cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
cDNA cloning of three cecropin‐like antimicrobial peptides (Styelins) from the tunicate, Styela clava

We cloned precursors of three new antimicrobial peptides, Styelins C, D and E, from a pharyngeal cDNA library of a tunicate, Styela clava. Preprostyelins resembled dipteran preprocecropins, while the mature domain of Styelin C resembled Cecropin P1, an antimicrobial peptide purified from the porcine intestine. Beginning with the last 6 residues of their signal sequences, Styelin C and Cecropin 1 from Drosophila virilis had 8/11 identical amino acids (72.7%). Moreover, 4 of the last 6 residues of their mature peptide domains were also identical. Styelins were shorter, by 8 residues, than dipteran cecropins and preprostyelins contained a conserved, polyanionic C-terminal extension that was absent in preprocecropins. Delineation of cecropin-like antimicrobial peptides in a protochordate supports the antiquity of this family as effectors of innate immunity in animals and it increases the likelihood that additional cecropin-like peptides will be found among other evolutionary descendants of protochordates — vertebrates.
Microcirculation in striated muscle after acute reduction in systemic hematocrit.

Abstract Capillary blood flow variables were measured in cremaster muscles of anesthetized Golden hamsters after isovolemic hemodilution with donor hamster plasma to mean systemic hematocrits of 49% of normal (Group 1) and 32% of normal (Group 2). Despite their different systemic hematocrits, Groups 1 and 2 showed no significant differences in any measured capillary variable. Capillary cell content decreased significantly after hemodilution from 9.4 ± 0.8 (SE) in controls to 5.8 ± 0.7 (Group 1) and 5.0 ± 0.5 cells/100 μ m (Group 2). Hemodilution did not change resting capillary cell velocity or capillary cell flux. Velocities were 115 ± 14, 186 ± 25 and 203 ± 23 μ m/sec in controls, Group 1 and Group 2, respectively, while the corresponding mean values for cell flux were 9.8 ± 2.0, 11.5 ± 2.1 and 11.9 ± 2.4 cells/sec. Functional capillary density was unchanged after hemodilution, but tissue cell capacity (estimated from cell content and capillary density) attained only 50% of the expected value, being 26% (Group 1) and 16% (Group 2) of control. Thus, none of the changes in indices of capillary cell flow, capillary cell content or tissue cell capacity were directly proportional to the changes in systemic hematocrit. This suggests that tissue oxygen delivery from capillaries cannot be predicted from measured changes in systemic oxygen transport capacity.
The profit squeeze is supported by the PW cycle indicator

Abstract This paper questions Van Lear’s (1999) conclusion that the cyclical profit squeeze mechanism is irrelevant for understanding post World War II business cycles. It is shown that his conclusion erroneously emanates from either a misreading of the evidence or the application of an overly restrictive and irrelevant condition for the existence of a profit squeeze. It is concluded that Van Lear’s data and other data in the literature support the cyclical profit squeeze as a viable explanation of post war cycles.
How Laramide-Age Hydration of North American Lithosphere by the Farallon Slab Controlled Subsequent Activity in the Western United States

Starting with the Laramide orogeny and continuing through the Cenozoic, the U.S. Cordilleran orogen is unusual for its width, nature of uplift, and style of tectonic and magmatic activity. We present teleseismic tomography evidence for a thickness of modified North America lithosphere ≥200 km beneath Colorado and >100 km beneath New Mexico. Existing explanations for uplift or magmatism cannot accommodate lithosphere this thick. Imaged mantle structure is low in seismic velocity roughly beneath the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico, and high in velocity to the east and west, beneath the tectonically intact Great Plains and Colorado Plateau. Structure internal to the low-velocity volume has a NE grain suggestive of influence by inherited Precambrian sutures. We conclude that the high-velocity upper mantle is Precambrian lithosphere, and the lowvelocity volume is partially molten Precambrian North America mantle. We suggest, as others have, that the Farallon slab was in contact with the lithosphere beneath most of the western U.S. during the Laramide orogeny. We further suggest that slab de-watering under the increasingly cool conditions of slab contact with North America hydrated the base of the continental lithosphere, causing a steady regional uplift of the western U.S. during the Laramide orogeny. Imaged low-velocity upper mantle is attributed to hydration-induced lithospheric melting beneath much of the southern Rocky Mountains. Laramide-age magmatic ascent heated and weakened the lithosphere, which in turn allowed horizontal shortening to occur in the mantle beneath the region of Laramide thrusting in the southern Rocky Mountains. Subsequent Farallon slab removal resulted in additional uplift through unloading. It also triggered vigorous magmatism, especially where asthenosphere made contact with the hydrated and relatively thin and fertile lithosphere of what now is the Basin and Range. This mantle now is dry, depleted of basaltic components, hot, buoyant, and weak.
Human-body coil design for magnetic resonance imaging at 7 tesla

