cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring the Functional Impact of Behavioral Inflexibility in Children with Autism Using the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale: Clinical Interview (BIS-CI).

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), behavioral inflexibility can affect multiple domains of functioning and family life. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a clinical interview version of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale. Trained interviewers conducted interviews with parents of 144 children with ASD and 70 typically developing children (ages: 3–17 years). Using exploratory factor analysis, the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale-Clinical Interview (BIS-CI) was found to be unidimensional. Reliability data indicated the measure was internally consistent (α = 0.80), achieved excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.97) and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.87). These findings demonstrate that the BIS-CI is a reliable and valid measure to determine the functional impact of behavioral inflexibility.
The Role of Family Health History in Predicting Midlife Chronic Disease Outcomes.

Introduction The generational relevance for determining disease risk for the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for U.S. adults is a source of debate. Methods Data on 12,300 adults (Add Health Study Members) participating in Wave V (2016–2018) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (also known as Add Health) were merged with data from respondents’ parents (n=2,013) participating in the Add Health Parent Study (2015–2017). Analyses beginning in January 2020 examined the concordance in lifetime occurrence of chronic conditions across 4 generations, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, cancer, and depression and examined the associations between individual disease history and ones’ family health history for the same condition. Results Mean ages were 37.4 years for Add Health Study Members and 62.9 years for Add Health Parent Study mothers. The histories of mothers from the Add Health Parent Study on hyperlipidemia (AOR=1.61, 95% CI=1.04, 2.48), obesity (AOR=1.77, 95% CI=1.27, 2.48), and depression (AOR=1.87, 95% CI=1.19, 2.95) were significantly associated with increased odds of Add Health Study Member report of these conditions. Maternal great grandparent hyperlipidemia history was significantly associated with the Add Health Study Member hyperlipidemia (AOR=2.81, 95% CI=1.51, 5.21). Histories of diabetes in maternal grandfather (AOR=2.41, 95% CI=1.24, 4.69) and maternal great grandparent (AOR=3.05, 95% CI=1.45, 6.43) were significantly associated with Add Health Study Member diabetes. Each additional point in the Add Health Parent Study mothers’ cardiometabolic risk factor index was associated with an 11% increase (incidence rate ratio=1.11, 95% CI=1.04, 1.19) in the expected count of cardiometabolic risk conditions for the Add Health Study Members. Conclusions Multigenerational health histories have value for quantifying the probability of diabetes, obesity, depression, and hyperlipidemia in early mid-adulthood. Family health history knowledge is relevant for health promotion and disease prevention strategies.
Longitudinal changes and regional variation of incident infection rates at cystic fibrosis centers, United States 2010-2016

ABSTRACT Background Multiple factors affect incident infection rates (IIR) for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at CF care centers. We assessed changes in IIR across CF centers temporally associated with the 2013 Infection/Prevention & Control guidelines controlling for center-specific factors. Methods Using the CF Foundation Patient Registry we defined and measured changes in IIR between 2010-2012 and 2014-2016. Data were compared to non-CF rates of MRSA and resistant PA in geographically similar regions. Characteristics of each CF center (n centers: Adult 54 in 2010 to 82 in 2016. Pediatric ∼106) and their respective population were evaluated for associations with IIR and with changes in IIR between the study periods. Results Across the years 35613 patients were included. Incident-infection rates for PA (mean 19.2±0.04% Pediatric, 21.2±0.07% Adult centers) were higher than for MRSA (mean 9.4±0.03% Pediatric, 7.8±0.03% Adult). The IIR decreased for MRSA (-1.54±0.54%, p Conclusion Comparisons of IIR across U.S. CF centers should consider location, ethnic background and socio-economic variables of a center's population.
Strategic Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility

We propose a strategic theory of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Shareholder maximizers commit to a mission statement that extends beyond firm value maximiza- tion. This commitment leads firms (either product market competitors or complementors along the value chain) to change their actions in ways that ultimately favor shareholders. We thus provide a formal analysis of the "doing well by doing good" adage. We also pro- vide conditions such that the mission statement game has the nature of a pure coordination game. Our framework thus provides a natural theory of firm leadership in a CSR context: by selecting a CSR mission statement, a first mover effectively leads the industry to a Pareto optimal equilibrium.
The Art of Creating a Model to Help You Write

This chapter deals with the art of writing a scientific article. Models for science writing are not found in the grammar books. Editors of science journals want all ideas in language that is directly to-the-point, straightforward, and in as few words as possible expressed with clarity. Articles have three basic characteristics: each must be published in well-known international journals, each must have been published within the last 3-5 years, no longer ago, and each must have at least one author who is a native speaker of English. Typically the kinds of information spreadsheets contain include data on: (1) length and variety of sentence structure, including frequency of prepositional phrases, (2) use of transitions, direct and implied, (3) appropriate choice of verbs and verb tenses, (4) how articles begin and end, and (5) how and when to give credit to other researchers. The spreadsheets are the models. A private code involves putting personal annotations on the text. Good writers learned that pausing to look up words or checking data while writing slows their cognitive flow down and inhibits getting a clear sequence of ideas on paper. The sequence in which ideas are presented is basic to the success of paper.
Incoherent English Immersion and California Proposition 227

