cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Explaining Wide Area Data Transfer Performance

Disk-to-disk wide-area file transfers involve many subsystems and tunable application parameters that pose significant challenges for bottleneck detection, system optimization, and performance prediction. Performance models can be used to address these challenges but have not proved generally usable because of a need for extensive online experiments to characterize subsystems. We show here how to overcome the need for such experiments by applying machine learning methods to historical data to estimate parameters for predictive models. Starting with log data for millions of Globus transfers involving billions of files and hundreds of petabytes, we engineer features for endpoint CPU load, network interface card load, and transfer characteristics; and we use these features in both linear and nonlinear models of transfer performance, We show that the resulting models have high explanatory power. For a representative set of 30,653 transfers over 30 heavily used source-destination pairs ("edges''),totaling 2,053 TB in 46.6 million files, we obtain median absolute percentage prediction errors (MdAPE) of 7.0% and 4.6% when using distinct linear and nonlinear models per edge, respectively; when using a single nonlinear model for all edges, we obtain an MdAPE of 7.8%. Our work broadens understanding of factors that influence file transfer rate by clarifying relationships between achieved transfer rates, transfer characteristics, and competing load. Our predictions can be used for distributed workflow scheduling and optimization, and our features can also be used for optimization and explanation.
Synergistic Treatment of Mixed 1,4-Dioxane and Chlorinated Solvent Contaminations by Coupling Electrochemical Oxidation with Aerobic Biodegradation.

Biodegradation of the persistent groundwater contaminant 1,4-dioxane is often hindered by the absence of dissolved oxygen and the co-occurrence of inhibiting chlorinated solvents. Using flow-through electrolytic reactors equipped with Ti/IrO2-Ta2O5 mesh electrodes, we show that combining electrochemical oxidation with aerobic biodegradation produces an over-additive treatment effect for degrading 1,4-dioxane. In reactors bioaugmented by Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190 with 3.0 V applied, 1,4-dioxane was oxidized 2.5 times faster than in bioaugmented control reactors without an applied potential, and 12 times faster than by abiotic electrolysis only. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses of CB1190 abundance, oxidation-reduction potential, and dissolved oxygen measurements indicated that microbial growth was promoted by anodic oxygen-generating reactions. At a higher potential of 8.0 V, however, the cell abundance near the anode was diminished, likely due to unfavorable pH and/or redox conditi...
Adult Children of Gay Fathers: Parent-Child Relationship Quality and Mental Health.

According to family systems theory, parent–child relationships are an important aspect of individual wellbeing. This study explored associations among parental disclosure, parent–child relationship...
Peripheral neurohumoral factors and central control of homeostasis during altered sodium intake.

Altered sodium intake leads to activation of compensatory mechanisms to restore sodium balance and circulatory homeostasis through modulation of renal sodium and water transport, vascular tone and sodium appetite (1). The humoral, neural, and local factors involved and the sites at which regulation occurs are shown in Table 1. In addition, coordinated interaction between peripheral and central regulators is critical to obtain the appropriate level of response in the target tissue. Examples of this type of interaction are a) the modulatory effect of plasma potassium, atrial natriuretic peptide, and somatostatin on the adrenal sensitivity to angiotensin II (AII) (2), b) the regulatory effect of vasopressin on baroreflex sensitivity (3), and c) the modulatory effect of circulating factors such as AII and steroids on the central regulation of sympathetic activity (4,5). Mineralocorticoids from the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal have a major role in the control of sodium and water metabolism through its effects on sodium reabsorption at the distal tubule of the nephron. The main mineralocorticoid in man and other mammalian species is aldosterone. The secretion of aldosterone by the adrenal glomerulosa is controlled by a complex set of regulators which include peripheral and central components. In this discussion I shall focus on the regulation of aldosterone secretion and in particular the manner in which humoral and neural elements are coordinated.
Romantic relationships, college student alcohol use, and negative consequences of drinking

Abstract This study examined whether being in a romantic relationship is associated with undergraduates’ alcohol use and negative consequences of drinking. Alcohol use was operationalized to include amount and frequency of drinking, binge drinking, and drunkenness. Negative consequences included: having a hangover, missing a class, getting behind in school work, doing something that was later regretted, forgetting where the student was or what they did, having unplanned sex, and getting hurt or injured. Data came from an online survey distributed to Midwestern undergraduate students (N = 572), with analyses conducted separately for men and women. Results indicated that being in a committed relationship generally served as a protective factor against drunkenness, but did not reduce frequency of drinking or binge drinking. Whereas romantically committed men were only less likely to report doing something that was later regretted, women in romantic relationships were less likely to experience all negative consequences of drinking considered here.
Rényi α entropies of quantum states in closed form: Gaussian states and a class of non-Gaussian states

