cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why does diabetic autonomic neuropathy predict IDDM mortality? An analysis from the Pittsburgh epidemiology of diabetes complications study

Background: Previous studies have suggested that IDDM subjects with diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) have a greatly increased risk of mortality which may relate to a specific cardiologic etiology. Objectives: To examine the predictors of DAN in IDDM and its relationship to subsequent mortality. Study population: The Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study based on an incident cohort of childhood onset IDDM subjects. Data from two examinations, separated by 2 years, are utilized. Methods: Diabetic autonomic neuropathy was determined by Expiration/Inspiration (E/I ratio). A variety of baseline risk factors were related to its subsequent incidence (n = 57 out of 325 subjects free of DAN at baseline). Two-year mortality by DAN status was also determined for all 479 subjects seen at baseline. Results: Duration of diabetes, the cardiovascular risk profile (hypertension, elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides), and other complications (e.g. nephropathy) were all univariately associated with subsequent DAN (P < 0.01). Smoking status and hemoglobin A1 (HbA1), but less strongly, related (P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards modeling showed diabetes duration and HbA1 to be significant independent predictors. Distal Symmetrical Polyneuropathy also contributed if added to the model. Mortality was increased four-fold in those with DAN (P = 0.005), although this difference no longer was significant after adjustment for baseline nephropathy (P = 0.35) or hypertension (P = 0.42). Conclusions: Duration of diabetes and HbA1 are the major predictors of DAN. However, although DAN is clearly associated with increased mortality, this is largely explained by associations with complications (e.g. nephropathy) and increased cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. hypertension).
Disaccomodation of magnetic permeability at amorphous Fe-Ni-B alloys

The disaccommodation of magnetic permeability D 3 was studied in amorphous (Fe 1-x Ni x ) 80 B 20 alloys. It was shown that the disaccommodation observed for as-quenched alloys is mostly controlled by magnetostrictive interaction and the results agree well with the theory by Allia and Vinai. However for the samples annealed in a parallel magnetic field, induced anisotropy plays an important role in the disaccommodation value, and the increase of disaccommodation as a function of Ni content is observed.
Auditory temporal-order processing of vowel sequences by young and elderly listeners.

This project focused on the individual differences underlying observed variability in temporal processing among older listeners. Four measures of vowel temporal-order identification were completed by young (N=35; 18–31 years) and older (N=151; 60–88 years) listeners. Experiments used forced-choice, constant-stimuli methods to determine the smallest stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between brief (40 or 70 ms) vowels that enabled identification of a stimulus sequence. Four words (pit, pet, pot, and put) spoken by a male talker were processed to serve as vowel stimuli. All listeners identified the vowels in isolation with better than 90% accuracy. Vowel temporal-order tasks included the following: (1) monaural two-item identification, (2) monaural four-item identification, (3) dichotic two-item vowel identification, and (4) dichotic two-item ear identification. Results indicated that older listeners had more variability and performed poorer than young listeners on vowel-identification tasks, although a large overlap in distributions was observed. Both age groups performed similarly on the dichotic ear-identification task. For both groups, the monaural four-item and dichotic two-item tasks were significantly harder than the monaural two-item task. Older listeners’ SOA thresholds improved with additional stimulus exposure and shorter dichotic stimulus durations. Individual differences of temporal-order performance among the older listeners demonstrated the influence of cognitive measures, but not audibility or age.
Electrification of single polymer particles by successive impacts with metal targets

Electrification of single polymer particles by successive impacts with separated metal targets was measured separately for each impact. From these experiments, the process of the electrification of the polymer particle due to successive impacts was traced. At the second impact, the initial charge of the particle becomes nonuniform because of the presence of the impact charge generated by the first impact. In order to account for the contribution of this nonuniform initial charge on the impact charging, a new model was proposed in which the electrostatic field around the particle was considered. Our experimental results were discussed based on the new model.
Interface Magnetization Reversal and Anisotropy in Fe / AlGaAs ( 001 )

The reversal process of the Fe interface layer magnetization in $\mathrm{Fe}/\mathrm{AlGaAs}$ heterostructures is measured directly using magnetization-induced second-harmonic generation, and is compared with the reversal of the bulk magnetization as obtained from magneto-optic Kerr effect. The switching characteristics are distinctly different due to interface-derived anisotropy---single step switching occurs at the interface layer, while two-jump switching occurs in the bulk Fe for the magnetic field orientations employed. The angle between the interface and bulk magnetization may be as large as 40--85 degrees. Such interface switching will dominate the behavior of nanoscale structures.
Dynamic mechanical relaxation behavior of low molecular weight side-chain cyclic liquid crystalline compounds near the glass transition temperature