In this paper, we propose a design of a 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) whole-body coil. We describe some important features of the coil, both from a mechanical and electromagnetic perspective. We show the results of optimizing the coil's excitation sources in a near-field phased-array manner that minimizes the standard deviation of the circularly polarized component of the transverse magnetic field, which is responsible for exciting the spins, across various cross-sections of the human body. Successful optimizations of full cross-sectional slices of the body located in the coil, as well as optimizations useful for localized imaging of a particular organ (in this case chosen to be the liver), are provided. By demonstrating the dramatic improvement in the performance of this coil utilizing the proposed complex excitation system, we show that whole-body 7 Tesla coil is physically feasible as well as probable, demonstrating great potential for future clinical and research imaging applications
Aid Conditionality as a Tool for Peacebuilding: Opportunities and Constraints

Over the past decade, aid donors have pledged billions of dollars to support peacebuilding efforts in collapsed states and war–torn societies. Peace conditionality — the use of formal performance criteria and informal policy dialogue to encourage the implementation of peace accords and the consolidation of peace — could make aid a more effective tool for building peace. In Bosnia, for example, donors have attempted to link aid to the protection of human rights, co–operation with the international war crimes tribunal, and the right of people displaced by ‘ethnic cleansing’ to return to their homes. Yet the conventional practices and priorities of aid donors pose constraints to the exercise of peace conditionality. This article examines several of these constraints, including the reluctance of donors (particularly the international financial institutions) to acknowledge responsibility for the political repercussions of aid; the competing foreign–policy objectives of donor governments; the humanitarian imperative to aid people whose lives are at risk; and the incentive structures and institutional cultures of donor agencies.
A method for detecting a shift in a trend

This paper re-examines some frequently published (e.g. Conley, 1976; Henderson, 1979; Hax and Majluf, 1982; Stalk and Hout, 1990) price vs. cumulative production data for polyvinyl chloride. Using a new regression technique, the author shows that the resulting fitted curve captures the discontinuity of price change in this industry. Price reduction strategies are of great importance to high technology companies, and competitors' price changes may reflect underlying "learning curve" reductions in their manufacturing costs. Ordinary linear and nonlinear regression techniques are not suitable for estimating or summarizing a company's price reduction strategy. The technique used here is Phillips' (1989) piecewise linear regression.
Specific Sites in the C Terminus of CTCF Interact with the SA2 Subunit of the Cohesin Complex and Are Required for Cohesin-Dependent Insulation Activity

Recent studies have shown that the protein CTCF, which plays an important role in insulation and in large-scale organization of chromatin within the eukaryotic nucleus, depends for both activities on recruitment of the cohesin complex. We show here that the interaction of CTCF with the cohesin complex involves direct contacts between the cohesin subunit SA2 and specific regions of the C-terminal tail of CTCF. All other cohesin components are recruited through their interaction with SA2. Expression in vivo of CTCF mutants lacking the C-terminal domain, or with mutations at sites within it required for SA2 binding, disrupts the normal expression profile of the imprinted genes IGF2-H19 and also results in a loss of insulation activity. Taken together, our results demonstrate that specific sites on the C terminus of CTCF are essential for cohesin binding and insulator function. The only direct interaction between CTCF and cohesin involves contact with SA2, which is external to the cohesin ring. This suggests that in recruiting cohesin to CTCF, SA2 could bind first and the ring could assemble subsequently.
Sidebuster: automated detection and quantification of side-channel leaks in web application development

A web application is a "two-part" program, with its components deployed both in the browser and in the web server. The communication between these two components inevitably leaks out the program's internal states to those eavesdropping on its web traffic, simply through the side channel features of the communication such as packet length and timing, even if the traffic is entirely encrypted. Our recent study shows that such side-channel leaks are both fundamental and realistic: a set of popular web applications are found to disclose highly sensitive user data such as one's family incomes, health profiles, investment secrets and more through their side channels. Our study also shows that an significant improvement of the current web-application development practice is necessary to mitigate this threat. To answer this urgent call, we present in this paper a suite of new techniques for automatic detection and quantification of side-channel leaks in web applications. Our approach, called Sidebuster, can automatically analyze an application's source code to detect its side channels and then perform a rerun test to assess the amount of information disclosed through such channels (quantified as the entropy loss). Sidebuster has been designed to work on event-driven applications and can effectively handle the AJAX GUI widgets used in most web applications. In our research, we implemented a prototype of our technique for analyzing GWT applications and evaluated it using complicated web applications. Our study shows that Sidebuster can effectively identify the side-channel leaks in these applications and assess their severity, with a small overhead.
Radical concentration measurements in hydrocarbon diffusion flames

