cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychopharmacological Issues in the Treatment of TBI and PTSD

Recognition of the frequency of the co-occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively recent development in both fields. As a result there has been little work on effective treatment strategies for those with both conditions. In fact studies of PTSD treatment often exclude those with a history of TBI, and studies of the treatment of TBI sequelae have often excluded participants with psychiatric disorders such as PTSD. Thus although evidence-based approaches for the treatment of PTSD and for the sequelae TBI are emerging, little is known about the use of psychotropic medications to treat individuals with co-morbid TBI/PTSD. The growing cohort of military personnel with high rates of exposure to TBI and concurrent PTSD calls attention to the need for improved treatment strategies, and for clarification of whether medications currently used to treat PTSD or the sequelae of TBI are effective in the co-morbid condition. In the absence of informative treatment studies, clinicians are faced with uncertainty about whether to use conventional approaches, alter these approaches in some way, or to shy away from these interventions for fear of exacerbating symptoms of the other condition. This situation is further complicated by the fact that many clinicians tend to be more familiar with medication approaches in one disorder or the other. This paper reviews the use of medications for the treatment of PTSD, the neuropsychiatric sequelae of TBI, and the co-morbid condition. General principles are suggested and particular attention is directed to situations where the use of medication for one condition might exacerbate symptoms of the other disorder. Directions for future research are suggested.
Extending the lifetime of 3D black hole computations with a new hyperbolic system of evolution equations

We present a new many-parameter family of hyperbolic representations of Einstein’s equations, which we obtain by a straightforward generalization of previously known systems. We solve the resulting evolution equations numerically for a Schwarzschild black hole in three spatial dimensions, and find that the stability of the simulation is strongly dependent on the form of the equations (i.e. the choice of parameters of the hyperbolic system), independent of the numerics. For an appropriate range of parameters we can evolve a single three-dimensional black hole to t ≃ 600 M – 1300 M, and we are apparently limited by constraint-violating solutions of the evolution equations. We expect that our method should result in comparable times for evolutions of a binary black hole system.
A MANUAL FOR ASSESSING LANGUAGE GROWTH IN INSTRUCTIONAL SETTINGS

:ABSTRACT This-manual is designed to assist administrators of Englith-as-a-second-language programs in assessing students' language growth. It begins by reviewing some of the concepts and terminology to be used It then goes on to suggest and illustrate data-recording formats and methods of summarizing raw gains. Thit is followed by an eximple based on boWling scores to illustrate the-regression effect. An overview of a method for separating raw gain into regression and true gain components follows. It concludes with'a brief discussion of a method for comparing two-different groups with differing backgrounds or curricula. The appendices give details of.the data and of the steps in performing the regression analyses using SP.SS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). (BW)
Backpacking in Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks and neighboring wilderness areas: how safe is the water to drink?

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the risk of acquiring disease from popular Sierra Nevada wilderness area lakes and streams. This study examines the relative risk factors for harmful waterborne microorganisms using coliforms as an indicator. Methods Water was collected in the backcountry Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks and neighboring wilderness areas. A total of 72 sites from lakes or streams were selected to statistically differentiate the risk categories: (1) natural areas rarely visited by humans or domestic animals; (2) human day use–only areas; (3) high use by backpackers; (4) high use by pack animals; and (5) cattle- and sheep-grazing tracts. Water was collected in sterile test tubes and Millipore coliform samplers during the summer of 2006. Water was analyzed at the university microbiology lab, where bacteria were harvested and then subjected to analysis using standardized techniques. Statistical analysis to compare site categories was performed using Fisher's exact test. Results Coliforms were found in none of the 13 wild sites, none of the 12 day hike sites, and only 3 of 18 backpacker sites (17%). In contrast, 14 of 20 sites (70%) with pack animal traffic yielded coliforms, and all 9 sites (100%) below the cattle-grazing areas grew coliforms. Differences between backpacker versus cattle or pack areas were significant, p ≤ 0.05. All samples grew normal aquatic bacteria. Sites below cattle grazing and pack animal use tended to have more total heterotrophic bacteria. Conclusions Alpine wilderness water below cattle areas used by pack animals is at risk for containing coliform organisms. Water from wild, day hike, or backpack areas showed far less risk for coliforms.
Development of oral osteomucosal tissue constructs in vitro and localization of fluorescently-labeled bisphosphonates to hard and soft tissue