In this paper, we report the mechanical relaxation behavior of low molecular weight glass-forming side-chain liquid crystalline compounds with cyclic cores and their linear polymeric analogues near the glass transition temperature. We examined two systems : one based on cyclic and linear siloxane backbones and one based on cyclic (cyclohexane) and linear aliphatic backbones. Dynamic mechanical spectroscopy is used to measure the dynamic shear moduli and the complex viscosity near but above T g . The temperature dependence of the zero-shear viscosity of the cyclic compounds is well described by the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher (VTF) equation. The strong temperature dependence of the viscosity along with the values of the fitted parameters of the VTF equation shows that the cyclic LC compounds are fragile liquids. All cyclic LC compounds, regardless of chemical structure, show identical relaxation behavior when viscosity is plotted versus normalized temperature (T g /T), where T g is the temperature obtained calorimetrically at a heating rate of 10 K/min. All cyclic compounds show lower viscosity than their linear analogues when plotted versus T g /T. The difference in viscosity between the cyclic and linear siloxane compounds is much more pronounced than the difference observed in the aliphatic compounds. For the cyclic compounds, master curves of G' and G can be described by a single Maxwell mode. The linear compounds exhibit much broader mechanical spectra, suggesting a more complex relaxation phenomenon is taking place. Our results show that, while there is little difference in relaxation behavior among low molecular weight cyclic liquid crystalline compounds, the behavior of the linear polymeric systems is quite different.
Cisplatin-induced apoptosis of DRG neurons involves bax redistribution and cytochrome c release but not fas receptor signaling

Cisplatin causes apoptosis of DRG neurons in vitro and in vivo that can be prevented by high dose NGF. Design of a neuronal rescue strategy for patients receiving cisplatin will be facilitated by knowledge of the mechanism by which cisplatin causes DRG death. Inhibition of the fas receptor/ligand interaction prevents apoptosis in certain cancer cell lines treated with DNA damaging agents, including cisplatin. We demonstrated that killing curves from mice lacking a functional fas receptor and wild-type controls were not different over a wide range of therapeutically relevant concentrations. However, cisplatin treatment of DRG caused redistribution of cytosolic bax and mitochondrial release of cytochrome c. Bax redistribution was prevented by high dose NGF. This demonstrates for the first time that cisplatin does not signal for death via the fas pathway, but it does initiate the mitochondrial stress pathway in neurons and that NGF blocks death upstream of bax redistribution.
A low-power, 20-Gb/s continuous-time adaptive passive equalizer

This paper describes a 20-Gb/s continuous-time adaptive passive equalizer utilizing on-chip lumped RLC components. Passive equalizers offer the advantages of higher bandwidth and lower power consumption compared with conventional designs using active filters. A low-power, continuous-time servo loop is designed to automatically adjust the equalizer frequency response for the optimal gain compensation. The equalizer not only adapts to different channel characteristics, but also accommodates temperature and process variations. Implemented in a 0.25-/spl mu/m, 1P6M BiCMOS process, the equalizer can compensate up to 20 dB of loss at 10 GHz while only consuming 32 mW from a 2.5-V supply.
Deformation and texture development in CaIrO3 post-perovskite phase up to 6 GPa and 1300 K

At near ambient conditions, CaIrO3 is isostructural with the high-pressure polymorph MgSiO3 “post-perovskite” (pPv). MgSiO3 pPv is thought to be a major phase in the earth's lowermost mantle. CaIrO3 can thus serve as an analog for studying deformation of the pPv phase under conditions achievable with a multi-anvil deformation apparatus. Here we study the rheologic behavior of CaIrO3 pPv at a variety of pressure and temperature conditions from 2 GPa to 6 GPa and 300 K to 1300 K and various strain rates. Sintered, polycrystalline CaIrO3 pPv, cylindrical in shape, was deformed in the D-DIA multi-anvil press in several shortening cycles up to 20% axial strain at each temperature and pressure. Shortening cycles were followed by lengthening back to 0% strain. Quantitative texture information was obtained using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and the Rietveld method to analyze images. In all cases we find that (010) lattice planes align perpendicular to the compression direction upon shortening, and that there is little change in texture with temperature or pressure. This texture pattern is consistent with slip on (010) [100]. The texture observed here is different from that produced in room temperature diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments on MgGeO3 and MgSiO3 pPv which both display textures of (100) and {110} lattice planes at high angles to the compression direction. This implies that CaIrO3 pPv may not be a good analog for the plastic behavior of MgSiO3 pPv. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A global double‐fluorescent Cre reporter mouse

The Cre/loxP system has been used extensively for conditional mutagenesis in mice. Reporters of Cre activity are important for defining the spatial and temporal extent of Cre-mediated recombination. Here we describe mT/mG, a double-fluorescent Cre reporter mouse that expresses membrane-targeted tandem dimer Tomato (mT) prior to Cre-mediated excision and membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein (mG) after excision. We show that reporter expression is nearly ubiquitous, allowing visualization of fluorescent markers in live and fixed samples of all tissues examined. We further demonstrate that mG labeling is Cre-dependent, complementary to mT at single cell resolution, and distinguishable by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Both membrane-targeted markers outline cell morphology, highlight membrane structures, and permit visualization of fine cellular processes. In addition to serving as a global Cre reporter, the mT/mG mouse may also be used as a tool for lineage tracing, transplantation studies, and analysis of cell morphology in vivo.
Applying Probability Measures to Abstract Languages

