4 with surface Lewis acidic sites (Ca2+, surface OH) results in large induced dipoles (∼1 D) that lead to relatively strong adsorption energies compared to interactions of the normally apolar CH4 that level off once a CH4 layer is formed. Intercalated CH4, also exhibits large induced dipoles at lower hydration levels, when the interaction with Ca2+ cations are less hindered. CO2 displaces CH4 in the coordination sphere of the cations (in the interlayer) or on the surface, thereby driving CH4 extraction. Our simulations indicate that there is an optimal pressure range (∼70–90 bar) where scCO2-facilitated CH4 extraction will be maximized.
Equations for Bat–Ball Collisions

Chapter 3 begins the mathematical analysis of bat-ball collisions. For collision at the center of mass of the bat, it presents equations for the Conservation of Linear Momentum, the definition of the Coefficient of Restitution and the Conservation of Energy. For collisions at the sweet spot of the bat, it adds Newton’s Second Principle, Impulse and Momentum. It introduces a uniform notation that will be used throughout the book, without jargon.
Distribution and Abundance of Introduced Seal Salamanders (Desmognathus monticola) in Northwest Arkansas, USA

Many reptiles and amphibians are gaining recognition as harmful invaders, highlighted by well-known examples such as the Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis), Cane Toad (Rhinella marina), American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), and Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus). In 2003, an introduced population of Seal Salamanders (Desmognathus monticola) was found in Spavinaw Creek, within the Ozark Plateau of northwest Arkansas. Genetic evidence confirmed an introduction from northern Georgia. Very little is known about the status of this non-native population; thus, the objective of this study was to assess the current distribution and abundance of non-native D. monticola along Spavinaw Creek. We conducted repeated, low-intensity visual surveys along the 30 km extent of Spavinaw Creek in Arkansas and used a hierarchical Bayesian analysis to model the occupancy response of D. monticola and five native salamander species relative to river mile and habitat covariates. We also conducted a short-term clos...
An Obesity Risk Assessment Tool for Young Children: Validity With BMI and Nutrient Values.

Abstract Objective Demonstrate validity and reliability for an obesity risk assessment tool for young children targeting families' modifiable home environments. Design Longitudinal design with data collected over 100 weeks. Setting Head Start and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Participants Parent–child pairs (n = 133) provided food behavior assessments; 3 child-modified, 24-hour dietary recalls; 3 ≥ 36-hour activity logs; and measured heights and weights. Main Outcome Measure Five measures of validity and 5 of reliability. Results Validity was excellent for the assessment tool, named Healthy Kids, demonstrating an inverse relationship with child body mass index percentile-for-age (P = .02). Scales were significantly related to hypothesized variables (P ≤ .05): fruit or vegetable cup equivalents; folate; vitamins A, C, and D; β-carotene; calcium; fiber; sugar; screen, sleep, and physical activity minutes; and parent behaviors. Measures of reliability were acceptable. Conclusions and Implications Overall, children with higher Healthy Kids scores had a more healthful profile as well as lower body mass index percentiles-for-age 1.5 years later. Healthy Kids has potential for use by nutrition professionals as a screening tool to identify young children most at risk for excess weight gain, as an evaluation to assess intervention impact, and as a counseling tool to tailor intervention efforts. Future research should include validation in other settings and with other populations.
The Alai-Pamirs and the Tien Shan

The elevated regions considered in this chapter belong, at least in part, to the Himalayan System, so that this chapter is, in a sense, a continuation of the foregoing. Orographically, ecologically and biogeographically, the Northwest Himalaya, the Pamirs, the Tien Shan and the other principal mountains of Middle Asia (fig. 52) constitute together an immense locality of faunal development and differentiation. The region of the Altai Mountains is likewise another independent faunal centre of Central Asia. In view of the prevailing confusion in the existing English language literature, it is necessary, at the very outset, to clearly distinguish between Middle Asia and Central Asia. Middle Asia comprises the Soviet Socialist Republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikstan and Kirghiz (the Turkestan of old), the South Kazakstan and the North Afghanistan (north of the Hindu Kush Range). Central Asia includes the northern parts of the Kazak SSR, the Mongol Peoples’ Republic, the western provinces of China (Singkiang, Tsinghai), Tibet, parts of Kansu and the Inner Mongolia. The principal mountain ranges and high elevated regions of these areas are the Alai-Pamirs, the Tien Shan and the Altai. The Altai Mountains belong to the older mountain system and the others are Tertiary formations. The reader will find excellent accounts of the tectonics of the region in burrard & hayden (175), muschketow (786), a. von schultz (939) and c. c. schultz (940).
Recyclable and repolymerizable thiol–X photopolymers