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are anti-resorptive agents commonly used to treat bone-related diseases; however, soft tissue-related side-effects are frequently reported in some BP users, such as oral or gastrointestinal (GI) ulcerations. BPs are stable analogs of pyrophosphate and have high affinity to hydroxyapatite, allowing them to bind to the bone surfaces and exert suppressive effects on osteoclast functions. However, the underlying mechanisms as to how bone-seeking BPs also exert cytotoxic effects on soft tissue remain unknown. In the present study, we investigated the localization of nitrogen-containing BPs (N-BPs) in hard and soft tissue using fluorescently-labeled N-BPs in vitro. We developed osteomucosal tissue constructs in vitro to recapitulate the hard and soft tissue of the oral cavity. A histological examination of the osteomucosal tissue constructs revealed a differentiated epithelium over the bone containing osteocytes and the periosteum, similar to that observed in the rat palatal tissues. Following treatment with the fluorescently-labeled bisphosphonate, AF647-ZOL, the osteomucosal constructs exhibited fluorescent signals, not only in the bone, but also in the epithelium. No fluorescent signals were observed from the control- or ZOL-treated constructs, as expected. Collectively, the data from the present study suggest that N-BPs localize to epithelial tissue and that such a localization and subsequent toxicity of N-BPs may be associated, at least in part, with soft tissue-related side-effects.
Effect of nucleic acid contamination on partitioning of proteins in two-phase PEG-Dextran system

Downstream processing of bioproducts results in considerable losses of compounds of interest in a large number of cases. For the intracellular enzyme tartrate dehydrogenase, an analysis of the laboratory process for enzyme recovery revealed that maximum losses occur in the initial stages of purification when the enzyme is separated from nucleic acids and other undesirable enzymes. Hence, aqueous twophase extraction was studied to investigate the separation of several enzymes from nucleic acids. Single-component and binary equilibria for three commercially available enzymes (bovine serum albumin, trypsin, chymotrypsin) and yeast RNA were studied in a two-phase system consisting of dextran and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The effects of pH and concentrations of the components and salts (NaC1) were investigated.
Effect of Lead and Ethanol upon γ-Globin Synthesis in Sickle Reticulocytes

ABSTRACT There is evidence from both in vivo and in vitro studies that the synthesis of hemoglobin can be modified by post-translational alterations in the assembly of the tetrameric molecule. Globin biosynthesis in reticulocytes of patients with sickle cell disease was studied to ascertain the effects of lead and ethanol on γ-globin chain synthesis and hemoglobin assembly. In incubations containing lead (400 μg/dl) or ethanol (1.0 M) there were 86.7 ± 139.7% and 542.7 ± 397.0% increases in the relative synthesis of the γ-globin chain. This was associated with a relative reduction in α-chain synthesis, as estimated by changes in the α/γ + β s synthesis ratio, as well as a marked reduction in total globin synthesis.
Ordered mesoporous membranes: Effects of support and surfactant removal conditions on membrane quality

Abstract Ordered mesoporous MCM-48 membranes with cubic pore structure were prepared by solution growth method and characterized by XRD, SEM/EDS and unsteady-state gas permeation. The membranes were fabricated on symmetric α-alumina supports of different pore sizes under hydrothermal conditions using cetyltrimethylamonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant. The surfactant was removed by calcination and Soxhlet extraction at 100 °C using ethanol/HCl mixture. The X-ray diffraction showed that these membranes possessed a cubic MCM-48 pore structure. The N2 adsorption studies at 77 K indicated high pore volumes and pore size distribution in the mesoporous regime with an average pore diameter of ∼2.6 nm. The membranes prepared on the A15 α-alumina support (0.3 μm average pore size) exhibited the presence of pinhole defects. The single gas N2 and CO2 permeation experiments showed that the best quality membranes were synthesized on the α-A16 alumina supports (average pore size ∼0.2 μm) when the surfactant was removed by Soxhlet extraction. For these membranes the N2 and CO2 permeation was found to be governed by Knudsen diffusion. The permeance was independent of the feed pressure, indicating the absence of viscous flow contribution to gas transport.
Shark attraction using a video-acoustic system

An underwater television system located off Bimini, Bahamas, was used to observe and record the attraction of free-ranging sharks to a nearby sound source. Several species of sharks were attracted by irregularly pulsed signals either containing harmonics (e.g., overdriven sine waves) or consisting of octave bands of noise. Irregularly pulsed, pure tones and harmonic sounds above 1000 Hz were apparently not attractive. Attraction was not reinforced, and habituation of the approach response was regularly observed in prolonged test series. As the number of sharks in the test area increased, swimming activity rose dramatically. Circling and crisscrossing of the site became more intense under conditions of low ambient light and turbidity. Additional tests showed that minimum attractive sound levels were remarkably low, and that sharks could locate a sound source within seconds from distances beyond our limit of visibility (about 25 m).
Sub-Doppler Spectroscopy of the trans-HOCO Radical in the OH Stretching Mode