The problem of assigning a probability to each word of a language is considered. Two methods are discussed. One method assigns a probability to a word on the basis of particular measurable features of the language. The second method is applied to languages L(G) generated by a grammar G. A probability is associated with each production of G. These in turn define the word probabilities of each word in the language. The conditions for this assignment to be a probabilistic measure are derived.
Relaxation dynamics of Au25L18 nanoclusters studied by femtosecond time-resolved near infrared transient absorption spectroscopy

The relaxation dynamics of electronically excited [Au25(SR)18]q, where q = 0 or −1 and SR = S(CH2)2Ph, were studied using femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. Nanoclusters excited by 400 nm light were probed using temporally delayed broad-bandwidth continuum probe pulses. Continuum pulses were generated in both the visible and near infrared (NIR) spectral regions, providing access to a wide range of transient spectral features. The use of NIR probe pulses allowed the relaxation dynamics of the excited states located near the HOMO–LUMO energy gap to be monitored in the probe step via the sp ← LUMO and sp ← LUMO+1 transitions. These NIR measurements yielded excited state absorption (ESA) data that were much less congested than the typical visible transient spectrum. For the neutral nanocluster, the time-domain data were composed of three components: (1) a few-picosecond decay, (2) a slower decay taking a few hundred picoseconds and (3) a non-decaying plateau function. Component 1 reflected energy relaxation to semi-ring ligand states; component 2 was attributed to relaxation via a manifold of states located near the HOMO–LUMO energy gap. Component 3 arose from slow radiative recombination. The dynamics of the anion depended upon the identity of the excited state from which the particle was relaxing. The LUMO+1 state of the anion exhibited relaxation dynamics that were similar to those observed for the neutral nanocluster. By comparison, the time-domain data observed for the LUMO state contained only two components: (1) a 3.3 ± 0.2 ps decay and (2) a 5 ± 1 ns decay. The amplitude coefficients of each component were also analyzed. Taken together, the amplitude coefficients and lifetimes were indicative of an activation barrier located approximately 100 meV above the HOMO–LUMO energy gap, which mediated a previously unobserved excited state decay process for [Au25(SR)18]0. These data suggested that NIR ESA measurements will be instrumental in describing the relaxation processes of quantum-confined nanoclusters.
Emotion recognition based on pressure sensor keyboards

This paper describes a new approach to emotion recognition based on pressure sensor keyboards. The pressure sensor keyboard is a new product that occurs in the market recently, which produces a pressure sequence when keystroke occurs. The analysis of the pressure sequence should be a novel research area. It has been used for identity verification in our previous research. In this paper, we use the pressure sequence for emotion recognition. Three methods (global features of pressure sequences, dynamic time warping and traditional keystroke dynamics) are proposed for the emotion recognition task; then we combined the three methods together using a classifier fusion technique. Several experiments were performed on a database containing 3000 samples (from 50 individuals, including six emotions: neutral, anger, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise) and the best result were achieved utilizing all the method, obtaining an overall accuracy of 93.4%. Our technique of emotion recognition has been used for intelligent game controlling and several other applications.
Distance associativity for high-performance energy-efficient non-uniform cache architectures

Wire delays continue to grow as the dominant component oflatency for large caches.A recent work proposed an adaptive,non-uniform cache architecture (NUCA) to manage large, on-chipcaches.By exploiting the variation in access time acrosswidely-spaced subarrays, NUCA allows fast access to closesubarrays while retaining slow access to far subarrays.Whilethe idea of NUCA is attractive, NUCA does not employ designchoices commonly used in large caches, such as sequential tag-dataaccess for low power.Moreover, NUCA couples dataplacement with tag placement foregoing the flexibility of dataplacement and replacement that is possible in a non-uniformaccess cache.Consequently, NUCA can place only a few blockswithin a given cache set in the fastest subarrays, and mustemploy a high-bandwidth switched network to swap blockswithin the cache for high performance.In this paper, we proposethe Non-uniform access with Replacement And PlacementusIng Distance associativity" cache, or NuRAPID, whichleverages sequential tag-data access to decouple data placementfrom tag placement.Distance associativity, the placementof data at a certain distance (and latency), is separated from setassociativity, the placement of tags within a set.This decouplingenables NuRAPID to place flexibly the vast majority offrequently-accessed data in the fastest subarrays, with fewerswaps than NUCA.Distance associativity fundamentallychanges the trade-offs made by NUCA's best-performingdesign, resulting in higher performance and substantiallylower cache energy.A one-ported, non-banked NuRAPIDcache improves performance by 3% on average and up to 15%compared to a multi-banked NUCA with an infinite-bandwidthswitched network, while reducing L2 cache energy by 77%.
Normative influences on aggression in urban elementary school classrooms.