In this work, we study the Renyi α entropies S_{α}(ρ[over ])=(1-α)^{-1}ln{Tr(ρ[over ]^{α})} of quantum states for N bosons in the phase-space representation. With the help of the Bopp rule, we derive the entropies of Gaussian states in closed form for positive integers α=2,3,4,⋯ and then, with the help of the analytic continuation, acquire the closed form also for real values of α>0. The quantity S_{2}(ρ[over ]), primarily studied in the literature, will then be a special case of our finding. Subsequently we acquire the Renyi α entropies, with positive integers α, in closed form also for a specific class of the non-Gaussian states (mixed states) for N bosons, which may be regarded as a generalization of the eigenstates |n〉 (pure states) of a single harmonic oscillator with n≥1, in which the Wigner functions have negative values indeed. Due to the fact that the dynamics of a system consisting of N oscillators is Gaussian, our result will contribute to a systematic study of the Renyi α entropy dynamics when the current form of a non-Gaussian state is initially prepared.
Building high functioning clinical teams through quality improvement initiatives.

Background Team-based care has consistently been associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, strategies for promoting and sustaining a team-based approach in family medicine practice are more elusive. MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal time series cohort study of 30 primary care providers in seven practices to assess the sequential addition of three different chronic disease management feedback reports over 24 months, culminating in a teambased quality improvement intervention linked to feedback, assessing clinical performance and selfreported effectiveness. ResultsThe proportion of patients at their low density lipoprotein target (
Contaminated Irrigation Water and the Associated Public Health Risks

The use of contaminated water, particularly wastewater, in agriculture is quite widespread and is positively correlated with poverty. The major drivers of the practice include water scarcity amid increasing demand; contamination of traditional sources of irrigation water and lack of alternatives; affordability, availability, and nutritional value of wastewater; and market incentives. Unfortunately, water, soils, and crops are getting contaminated, and illnesses have been linked to the contaminants through diet as well as occupational and recreational activities. The major polluters of water are the population-driven activities that include industry, urbanization, and agriculture, with the major contaminants being heavy metal(loid)s, micro- and nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, and pathogens. The farmers and consumers in most countries where untreated wastewater is routinely used in agriculture have little to no knowledge of the risks involved, which explains the lack of risk analysis data on the issue. The lack of data complicates the enactment, implementation, and enforcement of regulations because regulating the unknown makes no sense. This could be the major reason some countries that purport to have regulations cannot enforce them. Robust policy that includes investment in water technology can only result from a government-mandated risk analysis that involves scientists, farmers, consumers, and the media. It is risk analysis that should inform public policy and not the other way round. Continuing the practice is just like dumping hazardous waste at dumpsites, yet in reality, these are agricultural lands, and health impacts will be severe. Something drastic can happen, and poverty and droughts cannot be the scapegoats.
FPGAVirt: A Novel Virtualization Framework for FPGAs in the Cloud

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are becoming important components within commercially available cloud computing systems. However, the FPGAs are not yet sufficiently abstracted within existing software ecosystems. Contrary to how applications are transparently scheduled across general purpose processors, software processes need to explicitly provision and control communications with hardware circuits within the FPGAs. In this paper, we introduce a novel virtualization framework called FPGAVirt that leverages Virtio to implement an efficient communication scheme between virtual machines and the FPGAs. FPGAVirt avoids the overhead of context switches between virtual machine and host address spaces by using the in-kernel network stack for transferring packets to FPGAs. Experimental results show FPGAVirt can deliver an additional 2x to 35x performance increase compared to current state of the art virtualization approaches.
Establishment and application of public health risk assessment indexes for flood disaster

OBJECTIVE To establish a public health risk assessment indexes for flood disaster. METHODS Delphi method and expert consultation were used to establish the public health risk assessment index system and scoring criteria, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to obtain the weight of the indexes. Then, the established index system was applied to evaluate the public health risk of the flood disaster in Anhui province, 2016. RESULTS A public health risk assessment system consisting of 5 categories and 17 indexes was constructed. The assessment result of the flood disaster in Anhui province of 2016 showed that the public health risk score was 0.26, suggesting that "the health emergency measures were effective, and the public health risks were effectively controlled". CONCLUSIONS The established indexes can effectively assess the health risk of flood disaster and also can provide the reference for other disaster assessment.
Highly conductive and chemically stable alkaline anion exchange membranes via ROMP of trans-cyclooctene derivatives.

