cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expression of apoptosis regulatory genes in chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity favors apoptosis

Expression of apoptosis regulatory genes in chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity favors apoptosis. Background Chronic cyclosporine (CsA) nephrotoxicity is characterized by interstitial fibrosis, tubular dropout, and loss of cellularity in areas of fibrosis. Apoptosis was found to play a role in CsA-induced fibrosis. We evaluated the role of the death genes p53, Bax, and Fas-L (ligand), survival gene Bcl-2, interleukin-converting enzyme (ICE), and caspase-3. Methods Salt-depleted rats were administered CsA 15 mg/kg/day or vehicle (VH) and were sacrificed at 7 or 28 days. Apoptosis was detected by TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. p53 and Bax expressions were evaluated by Northern and Western blot analysis. Fas-L and Bcl-2 expressions were evaluated by immunofluorescence. In addition to ICE mRNA, caspase-3 enzymatic activity was assayed. Results Although no differences were seen at one week, apoptosis-positive cells increased with CsA at four weeks ( P r = 0.8, P P P P P P Conclusions Specific apoptotic genes are increased in chronic CsA nephrotoxicity. The balance favors the induction of apoptosis. Increased apoptosis could explain the tubular dropout and loss of cellularity with fibrosis. This then may impair the ability of the tubulointerstitium to remodel. Apoptosis could also contribute to some of CsA immunosuppressive effects on activated lymphocytes.
Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloadditions of Ynamides in the Synthesis of Amide-Substituted Chiral Biaryls

Rhodium(I)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloadditions of sterically encumbered aryl-substituted ynamides with various diynes are described here. These cycloadditions provide the synthesis of an array of new chiral amide-substituted biaryls that can be useful in future chiral ligand designs.
Plastic strain localization and fatigue micro-crack formation in Hastelloy X

Abstract In polycrystalline metals, local deformation heterogeneities induced by the microstructure influence fatigue crack initiation and micro-crack propagation. The localization in plastic strains associated with heterogeneous deformation has been described as a necessary condition and a precursor for the nucleation of fatigue cracks. However, a clear and quantitative assessment of the correlation between strain localization and fatigue micro-crack lengths requires further investigation. In this work, during interrupted loading experiments, high resolution deformation measurements using digital image correlation are made on polycrystalline Hastelloy X subjected to fatigue loading. The sub-grain level strain measurements are made prior to the formation of micro-cracks. The correlation between the localization of plastic strains very early on during the loading ( e.g ., less than 1000 cycles) and the micro-cracks which are detected later in the life of the sample ( e.g ., around 10,000) is discussed in this paper. Particular focus is given to the difference in grain boundary response, either blocking or transmitting slip, and the associated fatigue micro-crack lengths generated in the vicinity of these boundaries. The results show a clear correlation between both the locations and lengths of fatigue micro-cracks, which form later in loading, and the localization of plastic strains very early in the loading process. For the same number of cycles, the transmission of slip across grain boundaries resulted in longer transgranular cracks compared to cracks near grains surrounded by blocking grain boundaries which were shorter cracks and confined within single grains.
Correlation of histology to clinical rejection reversal: A Thymoglobulin Multicenter Trial report

Correlation of histology to rejection reversal: A Thymoglobulin Multicenter Trial report Background Histology may provide a link between clinical response to antirejection therapy and graft function. In a subset of centers, renal biopsy was a secondary end point for the Thymoglobulin Multicenter Trial. Methods Thirty-eight patients had a protocol biopsy one to two weeks following the end of therapy. Inclusion and post-treatment biopsies were graded and scored according to Banff criteria by a central pathologist who was blinded to the type and outcome of therapy and the timing of the biopsy. Results The majority of patients (31 of 38) had moderate rejection on their inclusion biopsy. An improvement of at least one Banff grade occurred in 58% of the patients. The treatment was clinically successful in 33 patients, but two thirds of the patients (25 out of 38) demonstrated residual inflammation in the graft. The degree of improvement of inflammation was proportionate to rejection severity ( P = 0.006). Banff scoring indicated that residual inflammation was less in Thymoglobulin-treated patients than in those receiving Atgam ( P P = 0.015). Conclusions These data demonstrate a discrepancy between clinical and histological resolution of acute renal allograft rejection. Residual infiltrates in the graft following rejection therapy are common and, despite clinical improvement, may indicate an increased risk for recurrent rejection.
Levels of dispute

Science and Values: The Aims of Science and Their Role in Scientific Debate. By Larry Laudan. University of California Press: 1984. Pp.149. 15, 14.25.
Microbial production of the aromatic building‐blocks (S)‐styrene oxide and (R)‐1,2‐phenylethanediol from renewable resources