We report a study aimed at understanding the effects of classroom normative influences on individual aggressive behavior, using samples of 614 and 427 urban elementary school children. Participants were assessed with measures of aggressive behavior and normative beliefs about aggression. We tested hypotheses related to the effects of personal normative beliefs, descriptive classroom norms (the central tendency of classmates' aggressive behavior), injunctive classroom normative beliefs (classmates' beliefs about the acceptability of aggression), and norm salience (student and teacher sanctions against aggression) on longitudinal changes in aggressive behavior and beliefs. Injunctive norms affected individual normative beliefs and aggression, but descriptive norms had no effect on either. In classrooms where students and teachers made norms against aggression salient, aggressive behavior diminished over time. Implications for classroom behavior management and further research are discussed.
Transcription of chromatin: these are complex times

Transcription of chromatin-packaged genes involves highly regulated changes in nucleosomal structure that control DNA accessibility. Two systems that facilitate these changes are ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes and enzymatic complexes which control histone acetylation and deacetylation. Recent studies provide insight on the role of these remodeling machines and specific transcription factors in the expression of viral, inducible, and tissue-restricted genes.
Creating small-molecule-dependent switches to modulate biological functions

Biological small-molecule-dependent switches sense external chemical signals and transduce them into appropriate internal signals and cellular responses. Artificial molecular switches that control the function of any protein of interest using a small molecule are powerful tools for studying biology because they enable cellular responses to be controlled by inputs chosen by researcher. Furthermore, these switches can combine the generality of genetic regulation with the reversibility and temporal control afforded by small molecules. Three approaches to creating molecular switches include altering a natural switch to recognize new exogenous ligands, engineering novel allosteric responses to ligand binding, or enforcing protein localization with chemical dimerizers. Here, we discuss the development of small-molecule-dependent switches that control in a general fashion transcriptional activation, translational initiation, and protein activity posttranslationally.
HAC-1, a Drosophila Homolog of APAF-1 and CED-4, Functions in Developmental and Radiation-Induced Apoptosis

We have identified a Drosophila homolog of Apaf-1 and ced-4, termed hac-1. Like mammalian APAF-1, HAC-1 can activate caspases in a dATP-dependent manner in vitro. During embryonic development, hac-1 is prominently expressed in regions where cells undergo natural death. Significantly, hac-1 transcription is also rapidly induced upon ionizing irradiation, similar to the proapoptotic gene reaper. Loss of hac-1 function causes reduced cell death, and reducing the dosage of hac-1 suppresses ectopic cell killing upon expression of the dcp-1 procaspase in the retina but has little effect on reaper, hid, and grim-mediated killing. Our data indicate that caspase activation and apoptosis in Drosophila are independently controlled by at least two distinct regulatory pathways that converge at the level of caspase activation.
Academic Motivation: Concepts, Strategies, and Counseling Approaches

Motivation is an important foundation of academic development in students. This article discusses academic motivation; its various component concepts in areas such as beliefs, goals, and values; and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It also presents major, widely studied theoretical perspectives of academic motivation and briefly illustrates strategies for increasing academic motivation.The article addresses the importance of the school counselor's role in student academic development and describes preventive (classroom guidance) and remedial (small-group counseling intervention and individual counseling intervention) approaches that school counselors can utilize for promoting academic motivation.
A neural network for the detection of rotational motion

Describes a biologically plausible neural network which detects rotational motion in the frontal-parallel plane (revolving around the Z-axis) produced by a multiple-dots stimulus against a stationary background. The network consists of multilayered velocity-sensitive sensory cells organized in a locally connected fashion. The network displays the ability to segment multiple rotational stimuli in time sequences as well as an object with both rotational and translational motion by extracting the center and the perimeter trace of the rotational stimulus. Different simulations have been performed, and the results are discussed. >
Study of Bursty Internet Traffic

We study the effects of bursty Internet traffic through simulations. Both short-range dependency (SRD) traffic and long-range dependency (LRD) traffic are simulated over different burst parameters. The results are collected for 10 different 24 hour simulated periods in order to study and measure day-to-day statistical fluctuation. Effects of employing different traffic admission constraints are examined. An alternative for improving network throughput and utilization is proposed. Finally, a case when arrival patterns of traffic are correlated is explored.
Chromosome fragmentation after induction of a double-strand break is an active process prevented by the RMX repair complex.

Abstract Chromosome aberrations are common outcomes of exposure to DNA-damaging agents or altered replication events and are associated with various diseases and a variety of carcinomas, including leukemias, lymphomas, sarcomas, and epithelial tumors [1, 2]. The incidence of aberrations can be greatly increased as a result of defects in DNA repair pathways [3]. Although there is considerable information about the molecular events associated with the induction and repair of a double-strand break (DSB), little is known about the events that ultimately lead to translocations or deletions through the formation of chromosome breaks or the dissociation of broken ends. We describe a system for visualizing DNA ends at the site of a DSB in living cells. After induction of the break, DNA ends flanking the DSB site in wild-type cells remained adjacent. Loss of a functional RMX complex (Rad50/Mre11/Xrs2) or a mutation in the Rad50 Zn-hook structure resulted in DNA ends being dispersed in approximately 10%–20% of cells. Thus, the RMX complex holds broken ends together and counteracts mitotic spindle forces that can be destructive to damaged chromosomes.
Coliform and pathologic bacteria in Sierra Nevada national forest wilderness area lakes and streams.

