cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural activity related to anger in cocaine-dependent men: A possible link to violence and relapse.

This study examined the neural correlates of cue-induced anger in cocaine-dependent men in an initial investigation of possible neurobiological explanations for the putative association between cocaine addiction and violence. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to localize alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during mental imagery of a personal anger-associated scene and of an emotionally neutral scene in ten cocaine-dependent men. Compared to the emotionally neutral imagery control condition, anger was associated with marked decreases in rCBF in multiple areas of the frontal cortex (particularly the right inferior frontal gyrus), left posterior insula, left fusiform gyrus, and midbrain. Conversely, this same inferior frontal area was activated by anger imagery in nicotine-dependent men. Anger was also associated with increases in rCBF in the right fusiform gyrus, right and left middle occipital gyri, left post-central gyrus, left medial frontal gyrus, left cuneus, and in the left anterior cingulate gyrus. The study showed that cue-induced anger in cocaine-dependent men was associated with decreased activity in frontal cortical areas involved in response monitoring and inhibition. The lack of this association in nicotine-dependent men suggests a possible deficit in anger regulation associated with cocaine dependence and a possible link between cocaine dependence, violence, and relapse.
Ultrastructural evidence for a binding substance to the sweet‐tasting protein thaumatin inside taste bud pores of rhesus monkey foliate papillae

Thaumatin is a protein that tastes intensely sweet only to Old World monkeys and to higher primates, including man. Here we used pre-embedding ultrastructural methods to study the distribution of thaumatin in apical regions of Rhesus monkey foliate papillae, using thaumatin conjugated to 5 nm gold particles. With freeze-substitution we saw that gold-labeled thaumatin bound to an electron-opaque, sponge-like secretory substance inside the taste bud pores. Labeled thaumatin was found at the surface of the secretory substance even deep inside the pore, where other, unlabeled cellular structures surrounded the substance. With freeze-fracture deep-etching the secretory substance that bound the thaumatin-gold particles appeared coarsely granular. There was no labeling of any other taste bud pore structure, including microvilli and small membranelined vesicles. Pre-incubation with an excess of unlabeled thaumatin inhibited binding with goldlabeled thaumatin. The results suggest that the secretory substance had the greatest affinity of all taste pore structures to the sweet-tasting compound under our experimental conditions. Therefore, gustatory reception probably involves various taste compound binding structures, microvilli, and also secretory substances like the one described here which bound thaumatin. We speculate that the secretory substance may bind taste stimuli and serve as an intermediate between stimuli and receptors. It could be involved in stimulus removal or delivery or both. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sample selection for automatic language identification

Current approaches to automatic spoken language identification (LID) assume the availability of a large corpus of manually language-labeled speech samples for training statistical classifiers. We investigate two methods of active learning to significantly reduce the amount of labeled speech needed for training LID systems. Starting with a small training set, an automated method is used to select samples from a corpus of unlabeled speech, which are then labeled and added to the training pool - one selection method is based on a previously known entropy criterion, and another on a novel likelihood-ratio criterion. We demonstrate LID performance comparable to a large training corpus using only a tenth of the training data. A further 40% improvement in LID performance is obtained using a third of the training data. Finally, we show that our novel selection method is more robust to variance in the unlabeled pool than the entropy based method.
A Rasch model analysis of DSM-IV Alcohol abuse and dependence items in the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

Background: Questions persist about the diagnoses of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). These questions center around the performance of individual alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria and the nature of items used to assess them. In this study, we conduct in-depth analyses of interview items used to assess alcohol abuse and dependence. Method: We conducted Rasch model analyses of responses to 33 items assessing alcohol abuse and dependence criteria in the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of 34,550 participants. We also examined whether items performed differentially by gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, and time frame of assessment (i.e., past year vs lifetime). Results: A single latent dimension explained the vast majority of shared variance among the items. Abuse symptoms were not of consistently lower severity than dependence symptoms, and some were consistently prone to differential functioning across subgroups. Items related to tolerance also functioned differentially across subgroups especially in the comparison of past-year symptoms between young adults (ages 18–24) and older adults. Items differed widely in their empirically estimated severity, even when they were intended to assess the same DSM-IV criterion. Conclusions: The use of Rasch model analyses demonstrated the essential unidimensionality of AUD criteria and the lack of hierarchical ordering between abuse and dependence criteria, as well as potential sources of bias in the abuse diagnosis and the tolerance criterion. Results highlight that the prevalence and even the meaning of AUD criteria can differ substantially depending on the wording of items used to assess them. Implications for assessment of specific DSM criteria and for development of DSM-V are discussed.
A trade-off between natural and sexual selection underlies diversification of a sexual signal