Although during the 1997–98 academic school year, only 25% of the English Language Learners (ELLs) in elementary schools throughout California were receiving some form of bilingual education, the ramifications of the passage of Proposition 227 in June of 1998 were multiple for the teachers, interns, and children involved. The legislative language of Proposition 227 was sufficiently vague and thus created other problems. The proposition was challenged in the California state court system as soon as the ballots were counted. This constitutional challenge further clouded an already murky situation. Districts were receiving little if any clarification from the California State Department of Education in regard to the time lines for implementation of the new law. The law, itself, spoke to specific changes and curriculum, but there was no money to create the new curricular approach, time to in-service teachers in the new methodology to be utilized, or a framework and time line for implementation of the mandated changes. Because of the wording that attempted to hold teachers and administrators personally liable to civil suit for noncompliance, many districts interpreted the new law as conservatively as possible to avoid such litigation. In other districts changes were made site by site as a response of the particular administrator. This type of erratic policy implementation across large district was very demoralizing for most bilingual teachers. It also confused the parent communities. It made no sense to the average person that if a child was at School A s/he could be receiving primary language instruction while a child at School B only a mile away and in the same school district could not even ask the teacher questions in his/her home language without being told, “Only speak English at school.”
Toward a Functional Understanding of Standing

In this paper I provide a functional analysis of standing. The paper begins by focusing on a function for standing rules - to reduce or control undesirable litigation. However, there are many ways in which we could control or reduce undesirable litigation. We could permit anyone to initiate sue but limit remedies to only certain litigants, or we could limit remedies and restrict standing to only certain litigants, or we could deny remedies to and impose penalties on certain litigants while granting anyone permission to initiate a suit. There are a host of other possible responses as well. An important question is then: why choose to restrict standing as opposed to relying on these other ways of addressing undesirable litigation? This paper discusses this question. After briefly defining undesirable litigation, I discuss the various methods of controlling undesirable litigation and note that they are all essentially supplements to the basic method of controlling undesirable litigation - denying undesirable litigants a remedy. It is when this basic method fails that there is a need to consider supplements such as restrictive standing rules or penalties on litigants. I discuss when the basic method is likely to fail and in each of those cases consider which supplement would be most desirable. The analysis suggests that two factors are of great importance in determining which supplements to use. First, the likely number of difficult to deter undesirable litigants in a particular area of law and second, the relative accuracy of the various methods. If there are many difficult to deter undesirable litigants it may prove useful to rely on a restrictive standing rule to prevent them from bringing suit. Further, the more accurate a method is relative to its alternatives the greater the desire to rely on that method. These two factors, along with a few other matters (e.g., how easy is it to satisfy a standing rule), form an analytical matrix that one can use to analyze standing rules. There appears to be broad congruence between existing standing rules and the matrix developed in this paper.
Visual exploration of high-dimensional data through subspace analysis and dynamic projections

We introduce a novel interactive framework for visualizing and exploring high-dimensional datasets based on subspace analysis and dynamic projections. We assume the high-dimensional dataset can be represented by a mixture of low-dimensional linear subspaces with mixed dimensions, and provide a method to reliably estimate the intrinsic dimension and linear basis of each subspace extracted from the subspace clustering. Subsequently, we use these bases to define unique 2D linear projections as viewpoints from which to visualize the data. To understand the relationships among the different projections and to discover hidden patterns, we connect these projections through dynamic projections that create smooth animated transitions between pairs of projections. We introduce the view transition graph, which provides flexible navigation among these projections to facilitate an intuitive exploration. Finally, we provide detailed comparisons with related systems, and use real-world examples to demonstrate the novelty and usability of our proposed framework.
Teaching a formal method in a software engineering course

This paper outlines the techniques and the lessons in teaching a formal method in a graduate level software engineering course. A formal method with the TUG (Tree Unified with Grammar) formal specification language was used to support the software development process including the requirements, specification, design, coding, testing, and proofs phases. The outline includes the objectives, student background, teaching material and methods, group project, and evaluations of the course from the instructor and students.
Contributions of R. M. Barrer to zeolite synthesis

Abstract Barrer's synthesis activities covered 35 years of research from 1945 to 1980 and included thermodynamic analyses of nucleation, crystallization and salt inclusion as well as the preparation of many new materials including new zeolite topologies, new compositions of known structures and several novel post-synthesis approaches to modifying zeolite compositions and properties. Most of this work was reported under the mastheads of “Hydrothermal chemistry of silicates” and “Chemistry of soil minerals”.
Through-space molecular interactions between acyclic polyethers and rhodium(I), with promotion of oxidative addition