Rovibrational spectroscopy of the fundamental OH stretching mode of the trans-HOCO radical has been studied via sub-Doppler high-resolution infrared laser absorption in a discharge slit-jet expansion. The trans-HOCO radical is formed by discharge dissociation of H2O to form OH, which then combines with CO and cools in the Ne expansion to a rotational temperature of 13.0(6) K. Rigorous assignment of both a-type and b-type spectral transitions is made possible by two-line combination differences from microwave studies, with full rovibrational analysis of the spectrum based on a Watson asymmetric top Hamiltonian. Additionally, fine structure splittings of each line due to electron spin are completely resolved, thus permitting all three eaa, ebb, ecc spin–rotation constants to be experimentally determined in the vibrationally excited state. Furthermore, as both a- and b-type transitions for trans-HOCO are observed for the first time, the ratio of transition dipole moment projections along the a and b principa...
Qualitative flow descriptors for unstructured triangular grids

Abstract Flow visualization techniques are rapidly evolving to keep pace with improved flow solution methods. Critical point flow analysis has emerged as an important visualization and data compression method. In addition, flow topology can be described qualitatively using such methods. We propose a merger of this type of analysis with unstructured triangular-grid solution techniques. A software tool is developed to implement these methods and results are presented using a time-dependent wake flow problem. The role of symbolic computation in developing and extending such a system is discussed.
How do alterations in plant mitochondrial genomes disrupt pollen development

Cytoplasmic male sterility arises when mitochondrial activities are disrupted that are essential for pollen development. Rearrangements in the mitochondrial genome that create novel open reading frames are strongly correlated with CMS phenotypes in a number of systems. The morphological aberrations which indicate CMS-associated degeneration are frequently restricted to the male sporogenous tissue and a limited number of vegetative tissues. In several cases, this tissue specificity may result from interactions between the mitochondrial genome and nuclear genes that regulate mitochondrial gene expression. A molecular mechanism by which CMS might be caused has not been conclusively demonstrated for any system. Several hypotheses for general mechanisms by which mitochondrial dysfunction might disrupt pollen development are discussed, based on similarities between the novel CMS-associated genes from a number of systems.
Endopolyphosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes post‐translational activations to produce short‐chain polyphosphates

Abstract Endopolyphosphatase (Ppn), responsible for cleavage of long chain inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) of several hundred residues to generate progressively shorter chains, has been identified in mammalian cells and purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Disruption of the encoding gene, PHM5, in S. cerevisiae resulted in a mutant that showed limited growth and failure to survive in a minimal medium. The limited digestion products of the yeast enzyme Ppn1 judged to be P3 and P60 have now, with the homogeneous enzyme and improved separation methods, been demonstrated to be Pi and P3. Ppn1, a homotetramer of a 35-kDa subunit, is of vacuolar origin and requires protease activation of a 78 kDa (674-aa) precursor polypeptide (prePpn1). The protease-processed Ppn1 has been purified 3800-fold to homogeneity and the protease cleavage sites determined. Both termini of prePpn1 and the post-translational modification of N-glycosylations are essential for the protease-mediated maturation of Ppn1.
Isolation of human amnion cells transformed by rescuable murine sarcoma virus.

Human amnion cells transformed by defective murine sarcoma virus (MSV) and containing MSV in a rescuable form are used to demonstrate the helper activity of RD-114 virus and may prove valuable for in vitro isolation, assay and analysis of human RNA tumour viruses.
Functional differences: comparing moral judgement developmental phases of consolidation and transition

Applying Snyder and Feldman's 1984 consolidation‐transition model to moral judgement development has enabled further understanding of how moral judgement translates to moral functioning. In this study, 178 college students were identified as being in consolidated versus transitional phases of moral judgement development using Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT). Participant moral functioning was inferred through an honest decision‐making index along with Attitudes Towards Human Rights Inventory (ATHRI) and Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) scores. Multivariate Analyses of Variance revealed that the consolidated group was significantly more honest than the transitional group. No differences attributable to moral judgement phase were seen for ATHRI and VFI scores. Findings support the claim that consolidated phases improve the explanatory power of moral judgement for certain moral functional outcomes—particularly those involving ambiguity and minimal time for decision‐making.
Stroke Stop Study: Editorial comment.

This editorial refers to ‘Population screening of 75- and 76-year-old men and women for silent atrial fibrillation (STROKESTOP)’ by L. Friberg et al. , on page 135 The paper by Friberg et al. in this issue of the journal describes an ongoing study to evaluate the use of intermittent external monitoring to detect ‘silent’ atrial fibrillation (AF) in a huge (25 000) group of 75 and 76 year olds in Sweden.1 The hypothesis is that if silent AF is detected early and treated medically with oral anticoagulation (OAC), that strokes can be prevented, lives can be saved, and it will be proven that screening for silent AF is cost-effective. Interest in silent AF began over 10 years ago with the publication of several scientific papers showing an association between implanted device detection of atrial arrhythmias and increased risks of death and more specifically stroke.2,3 With the advent of sophisticated pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) with extensive memory capability, it became clear that many patients were having AF episodes that were previously unrecognized. Over the last 10 years a great effort has been made to try to determine the clinical significance of these atrial arrhythmia episodes (silent AF).4,5 Specifically, how long does an AF episode have to last to increase the risk of stroke enough to warrant OAC with its inherent increased risks of bleeding? Do these silent AF episodes have the same clinical risk of stroke as manifest episodes of AF? Most of the prior studies in this field have been done in patients who have an implanted pacemaker or ICD that was implanted for primary indications, and the study of atrial arrhythmias was a secondary intention. The Stroke Stop Study is planned to look for AF episodes as a primary indication for …
Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Levels Exhibit Limited Association with Birth Weight