Objective.— To analyze backcountry-area water quality in US Department of Agriculture Forest Service‐designated wilderness areas for the presence of coliform and potentially pathogenic bacteria. Methods.— Thirty-one backcountry lakes and streams were selected that would stratify the risk based on use by backpackers, pack animals, commercial grazing animals, or natural unaffected wilderness areas. Sites included Desolation Wilderness (10 sites), Carson-Iceberg Wilderness (4 sites), Emigrant Wilderness (3 sites), Hoover Wilderness (6 sites), John Muir Wilderness (3 sites), and Golden Trout Wilderness (5 sites). Water was collected in sterile tubes and quantification was performed through Millipore bacterial samplers. On return to the laboratory, bacteria were harvested from the samplers and subjected to qualitative analysis that identified species according to standard laboratory methods. Results.— Coliform bacteria were detected in 14 of 31 sites (45%). Eight sites had high levels of coliforms. All 8 of these sites correlated with heavy human use or commercial grazing. Coliforms were identified asEscherichia coli. In addition, 1 sample contained Yersinia entercolitica. All samples contained expected amounts of normal aquatic bacteria, including Pseudomonas spp, Rahnella aquatilis, Serratia spp, and other nonpathogenic species of Yersinia in concentrations of 600 to 10 000 colony-forming units per 100 mL. Conclusions.— In this study, coliform bacteria were found at nearly half of the sampling sites. High coliform levels correlated with high-impact human use or cattle grazing.
The Development of American Identity Defined by the Outsider in the American Musical Theatre

The American Musical Theatre has been a vehicle for immigrants and other “outsiders” to create a vision of “American” and the “American Dream” of which they, themselves could partake. This impulse existed in the early American musicals by Irish and German immigrants through the 20th century when the American musical theatre was predominantly the territory of Eastern European Jewish-American immigrants.
Introduction Special Section on High-Yield Systems

Les sept communications presentees etudient les problemes lies: aux memoires VLSI et a l'augmentation de leur rendement; a l'utilisation de differents types d'architecture; a la conception d'architectures tolerant les fautes; a l'implementation d'achitectures VSLI et WSI de grande taille, entre autres
Extended Survival of Spiders (Aranaeae) Feeding on Whitefly (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Honeydew

Abstract Honeydew produced by homopteran insects, such as aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs, can be abundant in some crops and may represent an important food resource for spiders and other honeydew-feeding natural enemies. Woolly whiteflies (Aleurothrixus floccosus [Homoptera: Aleyrodidae]) are common in south Texas citrus, and spiders consistently compose a large percentage of the predatory arthropods in citrus and may benefit from honeydew resources. Feeding on woolly whitefly honeydew was assayed for its contribution to spider survival for five species from different arachnid families. When provided with whitefly honeydew, survival of all five species was significantly better than when provided water alone. However, the level of improvement in survival varied significantly among species. Honeydew supplementation increased survival by 73.5% for Apollophanes punctipes (Cambridge, O. P) (Philodromidae) (32.1 versus 18.5 d on water alone), 266.7% for Cesonia bilineata (Hentz) (Gnaphosidae), 352.6% for Di...
A Large Sporophore of Polyporus Berkeleyi

1. Davies, M. E. 1959. The nutrition of Phytophthora fragariae. Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 42: 193-200. 2. Erwin, D. C. 1968. The effect of calcium on mycelial growth of Phytophthora mlegasperma and P. cinnamomli. Mycologia 60: 1112-1116. 3. Hendrix, J. W. 1965. Influence of sterols on growth and reproduction of Pythium and Phytophthora spp. Phytopathology 55: 790-797. 4. . 1966. Inability of Pythium aphanidermatum and Phytophthora palmivora to incorporate acetate into digitonin-precipitable sterols. Mycologia 58: 307-312. 5. , S.-M. Guttman, and D. L. Wightman. 1969. Cation and sterol effects on growth of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae. Phytopathology 59: 1620-1624. 6. , C. Norman, and J. L. Apple. 1966. Chemical and physical factors influencing growth of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae on vegetable oils. Physiol. Plantarum 19: 159-166. 7. Ingraham, J. L., and R. Emerson. 1954. Studies on the nutrition and metabolism of the aquatic phycomycete, Allomyces. Amer. J. Bot. 41: 146-152.
Bladder Perforations Secondary to Surgical Drains

Three patients with complications secondary to pelvic surgical drains are described. The mechanism and management of complication as well as methods of prevention are discussed.
What Teeth Reveal about Human Evolution