The representative oxidative addition reaction of chlorotris(triphenylphosphine)rhodium(I) with propionyl chloride at 25–35°C is promoted 5–10 fold by linear polyethers at about 10% of the stoichiometric amount of either reactant. Through space molecular interactions occur. The electron density at rhodium(I) is altered by each linear array CH2CH2On, and this is revealed in the perturbation by Rh compounds of resonances at 3.85–3.50 ppm in 1H NMR spectra of the polyethers. These spectral changes are partially reversed upon addition of deuterium oxide, which successfully competes with the Rh compounds for the ethereal binding sites.
Synaptic Activation of Glutamate Transporters in Hippocampal Astrocytes

Glutamate transporters in the CNS are expressed in neurons and glia and mediate high affinity, electrogenic uptake of extracellular glutamate. Although glia have the highest capacity for glutamate uptake, the amount of glutamate that reaches glial membranes following release and the rate that glial transporters bind and sequester transmitter is not known. We find that stimulation of Schaffer collateral/commissural fibers in hippocampal slices evokes glutamate transporter currents in CA1 astrocytes that activate rapidly, indicating that a significant amount of transmitter escapes the synaptic cleft shortly after release. Transporter currents in outside-out patches from astrocytes have faster kinetics than synaptically elicited currents, suggesting that the glutamate concentration attained at astrocytic membranes is lower but remains elevated for longer than in the synaptic cleft.
Protein turnover of the Wallenda/DLK kinase regulates a retrograde response to axonal injury

Regenerative responses to axonal injury involve changes in gene expression; however, little is known about how such changes can be induced from a distant site of injury. In this study, we describe a nerve crush assay in Drosophila melanogaster to study injury signaling and regeneration mechanisms. We find that Wallenda (Wnd), a conserved mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase homologous to dual leucine zipper kinase, functions as an upstream mediator of a cell-autonomous injury signaling cascade that involves the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase MAPK and Fos transcription factor. Wnd is physically transported in axons, and axonal transport is required for the injury signaling mechanism. Wnd is regulated by a conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase, named Highwire (Hiw) in Drosophila . Injury induces a rapid increase in Wnd protein concomitantly with a decrease in Hiw protein. In hiw mutants, injury signaling is constitutively active, and neurons initiate a faster regenerative response. Our data suggest that the regulation of Wnd protein turnover by Hiw can function as a damage surveillance mechanism for responding to axonal injury.
Outcomes research and epidemiology: the synergy between public health and clinical practice.

Outcomes research was defined in 1998 as “the study of the end results of health services that takes patients' experiences, preferences, and values into account … intended to provide scientific evidence relating to decisions made by all who participate in health care.”1 Inherent to this definition is the fact that outcomes research is multidisciplinary and relies on diverse domains of expertise, with an explicit goal of direct relevance to the care delivered to patients. Within this multidisciplinary framework, epidemiology is one of the disciplines related to the field of outcomes research. Epidemiology is the study of distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations, with a particular focus on the occurrence of disease as categorized by time, place, and persons.2 Sometimes referred to as the basic science in medicine,3,4 epidemiology is founded on principles and methods (including methods of statistical analysis) that form the basis of clinical research.3,4 The fundamental constructs that epidemiology embraces are key to the conduct of outcomes research today. Indeed, envisioning the burden of disease through the lenses of the traditional epidemiological constructs of time and person can provide powerful guidance to shape the direction of outcomes research and assess its impact. This Editor's Perspective shares a few examples to illustrate this point. In a Shattuck Lecture published in the New England Journal of Medicine , Eugene Braunwald5 designated heart failure as a new epidemic of cardiovascular disease. This eloquent statement generated thought-provoking questions: Was there, indeed, an epidemic of heart failure in the epidemiological sense of the word? If so, is the epidemic driven by increase in incidence, improvement in survival, or both? These questions inspired epidemiologists to conduct the needed formal investigation of the heart failure epidemic, which meant bringing to bear rigorous epidemiological …
Quantitative analysis of temporal artery contraction after biopsy for evaluation of giant cell arteritis.

Abstract Background: Although the degree of contraction of temporal artery biopsy specimens after formalin fixation has been previously reported to range from 6% to 13%, the degree of contraction before fixation has not been previously studied.The aim of this study was to quantify the postexcision (prefixation) contraction of temporal artery biopsy specimens and to determine the relationship between contraction and the result of the biopsy. Methods: All patients undergoing temporal artery biopsies from February 2003 through May 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Contraction was determined by subtracting the in vivo and ex vivo lengths, then dividing the difference by the in vivo length to obtain a percentage of contraction. Statistical analysis was performed with the unpaired t test and Fisher exact test. Results: We reviewed 37 negative and 7 positive biopsies for giant cell arteritis (GCA). For specimens positive for GCA, the mean contraction was 12%, whereas for negative specimens, mean contraction was 22%. There was a significant difference in the contraction between the specimens positive and negative for GCA ( p = 0.009).The Fisher exact test revealed that GCA was positively associated with arterial contraction of less than 15% ( p = 0.002). Interpretation:The temporal artery can contract substantially after excision and before tissue fixation. GCA-positive specimens exhibit statistically less contractility than negative specimens.
Unusual Reading Ability in Severely Disturbed Children: Clinical Observation and a Retrospective Inquiry.