(S)-Styrene oxide and (R)-1,2-phenylethanediol are chiral aromatic molecular building blocks used commonly as precursors to pharmaceuticals and other specialty chemicals. Two pathways have been engineered in Escherichia coli for their individual biosynthesis directly from glucose. The novel pathways each constitute extensions of the previously engineered styrene pathway, developed by co-expressing either styrene monooxygenase (SMO) or styrene dioxygenase (SDO) to convert styrene to (S)-styrene oxide and (R)-1,2-phenylethanediol, respectively. StyAB from Pseudomonas putida S12 was determined to be the most effective SMO. SDO activity was achieved using NahAaAbAcAd of Pseudomonas sp. NCIB 9816-4, a naphthalene dioxygenase with known broad substrate specificity. Production of phenylalanine, the precursor to both pathways, was systematically enhanced through a number of mutations, most notably via deletion of tyrA and over-expression of tktA. As a result, (R)-1,2-phenylethanediol reached titers as high as 1.23 g/L, and at 1.32 g/L (S)-styrene oxide titers already approach their toxicity limit. As with other aromatics, product toxicity was strongly correlated with a model of membrane accumulation and disruption. This study additionally demonstrates that greater flux through the styrene pathway can be achieved if its toxicity is addressed, as achieved in this case by reacting styrene to less toxic products.
Flow Visualization Study of Passive Flow Control Features on a Film-Cooled Turbine Blade Leading Edge

A water channel study was conducted on a cylindrical leading edge model of a film-cooled turbine blade to assess the effects of surface modifications on film spreading. A single radial coolant hole located 21.5° from the stagnation line, angled 20° to the surface and 90° to the flow direction supplied dyed coolant flow. Surface modifications included a variety of dimples upstream and downstream of the coolant hole and transverse trenches milled coincident with the coolant hole. Compared to the unmodified surface, a single row of small cylindrical or spherical dimples upstream of the coolant hole steadies the jet at blowing ratios up to M = 0.75. Medium and large spherical dimples downstream of the coolant hole have a similar effect, but none of the dimple geometries studied affect the coolant jet above M = 0.75. A single-depth, square-edged transverse trench spreads the coolant spanwise, increasing the coverage of a single coolant hole more than two times. This trench suffers from coolant blow-out above M = 0.50, but a deeper, tapered-depth trench entrains and spreads the coolant very effectively at blowing ratios above M = 0.50. The tapered trench prevents jet liftoff and is the only geometry studied that holds the coolant closer to the surface than the unmodified coolant hole.
Mechanisms of chromosomal aberration production. I. Aberration induction by ultraviolet light.

Abstract We have studied chromosomal aberration production in V-79 Chinese hamster tissue culture cells by UV light administered during the post-DNA-synthetic G2 phase of the cell cycle. The treatment produced achromatic lesions and some chromatid deletions in the first post-irradiation mitosis, but no isochromatid deletions or chromatid exchange aberrations. In contrast, when G2 UV-irradiated cells were examined in their second post-irradiation mitosis, there were significant yields of chromatid-type aberrations of all types, including isochromatid deletions and chromatid exchanges. We have earlier reported21 that UV-irradiation during the pre-DNA-synthetic G1 phase of the cell cycle induces only chromatid aberrations and also that most chromosomal aberration production by UV in G1 can be photoreactivated in cells possessing the photoreactivating enzyme. We present here a model for chromosomal aberration production by UV. In the model all aberration production is enzymatically mediated, a consequence of the functioning of known molecular repair mechanisms. The important elements in the model are the following: 1. (1) The vertebrate chromosome is mononeme; i.e., contains but a single DNA double helix during the prereplication G1 phase of the cell cycle. 2. (2) The UV-induced DNA lesion leading to the production of most aberrations is the cyclobutane dimer between adjacent pyrimidines in one polynucleotide strand. 3. (3) Single chain breaks appear at metaphase as achromatic lesions. 4. (4) Dimer removal sometimes leaves unrepaired single chain gaps, possibly as a result of incomplete excision repair. 5. (5) The single-stranded DNA opposite a single chain gap can be cleaved by a single-strand DNAase. 6. (6) Gaps are left in newly synthesized DNA polynucleotide chains opposite defective template chains (i.e., opposite dimers and chain breaks). 7. (7) Double-strand breaks present following local DNA replication may “spread” to the other chromatid by a recombinational process between template and new polynucleotide chains, one from each of the homologous double helices. The model predicts the occurrence of isoachromatic lesions and of chromatid deletions paired (isolocus) with achromatic lesions. Though often not reported, both do, in fact, occur. In addition, the model accounts for the phenomenon of sister-chromatid exchange as a manifestation of a recombinational, or post-replication, repair mechanism. Finally, the model offers a simple interpretation of chromosomal aberration production by a variety of chemical agents.
Waveform effects of a metastable olivine tongue in subducting slabs