We demonstrate a class of rapidly photopolymerizable step-growth cross-linked networks that incorporate thioesters into the backbone. The thioester functional groups enable complete degradation of the network into oligomers that can subsequently be recycled into a nearly indistinguishable material with no change in material behavior.
Exosomes molecular diagnostics: Direct conversion of exosomes into the cDNA for gene amplification by two-step polymerase chain reaction

Exosomes are cell derived lipid nanoparticle with a size of 30–100 nm in diameter, found in almost all biological fluids. The composition of the exosomes is mainly lipid, proteins, RNA, DNA, and non-coding RNAs. Currently, most available methods and commercial kits for exosomal-RNA (Exo-RNA) isolation have limitations and shortcomings. Small starting volume of exosomes and the use of extraction/filtration columns results usually insufficient yield of exosomal RNA after isolation. The majority of RNA contained in purified exosomes range in size from 15–500 nucleotides. Some RNA isolation kits are well suited for small RNA transcripts isolation but larger mRNA transcripts are hard to detect. For all of the kits, the cost prize per sample analyzed is very high. Our current method provides a novel way for direct conversion of exosomes into cDNA synthesis (Exo-cDNA) and subsequent gene detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This method has several advantages compared to established available kits. No extraction column is utilized in this procedure which means total recovery of exosomal RNA with maximal yield. In addition, this method is fast and uses a minimal amount of lab supplies, thereby reducing the overall working costs. Our findings suggest that direct conversion of exosomes into cDNA and subsequent gene amplification by two step PCR is a most efficient and reproducible technique. This novel method can be applied to and is useful to advance molecular research of exosomes by solving the problem of low molecular yields.
A Scalable Textile Antenna Mat for Wireless Sensing of Children's Height

A novel scalable textile antenna mat is proposed for wireless sensing of children's height on the go. Compared to state-of-the-art height measurement techniques (stadiometers, infantometers, etc.), the proposed approach implies: (1) unobtrusive and comfortable operation without much impact to the child's natural activity, and (2) automated, fast, and regular data collection. The operating principle lies on multiple parallel dipole antennas placed at a fixed distance from each other. The two antennas nearest to the edge are transmitting one at a time, while the rest are receiving. The subject's length can be identified as the distance between the two receiving antennas closest to the transmitting ones that have a significant decrease in their transmission coefficient when the child lies upon the mat. Performance of the proposed mat is herewith validated via Finite Element (FE) simulations. In the future, this technology could be integrated into baby cribs or bed sheets to help detect conditions such as Turner syndrome, growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and Celiac (coeliac) disease.
Twentieth-century semi-arid climates and climatic fluctuations in Texas and northeastern Mexico

Central, southern and western Texas and adjacent northeastern Mexico comprise a vast, nearly uninterrupted, subtropical semi-arid (to subhumid) climatic environment. Like all such areas (e.g. the Sahel of Africa), both the margins and internal moisture availability of this climate region are extremely dynamic and unreliable. For example, within the past 25 years, several stations within 50 miles of the Gulf of Mexico have received as few as 8 in and as many as 65 in of precipitation in specific calendar years. Quite unlike the Sahel, however, is the fact that semi-arid trans-Texas/Mexico is an important food-growing and -exporting region, particularly the portion within the U.S.A. Such diverse agricultural products as cotton, milo (grain sorghum), wool, cattle, citrus fruits, vegetables and sugar cane are produced in significant quantitites and exported nationally and even world-wide (especially milo). All of these crops are highly vulnerable to the atmospheric ‘caprices’ which are inevitable but poorly perceived even within the region itself. This paper describes, depicts graphically and statistically analyzes the regional climatology of semi-arid southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, with particular emphasis on fluctuations: such key episodes or ‘trends’ as droughts and ‘wet spells’ (both of which, once started, seem to endure for periods of approximately 10/25 years). The study concludes with a consideration of its implications and potential utility, especially for agriculture, in understanding and coping with such episodes as they recur in future years.
Attentional Control and Threat-Related Attention Bias Partially Explain the Association Between Maternal Psychological Control and Youth Anxiety Severity