Six severely disturbed boys who demonstrated unexpected rote reading abilities despite profound developmental arrest were studied in terms of current functioning (WISC, ITPA) and through retrospective interviews with parents for the origins and development of reading and reading-related abilities. The results showed a specific, shared pattern consisting of severe language deficit, tendencies toward perseverative action, and, as the necessary condition, the early manifestation of acute visual imagery and recall. The latter occurred despite generalized instability involving poorly controlled attention and deviant visual regard. The results supported, with some modification, the deficit hypothesis of Scheerer, Rothman, and Goldstein (1945) in accounting for the existence of unusual abilities in developmentally arrested individuals.
DFT calculated THz absorption spectra of water clusters

Calculations are presented of vibrational resonance structure at THz frequencies for a 38 molecule cluster of H2O using density functional theory (DFT). This resonance structure is due to coupling of molecular vibrational modes. In particular, the coupling among resonance modes provides a reasonable molecular level interpretation of spectral features associated with THz excitation of molecular clusters. THz excitation is associated with frequencies that are characteristically perturbative to molecular electronic states, in contrast to frequencies that can induce appreciable electronic state transition. Owing to this characteristic of THz excitation, one is able to make a direct association between local oscillations about ground-state minima of molecules comprising a cluster and THz excitation spectra. The DFT software GAUSSIAN was used for the calculations of vibrational resonance structure presented here.
Family and Sexual Orientation: The Family-Demographic Correlates of Homosexuality in Men and Women

Using a nationally representative sample of young adults, I identify the family-demographic correlates of sexual orientation in men and women. Hence, I test the maternal immune hypothesis, which posits that the only biodemographic correlate of male homosexuality is the number of older brothers, and there are no biodemographic correlates of female homosexuality. For men, I find that having one older brother does not raise the likelihood of homosexuality. Although having multiple older brothers has a positive coefficient, it is not significant. Moreover, having any older sisters lowers the likelihood of homosexual or bisexual identity. For women, I find that having an older brother or having any sisters decreases the likelihood of homosexuality. Family structure, ethnicity, and education are also significantly correlated with male and female sexual orientation. Therefore, the maternal immune hypothesis cannot explain the entire pattern of family-demographic correlates. The findings are consistent with eithe...
Acid perfusion test and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring with symptom index. Comparison of tests for esophageal acid sensitivity.

The acid perfusion (Bernstein) test and esophageal pH monitoring are the two most popular tests for identifying esophageal acid sensitivity in difficult cases of reflux disease. Therefore, we prospectively compared these test results in 75 consecutive noncardiac chest pain patients who had both an acid perfusion test and chest pain during 24-hr pH testing. A positive acid perfusion test was defined by the replication of the patient's typical chest pain twice by the acid infusion. Esophageal pH testing identified abnormal amounts of acid reflux and correlated symptoms with acid reflux-the “symptom index.” Fifteen patients (20%) had a positive acid perfusion test while 45 patients (59%) had a positive symptom index (range 6–100%). Only 9/34 (26%) patients with abnormal reflux had a positive acid perfusion test. Although it had excellent specificity (83–94%), the acid perfusion test had poor sensitivity (32–46%) when compared to the symptom index regardless of the percent positive cutoff level. The best positive predictive value for the acid perfusion test was 87%, but this occurred when the test sensitivity was 32%. Modifying the end point of a positive acid perfusion test to include heartburn improves the sensitivity (52–67%) while markedly compromising specificity and positive predictive value. Thus, esophageal pH monitoring correlating symptoms with acid reflux is superior to the acid perfusion test for identifying an acid sensitive esophagus in patients with noncardiac chest pain.
Quantitative Optimization of a Custom Flexible Manufacturing Platform for Assembly and Packaging of Heterogeneous Microsystems

Manufacturing process for complex and heterogeneous systems in sub-millimeter scale requires several discontinuous and expensive steps. Batch manufacturing approach via legacy semiconductor processes often do not provide a viable solution for such type of product development due to either their inherent limitations of monolithic and in-plane design or commercial unsuitability in cases of low to medium production volumes. Therefore, alternative approaches, such as microassembly techniques, are warranted for this type of advanced manufacturing requirements. However, lack of standards for design and unavailability of off-the-shelf robotic assembly systems, augmented with scaling of physics in micro-domain, eventually renders the highly iterative approach toward product development cycle cost-inefficient and time-consuming. In ordered to deal with this compounded problem in micromanufacturing, it becomes imperative that a holistic approach be employed that develops not only the product but also the system that is used to construct the same. In our work, we demonstrate this concurrent engineering approach through a novel, analytical framework, called as “Design for Multiscale Manufacturability (DfM2)”. This framework, built into an interactive software application, enables the user to estimate common manufacturability metrics such as process yield, cycle time, overall cost and device performance, which improves the decision making in production and paves the pathway to commercialization by reducing the time and cost to market. Furthermore, we also demonstrate the implementation of the DfM2 application in evaluating the manufacturing of heterogeneous microsystems by a custom developed modular and reconfigurable manufacturing cell (MRMC). A real case-study has been discussed for the implementation of the DfM2.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Sharp function estimates for fractional integrals and related operators