A longstanding hypothesis in evolutionary biology is that trade-offs between natural and sexual selection often underlie the diversification of sexual signals in the wild. A classic example of this "selection trade-off hypothesis" proposes that males evolve elaborate and conspicuous ornamentation in low-risk environments where female preferences dominate selection on sexual traits, but they evolve muted and relatively cryptic sexual traits in high-risk environments where selection from predators acts against conspicuous sexual traits and female preferences potentially weaken or reverse. However, little direct empirical evidence supports this notion. Using the model system of Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi)—where males have recently evolved greater orange coloration in their dorsal fins in blue holes lacking predatory fish relative to populations with fish predators—we tested this hypothesis using fish replicas differing only in dorsal-fin color. Specifically, we employed plastic fish models in a combination of field and lab experiments to directly examine conspicuity to predators and female preferences for dorsal-fin color. We found that orange-shifted dorsal fins resembling the color exhibited in predator-free populations appeared more conspicuous to predatory bigmouth sleepers (Gobiomorus dormitor) that are evolutionarily naive to mosquitofish. Wild-caught female mosquitofish preferred the orange-shifted dorsal-fin model during dichotomous choice tests; evolutionary history with predators did not affect female preferences. Similar mate-choice trials with lab-born virgin females also found preferences for the orange-shifted dorsal-fin model and revealed significant genetic variation for female preferences. Our study provides direct empirical evidence documenting a trade-off between natural and sexual selection in a colorful sexual signal.
Cellular projections from sensory hair cells form polarity-specific scaffolds during synaptogenesis

The assembly of a nervous system requires the extension of axons and dendrites to specific regions where they are matched with appropriate synaptic targets. Although the cues that guide long-range outgrowth have been characterized extensively, additional mechanisms are required to explain short-range guidance in neural development. Using a complementary combination of time-lapse imaging by fluorescence confocal microscopy and serial block-face electron microscopy, we identified a novel type of presynaptic projection that participates in the assembly of the vertebrate nervous system. Synapse formation by each hair cell of the zebrafish's lateral line occurs during a particular interval after the cell's birth. During the same period, projections emerge from the cellular soma, extending toward a specific subpopulation of mature hair cells and interacting with polarity-specific afferent nerve terminals. The terminals then extend along the projections to reach appropriately matched presynaptic sites, after which the projections recede. Our results suggest that presynaptic projections act as transient scaffolds for short-range partner matching, a mechanism that may occur elsewhere in the nervous system.
The role of genetics in chronic wasting disease of North American cervids

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a major concern for the management of North American cervid populations. This fatal prion disease has led to declines in populations which have high CWD prevalence and areas with both high and low infection rates have experienced economic losses in wildlife recreation and fears of potential spill-over into livestock or humans. Research from human and veterinary medicine has established that the prion protein gene (Prnp) encodes the protein responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Polymorphisms in the Prnp gene can lead to different prion forms that moderate individual susceptibility to and progression of TSE infection. Prnp genes have been sequenced in a number of cervid species including those currently infected by CWD (elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose) and those for which susceptibility is not yet determined (caribou, fallow deer, sika deer). Over thousands of sequences examined, the Prnp gene is remarkably conserved within the family Cervidae; only 16 amino acid polymorphisms have been reported within the 256 amino acid open reading frame in the third exon of the Prnp gene. Some of these polymorphisms have been associated with lower rates of CWD infection and slower progression of clinical CWD. Here we review the body of research on Prnp genetics of North American cervids. Specifically, we focus on known polymorphisms in the Prnp gene, observed genotypic differences in CWD infection rates and clinical progression, mechanisms for genetic TSE resistance related to both the cervid host and the prion agent and potential for natural selection for CWD-resistance. We also identify gaps in our knowledge that require future research.
The Rural School as an Acculturating Institution: The Iban of Malaysia.

The role of the rural school in developing countries is both described and analyzed as a mediating agency for culture change. Three propositions are put forward to specify how this mediation takes place, and they are substantiated through a case study approach. This research was conducted among the Iban, a rural agrarian-based group in Sarawak, Malaysia, who have recently been caught up in the development process.This paper attempts to show how the interaction of different sets of values and perceptions among administrators, teachers, parents, and students influence the translation of educational policy into practice. It is argued that teachers and local community members influence the transmission of this curriculum so that classroom instruction differs significantly from curricular intentions; that conflicts between the enculturation process and classroom practices frustrate the learning of some students; and that parental responsiveness to innovations is related to student learning in school. In order ...
Conditions for the emergence of scaling in the inter-event time of uncorrelated and seasonal systems