Two investigations of radical concentrations in hydrocarbon diffusion flames are discussed: (1) a comparison of experimental measurements on OH, H atom, O atom, CH, and CH3 with detailed computations of flame structure in a laminar, CH4/air flame and (2) new measurements of OH concentrations in the soot oxidation region of both CH4/air and C2H4/air diffusion flames. For the comparison study the concentration profiles have been plotted in terms of the local mixture fraction, after matching the scalar dissipation rate at the stoichiometric surface. The overall agreement in the shape and location of the profiles is best for the major radicals OH, H atom, and O atom, but less satisfactory for the hydrocarbon radicals. For the OH measurements in the soot oxidation region, profile data have been successfully obtained in the presence of significant amounts of soot. These quantitative OH concentrations will help test and guide the development of soot formation models, all of which currently must rely upon calculated or assumed values.
Impacts of past glaciation events on contemporary fish assemblages of the Ohio River basin

Aim We evaluated variation in fish assemblages on the basis of taxonomic composition and functional groups based on Pleistocene glacial boundaries in the Ohio River basin. We tested for the influence of habitat and hydrology on fish assemblage variation. Location Ohio River basin of North America, including the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Methods Fish collection sites were identified as Wisconsinan, pre-Wisconsinan or unglaciated regions. Multivariate analyses, multi-response permutation procedures, discriminant analysis and indicator species analyses were used to test whether taxonomic and functional assemblages were distinct among regions with varying glacial histories. Principal components analysis was used to identify habitat and water quality, as well as hydrological gradients that could be discerned by glacial region. Results We identified significant differences in both taxonomic and functional fish assemblage structure and habitat variation among regions that had different glaciation histories. The largest differences in taxonomic and functionally based fish communities were for unglaciated and pre-Wisconsinan regions, while unglaciated and Wisconsinan regions were most similar. We correctly classified study regions in 71% and 60% of sites using taxonomy and functional analyses, respectively. Wisconsinan sites were characterized by Cyprinidae and Catostomidae assemblages with high abundances of tolerant fishes that tended to occur in habitats with reduced current velocity. Pre-Wisconsinan sites were characterized by Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Centrarchidae and Percidae families with increased abundances of intolerant fishes that tended to occur in habitats with coarser substrates and increased water velocity in streams of varying size. Unglaciated sites were characterized by Cyprinidae and Percidae families and were not closely associated with any habitat-based functional group. Habitat in the unglaciated and pre-Wisconsinan sites was significantly different from that in the Wisconsinan sites, which were characterized by increased channel structure and reduced stream size. Main conclusions Pleistocene glaciation events formed a lasting template of predictable regional differences in stream habitat and in the corresponding taxonomic and functional fish assemblage structures. While many factors impact the distribution of fishes, these results suggest that historical influences such as glaciation may be used to further explain the underlying mechanisms of spatial variation in fish assemblages.
Additive effects of endothelial progenitor cells combined with ACE inhibition and β-blockade on left ventricular function following acute myocardial infarction

Animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in preventing left ventricular (LV) remodelling following myocardial infarction (MI). Preliminary human studies are underway, yet no studies have demonstrated efficacy in combination with standard medical therapy, i.e. angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and β-blockers. Nude rats underwent left anterior descending coronary artery ligation to induce MI. Animals were randomised to receive no treatment (MI, n=5), quinapril 200 mg/L + metoprolol 2 g/L (ACE/BB, n=5), two million EPCs intravenously (EPC, n=5)or both (ACE/BB + EPC [n=5]), then sacrificed after two weeks treatment. ACE/BB resulted in a 75% reduction in fibrosis in the region remote from the MI (p<0.05), but EPC therapy had little effect here. Conversely, EPC therapy induced neovascularisation at the peri-infarct rim, thereby preventing peri-infarct apoptosis by 81% (p<0.05). Acting via different but complementary mechanisms, the combination of ACE/BB + EPCs resulted in a greater overall improvement in LV function on echocardiography than either therapy alone. Clinical trials using stem cell therapy in conjunction with standard medical treatment are warranted.
Axial and instantaneous power conversion in corneal topography.

Purpose. To determine if a direct relationship exists between the two common measures of corneal topography-axial and instantaneous powers-that are based on corneal slope or curvature, respectively. Method. The theoretical relationship between axial and instantaneous powers was derived for unrestricted shapes using equations of basic calculus. Results. It was found that axial power at any point γ on the cornea is exactly equal to the average of the instantaneous powers from the axis to point γ. Conclusions. A simple relationship exists between axial and instantaneous powers that is valid for the intersection of any surface by a meridional plane. This provides a practical means for converting between axial and instantaneous powers for clinical applications of corneal topography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995 ; 36 :2155-2l59.
Preferential Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors as a Nonhormonal Method of Emergency Contraception: A Look at the Evidence.