This paper considers analogs of results on integral operators studied by Hormander. Using the sharp function introduced by Fefferman and Stein, we prove weighted norm inequalities on kernel operators which map an Lp space into an Lq space, with q not equal to p. The techniques recover known results about fractional integral operators and apply to multiplier operators which satisfy a generalization of the Hormander multiplier condition.
Microwave Sintering of Zirconia-Toughened Alumina Composites

The feasibility of firing ziconia-alumina composites has been demonstrated. Techniques have been developed whereby virtually any composition of ZTA can be fired in 2.45- and 28-GHz microwave fields. Comparing data from conventional and microwave firing shows that the sintering temperature can be as much as 500{degree}C lower for the microwave case. A reduction in sintering temperature, as suspected, appears to result in a significant decrease in the grain size in the microstructure. Apparently, the path of microstructural change is altered so that densification can proceed with little coarsening as an interfering mechanism. The microwave effect appears to be a function of frequency. Our results give some indication of why the microwave effect was not seen earlier at 2.45 GHz. Technological problems associated with producing uniform fields interfere and in this case mask the microwave effect. With larger cavities and perhaps more clever insulation schemes, it may be possible to reproduce the results in 2.45 GHz that are seemingly so easily achieved at higher frequency. 9 refs., 9 figs.
CD44 Positive Macrophages Take up Hyaluronan during Lung Development

In the present study, we examined the expression and distribution of both hyaluronan and its cell-surface receptor (CD44) during lung development in the mouse. Hyaluronan was detected by a specific binding probe, termed b-PG, which is a biotinylated mixture of proteoglycan and link protein from cartilage. Using this probe in an enzyme-linked assay, the amount of hyaluronan in relation to protein content was found to decrease as lung development progressed. In addition, histochemical staining of the embryonic lungs revealed that during early stages, relatively large amounts of hyaluronan were present in the interstitium. However, as development progressed, much of this was lost, and in the adult, hyaluronan was restricted to the regions surrounding the major blood vessels, bronchi, and bronchioles. In contrast to hyaluronan, the amount of CD44 increased as a function of development, as determined by the rat monoclonal antibody, KM-201. Histochemical staining with this antibody showed that the receptor was primarily associated with macrophages and to a lesser extent with adult bronchial and bronchiolar epithelium, vascular smooth muscle, and endothelial cells. As development progressed, the macrophages expressing CD44 increased in number, and this increase was temporarily correlated with the decrease in hyaluronan content. In addition, histochemical staining revealed that some of these macrophages contained hyaluronan in their cytoplasm, suggesting that macrophages had internalized hyaluronan from the extracellular matrix. This possibility was further supported by the fact that when newborn mice were injected with the KM-201 monoclonal antibody, which blocks the interaction between hyaluronan and the receptor, the number of hyaluronan-containing macrophages in the lungs decreased while the concentration of hyaluronan increased. Taken together, these results suggest that macrophages can internalize hyaluronan during lung development and could possibly play a significant role in its removal.
Development of microconnector with an automatic connecting/disconnecting mechanism

We developed microconnectors with an automatic connecting/disconnecting mechanism using magnetic force. The electrical terminals were designed to minimize the friction force during connection/disconnection and were fabricated using a deep X-ray lithography technique. The diameter and thickness of the microconnector are 2.5 mm and 2 mm, respectively. We confirmed the electrical connection at 160 mA/line and the automatic connection/disconnection at a distance of 600 μm between opposing microconnectors.
Structural, transport, thermodynamic, and neutron diffraction studies of layered R 2 O 3 Fe 2 Se 2 (R=Ce, Pr, Nd, and Sm)