Most cases of fetal growth retardation are unexplained. These newborns are at high risk of serious illness or death in the neonatal period and exhibit significantly increased risk of specific chronic illnesses later in life. While there are several hypotheses to explain the well-established association between low birth weight and later risk of disease, the true etiology is unknown. To search for molecular patterns that may explain the biological basis for reduced fetal growth in a clinically normal cohort, and possibly provide clues for the lifelong increased risk of disease, we surveyed genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in the umbilical cord blood of newborns born in Shelby County, TN. While we did not find genome-wide significant associations of birth weight with either leukocytic gene expression or DNA methylation, we did find suggestive associations in several genes with known effects on pre- or postnatal growth and health. As with previous molecular epidemiological studies of birth weight, we did not sample the most biologically relevant tissues in the newborn. However, our discovery of biologically plausible associations in a peripheral tissue suggests that further studies of tissues key to fetal growth regulation are warranted.
Integrating Lys-N proteolysis and N-terminal guanidination for improved fragmentation and relative quantification of singly-charged ions

Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA The study of isolated protein complexes has greatly benefited from recent advances in mass spectrometry instrumentation and quantitative, isotope labeling techniques. The comprehensive characterization of protein complex components and quantification of their relative abundance relies heavily upon maximizing protein and peptide sequence information obtained from MS and tandem MS studies. Recent work has shown that using a metalloendopeptidase, Lys-N, for proteomic analysis of biological protein mixtures produces complementary protein sequence information compared with trypsin digestion alone. Here, we have investigated the suitability of Lys-N proteolysis for use with MALDI mass spectrometry to characterize the yeast Arp2 complex and E. coli PAP I protein interactions. Although Lys-N digestion resulted in an average decrease in protein sequence coverage of ∼30% compared with trypsin digestion, CID analysis of singly-charged Lys-N peptides yielded a more extensive b-ions series compared with complementary tryptic peptides. Taking advantage of this improved fragmentation pattern, we utilized differential 15N/14N guanidination of Lys-N peptides and MALDI-MS/MS analysis to relatively quantify the changes in PAP I associations due to deletion of sprE, previously shown to regulate PAP I-dependent polyadenylation. Overall, this Lys-N/guanidination integrative approach is applicable for functional proteomic studies utilizing MALDI mass spectrometry analysis, as it provides an effective and economical mean for relative quantification of proteins in conjunction with increased sensitivity of detection and fragmentation efficiency.
Changes in bones and joints of underfed mice bearing anterior hypophyseal grafts.

IN MICE and guinea pigs, transplants and extracts of anterior hypophysis promoted skeletal growth and development; they also increased the incidence and advanced the onset of degenerative joint disease, the active principle being the somatotrophin fraction (1–3). Since under the influence of STH food consumption is increased (4), and since on the other hand the development of osteoarthritis was retarded in underfed rats (2), it seemed of interest to determine, whether or not the skeletal effects of anterior hypophysis were related to increased food intake. For this purpose, anterior hypophyses were transplanted into underfed mice, and the changes occurring in the long bones and joints were studied.
Multiple threshold models for the affective disorders: The Yale-NIMH collaborative family study

From the Yale-NIMH collaborative family study, the 1482 first degree relatives of 90 bipolar 1, and 163 major depression probands were examined to test the hypothesis that bipolar 1 and major depression are due to a single underlying genetic liability. We attempted to fit multifactorial-polygenic and single-major-locus multiple threshold models for sex and severity to the relatives in the major depression and bipolar 1 families. With relatives classified as affected only if they met criteria for major depression or bipolar 1, there was at best only marginal support for these models. Differences between these and previously reported results were examined in relation to differences in underlying assumptions. Additional analyses of these and other data from families of NIMH bipolar 2 and schizoaffective probands suggest that different methods of age adjustment, the relative placement of bipolar 2 and schizoaffective disorders in a hypothesized liability continuum and the inclusion or exclusion of sex thresholds were not primarily responsible for differences in the fit of genetic threshold models. Factors which do appear to be important are variability in rates between samples, the possibility of genetic heterogeneity, and the presence of a large secular increase in affective illness over the past three generations; the secular trend cannot be accommodated in the models of genetic transmission examined.
Limits of linearity in squeeze film behavior of a single degree of freedom microsystem