Alkaline anion exchange membranes (AAEMs) are an important component of alkaline exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), which facilitate the efficient conversion of fuels to electricity using nonplatinum electrode catalysts. However, low hydroxide conductivity and poor long-term alkaline stability of AAEMs are the major limitations for the widespread application of AEMFCs. In this paper, we report the synthesis of highly conductive and chemically stable AAEMs from the living polymerization of trans-cyclooctenes. A trans-cyclooctene–fused imidazolium monomer was designed and synthesized on gram scale. Using these highly ring-strained monomers, we produced a range of block and random copolymers. Surprisingly, AAEMs made from the random copolymer exhibited much higher conductivities than their block copolymer analogs. Investigation by transmission electron microscopy showed that the block copolymers had a disordered microphase segregation which likely impeded ion conduction. A cross-linked random copolymer demonstrated a high level of hydroxide conductivity (134 mS/cm at 80 °C). More importantly, the membranes exhibited excellent chemical stability due to the incorporation of highly alkaline-stable multisubstituted imidazolium cations. No chemical degradation was detected by 1H NMR spectroscopy when the polymers were treated with 2 M KOH in CD3OH at 80 °C for 30 d.
Hearing Preservation Outcomes Using a Precurved Electrode Array Inserted With an External Sheath.

OBJECTIVES Describe audiologic outcomes in hearing preservation cochlear implantation (CI) using a precurved electrode array inserted using an external sheath and evaluate association of electrode positioning and preservation of residual hearing. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Tertiary otologic center. PATIENTS Twenty-four adult patients who underwent hearing preservation CI with precurved electrode array. INTERVENTIONS CI, intraoperative computed tomography (CT) OUTCOME MEASURES:: Audiologic measures (consonant-nucleus-consonant [CNC] words, AzBio sentences, low-frequency pure tone averages [LFPTA]) and electrode location (scalar location, electrode-to-modiolus distance ((Equation is included in full-text article.)), angular insertion depth). RESULTS Twenty-four adults with less than 80 dB LFPTA with a precurved electrode array inserted using an external sheath; 16 underwent intraoperative CT. LFPTA was 58.5 dB HL preoperatively, with a 17.3 dB threshold shift at CI activation (p = 0.005). CNC word scores improved from 6% preoperatively to 64% at 6 months postoperatively (p < 0.0001). There was one scalar translocation and no tip fold-overs. The average angular insertion depth was 388.2 degrees, and the average (Equation is included in full-text article.)across all electrodes was 0.36 mm. Multivariate regression revealed a significant correlation between CNC scores at 6 months and angular insertion depth (p = 0.0122; r = 0.45, adjusted r = 0.35). Change in LFPTA was not significantly associated with angular insertion depth or (Equation is included in full-text article.). CONCLUSIONS A low rate of translocation allows a precurved electrode array inserted using an external sheath to maintain hearing preservation rates comparable to straight electrode arrays. With scala tympani insertion, angular insertion depth is a positive marker of improved speech performance postoperatively but may be a confounder variable based on individual cochlear size.
Simulating a residential building stock to support regional efficiency policy

Abstract Building simulation tools are seeing growing use in the residential sector due to a combination of increased interest in building energy performance, more user-friendly software packages, and decreasing computing power requirements. These tools are now being applied in batch simulations, where large numbers of homes are simulated at once to understand existing building stock energy consumption and potential energy efficiency improvements to make to those stocks. As these types of applications grow, attention is needed to ensure that simulation inputs and outputs are handled with an appropriate understanding of the uncertainties involved. In this paper, we use a batch simulation tool to translate energy audit records of 296 existing single-family homes in Pennsylvania into EnergyPlus building simulation models. We compare the results of these simulations to actual metered electricity use data from these homes, representative device-level data, and local utility data to better understand the abilities and limits of such modeling practices. Results show that while batch simulations are capable of producing accurate estimates of the energy consumption of a large number of homes, many more homes had their energy consumption overestimated than underestimated, resulting in a significant net overestimate for the sample as a whole. When results are scaled up to the utility level, simulation accuracy varies by utility with net overestimates ranging from around 15% to 25%. Comparisons of individual simulation results to metered consumption identify electric space heating systems as the source of much of this error. This highlights the importance of gathering accurate, detailed information on these systems to generate reliable simulation results. NREL has recently released a batch simulation tool called ResStock that takes a more statistically robust approach to simulating representative archetype homes as opposed to actual existing homes. The results of this study suggest that the type of probabilistic treatment of building characteristics underlying that tool will provide more meaningful results than trying to simulate actual buildings. With additional validation measures similar to those used in this study, ResStock can likely be used to reliably estimate baseline energy consumption and quantify efficiency savings opportunities and can serve as a valuable decision-making tool for state, local, and utility efficiency program designers.
Gaze-based classification of autism spectrum disorder

Abstract People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display impairments in social interaction and communication skills, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, which greatly affect daily life functioning. Current identification of ASD involves a lengthy process that requires an experienced clinician to assess multiple domains of functioning. Considering this, we propose a method for classifying multiple levels of risk of ASD using eye gaze and demographic feature descriptors such as a subject's age and gender. We construct feature descriptors that incorporate the subject's age and gender, as well as features based on eye gaze patterns. We also present an analysis of eye gaze patterns validating the use of the selected hand-crafted features. We assess the efficacy of our descriptors to classify ASD on a National Database for Autism Research dataset, using multiple classifiers including a random forest, C4.5 decision tree, PART, and a deep feedforward neural network.
Volume of \(SU\left( 2^K\right) \)