We report the structural, transport, and thermodynamic properties of the semiconducting, layered rare-earth iron oxyselenides $R$${}_{2}$O${}_{3}$Fe${}_{2}$Se${}_{2}$ ($R=\text{Ce, Pr, Nd, and Sm}$), which have crystal structures related to the arsenide superconductors except with in-plane oxygens within the Fe square planes. The activation energies are estimated to be between 0.15 and 0.26 eV for these four compounds. The antiferromagnetic Fe sublattice ordering, which appears as an anomaly in the magnetic susceptibility and a sharp peak in the heat capacity, occurs at 87.2, 88.6, 87.7, and 85.3 K, for the Ce to Sm variants, respectively, and the structural analysis suggests a possible correlation between ${T}_{N\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Fe}}$ and the Fe-Se distance, rather than the in-plane Fe-O distance. The $R$ sublattice orders antiferromagnetically at 21.8 K for the Pr variant and 5.8 K for the Sm variant; no $R$ sublattice ordering is observed above 2 K for $R=\text{Ce}$ and Nd. The existence of short-range spin correlations above the Fe sublattice ordering temperature is revealed by magnetic entropy analysis, which also suggests that the ordered magnetic states of the $R$ sublattice arise from triply degenerate crystal-electric-field (CEF) states for Pr and doubly degenerate CEF states for Sm. The neutron-scattering measurements performed on Pr${}_{2}$O${}_{3}$Fe${}_{2}$Se${}_{2}$ reveals that the ordered Fe sublattice has the same magnetic structure as the one in La${}_{2}$O${}_{3}$Fe${}_{2}$Se${}_{2}$, with a propagation vector of $\mathbf{k}=(0.5,0,0.5)$ and an ordered magnetic moment of 2.23(3)${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$/Fe at 5 K.
Immediate cutaneous hypersensitivity after treatment of tattoo with Nd:YAG laser: a case report and review of the literature.

Background To our knowledge this is the first reported case of an immediate cutaneous reaction to Q-switched neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser tattoo removal. A 26-year-old female presented with two 6-year-old tattoos placed at different times. These were of different colors and had remained entirely asymptomatic since placement. There was a Mardi Gras mask on her thigh and a Tasmanian devil on her chest. With laser treatment of the Tasmanian devil, she experienced no untoward effects. However, with treatment of the Mardi Gras mask tattoo, she developed an extensive urticarial and indurated reaction 30 minutes posttreatment. The identical reaction occurred twice with subsequent laser treatments. Dermatology consulted allergy to provide prophylaxis against possible systemic reaction with subsequent Nd:YAG laser therapy. The patient was treated with 3 days of prednisone, cetirizine, and ranitidine before subsequent laser treatments. Prophylactic treatment suppressed all subsequent reactions to laser therapy. Results Delayed hypersensitivity to tattoo pigments occurring days to weeks after placement is well documented. There are no previous reports of immediate hypersensitivity during placement or laser removal. However, there are two previous reports of local and systemic delayed reactions after laser therapy. Conclusions As far as we know, this is the first case report of immediate hypersensitivity after Nd:YAG laser treatment of a tattoo. Prophylactic treatment with steroids and antihistamines prevented reactions with subsequent laser treatments. Reactions after laser removal are rare, but may increase as popularity of skin art increases with the need for subsequent removal.
Comparison of biosorption isotherms for di-N-butyl phthalate by live and dead bacteria

Abstract Isotherms were determined for the sorption of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) on live and dead suspensions of Pseudomonas fluorescens IFO 12055. When isotherms were expressed in terms of the suspended solids concentration actually present in the sorption flasks, the dead biomass had an apparently higher affinity for DBP. However, when the loss of biomass due to cell lysis during a autoclaving was considered, the isotherms on the two types of biomass were the same.
Cancer screening and Haitian immigrants: the primary care provider factor.

Background: Haitian immigrants, among the fastest growing immigrant communities in the United States, have low cancer screening rates. Several patient barriers have been identified and associated with low screening rates but little is known on provider barriers for cancer screening. To address this gap, we assessed the cancer screening practices, attitudes, and beliefs of primary care providers serving the Haitian community. Methods: We surveyed a random sample of physicians serving first generation Haitian immigrants in New York City, identified through their zip codes of practice. Participants completed a questionnaire to assess their beliefs, attitudes and practices surrounding cancer screening, and their perceptions of patient barriers to screening. Results: 50 of 87 physicians (58%) consented to participate in the study. Cancer site-specific and overall cancer screening scores were created for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. 75% of providers followed breast cancer screening guidelines, 16% for cervical cancer, and 30% for colorectal cancer. None of the providers in the sample were following guidelines for all three cancer sites. Additionally, 97% reported recommending digital rectal exam and PSA annually to patients 50 years or older with no family history, and 100% to patients over 50 years old with family history. Conclusions: The reported practices of providers serving the Haitian immigrant community in New York City are not fully consistent with practice guidelines. Efforts should be made to reinforce screening guideline knowledge in physicians serving the Haitian immigrant community, to increase the utilization of systems that increase cancer screening, and to implement strategies to overcome patient barriers.
Chemosystematics of the hydrophyllaceae: Flavonoids of three species of eriodictyon

Eleven flavonoids, nine aglycones and two glycosides were isolated from Eriodictyon tomentosum, E. angustifolium and E. Californicum. Aglycones included the flavanone homoeriodictyol, the flavones apigenin, luteolin, chrysoeriol, 6-methoxyapigenin, 6-methoxyapigenin 7-methyl ether, 6-methoxyapigenin 4′-methyl ether, 6-methoxyluteolin and 6-methoxyluteolin 3′-methyl ether, glycosides were the 3-O-glucosides of quercetin and kaempferol.
Intergenerational Transmission of Subthreshold Autistic Traits in the General Population