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of squeeze film flow in systems employing microplates parallel to a substrate and undergoing large amplitude normal vibration. Most previous models of squeeze film damping assume small oscillation amplitude with linear system behavior, but it is often unclear how small the vibrations must be to actually elicit this response. In addition, fluid inertia effects are usually overlooked. This study provides a compact nonlinear solution for the incompressible hydrodynamic forces with specific terms describing fluid inertia and viscous damping. Numerical analysis (the explicit Runge-Kutta method) is applied to solve the nonlinear governing equation. The effects of frequency, oscillation amplitude, aspect ratio (of gap to length), and Reynolds number on the dynamic response of the system are investigated. The overall system response depends strongly on the actuation frequency and system properties. It is found that a simple criterion of validity for the linear system assumption is not possible. Near resonance, the vibration input amplitude (relative to the initial gap) must be very small indeed for linearity (∼0.001), while in other cases the relative amplitude can be greater than one.
Control and diagnosis of real-time systems under finit e-precision measurement of time

A discrete event system (DES) is an event-driven system that evolves according to abrupt occurrences of discrete changes (events). The domain of such systems encompasses aspects of many man-made systems such as manufacturing systems, telephone networks, communication protocols, traffic systems, embedded software, asynchronous hardware, robotics, etc. Supervisory control theory for DESs studies the existence and synthesis of the supervisory controllers, namely, supervisors that restrict the system behaviors by dynamically disabling certain controllable events so that the controlled close-loop system could behave as desired. Extensive work on supervisory control of untimed DESs exists and the extension to the timed setting has been reported in the literature. In this dissertation, we study the supervisory control of dense-time DESs in which the digital-clocks of finite-precision are employed to observe the event occurrence times, thereby relaxing the assumption of the prior works that time can be measured precisely. In our setting, the passing of time is measured using the number of ticks generated by a digital-clock and we allow the plant events and digital-clock ticks to occur concurrently. We formalize the notion of a control policy that issues the control actions based on the observations of events and their occurrence times as measured using a digital-clock, and show that such a control policy can be equivalently represented as a “digitalized”-automaton, namely, an untimed-automaton that evolves over the events (of the plant) and ticks (of the digital-clock). We introduce the notion of observability with respect to the partial observations of time resulting from the use of a digital-clock, and show that this property together with controllability serves as a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a supervisor to enforce a real-time specification on a dense-time discrete event plant. The observability condition presented in the dissertation is very different from the one arising due to a partial
A Business Model Framework for Dynamic Spectrum Access in Cognitive Networks

We have outlined a comprehensive business framework to evaluate the business impact of dynamic spectrum access technology in cognitive networks. Our model seeks to address the technical feasibility and practicality of this new technology. We attempt to obtain upper bounds on the allowable capital expenditure below which the technology might be worth pursuing for the primary providers. Cognitive radios & networks are bound to open new frontiers in the field of wireless networks and spectrum management and have the potential of becoming success stories in the near future.
Dynamic processing of taste aversion extinction in the brain

While substantial advances have been made in discovering how the brain learns and remembers, less is known about how the brain discards information, reorganizes information, or both. These topics are not only relevant to normal brain functioning but also speak to pathologies in which painful memories do not wane but are evoked time and again (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder; PTSD). Here, we measured brain activity (as indicated by the regional expression of c-Fos protein) in rats during acquisition and throughout extinction of a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). We compared that brain activity with animals that had intact CTA memories or those that experienced an explicitly unpaired (EU) conditioned stimulus (CS; saccharin, SAC) and unconditioned stimulus (US; lithium chloride, LiCl). The data show a dynamic and nonuniform pattern of c-Fos protein expression in brain nuclei known to mediate gustation and CTAs. In particular, brainstem nuclei (e.g., nucleus of the solitary tract; NTS) and the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) are active early as CTAs are formed and as extinction of the learned response begins. Later in the extinction process, the BLA reduces c-Fos expression relative to nonextinguished controls. Finally, as almost full reacceptance of the taste is achieved, the gustatory neocortex (GNC) expresses enhanced levels of c-Fos protein. Thus, extinction of a CTA is not represented by a simple reversal of the c-Fos activity evoked by CTA conditioning. Rather, the data demonstrate that extinction of conditioned responses is a dynamic process in which the activity levels of particular nuclei along the brain's taste pathway change depending on the extent to which the conditioned response has been extinguished.
Programmes, resources, and needs of HIV-prevention nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Africa, Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean

This study assessed the programmes, resources, and needs of HIV-prevention nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 75 countries in Africa, Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Multiple databases and expert recommendations were used to identify one major HIV-prevention NGO in the capital or a large city in each country, and in-depth interviews were conducted with each NGO Director. Most NGOs are carrying out their programmes with minimal funding and few regularly employed personnel. Most are highly dependent on international donors, but reliance on small grants with short funding periods limits programme development capacity. HIV-prevention activities varied by region, with African NGOs most likely to use peer education and community awareness events; Eastern European NGOs most likely to offer needle exchange; Latin American NGOs to have resource centres and offer risk reduction programmes; and Caribbean organizations to use mass education approaches. Across regions, NGOs most often targeted the general public and youth, although specialized at-risk groups were the additional focus of attention in some regions. Limited funding, governmental indifference or opposition, AIDS stigma, and social discomfort discussing sex were often cited as barriers to new HIV-prevention programmes. NGOs are critical service providers. However, their funding, programmes, and resource capacities must be strengthened if NGOs are to realize their full potential in HIV prevention.
Clinical impact of scavenger receptor class B type I gene polymorphisms on human female fertility

BACKGROUND The goal of this study was to evaluate the association of SCARB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fertility outcomes in women undergoing IVF. METHODS Between November 2007 and March 2010, granulosa cells and follicular fluid were collected from women undergoing IVF. Five SCARB1 SNPs were sequenced and progesterone levels were measured in the follicular fluid. Fertility measurements were defined as the presence of gestational sac(s) and fetal heartbeat(s). RESULTS The study group consisted of 274 women (mean age of 36.4 ± 4.6 years). The racial/ethnic composition was 55% Caucasian (n = 152), 25% African-American (n = 68), 12% Asian (n = 34), 5% Hispanic, (n = 14) and 2% other (n = 6). There was a significant difference in the genotype frequencies of the SCARB1 SNPs across the groups. Subjects who were homozygous for the minor allele in the rs5888 SNP had higher follicular progesterone levels than those who were homozygous for the major allele (P = 0.03). In the Caucasian group, carriers of the minor A allele of the rs4238001 SNP had lower follicular progesterone levels compared with homozygous carriers of the major G allele (P = 0.04). In this group, follicular progesterone levels were highly predictive of the rs4238001 SNP (P = 0.03). In the entire cohort, minor allele carriers of rs4238001 did not have any viable fetuses at Day 42 following embryo transfers (P = 0.04). In the African-American group in particular, there was also an association between rs10846744 and gestational sac(s) (P = 0.006), and fetal heartbeat(s) (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS In part, SCARB1 rs4238001 and rs10846744 SNPs may contribute to human female infertility.
Potassium Sorbate Diffusivity in American Processed and Mozzarella Cheeses

The diffusivity of potassium sorbate in cheeses was determined by using diffusion models and computer programming for examining the residual surface concentration and the penetration of surface-applied potassium sorbate into cheese. To determine diffusivity, the concentration of potassium sorbate in sliced cheese was measured by penetration time and distance from surface. The diffusivity was calculated by nonlinear regression with experimental data based on Fick's law. The diffusivity of potassium sorbate through American processed cheese was 1.31x10 -6 cm 2 /sec and for Mozzarella cheese 6.74x10 -7 cm 2 /sec. This indicated that Mozzarella cheese would maintain surface concentration of potassium sorbate above the critical fungistatic level two times longer than American processed cheese.
Evaluation of High-Capacity Composite Spun Piles:

Traits of two broad categories of deep foundations—replacement and displacement piles—are best combined by a newly introduced composite spun pile. This composite spun pile is constructed by deep mixing first and then inserting a precast, prestressed, spun concrete pile into the deep mixed column. The spun pile is then driven into an end-bearing layer to meet the criterion of end resistance. The pile uses a larger peripheral area of soil-cement mix to transfer load to its surrounding ground at the same time it uses higher stiffness of the spun pile to minimize axial compression. The piling operation is relatively quiet, minimizes spoil problems, and facilitates better quality control. A pile design principle for the composite pile is presented. The performance of this new pile system was verified by five instrumented field full-scale pile load tests. Improvement on shaft resistance was observed, as depicted by the correlation between standard penetration test N values of the surrounding soil and the measur...
A community of futurists and the state of the futures field

Abstract Criticisms of futures studies ought to be evaluated in comparison with those of other fields. For example, compared to the established disciplines, futures studies is less fragmented and has many positive features. Also, controversies among futurists do not mean that futures studies is not a field. Rather, one hallmark of any field of inquiry is that its members constitute a disputatious community. Moreover, futures studies is unified by interlinked and overlapping networks of communications and influences among futurists, a shared transdisciplinary matrix, and the growth of a futurist canon. The future of futures studies is bright, because it is reasonable to hope that futurists will be able to establish the field in most of the world’s colleges and universities.
Geographical and Gender Differences in Labor Force Participation: Is there an Appalachian Effect?