Velocity models of subducting slabs with a kinetically-depressed olivine to beta- and gamma-spinel transition are constructed, and the effect that such structures would have on teleseismic P waveforms are examined using a full-wave finite-difference method. These 2D calculations yielded waveforms at a range of distances in the downdip direction. The slab models included a wedge-shaped, low-velocity metastable olivine tongue (MOTO) to a depth of 670 km, as well as a plausible thermal anomaly; one model further included a 10-km-thick fast layer on the surface of the slab. The principal effect of MOTO is to produce grazing reflections at wide angles off the phase boundary, generating a secondary arrival 0 to 4 seconds after the initial arrival depending on the take-off angle. The amplitude and timing of this feature vary with the lateral location of the seismic source within the slab cross-section.
Illegitimacy, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Cognitive Development

This study explored the relationship between illegitimate birth and cognitive development among 513 boys on probation. Prior research has shown that being part of a single-parent household leads to diminished verbal capacities and often puts a child in greater danger of abuse and neglect. Frequent abuse is thought to lead to the enhancement of visual and spatial skills relative to verbal skills through a process of "frozen watchfulness". I hypothesized that illegitimate boys from one-parent homes would have greater verbal-performance discrepancy scores than would boys from other combinations of birth status and family structure. These boys had the lowest verbal IQ and highest performance IQ scores and, hence, the largest discrepancy. These boys also suffered the highest degree of abuse and neglect of all four birth status/family structure combinations studied.
Influence of Lamination and Boundary Constraint on the Deformation of Moderately Thick Cross-Ply Rectangular Plates

Hitherto unavailable analytical solutions to boundary-value problems of moderately thick general cross-ply laminated rectangular plates, subjected to various boundary conditions, are presented. A recently developed double Fourier series-based method has been utilized to solve a system of five highly coupled linear second-order par tial differential equations (with constant coefficients), that emerge from the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the associated geometric and natural boundary con ditions. The convergence characteristics of the series solutions, especially their de pendence on lamination and boundary constraint, are numerically investigated in detail. Other numerical results presented here include (1) verification with the available analytical solutions based on the classical lamination theory (CLT) as well as FSDT, (2) investigation of the effect of length-to-thickness, length-to-width and modular ratios on the response of antisymmetric and symmetric cross-ply plates, with various...
Impact of the modulation doping layer on the ν = 5 / 2 anisotropy

We have carried out a systematic study of the tilted magnetic field induced anisotropy at the Landau level filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=5/2$ in a series of high quality GaAs quantum wells, where the setback distance ($d$) between the modulation doping layer and the GaAs quantum well is varied from 33 to 164 nm. We have observed that in the sample of the smallest $d$, electronic transport is anisotropic when the in-plane magnetic field (${B}_{\mathrm{ip}}$) is parallel to the $[1--10]$ crystallographic direction, but remains more or less isotropic when ${B}_{\mathrm{ip}}\ensuremath{\parallel}[110]$. In contrast, in the sample of largest $d$, electronic transport is anisotropic in both crystallographic directions. Our results clearly show that the modulation doping layer plays an important role in the tilted field induced $\ensuremath{\nu}=5/2$ anisotropy.
MV5: A Clinical Decision Support Framework for Heart Disease Prediction Using Majority Vote Based Classifier Ensemble

The medical diagnosis process can be interpreted as a decision-making process during which the physician induces the diagnosis of a new and unknown case from an available set of clinical data and using his/her clinical experience. This process can be computerized in order to present medical diagnostic procedures in a rational, objective, accurate and efficient way. In the last few decades, many researchers have focused on developing effective methods for intelligent heart disease prediction and decision support systems. For such a system, high accuracy of prediction is paramount. In this research, an ensemble classifier is proposed, which uses majority vote-based scheme for heart disease data classification and prediction. The five heterogeneous classifiers used to construct the ensemble model are as follows: Naive Bayes, decision tree based on Gini Index, decision tree based on information gain, memory-based learner and support vector machine. Five datasets from different data repositories are employed for testing the effectiveness of the ensemble model. Each dataset has different types of attributes, for instance binary, real, continuous, categorical, etc. Experimental results with stratified cross validation show that the proposed MV5 framework deals with all the attribute types. MV5 has achieved an accuracy of 88.52% with 86.96% sensitivity, 90.83% specificity and 88.85% f-measure. Comparison of proposed MV5 model with individual classifiers shows increase in average accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and f-measure of about 14, 11, 17 and 18% respectively.
TH-C-17A-07: Visualizing and Quantifying Radiation Therapy in Real-Time Using a Novel Beam Imaging Technique