Background Autistic disorder (AD) is a disabling oligogenic condition characterized by severe social impairment. Subthreshold autistic social impairments are known to aggregate in the family members of autistic probands; therefore, we conducted this study to examine the intergenerational transmission of such traits in the general population. Methods The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a quantitative measure of autistic traits, was completed on 285 pairs of twins (by maternal report) and on their parents (by spouse report). Results Correlation for social impairment or competence between parents and their children and between spouses was on the order of .4. In families in which both parents scored in the upper quartile for social impairment on the SRS, mean SRS score of offspring was significantly elevated (effect size 1.5). Estimated assortative mating explained approximately 30% of the variation in parent SRS scores. Conclusions Children from families in which both parents manifest subthreshold autistic traits exhibit a substantial shift in the distribution of their scores for impairment in reciprocal social behavior, toward the pathological end. As has been previously demonstrated in children, heritable subthreshold autistic impairments are measurable in adults and appear continuously distributed in the general population.
Protein-mediated chloride-phosphate and lactate-lactate exchange in cytoskeleton-free vesicles budded from rabbit erythrocytes.

Abstract Spectrin-free budded vesicles from rabbit erythrocytes (Leonards, K.S. and Ohki S. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 728, 383–393) exchange intravesicular l -[14C]lactate for extravesicular l -lactate and intravesicular [36Cl]chloride for extravesicular phosphate with inhibitor sensitivity consistent with what is seen in intact cells. The time-course of these fluxes is faster than for intact cells, but is somewhat slower than predicted from surface to volume ratios. Labelling with tritiated 4,4′-diisothiocyanyl-2,2′-dihydrostilbenedisulfonate (H2DIDS) at concentrations which selectively inhibit inorganic anion exchange or specific lactate exchange supports the involvement of a 93–110 kDa (band 3) polypeptide in anion transport and a 40–50 kDa polypeptide in lactate transport across these vesicle membranes. Since the budded vesicles have a markedly simplified protein profile on electrophoresis, their isolated membranes represent a preliminary stage in the purification of these transport proteins in which structure and function appear to be preserved.
Micro-UAV tracking framework for EO exploitation

Historically, the Air Force's research into aerial platforms for sensing systems has focused on low-, mid-, and highaltitude platforms. Though these systems are likely to comprise the majority of the Air Force's assets for the foreseeable future, they have limitations. Specifically, these platforms, their sensor packages, and their data exploitation software are unsuited for close-quarter surveillance, such as in alleys and inside of buildings. Micro-UAVs have been gaining in popularity, especially non-fixed-wing platforms such as quad-rotors. These platforms are much more appropriate for confined spaces. However, the types of video exploitation techniques that can effectively be used are different from the typical nadir-looking aerial platform. This paper discusses the creation of a framework for testing existing and new video exploitation algorithms, as well as describes a sample micro-UAV-based tracker.
The Impact of Ethnicity, Language, and Anxiety on Quality of Life in Children with Cancer

Undergoing cancer treatment significantly impacts quality of life (QOL). This study evaluated the role of anxiety, ethnicity, and language on QOL in children with a cancer diagnosis. Participants included 156 parent–child dyads in 3 groups: English-speaking Hispanic, Spanish-speaking Hispanic, and English-speaking non-Hispanic White. Parents completed measures of self-reported anxiety and their children’s perceived QOL. Children completed self-reported measures of anxiety and QOL. Families in which parents primarily spoke English reported higher parent-reported generic-module QOL (p = 0.0062), higher parent-reported cancer-specific QOL (p = 0.004), lower parent trait anxiety (p = 0.0005)), and lower child trait anxiety (p = 0.013), compared to families in which parents primarily spoke Spanish. Regression analyses were strongly supportive of a mediational role of parent trait anxiety in the association of ethnicity/language and parent-reported QOL. The results of this study suggest that children of Spanish-speaking parents may be at greater risk of decreased quality of life, as a function of increased parental anxiety.
Surface matrix binding alters murine peritoneal mononuclear phagocyte TNF-α and IL-6 induction

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are important promotors of mononuclear phagocyte (MO) activation. Signals derived from binding to a surface matrix also participate in promoting the activation process of MO. In this study, we examined the relative contribution of adherence in augmenting murine MO activation for cytokine production. Kinetic studies compared the production and secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by MO cultured as adherent monolayers to those of MO cultured as suspended cells in teflon vessels. All cells were maximally stimulated in vitro with IFN-gamma and LPS prior to analysis. Immunoprecipitation analysis of protein and RNA slot blots showed that both secreted protein and mRNA representing TNF and IL-6 are delayed two to six hours in nonadherent MO cultures compared to adherent MO cultures. Moreover, data from bioassays confirmed that these cytokines were completely functional in both systems examined. Although IFN-gamma/LPS were able to stimulate production and secretion of TNF and IL-6 in the nonadherent cells, without cell-matrix interaction, the process was significantly delayed. These data support the hypothesis that the physical event of adherence significantly facilitates the production of specific cytokines by activated MO.
Nitrate reductase activity of soils