Over millions of years in the fossil record, hominin teeth preserve a high-fidelity record of their own growth, development, wear, chemistry and pathology. They yield insights into human evolution that are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve through other sources of fossil or archaeological data. Integrating dental findings with current debates and issues in palaeoanthropology, this book shows how fossil hominin teeth shed light on the origins and evolution of our dietary diversity, extended childhoods, long lifespans, and other fundamental features of human biology. It assesses methods to interpret different lines of dental evidence, providing a critical, practical approach that will appeal to students and researchers in biological anthropology and related fields such as dental science, oral biology, evolutionary biology, and palaeontology.
Identifying Cancer Driver Genes Using Replication-Incompetent Retroviral Vectors

Identifying novel genes that drive tumor metastasis and drug resistance has significant potential to improve patient outcomes. High-throughput sequencing approaches have identified cancer genes, but distinguishing driver genes from passengers remains challenging. Insertional mutagenesis screens using replication-incompetent retroviral vectors have emerged as a powerful tool to identify cancer genes. Unlike replicating retroviruses and transposons, replication-incompetent retroviral vectors lack additional mutagenesis events that can complicate the identification of driver mutations from passenger mutations. They can also be used for almost any human cancer due to the broad tropism of the vectors. Replication-incompetent retroviral vectors have the ability to dysregulate nearby cancer genes via several mechanisms including enhancer-mediated activation of gene promoters. The integrated provirus acts as a unique molecular tag for nearby candidate driver genes which can be rapidly identified using well established methods that utilize next generation sequencing and bioinformatics programs. Recently, retroviral vector screens have been used to efficiently identify candidate driver genes in prostate, breast, liver and pancreatic cancers. Validated driver genes can be potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers. In this review, we describe the emergence of retroviral insertional mutagenesis screens using replication-incompetent retroviral vectors as a novel tool to identify cancer driver genes in different cancer types.
Study on cyanobiphenyl nematic doped by silver nanoparticles

ABSTRACTWe study the effects of doped (1%wt and 2%wt) silver nanoparticles on material properties of nematic liquid crystal: 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl. Using differential scanning calorimetry, electrical and dielectric measurements methods, we show that the doped NPs do not affect the nematic’s phase clearing point, lower the dielectric anisotropy, viscosity, switching-off time, and increase the threshold voltage and elasticity of the nematic. We report that the doped materials temperature behaviour of Frederick’s transition threshold voltage and switching-off time, deviates from the expected behaviour for pristine nematics. To explain this anomalous behaviour, we perform data analysis of the governing Frederick’s transition material parameters of studied samples. We show that the elastic parameter of doped samples is not following the predictions of Maier–Saupe theory, which is valid for conventional nematics. We report that the doped samples temperature behaviour of the elastic parameter follows the pre...
Effects of rain and soil moisture on background neutron measurements with the SuperMISTI neutron array

Abstract Background neutron measurements were recorded for approximately two months at Camp Blanding, FL, with a large array of moderated gas proportional detectors and EJ-309 liquid scintillator detectors. The variations in the local neutron background rate were on the order of 10% and were observed to be primarily due to the changing level of moisture in the local soil due to precipitation and evaporation. Simple models were constructed based only on very basic climatological information and were able to reproduce the major variations in our measured neutron counts with time. These simple models compare favorably to the more-complex modified Penman equation developed for the California Irrigation Management Information System. An accurate model to describe local neutron background variations based on easily measured climatological data would be invaluable to provide corrections for stationary neutron monitors.
Pathway to better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes in home care

Abstract Background Unlike the Magnet Recognition Program, the newer Pathway to Excellence Program designed to improve work environments in a broader range of organizations has not yet been the focus of substantial research. Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine the association of Pathway to Excellence Program Standards with better patient care quality and workforce outcomes in home care. Method Cross-sectional survey of registered nurses yielded informants from 871 home care agencies in the United States. Variables representing each of the 12 Pathway Standards were entered into logistic regression models to determine associations with better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes. Discussion All Pathway Standards are strongly and significantly associated with better patient care and better workforce outcomes. Home care agencies with better-rated professional work environments consistently had better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes. Conclusions This study validates the Pathway to Excellence Standards as important to patient care quality and nursing workforce outcomes in home care.
chapter 15 Visualization of Virus Structure in Three Dimensions

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the visualization of virus structure in three dimensions. The evolutionary origins of viruses are thought to derive from mutinous subsets of cellular genes, or from regressive parasitic cells. Dependence on host cell functions remains indispensable to viral propagation, and detailed analogies relate the assembly mechanisms of virus particles to those of such cellular components as organelles and membranes. The transmission electron micrograph is a two-dimensional image formed by electrons scattered from all levels through the structure it represents. In practice, three-dimensional reconstruction is often reduced to a number of two-dimensional reconstructions from monodimensional projections by regarding three-dimensional space as sampled on a stack of parallel planes. It is found that starting from the digitized projection image, the Fourier transform is computed. From its layer-lines, the reconstruction algorithm then calculates the three-dimensional mass distribution of the particle and thus of the repeating unit. The parameters of helical symmetry must be predetermined as additional input to the reconstruction algorithm.
Asymptotic confidence intervals for the Pearson correlation via skewness and kurtosis