Let’s make a more refined calculation of the number of operators in \({\textit{SU}}(N)\) by dividing its volume by the volume of an epsilon ball of the same dimensionality (the dimension of \({\textit{SU}}(N)\) is \(N^2-1\)).
Alcohol Enhances Responses to High Frequency Stimulation in Hippocampus from Transgenic Mice with Increased Astrocyte Expression of IL-6

Recent studies show that alcohol exposure can induce glial production of neuroimmune factors in the CNS. Of these, IL-6 has gained attention because it is involved in a number of important physiological and pathophysiological processes that could be affected by alcohol-induced CNS production of IL-6, particularly under conditions of excessive alcohol use. For example, IL-6 has been shown to play a role in hippocampal behaviors and synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation; LTP) associated with memory and learning. Surprisingly, in our in vitro studies of LTP at the Schaffer collateral to CA1 pyramidal neuron synapse in hippocampus from transgenic mice that express elevated levels of astrocyte produced IL-6 (TG), LTP was not altered by the increased levels of IL-6. However, exposure to acute alcohol revealed neuroadaptive changes that served to protect LTP against the alcohol-induced reduction of LTP observed in hippocampus from non-transgenic control mice (WT). Here we examined the induction phase of LTP to assess if presynaptic neuroadaptive changes occurred in the hippocampus of TG mice that contributed to the resistance of LTP to alcohol. Results are consistent with a role for IL-6-induced neuroadaptive effects on presynaptic mechanisms involved in transmitter release in the resistance of LTP to alcohol in hippocampus from the TG mice. These actions are important with respect to a role for IL-6 in physiological and pathophysiological processes in the CNS and in CNS actions of alcohol, especially when excessive alcohol used is comorbid with conditions associated with elevated levels of IL-6 in the CNS.
Identifying New Team Trust and Team Cohesion Metrics that Support Future Human-Autonomy Teams

A driving simulation study of a manned-unmanned vehicle gunnery team was conducted to assess potential metrics of team trust and cohesion for evaluating future human-autonomy teams. Cadet dyads worked with a veteran commander within a driving simulation to direct a weaponized robotic ground vehicle from a command and control vehicle and identify and engage targets on a gunnery range. Subjective, behavioral, performance, communication, and physiological data were collected to identify possible team trust and team cohesion metrics. Findings suggest that performance, behavior, and physiological data may provide useful windows into the trust and cohesion exhibited by crew members in human-autonomy teams.
Psychiatric challenges in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis

Abstract Patients being treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) have a high disease burden and may experience psychosocial challenges. Depression and anxiety are the two most common psychiatric disorders in PD patients. The risk factors for sleep disorders, cognitive impairment, sexual function, and chronic fatigue may be multifactorial, and concomitant medical conditions make it difficult to determine whether symptoms stem from medical or psychiatric disorders or a combination of the two. Caregivers who care for children or older adults or participate in assisted PD have all expressed stress, altered quality of life, and burnout. Psychiatric disorders in PD patients affect morbidity and mortality.
Our Metadata Problem and the Curation Crew Solution: Employing Non-Specialist Undergraduate Students in Data Remediation

This case study describes the challenges faced by A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID-19 (JOTPY) in achieving metadata consistency despite the project’s success at capturing rich meta...
Ion Feedback Noise in Channel Multipliers

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on ion-feedback noise in channel multipliers. Experimental measurements were made of the pulse-height distribution of an array of channel multipliers, which was subjected to sequential, single-electron input events. The presence of ionic feedback was found to be very prominent. The output pulse-height distribution of the channel multiplier array is shown for two different electric-field conditions in the input region in front of the array. The lower curve was obtained when an electron-retarding field was established between the electrode adjacent to the array and the input surface of the array so that ions emanating from the input surface of the array impacted upon this adjacent electrode. However, the resulting low-energy secondary electrons were unable to enter the array, so that the output was small. Based on preliminary results, it is felt that ionic feedback is a major factor affecting the average gain, the noise, and the operating lifetime of channel multipliers. Imaging devices using channel plates should preferably be constructed using the concentric, spherical electron optics in the input region. Additional electrodes may improve focusing and trap or deflect the hydrogen ions emanating from the channel plate.
Consumer Views on Transportation and Energy