Objective:To review the literature surrounding the use of preferential cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitors as an alternative form of emergency contraception.Data Sources:MEDLINE (1950 to February 2...
Megaloblastic hematopoiesis in vitro. Interaction of anti-folate receptor antibodies with hematopoietic progenitor cells leads to a proliferative response independent of megaloblastic changes.

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that anti-placental folate receptor (PFR) antiserum-mediated effects on hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro of increased cell proliferation and megaloblastic morphology were independent responses. We determined that (a) purified IgG from anti-PFR antiserum reacted with purified apo- and holo-PFR and specifically immunoprecipitated a single (44-kD) iodinated moiety on cell surfaces of low density mononuclear cells (LDMNC); (b) when retained in culture during in vitro hematopoiesis, anti-PFR IgG (in contrast to PFR-neutralized anti-PFR IgG and nonimmune IgG) consistently led to increased cloning efficiency of colony forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E), burst forming unit-E (BFU-E), CFU-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM), and CFU-GEM megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM), and objectively defined megaloblastic changes in orthochromatic normoblasts from CFU-E- and BFU-E-derived colonies; (c) when anti-PFR antiserum was removed after initial (less than 1 h) incubation with LDMNC, a cell proliferation response was induced, but megaloblastic changes were not evident. (d) Conversely, delay at 4 degrees C for 24 h before long-term plating with antiserum resulted in megaloblastosis without increased cell proliferation; (e) however, 500-fold molar excess extracellular folate concentrations completely abrogated the expected anti-PFR antiserum-induced megaloblastic changes, without altering cell proliferative responses. Thus, although cell proliferative and megaloblastic changes are induced after short-term and prolonged interaction of antibody with folate receptors on hematopoietic progenitors, respectively, they are independent effects.
Toward the development of a quantitative tool for predicting dispersion of nanocomposites under non-equilibrium processing conditions

Developing process-structure relationships that predict the impact of the filler-matrix interfacial thermodynamics is crucial to nanocomposite design. This work focuses on developing quantitative relationships between the filler-matrix interfacial energy, the processing conditions, and the nanoparticle dispersion in polymer nanocomposites. We use a database of nanocomposites made of polypropylene, polystyrene, and poly(methyl methacrylate) with three different surface-modified silica nanoparticles under controlled processing conditions. The silica surface was modified with three different monofunctional silanes: octyldimethylmethoxysilane, chloropropyldimethylethoxysilane, and aminopropyldimethylethoxysilane. Three descriptors were used to establish the relationship between interfacial energy, processing conditions, and final nanoparticle dispersion. The ratio of the work of adhesion between filler and polymer to the work of adhesion between filler to filler (descriptor: $$ W_{\text{PF}} /W_{\text{FF}} $$ ) and the mixing energy for the production of the nanocomposites (descriptor: E γ ) are used to determine the final dispersion state of the nanoparticles. The dispersion state is described using a descriptor that characterizes the amount of interfacial area from TEM images (descriptor: $$ \bar{I}_{\text{filler}} $$ ). In order to capture the descriptors accurately, the TEM images of the nanocomposites are binarized using a pixel-wise neighbor-dependent Niblack thresholding algorithm. The significance of the microstructural descriptors was ranked using supervised learning and the interfacial area emerged as the most significant descriptor for describing the nanoparticle dispersion. Our results show a stronger dependence of the final dispersion on the interfacial energy than the processing conditions. Nevertheless, for the final dispersion state, both descriptors have to be taken into account. We also introduce a matrix-dependent term to establish a quantitatively non-linear relationship between the processing and microstructure descriptors.
Morphing Aircraft Technology Survey

*Morphing research projects will revolutionize the costs of building and operating aircraft. These technologies will enable aircraft to be more effi cient and operate under a wide range of varying flight conditions. Morphing technologies will be used to improve aircraft performance, expand its flight envelope, replace conventional control surfaces, reduce drag to improve range and reduce vibration/flu tter. There might never be a single solution for a morphing aircraft. The suitability of a type of morphing technology that is integrated into an aircraft will be dependent on size, range and flight performance envelope. The largest economical motivator for morphing aircraft will be the economies of scale of having a fleet of single type of morphing aircraft capable of fulfilling a variety of mission objectives and functions under many flight conditions , as opposed to a fleet of several types of aircraft , each tailored for specific missions , and their corresponding maintenance and support requirements. It is the objective of this survey paper to organize and summarize the many varying projects, concepts , and technologies of morphing aircraft. This surve y is not all inclusive. The two general approaches to morphing aircraft technologies are a Materials and Structural Approach , and a MultiDisciplinary Optimization and Systems Approach.
Stereochemical Control of Polymorph Transitions in Nanoscale Reactors

