cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Substance and Circumstances of Race and Immigration Talk in High School Gender and Sexuality Alliances.

Gender & Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) are school-based clubs that support youth of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. As identity-centered spaces, GSAs could also foster discussions related to race and immigration (i.e., race and immigration talk). We conducted semi-structured interviews from 2016 to 2018 with 38 GSA members (ages 13-20 years old) of diverse racial/ethnic, immigrant-origin (first and second generations in the United States born of immigrant parents), sexual orientation, and gender identities. Race and immigration talk often occurred when discussing current events (e.g., the 2016 US Presidential Election). Students reported that race and immigration talk depended on representation (i.e., GSA demographics), if it was deemed personally relevant to members, and whether students perceived issues of race and immigration as part of the agenda of the GSA. Some students indicated motivation to discuss racism and nativism yet refrained from doing so due to discomfort or fear of misspeaking. Overall, youth primarily viewed the GSA as a space for LGBTQIA+-oriented discussions and support yet expressed potential for fostering productive race and immigration talk in GSAs given the ongoing US sociopolitical climate. Discussions facilitated by advisors focusing on inter-connected oppression (e.g., intersections of racism and heterosexism) and that leverage brave space discussion dynamics may help students develop competencies to engage in race and immigration talk.
A systematic review of systematic reviews of secondary health conditions, health promotion, and employment of people with intellectual disabilities

This is a systematic review of systematic reviews of secondary health conditions, health promotion interventions, and employment in people with intellectual disabilities. Articles were included if they reported a systematic review of health and employment, secondary health conditions, and health promotion interventions for people with intellectual disabilities. The methodological quality of the included reviews was reviewed using the A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews quality rating system, a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews. Twenty-five systematic reviews were included. There was evidence that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) were at elevated risk for secondary health conditions, health promotion interventions can improve physical and mental health conditions, and employment is associated with better health-related quality of life. Health promotion intervention to help people with ID engage in health promoting behaviors can improve health and their ability to find and maintain employment.
Lactation Consultation by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Improves Breastfeeding Rates for Mothers With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

BackgroundIn patients with gestational diabetes, breastfeeding decreases the lifetime risk of Type 2 diabetes by half. Lactation consultation has been shown to increase breastfeeding rates in the g...
Effects of a diet based on the Dietary Guidelines on vascular health and TMAO in women with cardiometabolic risk factors

Abstract Background and aims Recent evidence links trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) to endothelial dysfunction, an early indicator of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine whether short-term consumption of a diet patterned after the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) would affect endothelial function, plasma TMAO concentrations, and cardiovascular disease risk, differently than a typical American Diet (TAD). Methods and results An 8-wk controlled feeding trial was conducted in overweight/obese women pre-screened for insulin resistance and/or dyslipidemia. Women were randomized to a DGA or TAD group (n = 22/group). At wk0 (pre-intervention) and wk8 (post-intervention) vascular age was calculated; endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index (RHI)) and augmentation index (AI@75) were measured using EndoPAT, and plasma TMAO was measured by LC-MS/MS. Vascular age was reduced in DGA at wk8 compared to wk0 but TAD wk8 was not different from wk0 (DGA wk0: 54.2 ± 4.0 vs. wk8: 50.5 ± 3.1 (p = 0.05), vs. TAD wk8: 47.7 ± 2.3). Plasma TMAO concentrations, RHI, and AI@75 were not different between groups or weeks. Conclusion Consumption of a diet based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 8 weeks did not improve endothelial function or reduce plasma TMAO. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02298725.
Haircuts and Power: Sovereignty and the Military