Etiological models of youth anxiety disorders have generally treated maternal psychological control (PC) and youth attentional processes as separate lines of inquiry. As a consequence, little is known about the interplay of PC and youth attentional processes as it relates to youth anxiety. The current study bridges these two lines of inquiry, and evaluates a conceptual model wherein youth threat-related attention bias and youth attentional control account for the relation between maternal PC and youth anxiety. Participants were 202 clinic-referred youths (M = 10.09 years; 54% male) and their mothers. The indirect association between maternal PC and youth anxiety via youth attentional control was statistically significant using youth ratings. The indirect association between maternal PC and youth anxiety via youth threat-related attention bias was statistically significant using mother ratings. Findings from this study advance etiological models of youth anxiety, provide insight into threat-related attention bias and attentional control as potential mediators of the association between high maternal PC and youth anxiety, and suggest that targeting attentional processes could offer an additional treatment option for anxious youths whose parents are high in PC.
Role of the Atchafalaya River Basin in regulating export fluxes of dissolved organic carbon, nutrients, and trace elements to the Louisiana Shelf

Abstract The abundance and fluxes of selected dissolved trace elements (TE), nutrients, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were quantified in the Atchafalaya River Basin to better understand its influence on the chemical regime of the Louisiana Shelf, a region where bottom water hypoxia occurs annually during late spring to early fall. Water samples were collected from throughout the entire Atchafalaya River Basin including from the Mississippi and Red Rivers as well as basin swamp waters during April and November 2010, and June 2011, which represent “typical” high and low, and “unusual” high river discharges, respectively. Within the total dissolved ( 20%), exceeding its hydrological contribution (∼10%) to the Atchafalaya River, due to greatly enriched concentrations of these elements in the Red River. The Atchafalaya River Basin wetland/floodplain contribution to chemical constituents was noticeable, accounting for more than a 20% decrease of some elements (Cd, Cs, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, P, U, and Zn). Mn was the only element with persistent addition during all sampling campaigns. However, the contributions from the Red River were greater than the wetland/floodplain contributions for DOC, nutrients and most of TEs (except Mn), suggesting that the Red River plays a disproportionate role in regulating water quality in the Atchafalaya River. Overall, the Atchafalaya River with its chemical modification of Mississippi River water via contributions from the Red River and interactions with floodplain wetlands, plays a critical role in chemical distributions on the Louisiana Shelf in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Thus, the Atchafalaya River contribution should be adequately accounted for in biogeochemical studies and models of trace elements and nutrients on the Louisiana Shelf, particularly during periods of bottom water hypoxia.
On the atomic structure of the Nb/Al2O3 interface and the growth of Al2O3 particles

The growth mechanism for small precipitates of Al2O3 formed by internal oxidation in the Nb–Al2O3 interface is studied in detail. The observations show that the Nb (001)/Al2O3 (00.1) interface is almost atomically flat and that there are no interface compounds. We suggest that the final layer on the Al2O3 side of this interface consists of oxygen atoms. The effects of image forces on misfit dislocations are found to result in a standoff distance between dislocation cores and the interface, in good agreement with the recent theory. The implications of this for the strength of metal-ceramic bonding are discussed.
Plasmid Dissemination and Selection of a Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain during Transplant-Associated Antibiotic Therapy.