Purpose: Radiation therapy uses invisible high energy X-rays to treat an invisible tumor. Proper positioning of the treatment beam relative to the patient's anatomy during dose delivery is critically important to the success of treatment. We develop and characterize a novel radiation therapy beam visualization technique for real-time monitoring of patient treatment. Methods: Custom made flexible scintillator sheets were fabricated from gadolinium oxysulfide (GOS) particles that had been doped with terbium within a silicone elastomer matrix. Sheets of several thicknesses ranging from 0.3 to 1mm were prepared and tested. Sheets were exposed to megavoltage X-ray and electron beams from a Varian linac and the resulting optical signal was collected by multiple CMOS cameras placed in the treatment room. Real-time images were collected for different beam energies and dose rates. Signal intensity and SNR were calculated by processing the acquired images. Results: All signals were detectable in the presence of full room lighting and at an integration time of 45ms. Average signal intensity and SNR increased with both sheet thickness and dose rate and decreased with beam energy and incident light. For a given sheet thickness and beam energy the correlation between dose rate and signal intensity was highly linear. Increased sheet thickness or dose rate results in a linear increase in the detected signal. All results are consistent with analytical approximations. Conclusion: The technique offers a means of accurately visualizing a radiation therapy beam shape and fluence in real time. The effects of salient parameters have been characterized and will enable further optimization of the technique as it is implemented into the clinical workflow. The project described was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health through UL1 TR001085.
Ergothioneine Distribution in Bovine and Porcine Ocular Tissues

Ergothioneine (ERT), is a low molecular weight, sulfur-containing antioxidant occurring in up to millimolar amounts in mammalian tissues. Using an improved HPLC assay, ERT levels have been measured and compared in bovine and porcine eyes and erythrocytes. The rank order of ERT levels in bovine ocular tissue was lens > retina = cornea > pigmented retinal epithelium (RPE) > aqueous humor (AQ) > vitreous humor (VIT) > sclera. In porcine ocular tissue, the rank order was retina > AQ > VIT > RPE > cornea > lens > sclera. ERT levels in bovine lens were about 250 x > that in porcine lens. Porcine erythrocyte levels were 5.5 x > bovine levels. Species differences were also observed in the retina, VIT and AQ where porcine levels were 2 to 10-fold greater than bovine levels. ERT in bovine lens and cornea was 35 and 14 times greater than the corresponding level of reduced glutathione (GSH). Porcine lens had 45 times more GSH than ERT. Values for ERT and GSH in other tissues from both species were of the same order of magnitude. These results are consistent with a role for ERT in prevention of oxidative damage to the eye.
Evaluation of appropriateness of patient transfers for hand and microsurgery to a level I trauma center

The transfer of patients for hand and microsurgical emergencies to level I trauma centers is a common practice. Many of these transfers do not actually require a hand specialist and could be taken care of at most regional hospitals. In this study, we will evaluate the appropriateness of patient transfers for hand trauma and determine if there is a correlation between inappropriate transfers and undesirable factors, such as insurance status and off-hour’s presentation. A retrospective chart review was performed in all patients transferred to a level I trauma center for hand and microsurgical trauma over a 22-month period. Collected data included indication for transfer, mode of transfer, time and day of the week, patient demographics, insurance status, and whether the transferring facilities had surgical coverage available. A synopsis, including treatment details, of each transfer was created, and a survey was sent to a review committee who rated the appropriateness of the transfers. Statistical analysis was performed to determine whether appropriateness of transfers was influenced by nonmedical variables. Over a 22-month period, a total of 95 hand or microsurgical patients were transferred to a single tertiary referral center. Of these, 66 % of the transfers were considered inappropriate by the surveyed physicians. Inappropriate transfers were statistically more likely to be under insured or transferred during nonbusiness hours. A large percentage of patients are being transferred to tertiary care centers for reasons other than medical necessity, generating a large burden on already strained medical resources.
Comparison of pH measurement by field and laboratory methods

Abstract Surface horizons from 462 soils collected in Indiana by soil surveyors from 1967 to 1978 were used in this study. The relationship between field measured pH, laboratory measured pH and percent base saturation were examined. Using laboratory pH as a standard, the field pH measurement, using indicator dyes, compressed the range of values observed. The laboratory method also gave a higher correlation with % base saturation than the field method (r2 was 0.66 and 0.48, respectively).
Inclusion of an S-nitrosylating agent in the insufflating gas does not alter gastric activity in rats following pneumoperitoneum.

Background We have previously shown that mixing the S-nitrosylating agent ethyl nitrite with carbon dioxide can attenuate pneumoperitoneum-induced decreases in splanchnic blood flow, but it was unclear if this agent would alter gastric function. This question was answered using rats by assessing gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit times following gavage with radioactive chromium.
Perceptions of Vulnerability: A Target Characteristics Approach to Disability, Gender, and Victimization

This article takes an intersectional approach to how gender and disability affect the likelihood of experiencing violent or sexual victimization in a young adult cohort. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Wave 4, I adopt a target characteristics approach to victimization. A visible signifier of disability increases the risk of violent and sexual victimization. Disability status itself increases the risk of sexual victimization. Gender interacts with disability, as visible signifiers of impairment affect only women while the effect of disability on sexual victimization is stronger for men.
Joint-Scatterer Processing for Time-Series InSAR