How can law be, simultaneously, nearly unseen, omnipresent, and materially affecting lives? Certainly the simultaneous presence of two of the three factors is plausible. Law can be both omnipresent and materially affecting a person. Equally true, law can be nearly unseen and all-powerful, or unseen and materially affecting lives. The simultaneous presence of each of those three factors will strike most readers, at least initially, as being incompatible with at least one of those factors; that is, what aspires to be nearly unseen, omnipresent, and materially affecting lives must sacrifice one of those characteristics for the benefit of the other two. Yet, such an improbable trifecta of law is found everyday, in the lives of military members. The different character of the military community lends itself to the shared presence of what would ordinarily be inapposite ideals. The overt, yet hidden law stands as the backbone of a unique culture with an equally unique purpose, permitting the existence, and indeed, reinforcement, of a construct that affects every second of every minute of every hour of every day of those governed by it, but in a manner that goes largely unseen. This unique confluence of law and authority create the environment wherein the military can affect such a prominent role in the lives of its members, but also wherein civilian judges deeply defer to the rules and policies created by the military, resulting in weakened constitutional scrutiny as it relates to the military. The reason is a very different mentality – the military mentality. It is necessary to understand that lens, with the goal of seeing law as authority and authority as controlling. This chapter will argue that the authority that the military derives and uses is not based in legal-rational grounding. Rather, by examining the power from the eyes of the street-level soldier, the power that the military wields becomes clear, evidencing strength and authority through tradition and imbuing that tradition in culture and law. By examining the theoretical underpinnings of military authority, this chapter will examine the source and nature of law that is leveraged upon the on-the-ground Soldier.
Implementation and analysis of quantum computing application to Higgs boson reconstruction at the large Hadron Collider.

With the advent of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) era, high energy physics (HEP) event selection will require new approaches to rapidly and accurately analyze vast databases. The current study addresses the enormity of HEP databases in an unprecedented manner—a quantum search using Grover’s Algorithm (GA) on an unsorted database, ATLAS Open Data, from the ATLAS detector. A novel method to identify rare events at 13 TeV in CERN’s LHC using quantum computing (QC) is presented. As indicated by the Higgs boson decay channel $$H\rightarrow ZZ^*\rightarrow 4l$$ , the detection of four leptons in one event may be used to reconstruct the Higgs boson and, more importantly, evince Higgs boson decay to some new phenomena, such as $$H\rightarrow ZZ_d \rightarrow 4l$$ . Searching the dataset for collisions resulting in detection of four leptons using a Jupyter Notebook, a classical simulation of GA, and several quantum computers with multiple qubits, the current application was found to make the proper selection in the unsorted dataset. Quantum search efficacy was analyzed for the incoming HL-LHC by implementing the QC method on multiple classical simulators and IBM’s quantum computers with the IBM Qiskit Open Source Software. The current QC application provides a novel, high-efficiency alternative to classical database searches, demonstrating its potential utility as a rapid and increasingly accurate search method in HEP.
Environmental Epigenomics: Applications of Epigenetic Biomarkers to Investigate Epigenetic Alterations from Environmental Exposures

Over the past decade, evidence has shown that epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in human disease susceptibility and cancer. Studies of potential human carcinogens have been expanded to include those that do not appear to damage DNA directly but rather alter gene expression patterns through epigenetic mechanisms such as alterations in DNA methylation, histone modifications/chromatin alterations, and microRNA. Given that almost 25 % of all human diseases are estimated to be caused by environmental exposures, here we review current studies of xenobiotic exposures for which there is growing mechanistic evidence for indirect DNA alteration through epigenetic mechanisms. Also described are common variations in genes that may modify epigenetic alterations in blood and tumor DNA. Epidemiological methods used to incorporate epigenetic alterations into studies of disease etiology as well as current methods used to apply and critically evaluate study results reporting associations between environmental exposure and disease are described.
Atticus Finch - Christian?

This essay is the third-part of A Dialogue Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of to Kill a Mockingbird's Publication between Professors Lance McMillian and Judy Cornett, featured in the Tennessee Law Review. In this piece, Professor McMillian answers three questions posed to him by Professor Cornett: (1) Is Atticus Finch really a Christian in any meaningful sense?, (2) Is Atticus Finch's Christian faith the “but for” impetus behind his actions?, and (3) Should Atticus Finch be judged a hero at all under today's standards?
The transfer of 2,4,5,2′,4′,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl to fetuses and nursing offspring: II. Induction of hepatic microsomal monooxygenase activity in pregnant and lactating mice and their young