Abstract Inter-event times have been studied across various disciplines in search for correlations. In this paper, we show analytical and numerical evidence that at the population level a power-law can be obtained by assuming Poissonian agents with different characteristic times, and at the individual level by assuming Poissonian agents that change the rates at which they perform an event in a random or deterministic fashion. The range in which we expect to see this behavior and the possible deviations from it are studied by considering the shape of the rate distribution.
The Indiana Cooler: A Retrospective

From 1983 to 2002, the Indiana Cooler was constructed and operated at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility. During that period, a relatively small group of people built an accelerator complex, explored the new technology of electron cooling, and demonstrated its usefulness in nuclear and particle physics. This review recounts the history of the project, describes the facility, and summarizes the scientific results in atomic, nuclear, and particle physics, and in the physics of beams.
Distributed Transcripts for Online Learning: Design Issues

Abstract: A set of guiding principles is stated for the development of standards for representing student educational assessment information. These principles support the learner, rather than the academic institution, as the focus of an information system architecture. Unlike traditional academic transcripts, the items in portfolios, subjective written evaluations, self-assessments, and computer-based records of activity are complex representations of student achievement, involvement, or inclinations. Even more so than traditional grades, they depend upon a great deal of contextual information in order to be intepreted in useful and reliable ways. This paper also identifies the essential informational components of alternative assessment records and suggests a standard form for their representation. The consideration of evidence, judgment, context, and justification, as described in this paper, is relevant to the improvement of conventional (e.g., multiple-choice test) assessment methodologies, as well. Considerations of systemic educational reform issues such as equity, group learning, lifelong learning, locus of responsibility for learning, and privacy are briefly described insofar as they impact the design of assessment systems. Editors: Simon Buckingham Shum (Open U., UK) Reviewers: Albert Ip (U. Melbourne, AUS), Patrick McAndrew (Open U. UK), Charalampos Karagiannidis (Informatics & Telematics Inst., GR)
Dose escalation of oral vinorelbine in combination with estramustine in hormone-refractory adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

BACKGROUND The primary objective of the current study was to identify the tolerable dose level of oral vinorelbine when given in combination with estramustine to men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). The secondary objectives were to describe the toxicities of the combined regimen in patients with HRPC and to estimate the efficacy of oral vinorelbine in combination with estramustine based on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response. METHODS Thirty-three patients with HRPC were treated on a 28-day cycle with estramustine at a dose of 140 mg orally 3 times a day on Days 1-3 and 8-10. Vinorelbine was given orally on Days 2 and 9. The initial dose of vinorelbine was 50 mg/m2 and was escalated to 70 mg/m2 using the time-to-event continual reassessment method. RESULTS Three of 17 patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity at the 70 mg/m2 dose level of oral vinorelbine. One patient experienced dose-limiting toxicity at a dose of 60 mg/m2 and no dose-limitig toxicities were reported at the 50 mg/m2 dose. The overall response rate by ≥50% reduction in PSA was 17.2%, (95% confidence interval, 5.9-35.8%). CONCLUSIONS Oral vinorelbine at doses of 70 mg/m2 may be safely combined with estramustine. The combination appears to have modest activity in men with advanced prostate cancer. The trial design employed the time-to-event continual reassessment method, which potentially allows for rapid accrual, a more complete assessment of toxicities, and a larger fraction of patients to be treated at an effective dose. More active regimens are needed to further evaluate the utility of this clinical trial design in patients with prostate cancer. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
A Perfect Prognosis Scheme for Forecasting Warm-Season Lightning over Florida

Abstract This study develops and evaluates a statistical scheme for forecasting warm-season lightning over Florida. Four warm seasons of analysis data from the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) and lightning data from the National Lightning Detection Network are used in a perfect prognosis technique to develop a high-resolution, gridded forecast guidance product for warm-season cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning over Florida. The most important RUC-derived parameters are used to develop equations producing 3-hourly spatial probability forecasts for one or more CG flashes, as well as the probability of exceeding various flash count percentile thresholds. Binary logistic regression is used to develop the equations for one or more flashes, while a negative binomial model is used to predict the amount of lightning, conditional on one or more flashes occurring. The scheme is applied to output from three mesoscale models during an independent test period (the 2006 warm season). The evaluation is performed using output from ...
Glutathione in Cerebral Microvascular Endothelial Biology and Pathobiology: Implications for Brain Homeostasis