The first-generation time-series synthetic aperture radar interferometry (TSInSAR) technique persistent-scatterer (PS) InSAR has been proven effective in ground deformation measurement over areas with high reflectivity by taking advantage of coregistered temporally coherent pointwise scatterers. In order to increase the spatial density of measurement points and quality of displacement time series over moderate reflectivity scenes, a second-generation TSInSAR called SqueeSAR was developed to extract displacement information from both PSs and distributed scatterers, by taking into account their temporal coherence and their spatial statistical behavior. In this paper, we propose a new second-generation TSInSAR, which is referred to as joint-scatterer (JS) InSAR, to measure the line-of-sight surface displacement using the neighboring pixel stacks. A novel goodness-of-fit testing approach is proposed to analyze the similarity between two JS vectors based on time-series likelihood ratios. By taking advantage of the proposed test, a new spatially adaptive filter is developed to estimate the covariance matrix. Based on the estimated covariance matrix, the projection of the joint signal subspace onto the corresponding joint noise subspace is applied to retrieve phase history. With coherence information of neighboring pixel stacks, JSInSAR is able to provide reliable geophysical parameters in the presence of large coregistration errors. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified with a time series of high-resolution SAR data from the TerraSAR-X satellite.
Managing an on-the-spot lottery in reentry services

Objectives Describe the authors’ experiences in designing and conducting a randomized field experiment of a community-based, reentry program for ex-offenders.
Dynamics of insulin and glucagon secretion by the isolated perfused cat pancreas

1. The dynamics of insulin and glucagon secretion by the isolated perfused cat pancreas was studied in response to glucose and amino acid stimuli. 2. Insulin secretion is biphasic in response to either glucose or amino acid stimuli. 3. Glucose caused a much more pronounced first phase release than did a complete amino acid mixture; whereas glucose and the amino acid mixture stimulated late second phase insulin secretion equipotently. 4. The same amino acid mixture produced a biphasic secretion of glucagon characterized by a rapid and transient spike-release which was followed by a substantial, relatively steady-state, second secretory phase. 5. Various combinations of glucose and amino acids resulted in insulin secretion which suggests a simple additive stimuli phenomenon; whereas no such additive effect was observed with respect to amino acid stimulation of glucagon secretion. 6. Instead, various of the amino acids appear to stimulate maximal glucagon secretion independently. 7. Glucose failed to cause a suppression of amino acid induced glucagon release. 8. The quantitative aspects of this study suggest that the cat pancreas is very responsive to amino acid modulation of hormone release, a fact which may well reflect the high amino acid content of the cat's diet.
An assessment of cerebral dominance in language-disordered children via a time-sharing paradigm

A time-sharing paradigm was used to assess language lateralization in language-disordered and normal children aged 4–7 years. Several expressive language tasks as well as a vocal, but nonlinguistic, task were administered concurrently with unimanual finger tapping. Dependent variables were percent disruption scores and number of syllables produced per concurrent trial. All language concurrent tasks produced tapping reductions for both hands for both groups. This result contrasts to similar time-sharing studies claiming asymmetrical interference and hence language lateralization in children (N. White & M. Kinsbourne, 1980, Brain and Language, 10, 215–223; J. Obrzut, G. Hynd, A. Obrzut, & J. Leitgeb, 1980, Brain and Language, 11, 181–194). A multiple regression analysis revealed a significant interaction effect differentiating language-disordered from normal children. Normals exhibited a parallel response pattern for speech and tapping (both increased or decreased in rate) under all lateralization conditions. Language-disordered children exhibited an inverse response pattern (e.g., if speech output increased, tapping rate decreased) only under left-hemisphere time-sharing.
Learning syndromes afflicting beginning medical students: identification and treatment--reflections after forty years of teaching.

During 40 years experience teaching beginning medical students primarily microscopic anatomy (cell biology, histology and embryology), but also occasionally neuroanatomy and gross anatomy and while serving as the course director for Microscopic Anatomy for 18 years and counseling students with academic performance problems, a set of syndromes were identified that impact on student learning. Each of these syndromes were given names reflective of the underlying problem, i.e. ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Too Many Books’, ‘Six Chambered Heart’, ‘Old Test Question’, ‘Slip and Slide’, etc. syndromes. In this paper each syndrome is presented and discussed and specific treatments for each syndrome are presented. In addition, advice for beginning medical students on how to study (‘The Split Brain’ method), developed in association with the treatments for the syndromes, is presented.
Eating and Resting Salivation in Early Lactation Dairy Cows