ABSTRACT Antibiotics, which are used both to prevent and to treat infections, are a mainstay therapy for lifesaving procedures such as transplantation. For this reason, and many others, increased antibiotic resistance among human-associated pathogens, such as the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae species, is of grave concern. In this study, we report on a hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient in whom cultures detected the emergence of carbapenem resistance and spread across five strains of bacteria that persisted for over a year. Carbapenem resistance in Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella aerogenes, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was linked to a pair of plasmids, each carrying the Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase gene (blaKPC). Surveillance cultures identified a carbapenem-susceptible strain of Citrobacter freundii that may have become resistant through horizontal gene transfer of these plasmids. Selection of a multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain was also detected following combination antibiotic therapy. Here we report a plasmid carrying the blaKPC gene with broad host range that poses the additional threat of spreading to endogenous members of the human gut microbiome. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a serious threat to medically fragile patient populations. The spread of antibiotic resistance through plasmid-mediated mechanisms is of grave concern as it can lead to the conversion of endogenous patient-associated strains to difficult-to-treat pathogens.
Calibration schemes with O(N log N) scaling for large-N radio interferometers built on a regular grid

Future generations of radio interferometers targeting the 21\,cm signal at cosmological distances with $N\gg 1000$ antennas could face a significant computational challenge in building correlators with the traditional architecture, whose computational resource requirement scales as $\mathcal{O}(N^2)$ with array size. The fundamental output of such correlators is the cross-correlation products of all antenna pairs in the array. The FFT-correlator architecture reduces the computational resources scaling to $\mathcal{O}(N\log{N})$ by computing cross-correlation products through a spatial Fourier transform. However, the output of the FFT-correlator is meaningful only when the input antenna voltages are gain- and phase-calibrated. Traditionally, interferometric calibration has used the $\mathcal{O}(N^2)$ cross-correlations produced by a standard correlator. This paper proposes two real-time calibration schemes that could work in parallel with an FFT-correlator as a self-contained $\mathcal{O}(N\log{N})$ correlator system that can be scaled to large-N redundant arrays. We compare the performance and scalability of these two calibration schemes and find that they result in antenna gains whose variance decreases as $1/\log{N}$ with increase in the size of the array.
The economic value of a centralized approach to distributed resource investment and operation

Abstract Distributed energy resources have been almost exclusively deployed and operated under a decentralized decision-making process. In this paper, we assess the evolution of a power system with centrally planned utility-scale generation, transmission, distribution, and distributed resources. We adapt a capacity expansion model to represent both centralized and decentralized decision-making paradigms under various electricity rate structures. This paper shows that a centralized planning approach could save 7% to 37% of total system costs over a 15-year time horizon using a Western United States utility as a case study. We show that centralized decision-making deploys substantially more utility-scale solar and distributed storage compared to a decentralized decision-making paradigm. We demonstrate how a utility could largely overcome the complications of decentralized distributed resource decision-making by incentivizing regulators to develop electricity rates that more closely reflect time- and location-specific, long-run marginal costs. The results from this analysis yield insights that are useful for long-term utility planning and electric utility rate design.
Patterns of Parental Messages Supporting Fighting and Nonviolence Among Urban Middle School Students

The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of adolescents with distinct perceptions of parental messages supporting fighting and nonviolence. Latent class analysis identified four subgroups among 2,619 urban middle school students (90% African American; 52% female): messages supporting fighting (32%), messages supporting nonviolence (29%), mixed messages (23%), and no messages (16%). We found significant differences across subgroups in their frequency of physical aggression and peer victimization and beliefs about the use of aggressive and nonviolent responses to peer provocation. Beliefs significantly mediated the relation between parental messages subgroups and both aggression and victimization. Findings illustrate the heterogeneity in the messages urban adolescents perceive from their parents, as well as relations with adolescents' beliefs and behavior.
Safety First? The Role of Emotion in Safety Product Betrayal Aversion