The integrity of the vascular endothelium of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is central to cerebrovascular homeostasis. Given the function of the BBB as a physical and metabolic barrier that buffers the systemic environment, oxidative damage to the endothelial monolayer will have significant deleterious impact on the metabolic, immunological, and neurological functions of the brain. Glutathione (GSH) is a ubiquitous major thiol within mammalian cells that plays important roles in antioxidant defense, oxidation-reduction reactions in metabolic pathways, and redox signaling. The existence of distinct GSH pools within the subcellular organelles supports an elegant mode for independent redox regulation of metabolic processes, including those that control cell fate. GSH-dependent homeostatic control of neurovascular function is relatively unexplored. Significantly, GSH regulation of two aspects of endothelial function is paramount to barrier preservation, namely, GSH protection against oxidative endothelial cell injury and GSH control of postdamage cell proliferation in endothelial repair and/or wound healing. This paper highlights our current insights and hypotheses into the role of GSH in cerebral microvascular biology and pathobiology with special focus on endothelial GSH and vascular integrity, oxidative disruption of endothelial barrier function, GSH regulation of endothelial cell proliferation, and the pathological implications of GSH disruption in oxidative stress-associated neurovascular disorders, such as diabetes and stroke.
Substrate structure–activity relationships guide rational engineering of modular polyketide synthase ketoreductases

Modular polyketide synthase ketoreductases can set two chiral centers through a single reduction. To probe the basis of stereocontrol, a structure-activity relationship study was performed with three α-methyl, β-ketothioester substrates and four ketoreductases. Since interactions with the β-ketoacyl moiety were found to be most critical, residues implicated in contacting this moiety were mutated. Two mutations were sufficient to completely reverse the stereoselectivity of the model ketoreductase EryKR1, converting it from an enzyme that generates (2S,3R)-products into one that yields (2S,3S)-products.
Improving the performance of linear inverse solutions by inverting the resolution matrix

This paper proposes a new strategy for improving the localization capabilities of linear inverse solutions, based on the relationship between the real solution and the estimated solution as described by the resolution matrix equation. Specifically, we present two alternatives based on either the partial or total inversion of the resolution matrix and applied them to the minimum norm solution, which is known for its poor performance in three-dimensional (3-D) localization problems. The minimum norm transformed inverse showed a clear improvement in 3-D localization. The strong dependence of localization errors with the eccentricity of the sources, characteristic of this solution, disappears after the proposed transformation. A similar effect is illustrated, using a realistic example where multiple generators at striate areas are active. While the original minimum norm incorrectly places the generators at extrastriate cortex, the transformed minimum norm localizes, for the example considered, the sources at their correct eccentricity with very low spatial bluffing.
Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA): Ringmaster of the Genome

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein is one of the central molecules responsible for decisions of life and death of the cell. The PCNA gene is induced by p53, while PCNA protein interacts with p53-controlled proteins Gadd45, MyD118, CR6 and, most importantly, p21, in the process of deciding cell fate. If PCNA protein is present in abundance in the cell in the absence of p53, DNA replication occurs. On the other hand, if PCNA protein levels are high in the cell in the presence of p53, DNA repair takes place. If PCNA is rendered non-functional or is absent or present in low quantities in the cell, apoptosis occurs. The evolution from prokaryotes to eukaryotes involved a change of function of PCNA from a 'simple' sliding clamp protein of the DNA polymerase complex to an executive molecule controlling critical cellular decision pathways. The evolution of multicellular organisms led to the development of multicellular processes such as differentiation, senescence and apoptosis. PCNA, already an essential molecule in the life of single cellular organisms, then became a protein critical for the survival of multicellular organisms.
Clinical Nursing Research’s Impact Factor Improves 47% for 2014

Clinical Nursing Research is grateful to the authors, readers, scholarly reviewers, and publication team who make CNR such a well cited and respected journal. We made a few changes to maintain our momentum over the last few years such as increasing to 6 issues a year up from four issues and being more selective on manuscripts sent out for review. But we were not expecting a 47% increase! The Impact factor is the average number of times articles from the journal published in the last two years have been cited in ranked journals over the most recent year (Thomson Reuters, 2015). Clinical Nursing Research received its first impact factor in 2011 (0.881). This was a nice start for a quarterly journal. We maintained this impact fairly well for 2012 and 2013, 0.857 and 0.070 respectively. This year saw significant improvement with an impact factor of 1.278. Clinical Nursing Research is now ranked 30th among 110 nursing journals on the Science Citation Index
MET Receptor Juxtamembrane Exon 14 Alternative Spliced Variant: Novel Cancer Genomic Predictive Biomarker

Clinical studies on MET-targeting cancer therapeutics have yielded mixed results in recent years, and MET-relevant predictive biomarkers remain elusive. New studies now reveal METex14 alternative splicing aberrations to represent potential predictive cancer genomic biomarker, hence renewing optimism and directions in the quest for optimized MET-targeting personalized cancer therapy.
Topological Weyl superconductor to diffusive thermal Hall metal crossover in the B phase of UPt 3