Crystallization of glycine in the cylindrical nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) revealed the formation of metastable β-glycine in pores having diameters less than 200 nm. Two-dimensional X-ray microdiffraction indicated that the [010] axis of the embedded β-glycine nanocrystals coincided with the pore direction, identical to behavior observed previously in the cylindrical nanopores of polymer monoliths. Whereas the β-glycine nanocrystals were stable indefinitely in ambient air and persisted upon heating, they transformed to the α polymorph upon standing at room temperature and 90% relative humidity (RH). The α-glycine nanocrystals were oriented with the [010] axis nearly perpendicular to the pore direction, reflecting a nearly 90° rotation of the glycine molecules during the transition. When the β-glycine nanocrystals were formed in the AAO cylinders in the presence of small amounts of racemic hydrophobic amino acid auxiliaries, which are known to bind selectively to the (010) and (010) faces on the fast-growing end of β-glycine enantiomorphs, the β → α phase transition at 90% RH was suppressed. In contrast, β-glycine nanocrystals grown in the presence of an enantiopure amino acid auxiliary, which binds to the fast-growing end of only one of the enantiomorphs, thus suppressing its formation and leaving the other enantiomorph unperturbed, transformed into the α polymorph under the same conditions. This observation confirms that binding of an amino acid to the {010} faces is stereoselective and that access of water to these faces is essential for the transition to the α polymorph.
Effects of 8-arginine vasotocin on plasma prolactin and follicle-stimulating hormone surges in the proestrous rat.

SummaryPrevious findings in this laboratory that AVT inhibited the preovulatory surge of LH and subsequent ovulation prompted the present study demonstrating that AVT effects a marked suppression of the prolactin surge during proestrus, but does not affect the concurrent surge of FSH. Microgram amounts of AVT (administered from 1300 to 1600 hr on the afternoon of proestrus) suppressed the prolactin surge significantly, relative to saline-treated controls and comparable doses of antidiuretic hormone and oxytocin (P < 0.001); and prolonged administration with increased amounts of AVT (up to 16 μg over the period from 0900 through 1600 hr) had no effect on the FSH surge. These results support earlier suggestions that different mechanisms are involved in the cyclic release of LH and FSH and that the surge of FSH is minimally involved in ovulation in the cycling rat.These investigations were supported in part by the Levi J. and Mary Skaggs Foundation of Oakland, California. We are indebted to Alicia Sagasay an...
Structure of the Vitreous

Collagen and hyaluronic acid are the major structural molecules of the vitreous. In man, vitreous collagen is organized as thin fibrils 10–25 nm in diameter with cross- striations. Snowden and Swann (1980) identified a major period in the cross- striations of 62 nm (unfixed, dried bovine vitreous), while others (Francois et al, 1970; Hogan et al, 1971; Streeten, 1982) describe a banding pattern with a periodicity of 12–25 nm. The distance between collagen fibrils in the rabbit vitreous has been studied by freeze-cleavage replica techniques (Pajor, 1972). The interfibril distance was found to be 1.2–3.5 µLm, which approximated estimates for the bovine vitreous (Balazs, 1961) and measurements in the albino rat (Hansson, 1969).
Distributed detection over connected networks via one-bit quantizer

This paper considers distributed detection over large scale connected networks with arbitrary topology. Contrasting to the canonical parallel fusion network where a single node has access to the outputs from all other sensors, each node can only exchange one-bit information with its direct neighbors in the present setting. Our approach adopts a novel consensus reaching algorithm using asymmetric bounded quantizers that allow controllable consensus error. Under the Neyman-Pearson criterion, we show that, with each sensor employing an identical one-bit quantizer for local information exchange, this approach achieves the optimal error exponent of centralized detection provided that the algorithm converges. Simulations show that the algorithm converges when the network is large enough.
Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne Akalaitis, and the Mabou Mines Family Aesthetic

Since its founding, Mabou Mines’ collective structure has enabled its female leaders to shape their own status within the company, establishing creative processes and political prerogatives that rely equally upon artistic collaborations and personal relationships. Two of the founding co-artistic directors, JoAnne Akalaitis and Ruth Maleczech, pioneered this strategy, insisting that production budgets include compensation for childcare; later, they championed support for a child or partner to accompany touring artists. Their influence in establishing policies that supported artistic and personal development mirrored their paths to increased authority in the company. This chapter investigates how Mabou Mines’ approach to authority empowered Akalaitis and Maleczech, even as the ongoing historiography of the company has erroneously attributed its artistic success to a more traditional and patriarchal institutional structure.
Short-Term Memory and Incidental Learning

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews experimental methods and findings in the study of short-term retention and incidental learning. There are important continuities between the theoretical and methodological problems in these two areas. Both types of studies are concerned with basic capacities and dispositions that the learner brings to the experimental situation and that determine the initial reception and immediate storage of information. Such experiments are not primarily designed to investigate the laws governing the integration of responses and the growth of associative strength. Rather, they are concerned with a detailed analysis of some of the conditions that limit and bias the subject's (S's) responses in a learning situation. The extended practice takes its departure from these initial dispositions of the learner. In the conventional rote-learning experiment, exposures and tests follow each other in a fixed order within successive trials. When a single presentation of the learning materials is followed without delay by a test of performance, the measures of retention define the amount of immediate memory.
The Varieties of Individual Engagement (VIE) Scales: Confirmatory Factor Analyses across Two Samples and Contexts