Salivation rates were measured by cardial collection in four ruminally fistulated, early lactation cows. Complete diets of 70% concentrate: 30% hay crop silage (dry matter) or an isonitrogenous, isocaloric mixture of 60% concentrate: 40% corn silage were fed ad libitum once daily in a replicated 2 X 2 Latin square design. Thirty-day periods, beginning 2 d postpartum, consisted of 22 d adaptation and 8 d for determination of eating behavior, eating and resting salivation rates, and rumen liquid turnover rate. Diet did not affect eating behavior, salivation rates, saliva volumes produced while eating or resting, or saliva composition, but degree of feed ensalivation (fresh basis) and volume of saliva per bolus were higher for the hay crop silage diet due to its higher dry matter content. Resting salivation rate and volume produced while resting were greater at wk 8 than wk 4 of lactation even when corrected to constant dry matter intake, indicating that adaptation to diet postpartum involved increased basal resting salivation rate. Rumen pH was lower for the hay crop silage diet, but rumen fluid kinetic measurements did not differ with diet or week of lactation.
Influence of parents' physical activity levels on activity levels of young children

To determine the relationship between activity levels of parents and those of their young children, we monitored physical activity with a mechanical device, the Caltrac accelerometer, in one hundred 4-to 7-year-old children and in 99 of their mothers and 92 of their fathers. During 1 year in the Framingham Children's Study, data were obtained for an average of more than 10 hours per day for 8.6±1.8 days for the children, for 8.3±2.1 days for their mothers, and for 7.7±2.3 days for their fathers. Children of active mothers (average Caltrac accelerometer counts per hour greater than the median) were 2.0 times as likely to be active as children of inactive mothers (95% confidence interval=0.9,4.5); the relative odds ratio of being active for the children of active fathers was 3.5 (95% confidence interval=1.5, 8.3). When both parents were active, the children were 5.8 times as likely to be active (95% confidence interval=1.9, 17.4) as children of two inactive parents. Possible mechanisms for the relationship between parents' and child's activity levels include the parents' serving as role models, sharing of activities by family members, enhancement and support by active parents of their child's participation in physical activity, and genetically transmitted factors that predispose the child to increased levels of physical activity.
Discriminative stimulus effects of the PCP/σ-ligand (+)-N-allylnormetazocine in monkeys

(+)-N-Allylnormetazocine [(+)-NANM] binds to both the phencyclidine (PCP) receptor and the sigma-site in brain, with some selectivity for the latter. In rats, the discriminative stimulus effects of (+)-NANM are primarily PCP like. The present study was performed to determine if the discriminative effects of (+)-NANM in a primate species might reflect the actions of this drug at the sigma-site. Six squirrel monkeys were trained to discriminate between IM injections of saline and 1.0 mg/kg (+)-NANM in a two-choice discrete-trial avoidance procedure. In tests of stimulus generalization, dose-dependent increases in trials completed on the (+)-NANM choice lever were produced by (+)- and (-)-NANM, by PCP and the PCP-like drugs MK-801 and thienylcyclohexyl-piperidine, and by the opioids (+)- and (-)-cyclazocine and dextrorphan; order of potency correlated with reported affinities for the PCP receptor. High-affinity sigma-ligands, (+)-pentazocine, 1,3-di-ortho-tolylguanidine (DTG), haloperidol, and BMY 14802, as well as agonists at mu- and kappa-opioid receptors, occasioned selection of the saline-appropriate choice lever. Selection of the (+)-NANM choice lever was reduced by up to 35-50% when 1.0 mg/kg (+)-NANM was given concurrently with haloperidol or BMY 14802, but was not affected substantially by (-)-butaclamol, another sigma-ligand, or by naltrexone, an opioid antagonist. The discriminative effects of (+)-NANM in squirrel monkeys appear to be mediated largely by the PCP receptor and not by the sigma-site or opioid receptors.
From Vulnerability to Resilience Learning Orientations Buffer Contingent Self-Esteem From Failure

An experiment examined the buffering effects of a learning orientation following failure in a domain of contingent self-worth. Participants' academic contingencies of self-worth (CSW) and priming with theories of intelligence interacted to affect vulnerability of self-esteem to failure. Participants who had high academic CSW and were primed with an entity theory of intelligence experienced lower self-esteem and higher negative affect following failure than following success on an academic test, but these effects were eliminated when participants with high academic CSW were primed with an incremental theory of intelligence. This study shows that endorsing a learning orientation is an effective way to minimize threat to self-esteem among students whose self-worth is highly contingent on academics and may allow them to persist in the face of challenges and to learn from failure.
Addressing student problems in learning computer graphics

Our goal is to improve the performance of computer graphics students by including problem-solving activities and situating their knowledge of computer graphics in authentic problems. The framework for achieving this goal is based on the apprenticeship model of training and integrates four modules:• An interactive notes module which includes note pages, in-depth pages and a variety of activities such as interactive visualizations and algorithm animations, aimed at enforcing the acquisition of conceptual and factual knowledge.• A case library which consists of stories of projects in computer graphics and maps them to common problems encountered in these projects.• A problem-solving module which presents problems to the learner in a real-world context and provides him/her with support to solve the problems.• A collaborative tool to support the undertaking of complex projects by teams of students.
Look What God Can Do