The recent phase-sensitive measurements in the superconducting $B$ phase of ${\mathrm{UPt}}_{3}$ provide strong evidence for the triplet, chiral ${k}_{z}{({k}_{x}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}i{k}_{y})}^{2}$ pairing symmetries, which endow the Cooper pairs with orbital angular momentum projections ${L}_{z}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$ along the $c$ axis. In the absence of disorder such pairing can support both line and point nodes, and both types of nodal quasiparticles exhibit nontrivial topology in the momentum space. The point nodes, located at the intersections of the closed Fermi surfaces with the $c$ axis, act as the double monopoles and the antimonopoles of the Berry curvature, and generalize the notion of Weyl quasiparticles. Consequently, the $B$ phase should support an anomalous thermal Hall effect, the polar Kerr effect, in addition to the protected Fermi arcs on the $(1,0,0)$ and the $(0,1,0)$ surfaces. The line node at the Fermi surface equator acts as a vortex loop in the momentum space and gives rise to the zero-energy, dispersionless Andreev bound states on the $(0,0,1)$ surface. At the transition from the $B$ phase to the $A$ phase, the time-reversal symmetry is restored, and only the line node survives inside the $A$ phase. As both line and double-Weyl point nodes possess linearly vanishing density of states, we show that weak disorder acts as a marginally relevant perturbation. Consequently, an infinitesimal amount of disorder destroys the ballistic quasiparticle pole, while giving rise to a diffusive phase with a finite density of states at the zero energy. The resulting diffusive phase exhibits $T$-linear specific heat, and an anomalous thermal Hall effect. We predict that the low-temperature thermodynamic and transport properties display a crossover between a ballistic thermal Hall semimetal and a diffusive thermal Hall metal. By contrast, the diffusive phase obtained from a time-reversal-invariant pairing exhibits only the $T$-linear specific heat without any anomalous thermal Hall effect.
Early Theories of Parliamentarism

In contrast to the numerous expositions and commentaries concerning the origin, history, and nature of the doctrine of the separation of powers, early theories of parliamentary government have failed to attract the attention of historians of political thought. This negligence arises from two factors which must not be under-estimated. In the first place, it is generally asserted that Walter Bagehot was the first to appreciate the true nature of parliamentarism. Indeed, the penetration and lucidity of his famous essay on the English constitution overshadowed earlier attempts to grasp theoretically the mechanism of parliamentary government. In the second place, historians of political theory have been less prone to trace the roots of the theory of parliamentarism than those of the doctrine of the separation of powers because parliamentary government, although gradually introduced into a number of countries in the course of the nineteenth century, was not reduced to writing in any organic law prior to the World War. The development of the theory of parliamentary government is, therefore, one of the most neglected chapters in the history of constitutional ideas. While the English to the end of the fifties of the last century looked upon and appraised their constitution through the eyes of Montesquieu, Blackstone, and De Lolme, continental theorists were busy in elaborating a new theory about the nature of the English constitution. The early history of parliamentary theory is determined, therefore, to no small extent by the way in which continental theorists observed and conceived the operation of English government. It was in France and Germany that the true nature of the English constitution was first discovered and a theory of parliamentarism formulated for the direct purpose of introducing the parliamentary system into those two countries.
Phosphoinositide Turnover and Its Role in Plant Signal Transduction

Plants often seem to be passive, background scenery of our world. Because they do not flee, attack, or vocalize, we often think of them as unresponsive. In reality, plants actively monitor their environment and respond to it. We often fail to recognize these responses because they are usually subtle: slow movements or developmental or biochemical changes. When a plant does respond rapidly and dramatically—a Venus’s flytrap snares its prey, or a disturbed Mimosa pudica folds its leaves—it is a powerful reminder that plants are not scenery but active players.
Hypothermia not Supported as a Therapeutic Option for Traumatic Brain Injury in Recent Randomized Trial

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of permanent disability in people younger than 40 years of age. An increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) during hospitalization for a TBI has been associated with poor long-term neurologic outcomes. On the basis of encouraging research, hypothermia has been embraced by some centers as an innovative way to treat high ICP. More recent trials, however, have hinted that therapeutic hypothermia might contribute to poor neurologic outcomes. In an attempt to define the role of hypothermia in TBI, the Eurotherm 3235 Trial collaborators conducted a randomized controlled trial, which was published October 7, 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The inclusion criteria included patients with closed head injury who sustained an ICP >20 mm Hg for >5 minutes. For the purpose of creating a framework for study analysis, treatments for TBI were divided into stage 1, 2, and 3 therapies (Table 1). Eligible patients were randomized to an experimental arm, hypothermia (32 C 35 C) in addition to best management practice, and a control arm that consisted of best management practices alone. Statistical analysis was performed using ordinal logistic regression to compare the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale scores between the hypothermia and control groups at 6 months. Only 25.7% of patients from the hypothermia group (49/191) had favorable outcomes at
The Community as a Factor in Classifying Land for Agricultural and Forestry Utilization in the West Virginia Appalachians