The field of public engagement, participation and deliberation is fraught with conflicting results that are difficult to interpret due to the very different methods and measures used. Theory advancement and consistent operationalization and assessment of key public deliberation and engagement variables will benefit considerably from standardized measures of constructs and the ability to compare across studies. In this article, drawing from social and educational psychology, we describe the theoretical bases for scales assessing eight varieties of participant engagement that may be experienced during participation activities: Active learning, conscientious, uninterested, creative, open-minded, closed-minded, angry, and social engagement. We describe our development of scales to measure these varieties of engagement, and results from three confirmatory factor analyses across two very different populations (college students and city residents) and three different engagement activities (reading background information, deliberating about ethical scenarios, completing an online survey). Finally, we examine evidence of the convergent and divergent validity of the scales by examining their relationships with each other and theoretically-relevant individual and situational characteristics. Findings indicate the scales have good psychometric properties and show evidence of construct validity. We discuss how these scales might be used in reflective practice and research, and identify questions that public engagement researchers and practitioners will find useful in their work.
Regulation of the Immune Response by the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is activated by small molecules provided by the diet, microorganisms, metabolism, and pollutants. AhR is expressed by a number of immune cells, and thus AhR signaling provides a molecular pathway that integrates the effects of the environment and metabolism on the immune response. Studies have shown that AhR signaling plays important roles in the immune system in health and disease. As its activity is regulated by small molecules, AhR also constitutes a potential target for therapeutic immunomodulation. In this review we discuss the role of AhR in the regulation of the immune response in the context of autoimmunity, infection, and cancer, as well as the potential opportunities and challenges of developing AhR-targeted therapeutics.
Implementation of a District-Level CS for All Policy: What Can We Learn? (Abstract Only)

In states, school districts, individual schools, and alone in classrooms, educators are providing access to computer science (CS) for more students than ever before. Many are learning as they go. Education leaders and teachers are finding effective tools for hurdles to expanding CS access through their own experiences, formal and informal networks, and partnerships with external organizations. However, much is known in the education policy community which can be applied to CS for All efforts. This poster presents the framework for a doctoral dissertation which examines the implementation of a CS for All policy using a policy implementation lens. The site of the study is a school district that was an early adopter of CS for All; Computational thinking activities were inserted into K-8 classrooms and all high schools introduced accessible and rigorous CS classes. The "story" of this district provides both models and cautions for those undertaking CS for All initiatives. Replicating implementation is unrealistic since educational environments are unique and complex. The questions inspiring this work are not about how to implement a CS for All policy, but rather about the conditions under which CS for All policy was implemented in this school district (Honig, 2006). The framework presented is developed from education implementation literature with consideration for the challenges unique to CS for All. Those working in CS education will identify how their experiences fit into the framework and can use it to move their own work ahead.
ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Shoulder Pain–Traumatic

Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons for musculoskeletal-related physician visits. Imaging plays an important role in identifying the specific cause of atraumatic shoulder pain. This review is divided into two parts. The first part provides a general discussion of various imaging modalities (radiographs, arthrography, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, CT, and MRI) and their usefulness in evaluating atraumatic shoulder pain. The second part focuses on the most appropriate imaging algorithms for specific shoulder conditions including: rotator cuff disorders, labral tear/instability, bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, biceps tendon abnormalities, postoperative rotator cuff tears, and neurogenic pain. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.
TGF-β and macrophages in the rise and fall of inflammation

Macrophages represent one of the most influential classes of cells within the body that functions not only in host defense against infectious agents and tumor cells, but also in immune events ranging from antigen processing and presentation to production of mediators that regulate immune and inflammatory responses [1,2]. One such mediator that plays a prominent role in inducing responses in and regulating responses by cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage is transforming growth factorbeta (TGF-β) [3, 4], Known for its diverse functions in numerous biological processes encompassing embryogenesis to tumorigenesis, TGF-β’s most divergent properties are observed in immune reactions [3, 5, 6]. Induced and potentiated by, as well as suppressed by TGF-β, inflammatory responses rise and then fall, culminating in tissue repair and resolution of inflammation. However, imbalance between the proinflammatory properties and immunosuppressive activities of TGF-β can result in chronic states of inflammation and fibrosis. These imbalances are most graphic in the TGF-β1 knockout mice, which die of a multifocal inflammatory response and multisystem failure [7, 8], and the TGF-β1 overexpressing mice which exhibit tissue fibrosis and kidney failure [9]. Furthermore, dysregulation of immune homeostasis by aberrant expression of, or response to, TGF-β is associated with infectious diseases and autoimmunity [5, 6, 10]. Understanding of these opposing activities of TGF-β is vital to the design of therapeutic interventions for such life-threatening diseases.
Computer Simulation of Quasi Two-Dimensional Phases