Abstract The effect of 2,4,5,2′,4′,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl (6-CB) on hepatic microsomal monooxygenase activity in virgin or pregnant and lactating mice and their offspring was examined. 6-CB was administered in a single dose of 100 mg/kg 14 days before mating. Prior to, and during early pregnancy, hepatic monooxygenase activity in all 6-CB-pretreated mice was greater than that in corn oil controls. No notable differences were observed between pregnant and virgin animals in either group. Corn oil-pretreated mothers had lower cytochrome P-450 content during mid to late pregnancy and early lactation than that observed in virgins sacrificed at the same time, and benzphetamine-N-demethylation and ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylation were also decreased in lactating animals. Mothers pretreated with 6-CB and sacrificed on the day of birth had lower microsomal monooxygenase activity and cytochrome P-450 content than 6-CB-pretreated virgins sacrificed concurrently, but no differences were noted between these groups of animals during lactation. Hepatic enzyme activities and cytochrome P-450 content were not different between newborns (Day 1) of corn oil- and 6-CB-pretreated mothers. However, these parameters were elevated in 5- to 20-day postpartum nursing offspring from 6-CB-pretreated mothers when compared to those from corn oil-pretreated mothers suggesting transfer of 6-CB through breast milk in quantities sufficient to affect hepatic microsomal monooxygenase activity.
A power-configurable bus for embedded systems

Pre-designed configurable platforms, possessing microprocessors, memories, and numerous peripherals on a single chip, are increasing in popularity in embedded system design. Platform configurability enables use in more products, which results in lower cost platforms due to higher volume production. Common configurable features include voltage scaling and cache organization. We introduce a new bus architecture that can be configured for normal performance or low power. The additional hardware that provides this configurability imposes almost no performance overhead in normal mode compared to a non-configurable bus. We show the substantial range of power and performances that such a bus provides, and we show that the low-power configuration can result in energy savings, using a set of benchmarks.
Surface raman spectroelectrochemistry: Part I. Heterocyclic, aromatic, and aliphatic amines adsorbed on the anodized silver electrode

Abstract In this work we have verified the remarkable sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy for the study of adsorbed pyridine on a silver surface, and extended its applicability to other nitrogen heterocycles and amines. New bands in the scattering spectrum of adsorbed pyridine have been characterized, which were not previously reported, as well as the Raman intensity response of all the surface pyridine bands as a function of electrode potential. As a result of these experiments, we have proposed a model of the adsorbed species for pyridine in which the adsorption is anion induced, leading to an axial end-on attachment to the electrode surface. The ability to obtain resonance Raman spectra with good signal-to-noise with laser powers less than 1.0 mW, reported here for the first time, opens up possibilities of surface Raman studies with relatively inexpensive laser systems. As laser power requirements are relaxed, reliability is improved, and greater tuning ranges can be achieved for wavelength dependent studies. We previously demonstrated the potential of resonance Raman spectroscopy for monitoring solution kinetic behavior [2], and now have shown that NR as well as RR spectroscopy has sufficient sensitivity to extend the studies of kinetic processes to include those occurring at electrode surfaces.
Legal Research and Writing: What Schools are Doing, and Who is Doing the Teaching (Three Years Later)

This article follows-up on Jan M. Levine, Legal Research and Writing: What Schools Are Doing, and Who is Doing the Teaching, 7 SCRIBES JOURNAL OF LEGAL WRITING 51 (2000). Written three years later, this article reports new data showing that dynamic trends in the staffing of those programs have continued unabated. The article categorizes law-school writing programs by staffing model and faculty status for each United States law school accredited by the American Bar Association, plus those schools seeking ABA accreditation. The new article reflects changes at many schools, clarifies the situation at most schools, and adds information about a few brand-new law schools, and it also contains new information about whether the legal-writing faculty at each school may vote at faculty meetings.
Respiratory bellows-gated late gadolinium enhancement of the left atrium.