When bivariate normality is violated, the default confidence interval of the Pearson correlation can be inaccurate. Two new methods were developed based on the asymptotic sampling distribution of Fisher's z' under the general case where bivariate normality need not be assumed. In Monte Carlo simulations, the most successful of these methods relied on the (Vale & Maurelli, 1983, Psychometrika, 48, 465) family to approximate a distribution via the marginal skewness and kurtosis of the sample data. In Simulation 1, this method provided more accurate confidence intervals of the correlation in non-normal data, at least as compared to no adjustment of the Fisher z' interval, or to adjustment via the sample joint moments. In Simulation 2, this approximate distribution method performed favourably relative to common non-parametric bootstrap methods, but its performance was mixed relative to an observed imposed bootstrap and two other robust methods (PM1 and HC4). No method was completely satisfactory. An advantage of the approximate distribution method, though, is that it can be implemented even without access to raw data if sample skewness and kurtosis are reported, making the method particularly useful for meta-analysis. Supporting information includes R code.
An ethnography on perceptions of pain in Dutch "Natural" childbirth.

Abstract Objective this study offers insight into how women perceive childbirth pain and how they make decisions about whether to use an epidural during childbirth in the low technology context of the Netherlands maternity care system. Design ethnographic research consisting of participant observation at births and prenatal and postnatal appointments; semi-structured interviews with a sample of recently post-partum women; coding and triangulation of data to determine key themes in the interviews. Setting and participants the study was carried out with participants in thirteen urban cities around the Netherlands. The 40 post-partum women had lived in the Netherlands for at least 10 years prior to participation in the study, spoke English proficiently, and had a vaginal birth within the past 18 months. Additionally, participant observation occurred in midwifery practices. Findings analysis of the interviews revealed three key themes: first, participants perceive childbirth pain as "natural" and positive, and approach its management through non-medical birth methods; second, participants prioritize autonomy in childbirth which they see as something they can "do on [their] own" without pain medication; and third, participants' decisions about using an epidural was supported by professional advice and social connections, such as friends and family members. Key conclusions and implications for practice women's conception of pain is central to decisions about childbirth in the Netherlands. This ethnographic research illustrates how perceptions and attitudes toward childbirth pain are affected by definitions of a "natural" birth, women's capacity to give birth, and the presence of professional and social support for non-medical births.
The Primal Scene Phenomenon: Witnessing Parental Sexual Activity and Sociosexual Orientation

Sigmund Freud coined the term urszene—or “primal scene”—to describe the experience of children witnessing their parents engaging in sexual activity. We examined the historical context in which the primal scene emerged, considered contemporary views of the primal scene, and conducted two empirical studies (N = 961, 1390) to investigate Freud’s proposition that children who witness the primal scene would later be prone to “attacks of falling physically in love,” which we operationalized as sociosexual orientation. In both studies, individuals who witnessed the primal scene as children had a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation than those who did not. Additionally, men had a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation than women. Altogether, these results suggest a possible link between primal scene exposure and sociosexual orientation. In contrast to psychoanalytic theories, we offer psychodynamic and normative social explanations of the primal scene phenomenon.
A note on “Quasi-analytical solution of two-dimensional Helmholtz equation”

Abstract The recent paper of Van Hirtum in this journal repeats a number of misconceptions about the use of conformal mappings in solving the two-dimensional Helmholtz equation. These are discussed, as is the fact that the numerical approach presented does not lead to accurate results. In general conformal mapping is not useful in solving Helmholtz’s equation. Other, accurate, techniques are briefly reviewed.
Right Forceps Minor and Anterior Thalamic Radiation Predict Executive Function Skills in Young Bilingual Adults

Executive function (EF) skills enhance learning across domains, and are particularly linked to the acquisition of a second language. Previous studies have shown that bilingual individuals show enhanced EF skills in cognitive tasks where they attended a targeted dimension of a stimulus while inhibiting other competing cues. Brain imaging revealed that bilingual young adults’ performances in the Stroop color-naming task were related to the volume of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and inferior frontal lobe. Subjects who had greater white-matter in the frontal cortex showed enhanced performances in the same task, suggesting that brain fiber pathways connecting ACC to the frontal region may be related to the Stroop color-naming task. No studies to date have examined the tissue properties of brain fiber pathways connecting these brain regions and their association with subjects’ EF performance. Importantly, there are no data establishing whether bilingual subjects exhibit different reaction times when words are presented in their first versus second language. To study these questions, we used behavioral and unbiased whole-brain analyses, recruiting 21 Chinese students. Using the Stroop color-naming task, we measured subjects’ reaction times (RTs) in which color names were displayed using fonts that matched the named color (congruent task) or mismatched the color (incongruent task). Subjects performed the task twice, first in English, subjects’ second language, then in Chinese, subjects’ primary language. Results from whole-brain analysis showed that students’ RT in both the English and Chinese tasks were significantly correlated with the mode of anisotropy (MO) in a brain cluster containing the forceps minor and anterior thalamic radiation in the right hemisphere. We also found that fractional anisotropy (FA) significantly predicted subjects’ RT, with higher FA predicting shorter RT. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that right forceps minor and anterior thalamic radiation predict EF skills, suggesting that this brain feature may be important for young bilingual adults using their first and second languages to direct their attention when conflicting cues are present.
A high plasma: red blood cell transfusion ratio during liver transplantation is associated with decreased blood utilization