We survey selected computer simulations or “experiments” relating to the statistical physics of quasi two-dimensional phenomena. An introduction to various simulation methods is presented, and a limited discussion is provided on general simulation procedures for modeling different physical phenomena. Studies on the melting of physisorbed rare-gas films and on the atomic monolayer structure of incommensurate krypton on graphite are presented.
Unprecedented sensing of interlayer defects in three-dimensionally printed polymer by capacitance measurement

Interlayer defects in a three-dimensionally (3D) printed structure are expected from the residual stress and commonly observed warpage, but their detection has been challenging and elusive. They are to be distinguished from intralayer defects (e.g., discernible voids), which can be quite easily detected. Interlayer defects in the form of local inadequate interlayer bonding in a 3D-printed polymer structure have been unprecedentedly shown in this work to be detectible by capacitance measurement. The interlayer defects are artificially obtained and judiciously positioned. The printing involves conventional stereolithography, using an acrylate resin. Two coplanar electrical contacts are positioned on the exterior surface of the structure. The capacitance decreases monotonically with increasing number of defects at a given layer, and with decreasing N, where N is the number of layers above the defect, thus providing an effective indicator of the presence and location defects. However, the capacitance can be the same for different numbers of defects if N is different. This issue may be circumvented in future work by having additional electrical contacts at various layers. The maximum value of N that allows capacitance-based defect detection exceeds 210. The fractional decrease in capacitance due to the defects (relative to the case of no defect) increases monotonically with increasing number of defects at a given layer, but it essentially does not vary with N. Thus, the fractional decrease in capacitance indicates the presence of defects, but is not an effective indicator of the defect location. The capacitance increases with N, due to the larger depth of penetration of the current when N is higher. The greater is the number of defects at a layer, the more is the reduction in the depth of current penetration by these defects. The technique of this work may be extended to the detection of the 3D positions of defects by capacitance tomography.
Early TNFα signaling results in pulmonary DC1 polarization and programing of murine myeloid precursor cells in the bone marrow towards DC1 polarization throughout Cryptococcus neoformans infection

TNFα is required for protective Th1/Th17 immunity to Cryptococcus neoformans (CN), an opportunistic pulmonary fungal pathogen. The effects of TNFα are linked to the stable, early classical activation of dendritic cells (DC1), preventing alternative (DC2) activation. We hypothesized that TNFα signaling facilitates epigenetic modification of key DC genes during CN infection. We tested this hypothesis using CBA/J mice infected intratracheally with CN and injected once on day 0 intraperitoneally with control or a TNFα-depleting antibody (αTNFα). αTNFα mice had no difference in pulmonary CFU at 7 days post-infection (dpi), but had significantly higher fungal burden and extrapulmonary dissemination at 14 and 28 dpi. DCs from the lungs of control mice at 7 dpi had increased association of iNOS and IL-12b promoters with the activating modification histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3), while DCs from αTNFα mice did not. Because DCs have a relatively short half-life during infection, we assessed the bone marrow (BM) myeloid precursor cells (MPCs) from infected animals with and without TNFα. Intranuclear flow cytometry for H3K4me3 showed distinct patterns of global trimethylation between infected control and αTNFα mice as early as 7 dpi. We next tested whether BM-derived DCs (BMDCs) matured ex vivo from infected animals would yield DC1 or DC2 cells. BMDCs from control animals became DC1, and resisted changes to polarization when challenged with the DC2-skewing IL-4, while BMDCs matured from TNFα-depleted mice maintained DC2 polarization when challenged with IFNγ. We conclude that TNFα epigenetically modifies key DC1 genes in MPCs, thereby sustaining lasting DC1 programing of DCs required for clearance of CN from the infected lungs.
213 Association between age of SLE diagnosis and disease damage differs across racial/ethnic groups: results from the california lupus epidemiology study