As supplementary to the data on incomes of individual farms,' it was found that information concerning the communities as economic units rounded out the data which were needed for setting aside certain areas as having agricultural possibilities and other areas as having no agricultural possibilities under present and prospective economic conditions. The cost of schools and roads was considered excessive per farm. These latter areas showed the inability of the community to support schools and roads, except through State aid and heavy taxes on the land. This was often the deciding factor in placing the community in the area designated as nonagricultural. In certain areas soil type and topography were favorable for agriculture but there was not enough good farm land to support communities of normal size. The cost of the roads and schools was so high per occupied farm that it would be cheaper for the county and State to buy the farms and
Competition, Constituencies, and Welfare Policies in American States*

This article examines the logic underlying standard formulations of the interparty competition hypothesis in the comparative state policy literature, suggests a reformulation which provides some new insights into the conditions under which we might expect state policies to change as a result of party characteristics, and undertakes an initial test of the reformulation.I develop two propositions. The first is that party systems which divide the electorate along economic class lines will generate more generous welfare policies than party systems which do not so organize the electorate. The second is that within states with class-based electoral systems, change in welfare policy will be positively related to the degree to which the party or faction with lower- and working-class support gains control of government.I analyze welfare policies of selected American states for the period 1938 to 1970. My analysis suggests that (1) the class basis of electoral politics does influence state welfare policies and (2) parties and factions which differ in their constituency bases produce different types of policies when they are in control of government.
Language Teacher Educators as Leaners: A Case Study of Collaboration

This qualitative study is set in the context of a two-week professional development summer institute for Chinese language teachers. This institute had the luxury of involving four language instructors, one from the U.S., one from Austria, one from Taiwan and one from China. In addition to different ethnic and academic backgrounds, they brought various personalities and connections with Chinese language teacher training. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate how the instructors learned from their collaboration throughout the institute. Data sources include reflective journals, instructors’ meeting minutes, videos of instruction and in-depth interviews. With constant comparative analysis, this paper explores the importance of multicultural collaboration among teacher educators and shed light on the nature of their learning.
The Empirical Analysis between Industrial Structure and Economic Growth of Qinghai Province

Under certain conditions,the industrial structure is the basis of economic growth,and different industrial structures can lead to economic growth at different speeds,and reasonable industrial structure better promote rapid economic growth.This article from the relationship between economic growth and industrial structure,the use of regression analysis of the industrial structure in Qinghai Province in 1979-2009 and the relationship between economic growths,empirical analysis based on the results,combined with their own advantages for development in Qinghai Province,proposed optimization industrial structure,promote economicgrowth proposals.
Bi-ventricular Repair of Double Outlet Right Ventricle

Double outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a type of ventriculo-arterial connection where the great vessels arise entirely or predominantly from the right ventricle. The name DORV encloses a vast spectrum of congenital heart diseases with various clinical presentations and surgical treatment. Rarely a congenital heart disease has been the source of such controversial exchanges around the anatomical definitions and the optimal surgical techniques. The recent Functional Classification has greatly simplified the management of DORV in describing different functional types unified by a common clinical presentation and more importantly by a similar surgical management. The surgical repair of DORV-VSD type, DORV-Fallot and DORV-TGA (Taussig-Bing) is today performed with very low mortality. The surgical anatomy and the optimal surgical technique of DORV non-committed VSD and DORV-AVSD-Heterotaxy are still controversial. In presence of two viable ventricles, we believe that biventricular repair is the optimal solution. This chapter and Chaps. 15 and 24 describe in details biventricular repair of DORV.
Design of a 4th-order multi-stage feedforward operational amplifier for continuous-time bandpass delta sigma modulators

This paper presents the design of a 4th-order multi-stage feedforward operational amplifier (op amp) for applications in continuous-time bandpass delta-sigma modulators. On the system-level, a design procedure is proposed to determine the transconductance of each stage. On the transistor-level, current-reusing is emphasized to achieve power efficiency. Simulated in a 65 nm CMOS process, the op amp achieves over 40 dB gain up to 500 MHz and over 10 dB gain up to 2 GHz with 10 mW powe consumption.
Nuclear Systems for a Low Carbon Electrical Grid

The intermittency of renewable power generation systems on the low carbon electric grid can be alleviated by using nuclear systems as quasi-storage systems. Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycle systems can produce and store hydrogen when electric generation is abundant and then burn the hydrogen by Co-Firing when generation is limited. The rated output of a nuclear plant can be augmented by several hundred per cent by Co-Firing. The incremental hydrogen to electricity efficiency can far exceed that of hydrogen in a stand-alone gas turbine.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Neuropsychological outcome following frontal lobectomy for pharmacoresistant epilepsy in adults.