Consumers often face decisions about whether to purchase products that are intended to protect them from possible harm. However, safety products rarely provide perfect protection and sometimes “betray” consumers by causing the very harm they are intended to prevent. Examples include vaccines that may cause disease and air bags that may explode with such force that they cause death. Expanding research on betrayal aversion, this study examines the role of emotions in consumers’ tendency to choose safety options that provide less overall protection in order to eliminate a very small probability of harm due to safety product betrayal. In five studies we find that betrayal aversion is reduced and safer alternatives are selected when factors that dampen the emotional response to potential betrayals are introduced or taken into account. These factors include changing the betrayal from an action to an omission (study 1), introducing positive imagery (study 2), introducing visual representations of risk (study 3), making the decision for another rather than oneself (study 4), and intuitive thinking style (study 5).
A thiol-based intramolecular redox switch in four-repeat tau controls fibril assembly and disassembly

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of several tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. The deposition of fibrillar inclusions made of tau protein is one of the pathological hallmarks of these disorders. Although it is becoming increasingly evident that the specific fibril structure may vary from one tauopathy to another and it is recognized that different types of isoforms (three-repeat and four-repeat tau) can be selectively deposited, little is known about the role oxidation may play in aggregation. Four-repeat tau contains two cysteines that can form an intramolecular disulfide bond, resulting in a structurally restrained compact monomer. There is discrepancy as to whether this monomer can aggregate or not. Using isolated four-repeat tau monomers (htau40) with intramolecular disulfide bonds, we demonstrate that these proteins form fibrils. The fibrils are less stable than fibrils formed under reducing conditions but are highly effective in seeding oxidized tau monomers. Conversely, a strong seeding barrier prevents incorporation of reduced tau monomers, tau mimics in which the cysteines have been replaced by alanines or serines, and three-repeat tau (htau23), a single-cysteine isoform. The barrier also holds true when seed and monomer types are reversed, indicating that oxidized and reduced tau are incompatible with each other. Surprisingly, fibrils composed of compact tau disaggregate upon reduction, highlighting the importance of the intramolecular disulfide bond for fibril stability. The findings uncover a novel binary redox switch that controls the aggregation and disaggregation of these fibrils and extend the conformational spectrum of tau aggregates.
Inhibition of cell proliferation by CD44: Akt is inactivated and EGR-1 is down-regulated.

Objective: CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein and can facilitate signal transduction by serving as a platform for molecular recruitment and assembly. A number of studies have suggested that CD44 can either positively or negatively regulate cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how CD44 can inhibit cell proliferation. Materials and methods: We engineered E6.1 Jurkat cells to express CD44. Importantly, these cells lack endogenous CD44 expression. Molecular pathways involved with cell proliferation were studied using RT2-PCR array, siRNA, Western blotting and by employing pharmacological inhibitors of ERK1/2, p38 and the PI3K/Akt pathways. Results: We found that CD44 expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation and down-regulated EGR-1 expression and EGR-1 targets cyclin D1 and cyclin D2. Transfection of control E6.1 Jurkat cells with EGR-1 siRNA also inhibited cell proliferation, confirming its role. Disruption of the PI3K/Akt pathway with pharmacological inhibitors reduced both EGR-1 expression and cell proliferation, recapitulating the properties of CD44 expressing cells. Akt was hypophosphorylated in cells expressing CD44 showing its potential role in negatively regulating Akt activation. Strikingly, constitutively active Akt rescued the proliferation defect showing requirement for active Akt, in our system. Conclusion: Our results suggest a novel pathway by which CD44 inactivates Akt, down-regulates EGR-1 expression and inhibits cell proliferation.
Voltage-operated calcium channels in fresh and cultured rat retinal pigment epithelial cells.

PURPOSE: There is little known about the membrane properties of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with respect to calcium. The authors attempted to characterize membrane calcium channels from solitary fresh and cultured RPE cells from normal and dystrophic rat retinas. METHODS: RPE cells were enzymatically dissociated from eyes of neonatal rats of several strains, including dystrophic RCS strains. Membrane currents were recorded using the whole-cell version of the patch-clamp technique from either fresh or cultured cells. RESULTS: The authors observed sustained high-voltage-activated calcium channels that were dihydropyridine sensitive and closely resembled neuronal L-type calcium channels. The RCS-rdy+p+ strain was mainly investigated, but high-voltage-activated calcium channels were also recorded from fresh RPE cells of other rats regardless of age or strain, including RCS p+, RCS rdy+, Long Evans, Sprague Dawley, and also cultured RPE cells taken from a neonatal Long Evans strain. Low-voltage-activated calcium channels were not observed in any of these cells. CONCLUSION: Voltage-operated calcium channels of the L-type are the main calcium channels present in rat RPE cells. Cultured cells retained the identical channels. The dystrophic RCS strains (studied until 17 days postnatal) also exhibited these channels.
Rhythmically firing neostriatal neurons in monkey: activity patterns during reaction-time hand movements.