This report has been assembled to provide the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with an idea of how the American public views various transportation, energy, and environmental issues. An issue that still needs attention from EERE is the finding that the public tends to lack information about hybrid vehicles, hydrogen, and alternative fuels for passenger vehicles. Also, the public seems to want fuel-efficiency improvements and cleaner fuels, but is not very willing to pay for these benefits. The public also says that it supports initiatives to promote energy conservation over increased production and that it is willing to make changes such as driving less in an effort to reduce oil consumption.
[14] Production of G protein α-subunit-specific monoclonal antibodies

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methods that have been used for making monoclonal antibodies against G protein subunits. Monoclonal antibodies can be generated successfully using either G proteins purified from mammalian tissues or recombinant G proteins purified from bacterial or eukaryotic expression systems. To make α-subunit-specific antibodies, either the heterotrimer (αβγ) or the α-subunit monomer, as the antigen is used. Because G proteins belong to a superfamily of proteins that share high sequence homology along with varying among species, both the subtype specificity and the species selectivity of monoclonal antibodies to G proteins need to be determined. As monoclonal antibodies generated using purified G proteins rather than synthetic peptides react with an unknown amino acid sequence or three-dimensional structure, identification of the epitope is useful in the application of the antibody. In addition, the reactivity of these monoclonal antibodies to native versus denatured proteins, heterotrimers versus monomers, GDP-bound versus GTP-bound, and ADP-ribosylated or lipid-modified G proteins can be identified to facilitate their use.
The Occupation of Teaching: Elements of Meaning Portrayed through Educators' Teaching Diagrams

This study describes elements of meaning that the occupation of teaching held for one group of educators in a curriculum organized around occupation and occupational science. Research on the occupa...
Light-Induced Lysis and Carotenogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus

Burchard, Robert P. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), and Martin Dworkin. Light-induced lysis and carotenogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus. J. Bacteriol. 91:535-545. 1966.-Myxococcus xanthus, grown vegetatively in the light, developed an orange carotenoid after the cells entered stationary phase of growth; pigment content increased with age. Cells grown in the dark did not develop carotenoid and could be photolysed by relatively low-intensity light only during stationary phase; rate of photolysis increased with age. Photolysis adhered to the reciprocity law, was temperature-independent and oxygen-dependent, and required the presence of nonspecific, monovalent cations; it was inhibited by one of several divalent cations. Logarithmic-phase cells were photosensitized by 100,000 x g pellet preparations of sonic-treated stationary-phase cells grown in the light and dark. A porphyrin with a Soret band at 408 mmu was isolated from photosensitive cells; logarithmic-phase cells contained about 1/16 the amount of porphyrin of stationary-phase cells. The purified material had spectral and chemical properties of protoporphyrin IX and photosensitized logarithmic-phase cells. Its spectrum was similar to the action spectrum for photolysis. We concluded that protoporphyrin IX is the natural endogenous photosensitizer. Carotenogenesis was stimulated by light in the blue-violet region of the visible spectrum and was inhibited by diphenylamine, resulting in photosensitivity of the cells. Photoprotection by carotenoid was lost in the cold. A mutant which synthesized carotenoid in the light and dark was photosensitive only after growth in diphenylamine. The ecological significance of these phenomena is discussed.
Observation of electron and hole velocity overshoots in an Al0.3Ga0.7As-based p?i?n semiconductor nanostructure

We report experimental results on simultaneous measurement of electron as well as hole transient transport in an Al0.3Ga0.7As-based p–i–n semiconductor nanostructure by using picosecond/subpicosecond Raman spectroscopy. Electron and hole velocity overshoots are directly observed. These experimental results are discussed and explained.
CF2Cl2 decomposition over nanocrystalline MgO : Evidence for long induction periods

CF2Cl2 has been found to react with nanoscale MgO at 325 °C and higher temperatures. In excess of the halocarbon, the reaction results in the formation of MgF2 as a predominant solid product, with ...
Gel electrophoresis patterns of the proteins of organelles isolated from bovine liver.

Abstract Mitochondria, smooth and rough microsomes, Golgi vesicles, and plasma membranes have been isolated from bovine liver and their protein components separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Characteristic patterns were obtained for each organelle studied. The mobilities of the major protein bands relative to ribonuclease A were determined and comparisons made among the organelles. The major protein components of rough and smooth microsomes were indistinguishable. Golgi vesicles were similar to, but easily distinguishable from, endoplasmic reticulum (as represented by the rough microsome fraction). A major band in the Golgi preparation had the same mobility as the major protein component found in serum β-lipoproteins ( d ). All the organelles except plasma membranes had a major protein component with mobility identical to that found for purified “structural protein” isolated from mitochondria.
Gossypol inhibits calcineurin phosphatase activity at multiple sites.