Objective: This retrospective cohort study characterized cognitive and motor outcomes in a large sample of adults who underwent frontal lobe resections for treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Methods: Ninety patients who underwent unilateral frontal lobe resection for epilepsy (42 language-dominant hemisphere/48 nondominant hemisphere) between 1989 and 2014 completed comprehensive preoperative and postoperative neuropsychological evaluations that included measures of verbal and nonverbal intellectual functioning, attention/working memory, processing speed, language, executive functioning, verbal and visual memory, and motor functioning. Objective methods were used to assess meaningful change across a wide range of abilities and to identify factors associated with neuropsychological decline following frontal lobectomy. Detailed postoperative neuroimaging analysis was conducted to characterize region, extent, and volume of resection. Results: Forty-eight percent of patients did not demonstrate meaningful postoperative declines in cognition and an additional 42% demonstrated decline in 1 or 2 cognitive domains. When cognitive decline was observed, it usually occurred on measures of intelligence, visuomotor processing speed, or executive functioning. Side and site of resection were unrelated to cognitive outcome, but played a role in decline of contralateral manual dexterity following supplementary motor area resection. Higher preoperative ability, older age at surgery, absence of a malformation of cortical development on MRI, and poor seizure outcome were related to cognitive decline on some measures, but had poor sensitivity in identifying at-risk patients. Conclusions: The vast majority of patients who undergo frontal lobectomy for treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy demonstrate good cognitive and motor outcomes.
Kernel classification with missing data and the choice of smoothing parameters

Methods are proposed for selecting smoothing parameters of kernel classifiers in the presence of missing covariates. Here the missing covariates can appear in both the data and in the unclassified observation that has to be classified. The proposed methods are quite straightforward to implement. Exponential performance bounds will be derived for the resulting classifiers. Such bounds, in conjunction with the Borel–Cantelli lemma, provide various strong consistency results. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedures.
Innovations in Joint Preservation Procedures for the Dysplastic Hip “The Periacetabular Osteotomy”

The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is an effective treatment for symptomatic developmental dysplasia in the prearthritic young adult hip. Refinements in the periacetabular osteotomy technique and perioperative management have markedly improved the clinical outcomes and recovery in these patients. We will review the clinical presentation of acetabular dysplasia, indications for surgery, perioperative management, and contemporary refinements in technique including refined acetabular reduction, adjunctive hip arthroscopy, femoral head-neck osteochondroplasty, femoral procedures, and rapid recovery protocols. In well-selected patients, this reconstructive osteotomy should be considered safe and effective in alleviating pain and improving hip function in patients with symptomatic acetabular dysplasia.
Accurate determination of sin 2 θ ^ W ( m Z )

A radiative correction $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\stackrel{^}{r}}_{W}$ linking directly the -MS (modified minimal-subtraction scheme) parameter ${sin}^{2}{\stackrel{^}{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{W}({m}_{Z})$ to ${G}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, and ${m}_{W}$ is introduced. Its dependence on ${m}_{t}$ and ${m}_{H}$ is very weak. Employing ${m}_{W}=80.11\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.31$ GeV (obtained from the direct and ${R}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ measurements of $\frac{{m}_{W}}{{m}_{Z}}$ in conjunction with ${m}_{Z}$) and allowing the range $78\ensuremath{\le}{m}_{t}\ensuremath{\le}200$ GeV, $10 \mathrm{GeV}\ensuremath{\le}{m}_{H}\ensuremath{\le}1 \mathrm{TeV}$ leads to ${sin}^{2}{\stackrel{^}{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{W}({m}_{Z})=0.2327\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0018\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0007$ (the first error arises from ${m}_{W}$, the second reflects the ${m}_{t}$,${m}_{H}$ uncertainty), in very good agreement with the corresponding value ${sin}^{2}{\stackrel{^}{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{W}({m}_{Z})=0.2327\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0012\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0021$ obtained from ${m}_{Z}$. Implications for the ${Z}^{0}$ asymmetries and the possible use of the ${m}_{W}$ determination in extensions of the standard model involving Higgs triplets are outlined.
UNIVERSALLY BAD SEQUENCES IN ERGODIC THEORY