While previous studies have identified rhythmically firing neurons (RFNs) in monkey neostriatum and these rhythmic firing patterns have been shown to evolve in neostriatal tonically active neurons ...
Design and implementation of a near-miss reporting system at a large, academic pediatric anesthesia department.

Summary Background: Current incident reporting systems encourage retrospective reporting of morbidity and mortality and have low participation rates. A near miss is an event that did not cause patient harm, but had the potential to. By tracking and analyzing near misses, systems improvements can be targeted appropriately, and future errors may be prevented. Methods: An electronic, web based, secure, anonymous reporting system for anesthesiologists was designed and instituted at The Children’s Hospital, Denver. This portal was compared to an existing hospital incident reporting system. Results: A total of 150 incidents were reported in the first 3 months of operation, compared to four entered in the same time period 1 year ago. Conclusion: An anesthesia-specific anonymous near-miss reporting system, which eases and facilitates data entry and can prospectively identify processes and practices that place patients at risk, was implemented at a large, academic, freestanding children’s hospital. This resulted in a dramatic increase in reported events and provided data to target and drive quality and process improvement.
Regulation and function of local protein synthesis in neuronal dendrites

It has long been shown that protein synthesis can occur in neuronal dendrites, but its significance remained unclear until relatively recently. Studies suggest that local protein synthesis has crucial roles in synaptic plasticity, the change in neuronal communication efficiency that is probably a cellular basis of learning and memory. Induced by neuronal activity, local protein synthesis provides key factors for the modification of activated synapses. In this review, we summarize the evidence for local protein synthesis and its functions in synaptic plasticity. We also discuss the molecular mechanisms by which neuronal activity induces the synthesis of proteins that allow for changes in synaptic function.
Metabolism of [14C]flusilazole in the goat

[Phenyl(U)-14C] and [triazole(3)-14C]flusilazole ([(bis 4-fluorophenyl)]methyl(1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ylmethyl)silane; I) were extensively metabolized when fed to lactating goats (Capra hircus). The p...
Integrating Cross-Cultural Marketing Research Training in International Business Education Programs: It's Time, and Here's Why and How

International business necessitates that its international business educators prepare today's workforce with skills necessary to take on cross-cultural research tasks and challenges. Yet, global bu...
Frequency and difficulty in caregiving among spouses of individuals with cancer: effects of adult attachment and gender.

How caregivers relate to care recipients can affect how well care is provided and how much burden is experienced in providing it. We conceptualized the relationship of spousal caregivers via adult attachment theory and examined how attachment qualities of caregivers related to level of caregiving involvement and difficulties in caregiving. Gender differences in the associations were also explored. From participants in the ACS Quality of Life Survey for Caregivers, 400 spousal caregivers provided valid data for the study variables. Findings indicated that frequency of various types of care was a joint function of attachment orientation and gender. In contrast, the difficulty that caregivers experienced in providing care related directly to attachment, without moderation by gender. Our findings suggest that ineffective caregivers of cancer patients, who can be identified by their attachment orientation and/or gender, may benefit from educational programs to improve their caregiving skills and to encourage them to utilize resources from other family members or community. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
THE OUTCOMES OF DOCTORAL EDUCATION: An Institutional Study

This study sought to establish baseline data on the outcomes of doctoral education at a private, urban university. Through the use of a survey instrument developed by the researchers, Ph.D. and Ed.D. recipients from 16 departments who had graduated between 1963 and 1984 were contacted. Three primary areas were examined: (1) the impact of doctoral education on career development, (2) the perceived influence of the institutional values on graduates, and (3) the frequency and type of research/scholarly activities engaged in during and after graduate school. Data provided by 707 respondents to the 168 item survey were analyzed by department, by degree, and by four general academic fields, and a number of indices were developed. The main thrust of this paper is the development of the instrument and indices, and the preliminary comparison of four fields with the indices.
Two-photon digital imaging of CO in combustion flows using planar laser-induced fluorescence.