Abstract Calcineurin, the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependant serine/threonine phosphatase is the target for the immunosuppressant drugs FK506 and cyclosporine-A. These established calcineurin inhibitors each require an immunophilin protein cofactor. Gossypol, a polyphenol produced by the cotton plant, inhibits calcineurin (IC50 = 15 μM), in a noncompetitive, reversible manner, and is independent of any cofactor. We found that gossypol acts by at least two mechanisms to inhibit calcineurin phosphatase activity. A calmodulin-independent form of calcineurin was less sensitive to inhibition by gossypol than native calcineurin (IC50 = 41 and 18 μM, respectively) indicating that gossypol may interfere with calmodulin binding. A fluorescence polarization based assay demonstrated that 100 μM gossypol reduced the affinity of calmodulin for calcineurin (from Kd = 2.4 to 250 nM). Inhibition of calcineurin phosphatase activity by gossypol could not be overcome by adding excess calmodulin or by testing the inhibition toward a calmodulin-independent calcineurin indicating that gossypol acts at a site different from the calmodulin-binding site. Gossypol decreased the affinity of calcineurin for immunosuppressant/immunophilin complexes only in the presence of calmodulin, indicating that gossypol blocks the effects of calmodulin binding to calcineurin. In addition, gossypol had a stimulatory effect on native calcineurin in the absence of calmodulin, possibly indicating a calmodulin mimetic effect. Gossypol exists in two enantiomeric forms which are reported to have different potency for cell toxicity. (+) and (−) gossypol had equivalent potency for inhibition of native and calmodulin-independent calcineurin phosphatase activity, and for inhibition of calmodulin binding. The inhibition of calcineurin by gossypol via multiple binding sites without stereo-specificity indicates that gossypol is not a specific calcineurin inhibitor.
Effect of silver-coated urinary catheters: Efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and antimicrobial resistance

Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common nosocomial infection experienced by patients in United States hospitals and are responsible for significant morbidity and excess hospital costs. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a silver alloy, hydrogel-coated, urinary catheter in the prevention of catheter-associated UTI, to assess the cost effectiveness of the coated catheter, and to test for the emergence of silver-resistance in urinary microbial isolates. Methods A 2-year prospective surveillance study in 10 patient care units was conducted to determine the rate of catheter-associated UTI. Historic control data was utilized to assess the effect of the coated catheter. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using a range of cost estimates. Silver susceptibility was determined for microbes responsible for catheter-associated UTI. Results Data were analyzed using a Poisson regression model. The rate of catheter-associated UTI fell from 6.13/1000 catheter-days during the period 1999-2000 to 2.62/1000 catheter-days during 2001-2002 ( P =.002). Calculated cost savings varied widely. Modest savings were achieved at the realistic lower cost estimates. No silver-resistant microbes were recovered in the susceptibility tests. Conclusions The introduction of a silver alloy, hydrogel-coated urinary catheter was associated with a significant decline in nosocomial UTI and cost savings over the range of cost estimates. Silver-resistant urinary pathogens were not recovered from patients experiencing catheter-associated UTI during the study period.
The Rural Poor in the American South: Case Studies of Exits from 20th Century Poverty

This work does not ask why poverty persisted in Indianola and other places in the rural south, but how—despite all the obstacles of state, society and market—the impoverished emerged from and exited poverty with civic assets as well as religious ones. The interdependency and citizenship pathways between families and the state and the pathways of aspiring agrarian capitalists led to a chronic and latent dysfunction—an inadequate protection of the welfare of all persons, especially the rural poor and black persons. This dysfunction was sustained, for much of the century gone-by, by political reciprocity among United States presidents, southern white congressmen, federal district court judges, local southern elites and vigilantes, and their northern congressional counterparts. Dysfunctional state action fostered a racially-based and insidious poverty and illiteracy—a system of servitude. Servitude is thus central to our understanding of how to unpack exits and understand pathways to full economic and political citizenship. I examined the lives of eight of the oldest families I could find in Sunflower County in the last decade of the twentieth century. Other than being elderly, I looked for families with some landowning status. These families ranged from fifty year sharecroppers who as women, girls, men and boys were subjected to violence and the insults that come with second-class citizenship. The families in this study were sharecroppers, mule renters, black farmers, stay-home mothers, welfare-recipients, college graduates, primary and high school “incompleters,” community activists and the powerful. How did they exit poverty? It was not the social policy prescriptions or social provisions of the early and mid-twentieth century that empowered the black rural poor, it was their collective refusal to see themselves as victims, their opportunities to own land, rear children, and their fierce will to sacrifice and function well as kinship families and religious communities that propelled exits from rural poverty in Mississippi and the Deep South.
Factors influencing self-assessment of health.