Abstract This qualitative study describes how ten African American gay men understand and utilize spirituality while living with AIDS. The narrative data indicate spirituality is a significant strength for these men. The participants describe spirituality, a relationship with God, as interactive, integrative, and protective. They indicate that spirituality helps them live with AIDS and alleviates death anxiety. The participants also posit that their experience with AIDS has strengthened their spirituality. Spirituality is an important resource for the men in this study. The data suggests social workers who work with this population explore the salience of Spirituality in the lives of their clients.
Visualizing the kinetics of tumor-cell clearance in living animals

Evaluation of potential antineoplastic therapies would be enhanced by noninvasive detection of tumor cells in living animals. Because light is transmitted through mammalian tissues, it was possible to use bioluminescence to monitor (both externally and quantitatively) growth and regression of labeled human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells engrafted into immunodeficient mice. The efficacy of both chemotherapy and immunotherapeutic treatment with ex vivo expanded human T cell-derived effector cells was evaluated. In the absence of therapy, animals showed progressive increases in signal intensity over time. Animals treated with cisplatin had marked reductions in tumor signal; 5′-fluorouracil was less effective, and cyclophosphamide was ineffective. Immunotherapy dramatically reduced signals at high effector-to-target cell ratios, and significant decreases were observed with lower ratios. This model system allowed sensitive, quantitative, real-time spatiotemporal analyses of the dynamics of neoplastic cell growth and facilitated rapid optimization of effective treatment regimens.
Sensor staggering in multi-sensor target tracking systems

For a multi-sensor target tracking system in a cluttered environment, the effects of temporally staggered sensors on system performance are investigated and compared with those of synchronous sensors. A probabilistic data association filter (PDAF) is used to track the target. Measurements from local sensors are fused in a centralized manner for the system with synchronous sensors. The system performances are compared both in terms of track life and in-track percentage. For a wide variety of scenarios, simulation results show the superiority of temporally staggered sensors over synchronous sensors.
Analysis of periodicity of extinction using the 2012 geological time scale

Analysis of two independent data sets with increased taxonomic resolution (genera rather than families) using the revised 2012 time scale reveals that an extinction periodicity first detected by Raup and Sepkoski (1984) for only the post-Paleozoic actually runs through the entire Phanerozoic. Although there is not a local peak of extinction every 27 million years, an excess of the fraction of genus extinction by interval follows a 27 million year timing interval and differs from a random distribution at the p ~ 0.02 level. A 27 million year periodicity in the spectrum of interval lengths no longer appears, removing the question of a possible artifact arising from it. Using a method originally developed in Bambach (2006) we identify 19 intervals of marked extinction intensity, including mass extinctions, spanning the last 470 million years (and with another six present in the Cambrian) and find that 10 of the 19 lie within 3 Myr of the maxima in the spacing of the 27 Myr periodicity, which differs from a random distribution at the p = 0.004 level. These 19 intervals of marked extinction intensity also preferentially occur during decreasing diversity phases of a well-known 62 Myr periodicity in diversity (16 of 19, p = 0.002). Both periodicities appear to enhance the likelihood of increased severity of extinction, but the cause of neither periodicity is known. Variations in the strength of the many suggested causes of extinction coupled to the variation in combined effect of the two different periodicities as they shift in and out of phase is surely one of the reasons that definitive comparative study of the causes of major extinction events is so elusive.
Stratification and mixing regimes in biological thin layers over the Mid-Atlantic Bight

We use density and microstructure data to characterize the properties and physical setting of optical thin layers observed over the New Jersey shelf in the summer of 2006. Layers were differentiated into two types by their vertical position in the water column, fluorescence intensity, and possibly community composition or cell condition as indicated by the measured differences in the ratio of fluorescence to optical backscatter. Both layer types were associated with gradients in stratification; but, the turbulent mixing environment for the two layer types differed significantly. Shallow layers were located within the pycnocline near the maximum stratification and were exposed to strong turbulence within the surface mixed layer. Consequently, turbulent mixing of buoyancy may have been a key factor in maintaining shallow layers. In contrast, relatively weak density gradients and mixing indicate that turbulent processes may have been less critical for deep layers, which were located at the base of the pycnocline. More generally, both shallow and deep layers were geographically located in regions of low median and high mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, i.e., regions of rare yet intense mixing events. This work highlights the need to understand the detailed statistics of mixing at time and vertical scales relevant to thin layers, and more specifically, the need to discern the time history of mixing of the fluid that composes layers.
Cohort Profile: The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) is a nationally representative longitudinal survey of persons in China 45 years of age or older and their spouses, including assessments of social, economic, and health circumstances of community-residents. CHARLS examines health and economic adjustments to rapid ageing of the population in China. The national baseline survey for the study was conducted between June 2011 and March 2012 and involved 17 708 respondents. CHARLS respondents are followed every 2 years, using a face-to-face computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI). Physical measurements are made at every 2-year follow-up, and blood sample collection is done once in every two follow-up periods. A pilot survey for CHARLS was conducted in two provinces of China in 2008, on 2685 individuals, who were resurveyed in 2012. To ensure the adoption of best practices and international comparability of results, CHARLS was harmonized with leading international research studies in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) model. Requests for collaborations should be directed to Dr Yaohui Zhao (nc.ude.dsn@oahzhy). All data in CHARLS are maintained at the National School of Development of Peking University and will be accessible to researchers around the world at the study website. The 2008 pilot data for CHARLS are available at: http://charls.ccer.edu.cn/charls/. National baseline data for the study are expected to be released in January 2013.
Using the clutch-brake motor as an industrial control element