Two-dimensional imaging of CO distributions in combustion gases is demonstrated using planar laser-induced fluorescence. The illumination technique is based on the combination of a nonlinear absorption scheme, in which two photons at 230.1 nm excite several rotational transitions of the B (1)Sigma(+) ? X(1)Sigma(+) system, and the use of an ultraviolet multipass cell for producing the laser sheet. The subsequent visible fluorescence (B(1)Sigma(+) ? A (1)Pi) is imaged onto an intensified two-dimensional photodiode array. Experimental results are presented for carbon monoxide-air and methane-air flames.
Estrogen dependence of cholinergic systems that regulate lordosis in cycling female rats

Abstract Previous evidence indicated that physostigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, facilitated lordosis behavior when administered intraventricularly to cycling female rats on proestrus prior to the onset of natural sexual receptivity, but not when administered to rats on mid-diestrus or diestrus II. In the present experiments, intraventricular infusion of physostigmine (10 μg bilaterally) facilitated lordosis on mid-diestrus and diestrus II if females were primed with two injections of estradiol (0.2, 0.1, or 0.05 μg) administered 20 h and 32 h prior to infusion of physostigmine. Despite unequal levels of endogenous progesterone, physostigmine facilitated lordosis equally on mid-diestrus and diestrus II following estradiol priming. Finally, intraventricular infusion of the muscarinic receptor blocker scopolamine (20 μg bilaterally) reduced the incidence of lordosis in females that displayed lordosis on mid-diestrus following estrogen priming. Results confirm that cholinergic mechanisms influence sexual behavior displayed by cycling female rats. Data further indicate that sufficient estrogen stimulation is necessary for cholinergic neurons to facilitate lordosis. However, progesterone does not play a major role in the regulation of lordosis by cholinergic systems.
Thrombin cleavage of osteopontin disrupts a pro-chemotactic sequence for dendritic cells, which is compensated by the release of its pro-chemotactic C-terminal fragment.

Thrombin cleavage alters the function of osteopontin (OPN) by exposing an integrin binding site and releasing a chemotactic C-terminal fragment. Here, we examined thrombin cleavage of OPN in the context of dendritic cell (DC) migration to define its functional domains. Full-length OPN (OPN-FL), thrombin-cleaved N-terminal fragment (OPN-R), thrombin- and carboxypeptidase B2-double-cleaved N-terminal fragment (OPN-L), and C-terminal fragment (OPN-CTF) did not have intrinsic chemotactic activity, but all potentiated CCL21-induced DC migration. OPN-FL possessed the highest potency, whereas OPNRAA-FL had substantially less activity, indicating the importance of RGD. We identified a conserved 168RSKSKKFRR176 sequence on OPN-FL that spans the thrombin cleavage site, and it demonstrated potent pro-chemotactic effects on CCL21-induced DC migration. OPN-FLR168A had reduced activity, and the double mutant OPNRAA-FLR168A had even lower activity, indicating that these functional domains accounted for most of the pro-chemotactic activity of OPN-FL. OPN-CTF also possessed substantial pro-chemotactic activity, which was fully expressed upon thrombin cleavage and its release from the intact protein, because OPN-CTF was substantially more active than OPNRAA-FLR168A containing the OPN-CTF sequence within the intact protein. OPN-R and OPN-L possessed similar potency, indicating that the newly exposed C-terminal SVVYGLR sequence in OPN-R was not involved in the pro-chemotactic effect. OPN-FL and OPN-CTF did not directly bind to the CD44 standard form or CD44v6. In conclusion, thrombin cleavage of OPN disrupts a pro-chemotactic sequence in intact OPN, and its loss of pro-chemotactic activity is compensated by the release of OPN-CTF, which assumes a new conformation and possesses substantial activity in enhancing chemokine-induced migration of DCs.
Thyroparathyroidectomy modifies the skeletal response to aluminum loading in the rat.