Abstract Perception of one's own health status has proven a useful proxy measure for clinically-measured health status. Perceived health has also shown considerable promise as a predictor of several types of behavioral and physical outcomes after illness. The present study replicates the work of others in finding several correlates of this potentially important variable. Two conceptual models derived from the literature on recent life experience and health are presented as being possibly useful for situating perceived health in a framework of causal relationships.
Role of Climate Change in Global Predictions of Future Tropospheric Ozone and Aerosols

A unified tropospheric chemistry-aerosol model within the Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation model II is applied to simulate an equilibrium CO2-forced climate in the year 2100 to examine the effects of climate change on global distributions of tropospheric ozone and sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon, primary organic carbon, secondary organic carbon, sea salt, and mineral dust aerosols. The year 2100 CO2 concentration as well as the anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors and aerosols/aerosol precursors are based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2. Year 2100 global O3 and aerosol burdens predicted with changes in both climate and emissions are generally 5-20% lower than those simulated with changes in emissions alone; as exceptions, the nitrate burden is 38% lower, and the secondary organic aerosol burden is 17% higher. Although the CO2-driven climate change alone is predicted to reduce the global O3 concentrations over or near populated and biomass burning areas because of slower transport, enhanced biogenic hydrocarbon emissions, decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrate at higher temperatures, and the increase of O3 production by increased water vapor at high NOx levels. The warmer climate influences aerosol burdens by increasing aerosol wet deposition, altering climate-sensitive emissions, and shifting aerosol thermodynamic equilibrium. Climate change affects the estimates of the year 2100 direct radiative forcing as a result of the climate-induced changes in burdens and different climatological conditions; with full gas-aerosol coupling and accounting for ozone and direct radiative forcings by the O2, sulfate, nitrate, black carbon, and organic carbon are predicted to be +0.93, -0.72, -1.0, +1.26, and -0.56 W m(exp -2), respectively, using present-day climate and year 2100 emissions, while they are predicted to be +0.76, -0.72, 0.74, +0.97, and -0.58 W m(exp -2), respectively, with year 2100 climate and emissions.
Energy density of the relic radiation

Experimental measurements of the intensity of the submillimeter background are reviewed. The latest results all indicate a low background; it is not yet possible to say whether or not the spectrum in this range is blackbody.
Manifestations of Nommo: Afrocentric Analysis of President Barack Obama:

This research seeks to uncover how the African oral element of nommo is manifested in President Obama and how his use of nommo is facilitated as he communicates across racial lines.
Raman spectrum of fused NaNO3

The Raman spectrum of moltensodium nitrate is reported. Lifting of the degeneriecies of the ν3 and ν4 modes in molten NaNO3 is observed and compared with similar effects in aqueous nitrate solutions.
Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma

Abstract All histological subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are capable of undergoing sarcomatous transformations that result in tumors with distinctive appearances and aggressive biologic behavior. The history of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (SRCC) is traced from the time when it was thought to be a true sarcoma to the present when its epithelial origin is fully appreciated. The distinctive macroscopic and microscopic features as well as various diagnostic methods are reviewed. A description of the complex genetic aberrations associated with various types of RCC are summarized. It is apparent that the chromosomal changes known at this time are common to both SRCC and classic RCC while the unique alterations that lead to the sarcomatoid transformation remain unknown. The mode of presentation, the clinical behavior, and the prognostic factors common to SRCC are also reviewed. Finally, the various modalities that have been examined for the treatment of SRCC are detailed to evaluate for patient response and overall improvement in survival. A comparison of the treatment methods suggest that high-dose recombinant interleukin-2 may hold the greatest promise in improving the dismal prognosis associated with this disease.
Support from Neighbors and Aging in Place: Can NORC Programs Make a Difference?

Purpose of the Study. There is growing enthusiasm for community -level efforts to strengthen supportive relationships among neighbors to enhance aging in place. However, there is little research on how older adults perceive support from neighbors in terms of helping them to remain in their own homes and communities safely and comfortably, particularly in the face of later life challenges. There also is little systematic study of ways in which community initiatives might influence these relationships. Design and Methods. Qualitati ve interviews were conducted with 41 older adults from seven Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Supportive Service Program (NORC program) catchment areas in the greater New York City area. A grounded theory approach was used to identify themes and develop an empirically grounded account of NORC programs, support among neighbors, and aging in place. Results. P articipants identified several ways in which NORC programs influenced support among neighbors, such as by serving as a conduit for information sharing and helping older adults to broaden their private networks of social relationships. Overall, however, participants more consistently described limitations of the NORC programs’ influence on support within these relationships. Participants also described how other sources of support were necessary in addition to support from neighbors to help people overcome major challenges to aging in place. Implications. R esults suggest the importance of neighbors-helping-neighbors approaches to promote aging in place as a complement, rather than substitute, to other efforts, such as those that focus on enhancing access to formal providers and strengthening care within families.
Emerging endoluminal therapies for gastroesophageal reflux disease: adverse events