Background Earlier age of SLE onset is associated with greater disease damage, even after taking into account the effects of current age and disease duration. We sought to determine if this association was consistent across racial and ethnic groups, given the differences in disease severity among these groups. Methods Data derive from the baseline visit of the California Lupus Epidemiology Study (CLUES), an ongoing cohort of patients in the San Francisco Bay Area with confirmed SLE diagnoses, drawn from a variety of clinical sources and prior SLE studies. Participants provided access to medical records and had a visit with a study physician in which clinical labs were drawn. Disease damage was measured using the SLICC/ACR Damage Index (SDI), calculated at the study visit. Age of diagnosis was ascertained by the study physician or from the medical records. Race/ethnicity (White, African American, Hispanic of any race, and Asian) and educational attainment (high school or less, some college, college graduate) were determined by patient report. Due to the small sample size, patients from other racial groups were excluded from this analysis (n=5). Using multiple linear regression, we estimated a model of SDI as a function of race/ethnicity and age of diagnosis, plus terms for interaction between the variables. The model controlled for sex, current age, and education. Results Among 323 participants, 89% were female, 39% Asian, 11% African American, 22% Hispanic of any race, and 29% White. Mean age was 45±14; mean age at diagnosis 29±12. Nearly half of respondents had a college degree. SDI at the baseline study visit ranged from 0 to 10 points, mean 1.8±2.0; 70% of the cohort had SDI>0. The regression model showed strong evidence (p=0.01) for interaction of age of diagnosis with race/ethnicity. As seen in the figure 1, SDI scores in racial/ethnic minorities were much higher among those diagnosed at younger ages; this relationship was not seen among whites. Conclusions In this multi-ethnic cohort of SLE patients, the association of diagnosis age and disease damage varied according to race/ethnicity, with whites diagnosed at younger ages accumulating less damage than those in other racial/ethnic groups diagnosed at comparable ages. Future research should examine if these differences are due to phenotypic differences among the groups, diagnostic delays, or other access to care issues. Funding Source(s): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U01 DP005120)
Research Leading to High Throughput Processing of Thin-Film CdTe PV Module: Phase I Annual Report, October 2003 (Revised)

Work under this subcontract contributes to the overall manufacturing operation. During Phase I, average module efficiency on the line was improved from 7.1% to 7.9%, due primarily to increased photocurrent resulting from a decrease in CdS thickness. At the same time, production volume for commercial sale increased from 1.5 to 2.5 MW/yr. First Solar is committed to commercializing CdTe-based thin-film photovoltaics. This commercialization effort includes a major addition of floor space and equipment, as well as process improvements to achieve higher efficiency and greater durability. This report presents the results of Phase I of the subcontract entitled''Research Leading to High Throughput Processing of Thin-Film CdTe PV Modules.'' The subcontract supports several important aspects needed to begin high-volume manufacturing, including further development of the semiconductor deposition reactor, advancement of accelerated life testing methods and understanding, and improvements to th e environmental, health, and safety programs. Progress in the development of the semiconductor deposition reactor was made in several areas. First, a new style of vapor transport deposition distributor with simpler operational behavior and the potential for improved cross-web uniformity was demonstrated. Second, an improved CdS feed system that will improve down-web uniformity was developed. Third, the core of a numerical modelmore » of fluid and heat flow within the distributor was developed, including flow in a 3-component gas system at high temperature and low pressure and particle sublimation.« less
Best of the 2008 sexual medicine society of north america: highlights from the sexual medicine society of north america, october 16-19, 2008, toronto, ontario, Canada.

The 9th annual meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America brought together both clinicians and basic science investigators from North America and around the world. Various topics of sexual medicine were covered in both state-of-the-art lectures and in podium and poster sessions. This review highlights the important and novel takeaway messages from this highly interactive meeting with the hope that the reader will be able to incorporate these new observations into his or her daily practice.
Implementing a clinical protocol using breastfeeding to mitigate vaccination pain in infants

Abstract Background Although an effective public health intervention and a routine pediatric practice, vaccines are a common source of iatrogenic pain in childhood. Techniques, such as exam table restraint may cause infants to struggle and heighten distress, but studies demonstrate that breastfeeding and lap holding are effective strategies to reduce injection pain during vaccination. Local problem Adoption of pain-relieving techniques into clinical practice is often underutilized. In a pediatric clinical practice in southern Connecticut, there were no guidelines for providing pain mitigation strategies, including breastfeeding, during infant vaccination. Methods and interventions The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle was used for the improvement process. A clinical protocol introduced breastfeeding as a pain-relieving strategy during vaccination; lap holding was a second option. All clinical staff were educated on the infant pain experience, and nurses were further trained on vaccine administration techniques during breastfeeding. Results A total number of 354 infants were seen for vaccination during the 12-week project: 168 were breastfed infants, of which 53% were breastfed during vaccination; 234 were placed on the parent/caregiver's lap during vaccination; and only 13 infants were restrained on the exam table. There was no documentation of position for 18 infants. Conclusions A clinical protocol was an effective tool to guide nurses on pain-relieving options, such as breastfeeding and lap holding, during vaccine administration. Positive experiences during vaccination administration have the potential for short-term and long-term benefits including, compliance with routine care and adherence to vaccination schedules.
Towards understanding the effective design of automated formative feedback for programming assignments

Background and Context: automated feedback for programming assignments has great potential in promoting just-in-time learning, but there has been little work investigating the design of feedback in...