. A recent article in this journal concluded that West Virginia's low labor force participation rates cannot be attributed to economic, demographic, or institutional factors and that they probably result from an Appalachian culture which has a strong preference for non-market activities. This article reviews the diverse social science literature on determinants of labor force participation and then takes a closer look at Appalachian participation. It presents and uses a more comprehensive model, focuses on the county level instead of the state, and examines variations within Appalachia and over time. The main findings are that the Appalachian labor force gap is either nonexistent or very small and that there is no statistical evidence of a unique or pervasive Appalachian cultural effect. Appalachian labor force behavior appears to be quite average given the conditions faced by Appalachians.
Dynamics and Performance of Tailless Micro Aerial Vehicle with Flexible Articulated Wings

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss the performance and stability of a tailless micro aerial vehicle with flexible articulated wings. The dihedral angles can be varied symmetrically on both wings to control the aircraft speed independently of the angle of attack and flight-path angle, while an asymmetric dihedral setting can be used to control yaw in the absence of a vertical tail.Anonlinear aero-elastic model is derived, and it is used to study the steady-state performance and flight stability of the micro aerial vehicle. The concept of the effective dihedral is introduced, which allows for a unified treatment of rigid and flexible wing aircraft. It also identifies the amount of elasticity that is necessary to obtain tangible performance benefits over a rigid wing. The feasibility of using axial tension to stiffen the wing is discussed, and, at least in the context of a linear model, it is shown that adding axial tension is effective but undesirable. The turning performance of an micro aerial vehicle with flexible wings is compared to an otherwise identical micro aerial vehicle with rigid wings. The wing dihedral alone can be varied asymmetrically to perform rapid turns and regulate sideslip. The maximum attainable turn rate for a given elevator setting, however, does not increase unless antisymmetric wing twisting is employed.
Reachability analysis for role-based administration of attributes

Attribute-based access control (ABAC) is well-known and increasingly prevalent. Nonetheless, administration of attributes is not well-studied so far. Recently, the Generalized User-Role Assignment model (GURA) was proposed to provide ARBAC97-style (administrative role-based access control) administration of user attributes. An attribute is simply a name-value pair, examples of which include clearance, group and affiliations. In GURA, user attributes are collectively administered by different administrative roles to enable distributed administration. Given an administrative policy that specifies the conditions under which administrative roles can modify user attributes, it is useful to understand whether an attribute of a particular user can reach a specific value because user attributes are used for security-sensitive activities such as authentication, authorization and audit. In this paper, we study the user-attribute reachability problems in a restricted GURA model called rGURA. We formalize rGURA as a state transition system and show that the reachability problems for its general cases are PSPACE-complete. However, we do find polynomial-time solutions to reachability problems for limited versions of rGURA that are still useful in practice. The algorithms not only answer reachability problem but also provide a plan of sequential attribute updates by one or more administrators in order to reach particular values for user attributes. rGURA is relatively simple and practical. It is likely that other proposals will subsume the functionality of rGURA and thereby subsume its complexity results.
Nomifensine reveals age-related changes in K(+)-evoked striatal DA overflow in F344 rats.

Abstract To investigate the influence of age-associated changes in DA uptake on measures of potassium-stimulated DA overflow in the striatum, microdialysis was conducted in anesthetized young (6-month-old) versus aged (24-month-old) F344 rats. Extracellular levels of DA, DOPAC, and HVA were measured under basal and potassium-stimulated (10, 25, 50, & 100 mM) conditions. Basal levels of DA and metabolites did not differ significantly between the two age groups. At the 50 and 100 mM concentrations, potassium stimuli significantly increased DA overflow and decreased DOPAC and HVA—effects that did not differ with age. The addition of the DA uptake inhibitor nomifensine (100 μM) to the perfusion solutions revealed differences between the two age groups. Nomifensine augmented potassium-evoked DA overflow at the 50 mM concentration in both groups, but only amplified the effect of the 100 mM concentration in the young animals. The results demonstrate that decreased DA transporter function in aged rats masks age-related differences in K+-evoked striatal DA release when microdialysis methods are used, resulting in net equalization of K+-evoked striatal DA overflow in young versus aged F344 rats.
Homeless parents: parenting education to prevent abusive behaviors.