Dissimilatory nitrate reductase in soils is the enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of NO33− to NO2− under anaerobic conditions. The detection of this enzyme in soils is reported, and a simple, sensitive and precise method to assay its activity is described. The method involves determination of the NO2−-N produced when soil. 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and KNO3 are incubated under waterlogged conditions at 25°C for 24 h. At a certain concentration, depending on the soil type, DNP inhibits nitrite reductase but not nitrate reductase. The DNP concentration required for optimum NO2− production in five soils ranged from 5 to 300 μg DNP g−1 soil. The nitrate reductase activity of six soils studied ranged from 18 to 80 μg NO2−-N produced g−1 soil 24 h−1. Optimum activity was found at 5 mM KNO3 and nitrate reductase was inhibited at >5 mM KNO3. Nitrate reductase activity in soils is inactivated at temperatures above 40°C and is completely destroyed by steam sterilization. The relationship between duration of incubation and the amount of NO2−-N produced showed a lag of about 10 h, but in general, thereafter, this relationship was linear for a certain period of incubation, which varied among the soils studied. The duration of the lag was reduced, but not completely eliminated, either by previous incubation for 10 h or by bubbling N2 gas in the soil-water mixture for 3 min to remove the dissolved O2 in the soil-water mixture before addition of NO3−. The relationship between the amount of soil used and the NO2−-N produced was linear unless the substrate concentration was limiting the reaction rate. Application of the Lineweaver-Burk transformation of the Michaelis-Menten equation indicated that the Km values for nitrate reductase in Ames and Okoboji soils were 3.7 and 2.9, respectively, and the Vmax values were 122 and 126μg NO2−-N produced g− soil 24 h−.
Sequence Determination of an Extremely Acidic Rat Dentin Phosphoprotein

Abstract The mineralization process associated with the conversion of predentin to dentin is believed to be initiated and controlled by a set of acidic regulatory noncollagenous proteins (NCPs) which include phosphophoryn, the major NCP in dentin. Phosphophoryn binds tightly to collagen and is believed to initiate the formation of apatite crystals which play a central role in the mineralization process. During the process of analyzing the 3′ end of an odontoblast-specific cDNA which codes for dentin sialoprotein (Ritchie, H. H., Hou, H., Veis, A., and Butler, W. T. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 3698-3702), we discovered a 801-base pair open reading frame. This downstream open reading frame encodes a putative leader sequence and a very acidic mature protein sequence having a deduced amino acid composition containing high percentages of both Ser (43%) and Asp (31%) residues which closely coincides with the amino acid composition of phosphophoryns from human, bovine, rat, and rabbit (i.e. Asp (30-40%) and Ser (38-50%)). This newly identified cDNA therefore encodes a protein with characteristics similar to phosphophoryn. Here we present the cDNA sequence, the deduced amino acid sequence, and the prospective Ser residue-specific casein kinase I and II phosphorylation sites for this putative phosphophoryn.
Design of Skin Penetration Enhancers Using Replacement Methods for the Selection of the Molecular Descriptors

Transdermal delivery of certain drugs is challenging because of skin barrier resistance. This study focuses on the implementation of feature-selection algorithms to design chemical penetration enhancers. A database, consisting of 145 polar and nonpolar chemicals, was chosen for the investigation. Replacement, enhanced replacement and stepwise algorithms were applied to identify relevant structural properties of these compounds. The descriptors were calculated using Molecular Modeling Pro™ Plus. Based on the coefficient of determination, the replacement methods outperformed the stepwise approach in selecting the features that best correlated with the flux enhancement ratio. An artificial neural network model was built to map a subset of descriptors from sixty-one nonpolar enhancers onto the output vector. The R2 value improved from 0.68, for a linear model, to 0.74, which shows that the improved framework might be effective in the design of compounds with user-defined properties.
Chromatographic separation of phenylpropanol enantiomers on a quinidine carbamate-type chiral stationary phase.

Abstract The retention and the separation of the enantiomers of 1-phenylpropanol (1PP), 2-phenylpropanol (2PP), and 3-chloro-1-phenylpropanol (3CPP) on silica-bonded quinidine carbamate under normal phase HPLC conditions were investigated. A relatively high selectivity of the stationary phase for 3CPP and 1PP ( α ≈ 1.07 − 1.09 ) was achieved with eluents containing ethyl acetate as the polar modifier. These mobile phases were examined in detail. Based on the set of chromatographic and thermodynamic data collected, conclusions regarding the mechanism of enantioselectivity and the structure of the selector chiral center are made.