Different types, and different degrees, of universally bad sequences in ergodic theory are described. The main result is that for any sequence (μ N ) of probability measures on Z such that for all k ∈ Z , if there exists b > 0 and a dense subset with for all γ ∈ D , then for any ergodic dynamical system ( X, B, m, τ ), there is some E ∈ B such that the fails to exist for all x in a set of positive measure.
Wellbeing Outcomes for Children Exposed to Multiple Adverse Experiences in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

This systematic review sought to examine and synthesize empirical research on the association between early childhood (0–83 months) exposure to multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the child’s social, behavioral, emotional, or physical developmental wellbeing. Guided by inclusion criteria and predefined search terms, articles were identified through electronic bibliographic databases, reference mining, hand searching, and gray literature. Two authors simultaneously conducted title and abstract reviews, and subsequently full-text reviews. Included studies examined early childhood exposure to two or more ACEs and the association between social, emotional, behavioral, physical, and/or overall wellbeing outcomes. Five studies met the predetermined inclusion criteria and were descriptive, secondary data analyses that utilized large, high-risk samples. Findings support a dose–response association between cumulative early childhood ACE exposure and behavioral issues and poor physical health outcomes. Results revealed between 12.3 and 70% of the early childhood samples were exposed to three or more ACEs. Among high-risk samples, exposure to multiple adversities is common although literature is scarce. Policy and practice implications include early assessments and interventions tailored to identifying the most vulnerable early childhood children.
Pocket Skills: A Conversational Mobile Web App To Support Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide. Although evidence-based psychotherapy is effective, engagement from such programs can be low. Mobile apps have the potential to help engage and support people in their therapy. We developed Pocket Skills, a mobile web app based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Pocket Skills teaches DBT via a conversational agent modeled on Marsha Linehan, who developed DBT. We examined the feasibility of Pocket Skills in a 4-week field study with 73 individuals enrolled in psychotherapy. After the study, participants reported decreased depression and anxiety and increased DBT skills use. We present a model based on qualitative findings of how Pocket Skills supported DBT. Pocket Skills helped participants engage in their DBT and practice and implement skills in their environmental context, which enabled them to see the results of using their DBT skills and increase their self-efficacy. We discuss the design implications of these findings for future mobile mental health systems.
Exogenous IL-6 induces mRNA splice variant MBD2_v2 to promote stemness in TP53 wild-type, African American PCa cells

African American men (AAM) are at higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) and are at higher risk of dying from the disease compared to European American men (EAM). We sought to better understand PCa molecular diversity that may be underlying these disparities. We performed RNA-sequencing analysis on high-grade PCa to identify genes showing differential tumor versus noncancer adjacent tissue expression patterns unique to AAM or EAM. We observed that interleukin-6 (IL-6) was upregulated in the nonmalignant adjacent tissue in AAM, but in EAM IL-6 expression was higher in PCa tissue. Enrichment analysis identified that genes linked to the function of TP53 were overrepresented and downregulated in PCa tissue from AAM. These RNA-sequencing results informed our subsequent investigation of a diverse PCa cell line panel. We observed that PCa cell lines that are TP53 wild-type, which includes cell lines derived from AAM (MDA-PCa-2b and RC77T), did not express detectable IL-6 mRNA. IL-6 treatment of these cells downregulated wild-type TP53 protein and induced mRNA and protein expression of the epigenetic reader methyl CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2), specifically the alternative mRNA splicing variant MBD2_v2. Further investigation validated that upregulation of this short isoform promotes self-renewal and expansion of PCa cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). In conclusion, this report contributes to characterizing gene expression patterns in high-grade PCa and adjacent noncancer tissues from EAM and AAM. The results we describe here advance what is known about the biology associated with PCa race disparities and the molecular signaling of CSCs.
WAVE PROPAGATION IN VISCOELASTIC SOLIDS

Publisher Summary An important aspect in the prediction of the dynamic behavior of solid viscoelastic materials concerns the ability to characterize their response to large dynamic loads. This chapter presents a series of interrelated studies that include theoretical work involving waves in a general class of viscoelastic materials, some specific constitutive models contained within this class, and a comparison of the predicted results with those of experimental studies. The analytical studies were concerned with the propagation of both steady and unsteady shock and acceleration waves in a general class of simple materials with fading memory, and included determination of wave speeds and conditions on the amplitude behavior. More specific models were used in studying conditions on the propagation of steady waves and for use in modeling the results from experimental studies of steady and unsteady shock and acceleration waves in a particular nonlinear viscoelastic solid.