PROBLEM. This study sought to measure the efects of a short-term parenting course for homeless parents to decrease their parenting stress and potential for abusive parenting behaviors. SAMPLE. Nineteen homeless parents lived in a family emergency shelter for homeless families in Hillsborough County, FL. Their average length ofshelter stay was 3 weeks. METHODS. Residents were invited to participate in a parenting education course consisting of three 1-hour classes weekly for 3 consecutive weeks. Class content focused on the parent, the child, and discipline. Subjects' potential for child abuse was measured with the Adult Adolescent Parenting Invent0 y and their parenting stress with the Parenting Stress Index. A quasi-experimental prelposttest design was used, with a t test statistic at the .05 level of significance. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze selected demographic data. FINDINGS. Results revealed significant difuences in the scores of parenting stress originating from the child domain of the PSI and in the scores on the construct of unrealistic expectations of the child in the M I . Both scores had decreased on the posttest. CONCLUSIONS. Short-term parenting education courses may be a useful intervention strategy.
Fourier and autocorrelation analysis of estuarine tidal rhythmites, lower Breathitt Formation (Pennsylvanian), eastern Kentucky, USA

ABSTRACT Outcrops of the Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation in eastern Kentucky reveal a rhythmic pattern of siliciclastic sedimentation in a marginal marine coastal setting. A 15-23 m thick stratigraphic interval of thinly interbedded, fine sandstone and shale displays tidally generated features such as flaser and wavy current ripple bedding, bipolar paleocurrents, and cyclic thickening and thinning of mud-draped sandstone layers. Bioturbation is common and increases toward the top of the section. Ichnogenera include Asterosoma, Arenicolites, Olivellites, Conostichus, Scalarituba, Planolites, Zoophycos, Teichichnus, Curvolithus, Chondrites, Neonereites, and Rosselia. A statistical analysis of sand layer thickness was carried out using shale partings as bounding surfaces for the individual sand units. Fourier and autocorrelation analyses were performed on two vertical sequences containing a total of over 2100 layers. The results reveal the presence of four cycles of thickness variation. First-order cycles consist of alternating thick-thin sand layers. These daily couplets may reflect unequal flood and ebb currents during a single tidal cycle or dominant and subordinate tidal deposits in an ebb or flood dominated semidiurnal or mixed system. Second-order cycles typically consist of 11-14 sand layers and reflect spring-neap variations in tidal range and current velocities. Third-order cycles are usually composed of 24-35 layers and are formed in resp nse to monthly variations in tidal range resulting from the ellipticity of the moon's orbit. Fourth-order cycles generally contain about 150 layers (range, 100-166) and were caused by seasonal maxima in tidal range associated with the solstice (winter, summer) and seasonal minima associated with the equinox (spring, fall).
Sensitivity of water mass transformation and heat transport to subgridscale mixing in coarse‐resolution ocean models

[1] This paper considers the impact of the parameterization of subgridscale mixing on ocean heat transport in coarseresolution ocean models of the type used in coupled climate models. Increasing the vertical diffusion increases poleward heat transport in both hemispheres. Increasing lateral diffusion associated with transient eddies increases poleward heat transport in the southern hemisphere while decreasing it in the northern hemisphere. The results are interpreted in the context of a simple analytical model. INDEX TERMS: 4532 Oceanography: Physical: General circulation; 4568 Turbulence, diffusion, and mixing processes; 4203 Oceanography: General: Analytical modeling; 4255 Numerical modeling; 4279 Upwelling and convergences. Citation: Gnanadesikan, A., B. L. Samuels, and R. D. Slater, Sensitivity of water mass transformation and heat transport to subgridscale mixing in coarse-resolution ocean models, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(18), 1967, doi:10.1029/2003GL018036, 2003.
Epigenetic coordination of acute systemic inflammation: potential therapeutic targets

Epigenetic reprogramming of thousands of genes directs the course of acute systemic inflammation, which is highly lethal when dysregulated during sepsis. No molecular-based treatments for sepsis are available. A new concept supports that sepsis is an immunometabolic disease and that loss of control of nuclear epigenetic regulator sirtuin 1 (SIRT-1), a NAD(+) sensor directs immune and metabolic pathways during sepsis. SIRT-1, acting as homeostasis checkpoint, controls hyper- and hypo-inflammatory responses of sepsis at the microvascular interface, which disseminates inflammatory injury to cause multiple organ failure. Modifying SIRT-1 activity, which can prevent or treat established sepsis in mice, may provide a new way to treat sepsis by epigenetically restoring immunometabolic homeostasis.
Inflammation protects copper deficient rats against carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity

Abstract Inflammation strongly suppressed CCl 4 -indced injury to hepatic plasma membranes in copper deficient rats, animals usually highly susceptible to such injury. Copper deficiency did not limit metallothionein induction, a possible contributor to protection.
Local Nash Equilibrium in Multiparty Politics

We present a model of multi-party, “spatial” competition under proportional rule with both electoral and coalitional risk. Each party consists of a set of delegates with heterogeneous policy preferences. These delegates choose one delegate as leader or agent. This agent announces the policy declaration (or manifesto) to the electorate prior to the election. The choice of the agent by each party elite is assumed to be a local Nash equilibrium to a game form \(\tilde g\). This game form encapsulates beliefs of the party elite about the nature of both electoral risk and the post-election coalition bargaining game. It is demonstrated, under the assumption that \(\tilde g\) is smooth, that, for almost all parameter values, a locally isolated, local Nash equilibrium exists.