BACKGROUND During massive transfusion, the volume ratio of administered plasma (PL Vol) to red blood cell (RBC Vol) appears to be associated with reduced blood utilization and improved survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the optimal component ratio in the setting of liver transplantation. METHODS This is a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent liver transplantation and received at least 500 ml of red blood cells from January 2013 through December 2015. Kernel smoothing analysis determined the proper component ratios to evaluate were a ≥0·85:1 ratio (high) to a ≤0·85:1 ratio (low). Two groups, plasma volume to RBC volume (PL Vol/RBC Vol) and plasma contained in the platelet units added to the plasma calculation [PL + PLT (platelet)] Vol/RBC Vol, were used to evaluate the component ratios. RESULTS A total of 188 patients were included in the analysis. In the PL Vol/RBC Vol evaluation, a low ratio revealed that 1238 ml (977-1653 ml) (P < 0·0001) and 1178 ml (747-1178) (P < 0·0001) of RBC were used in excess compared to the high ratio, in the univariable and multivariable analysis, respectively. In the PL +PLT Vol/RBC Vol evaluation, a low ratio used 734 ml (193-1275) (P = 0·008) and 886 ml (431-1340) (P < 0·0001) of RBC in excess when compared to high ratio in the univariable and multivariable analysis, respectively. CONCLUSION In patients undergoing liver transplantation, the transfusion of plasma to RBC ratio ≥0·85 was associated with decreased need of RBC transfusions.
Hiding Critical Targets in Smart Grid Networks

With the integration of advanced communication technologies, the power grid is expected to greatly enhance efficiency and reliability of future energy delivery. However, since most devices in electric substations are connected via communication networks, the security of these communication networks becomes a critical issue. Real-World incidents, e.g., Stuxnet and the 2015 Ukraine power grid cyber attack, have demonstrated the feasibility of compromising devices in the power grid network to launch further sophisticated attacks. To deal with security attacks of this spirit, this paper aims to hide critical targets from compromised internal nodes and hence protect them from further attacks launched by those compromised nodes. In particular, we consider substation networks and propose to add carefullycontrolled dummy traffic to a substation network to make critical target nodes indistinguishable from other nodes in network traffic patterns. This paper describes the design and evaluation of such a scheme. Evaluations show that the scheme can effectively protect critical nodes with acceptable communication cost.
Hyperglycemia-Driven Neuroinflammation Compromises BBB Leading to Memory Loss in Both Diabetes Mellitus (DM) Type 1 and Type 2 Mouse Models

End organ injury in diabetes mellitus (DM) is driven by microvascular compromise (including diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy). Cognitive impairment is a well-known complication of DM types 1 and 2; however, its mechanism(s) is(are) not known. We hypothesized that blood-brain barrier (BBB) compromise plays a key role in cognitive decline in DM. Using a DM type 1 model (streptozotocin injected C57BL/6 mice) and type 2 model (leptin knockout obese db/db mice), we showed enhanced BBB permeability and memory loss (Y maze, water maze) that are associated with hyperglycemia. Gene profiling in isolated microvessels from DM type 1 animals demonstrated deregulated expression of 54 genes related to angiogenesis, inflammation, vasoconstriction/vasodilation, and platelet activation pathways by at least 2-fold (including eNOS, TNFα, TGFβ1, VCAM-1, E-selectin, several chemokines, and MMP9). Further, the magnitude of gene expression was linked to degree of cognitive decline in DM type 1 animals. Gene analysis in brain microvessels of DM type 2 db/db animals showed alterations of similar genes as in DM 1 model, some to an even greater extent. Neuropathologic analyses of brain tissue derived from DM mice showed microglial activation, expression of ICAM-1, and attenuated coverage of pericytes compared to controls. There was a significant upregulation of inflammatory genes in brain tissue in both DM models. Taken together, our findings indicate that BBB compromise in DM in vivo models and its association with memory deficits, gene alterations in brain endothelium, and neuroinflammation. Prevention of BBB injury may be a new therapeutic approach to prevent cognitive demise in DM.
Brief an Albert Salomon

Ich wollte Ihnen nochmals fur den schonen Nachmittag und fur das schone Geschenk herzlichst danken. Auf der Reise hierher habe ich Ihren Tocqueville-Aufsatz2 gelesen – mit grosstem Interesse und sehr zu meiner Belehrung. Die Nahe Ihrer Position zu derjenigen von Jaspers, die, wie Sie mir erzahlten, Frank aufgefallen ist,3 habe auch ich bemerkt. Ich halte mich an diesen Punkt, da ich Tocqueville nicht kenne und daher uber die Tocqueville-Interpretation nichts sagen kann.