Abstract Background Endoluminal therapies are emerging as a new therapeutic option for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Many of these endoluminal therapies are touted as short outpatient procedures with minimal complications. It is thought that these complications are uncommon and minor. This investigation sought to summarize the adverse events of these endoluminal therapies for the treatment of GERD. Methods The Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience Database for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health Web site was searched to examine all voluntary adverse events reported on emerging endoluminal therapies. The adverse events can be divided into 3 categories: (1) radiofrequency ablation based, (2) injection based, and (3) suture based. Results There were a total of 50 adverse events reported on 4 specific therapies. Half of the complications were found to result from injection-based therapy and 44% of the complications were found to result from radiofrequency ablation–based therapy. There were 8 deaths reported (5 in the injection-based group and 3 in the radiofrequency ablation–based group). Sixty-four percent of the adverse events resulted in hospitalizations and 10% of these patients required surgery. Conclusions Physicians must be aware that no endoluminal therapy is truly noninvasive. Complications and even deaths are associated with these treatments for GERD. Patients must be informed of all the potential risks and complications of these new technologies.
Ontogeny of glyoxysomes in maturing and germinated cotton seeds-a morphometric analysis.

Morphometric procedures were used with light and electron microscopy to examine glyoxysome number, volume, shape and distribution as well as mesophyll cell volume, in cotyledons of mature (50 d postanthesis), imbibed (5h) and germinated (24 and 37 h) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seeds. Additionally, activities of five glyoxysomal marker enzymes in cotyledon extracts were assayed at each of the above ages. Cell volume was determined from photomicrographs of Epon-embedded sections by the point-counting procedure. Analysis of variance showed that cell volume was not different among the tissue segments studied. Glyoxysomes were cytochemically stained for catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) activity with the 3,3′-diaminobenzidine-tetrahydrochloride procedure. Analyses involving both phase and electron microscopy, and two separate sterologic calculations for determining the number of glyoxysomes per cell, indicate that glyoxysomes are numerous in mature seeds, persist through desiccation and imbibition, then increase dramatically in volume (seven fold) but not number (a maximum of 1.5-fold), when enzyme activities increase two to six times (depending on the enzyme). During the entire period of increase in glyoxysomal enzyme activities, no ultrastructural evidence was found for glyoxysome formation or destruction. Our data, in contrast to some proposals in the literature, indicate that cottonseed glyoxysomes form during seed maturation, then develop following seed imbibition into pleomorphic organelles by posttranslational accumulation of proteins from the cytosol and transfer of membrane components probably from the endoplasmic reticulum.
Adrenergic transmission in the light organ of the firefly, Photinus pyralis

Abstract 1. 1. Injected epinephrine, norepinephrine and amphetamine induce glowing in normal light organs of Photinus pyralis. Chronic denervation of the light organ or pretreatment with reserpine block the effect of amphetamine but not that of norepinephrine. 2. 2. Amphetamine and yohimbine block the slow flash response to electrical stimulation; Dibenzyline causes a threefold increase in its latency. 3. 3. Reserpine prevents both slow and quick flash responses to electrical stimulation. Subsequent treatment with epinephrine, norepinephrine or extracts of cockroach corpus cardiacum restores the quick flash. 4. 4. Eserine induces scintillations in the light organs of normal animals, but not when the light organ is deganglionated or when the animals are pretreated with amphetamine, yohimbine or reserpine. 5. 5. Extracts of both anterior and posterior parts of fireflies exhibit adrenergic activity in rat uterus and colon tests. Activity is higher in the posterior than in the anterior end. The adrenergic activity is intermediate between that of epinephrine and norepinephrine. 6. 6. These results are interpreted to mean that normal neural excitation of the light organ is mediated by an adrenergic transmitter located in the nerve endings. The possibility that the transmitter controls glycogen metabolism in the end cell is discussed.
The Demographic Transition: Three Centuries of Fundamental Change

Before the start of the demographic transition, life was short, births were many, growth was slow and the population was young. During the transition, e rst mortality and then fertility declined, causing population growth rates e rst to accelerate and then to slow again, moving toward low fertility, long life and an old population. The transition began around 1800 with declining mortality in Europe. It has now spread to all parts of the world and is projected to be completed by 2100. This global demographic transition has brought momentous changes, reshaping the economic and demographic life cycles of individuals and restructuring populations. Since 1800, global population size has already increased by a factor of six and by 2100 will have risen by a factor of ten. There will then be 50 times as many elderly, but only e ve times as many children; thus, the ratio of elders to children will have risen by a factor of ten. The length of life, which has already more than doubled, will have tripled, while births per woman will have dropped from six to two. In 1800, women spent about 70 percent of their adult years bearing and rearing young children, but that fraction has decreased in many parts of the world to only about 14 percent, due to lower fertility and longer life. 1 These changes are sketched in Table 1. These trends raise many questions and controversies. Did population grow so