Clutch-brake motor systems are described and advantages inherent in using them in on-off, rapid acceleration industrial control applications are discussed. Clutch-brake motor system equations are discussed and the addition of an energy storage flywheel is considered. Finally, specific industrial applications are described.
Role of calcium in the regulation of adenohypophysial hormone release

Abstract It is now accepted by most investigators that the initial action of most peptide hormones involves an interaction with a specific receptor on (or in) the plasma membrane of the target cell. A cascade of intracellular events results and culminates in the physiological response characteristic of the interaction of the particular hormone with its target cell. The regulation of hormone release from the adenohypophysis by the hypothalamic releasing hormones is presumed to occur via a similar process. The nature of the interaction at the cell surface as well as the details and sequence of the subsequent intracellular events are largely unknown. We do know, however, that two of the key factors regulating the intracellular secretory machinery in most cells are 1) the adenylate cyclase — cyclic AMP — protein kinase system and 2) the divalent cation, calcium. Since there have been several recent reviews (1–3) which have covered the role of the cyclic nucleotides in pituitary hormone secretion, this discussion will be restricted to a consideration of the regulatory role played by calcium. As was the case with tissues, the early work regarding calcium and the adenohypophysis followed the pattern of determining the ability of secretagogues to release pituitary hormones subsequent to various manipulations designed to remove what was often implicity considered to be extracellular calcium.
Reduplicative Identity in Chaha

The article discusses the process of continuant dissimilation that derives [k] from /x/ in Chaha (a Western Gurage language of Ethiopia) and its implications for reduplicative identity. It is argued that two correspondence relations are crucial to an adequate analysis of the process: base-reduplicant correspondence and output-output correspondence. Chaha provides a clear instance of “back copy” in which the output of reduplication triggers a change in the base.
De Novo Backbone Trace of GroEL from Single Particle Electron Cryomicroscopy.

In this work, we employ single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) to reconstruct GroEL to approximately 4 A resolution with both D7 and C7 symmetry. Using a newly developed skeletonization algorithm and secondary structure element identification in combination with sequence-based secondary structure prediction, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve a de novo Calpha trace directly from a cryo-EM reconstruction. The topology of our backbone trace is completely accurate, though subtle alterations illustrate significant differences from existing crystal structures. In the map with C7 symmetry, the seven monomers in each ring are identical; however, the subunits have a subtly different structure in each ring, particularly in the equatorial domain. These differences include an asymmetric salt bridge, density in the nucleotide-binding pocket of only one ring, and small shifts in alpha helix positions. This asymmetric conformation is different from previous asymmetric structures, including GroES-bound GroEL, and may represent a "primed state" in the chaperonin pathway.
Tris(mercaptoimidazolyl)borate complexes of the coinage metals: syntheses and molecular structures of the first gold compounds and related copper and silver derivatives.

The first tris(mercaptoimidazolyl)borate complexes of gold, Au(TmtBu) and (TmtBu)Au(PPh3), have been prepared and structurally characterized. Together with their copper and silver analogues M(TmtBu) and (TmtBu)M(PPh3) (M = Cu, Ag), these compounds constitute the first two complete series of TmR derivatives to be isolated for the coinage metals. In order to evaluate the steric and electronic effects of the bulky tert-butyl substituents in these species, comparative structural analyses with the known methyl-substituted analogue Ag(TmMe) and various (TmMe)M(PR3) derivatives (M = Cu, Ag) are also presented.
Comparison of Bayesian priors for highly reliable limit models

Limit standards are probability interval requirements for proportions. Simulation literature has focused on finding the confidence interval of the population proportion, which is inappropriate for limit standards. Further, some frequentist approaches cannot be utilized for highly reliable models, or models which produce no or few non-conforming trials. Bayesian methods provide approaches that can be utilized for all limit standard models. We consider a methodology developed for Bayesian reliability analysis, where historical data is used to define the a priori distribution of proportions p, and the customer desired a posteriori maximum probability is utilized to determine sample size for a replication.
Artificial insemination: hope for childless couples.

For any infertile couple whose diagnosis is male sterility, artificial insemination with donor sperm is the only way to achieve a pregnancy. Although artificial insemination is morally unacceptable to many people, it is growing more popular. After a thorough evaluation of the couple, inseminations are performed at the time of ovulation as shown by a BBT record. The success rate is JO-YOX within 3–4 months of exposure.