Thyroparathyroidectomy modifies the skeletal response to aluminum loading in the rat. Diminished parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion may contribute to the accumulation of aluminum (A1) in bone and to impaired bone formation in A1-related bone disease. Therefore, intact (AL, N=9) and thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX-AL, N=9) rats were given intraperitoneal injections of A1, 2 mg/day, for 42 days; intact control (C, N=11) and TPTX control (TPTX-C, N=9) animals received i.p. injections of vehicle only. Quantitative bone histology and measurements of mineralized bone formation (Rbf) using double tetracycline labeling were done for cortical and for trabecular bone; trabecular bone aluminum content (BA) was determined by histochem-ical methods. BA did not differ between AL and TPTX-AL, 33 ± 13% versus 39 ± 14%, and Rbf decreased similarly from control values in both Al-treated groups. In contrast, osteoid production was impaired to a greater extent in TPTX-AL than in AL. Thus, osteoid area and osteoid seam width were each lower in TPTX-AL than in TPTX-C; these values did not differ between AL and C. TPTX can aggravate Al induced reductions in osteoid synthesis, and low serum PTH levels may contribute to the pathogenesis of aplastic bone. However, reductions in Rbf during Al loading are not mediated by PTH.
Parametric study of mercury hollow cathode neutralizers.

A parametric investigation of mercury hollow cathode neutralizers was carried out in a bell jar over a range in bias currents up to 2 A. The parameters of particular interest were the mercury flowrate, the bias voltage, and the neutralizer cathode temperature. Three cathode orifices and several keeper geometries were tested. The bell jar tests compared well with neutralizer run with active thrusters. The effects of these parameters on the neutralizer stability and lifetime capability as well as the effects on the total thrust subsystem efficiency are discussed.
An Additional Motor-Related Field in the Lateral Frontal Cortex of Squirrel Monkeys

Our earlier efforts to document the cortical connections of the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) revealed dense connections with a field rostral and lateral to PMv, an area we called the frontal rostral field (FR). Here, we present data collected in FR using electrophysiological and anatomical methods. Results show that FR contains an isolated motor representation of the forelimb that can be differentiated from PMv based on current thresholds and latencies to evoke electromyographic activity using intracortical microstimulation techniques. In addition, FR has a different pattern of cortical connections compared with PMv. Together, these data support that FR is an additional, previously undescribed motor-related area in squirrel monkeys.
SOVIET-AMERICAN LIBRARY RELATIONS IN THE 1920s AND 1930s: A STUDY IN MUTUAL FASCINATION AND DISTRUST

During the first fifteen years of the USSR's existence, a number of American and Soviet librarians formalized exchange agreements and shared information and professional expertise. Representatives of several important American research libraries traveled to Russia to buy books, and an American advised the Soviet government on establishing its provincial library network. The USSR drew on and encouraged the American experience of its own citizens: reforms in classification, library education, and provincial library organization stemmed directly from the influence of Soviet women with American exposure, who applied American library techniques to the systems being developed in the USSR. Nevertheless, long-term Soviet-American library relations were doomed by increasingly ideological Soviet cultural politics after 1930 and by American suspicion of any activities associated with Bolshevism.
Privacy through web-traveler policies in social network environments

Social networking sites are ingrained in the fabric of our day-to-day lives, with these sites being widely used to exchange personal information and content. Some forms of access control are provided by the sites themselves to protect the user-uploaded content. However, these types of control are limited in that they require the user's input for the effective protection, otherwise a default policy which provides minimal protection is often applied. Towards providing extended content protection, in this paper we propose an approach for automated user-uploaded content control. Automatic enforcement allows us to extend the protection of content for unprotected files, preventing underage viewers from accessing adult content, tracking stolen or misused copyright-free images. This work builds upon the notion of ‘Web-Traveler policies’, previously introduced as a new class of content control policies. In the paper, we also provide a proof of concept implementation of our algorithms for automatic propagation for images in order to prove the applicability and strength of our approach.