Purpose To compare bellows-gated late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) with standard navigator-gated (NAV-gated) LGE for left atrial (LA) imaging, to eliminate the inflow artifacts associated with NAV-gating. Materials and methods Eleven subjects, including six patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), were imaged with a 3D free-breathing NAV-gated and bellows-gated LGE. Motion compensation was compared by blinded grading of image sharpness and motion ghosting (0 = worst, 2 = best). Inflow artifacts in the right inferior pulmonary vein (RIPV) and right superior PV (RSPV) were characterized on the same scale (0 = none, 2 = prominent). In patients, each PV was divided into four quadrants circumferentially in order to assess agreement about scar presence on both image sets. Results Respiratory compensation was not different (1.7 ± 0.5 vs. 1.6 ± 0.5, sharpness, 1.6 ± 0.5 vs. 1.6 ± 0.5, ghosting, P = NS) for bellows- and NAV-gated images. For NAV-gated LGE, inflow artifacts were more prominent in the RSPV than the RIPV (1.2 ± 0.8 vs. 0.7 ± 0.5, P = 0.046). Visually, inflow artifacts both obscured and mimicked the true scar. Disagreement on the presence of scar was found in 18% of the assessed quadrants, with 25% disagreement for RSPV quadrants (P = 0.01). Conclusion Bellows-gated LGE provides similar respiratory compensation as NAV-gating, without inflow artifacts, leading to improved assessment of scar presence.
Amyloid-β Immunization Effectively Reduces Amyloid Deposition in FcRγ-/- Knock-Out Mice

Direct immunization with amyloid beta protein (Abeta) and passive transfer of anti-Abeta antibodies reduce Abeta accumulation and attenuate cognitive deficits in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The reduction in Abeta deposition has been proposed to involve microglial phagocytosis of Abeta immune complexes via Fc receptors (FcRs). We have examined the efficacy of Abeta immunization in amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice crossed into FcR-gamma chain knock-out mice (FcRgamma-/-). As might be expected from previous studies on macrophages, phagocytosis of Abeta immune complexes via FcR was completely impaired in microglia cells isolated from FcRgamma-/- mice. Thus, we immunized APP Tg2576 transgenic mice that were crossed in the FcRgamma-/- background with Abeta1-42 and then analyzed the effect on Abeta accumulation. In APP Tg2576 transgenic mice crossed to FcRgamma-/-, Abeta1-42 immunization significantly attenuated Abeta deposition, as assessed by both biochemical and immunohistological methods. The reduction in Abeta accumulation was equivalent to the reduction in deposition seen in Abeta1-42 immunized, age-matched, FcR-sufficient Tg2576 mice. We conclude that after Abeta immunization, the effects of anti-Abeta antibodies on Abeta deposition in APP Tg2576 transgenic mice are not dependent on FcR-mediated phagocytic events.
Neural Plasticity in Patients with Tinnitus and Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hearing loss and tinnitus and are two common problems that both increase in prevalence with advancing age. The self-reported incidence of hearing loss reaches 35% by age 75 (Nadol, Jr. 1993). This incidence may be low by a factor of two or more. Experience at the Rochester Institute of Technology suggests that 90% or more of adults in their 70’s have hearing loss when standard audiometric tests are used as the test measure (R. Frisina, personal communication). Public health survey data show that the incidence of severe, disabling tinnitus also rises with age and parallels the increase in the incidence of hearing loss (National Center for Health Statistics, 1968). These two problems account for a substantial amount of disability due to the impairments in communication and the attendant psychological impact of isolation, depression, and other symptoms (O’Connor et al. 1987; Hallametal. 1984).
Endogenous Oncornaviruses in Chemically Induced Transformation. II. Effect of Virus Production In Vivo

C3H/HeJ and AKR/J mice differed in their susceptibility to 3-methylcholantrhene (MCA)-induced sarcomagenesis (86% incidence of sarcomas in C3H by 18 wk; 5% incidence in AKR by 18 wk) and in the production of endogenous murine leukemia virus (MuLV) (AKR produced greater than 10(5) plaque-forming units/ml tail extract in XC test; C3H did not produce detectable virus.) A genetic corss between C3H and AKR mice was examined to determine the relationship of virus production to oncogenesis by MCA. Mice of the (C3H X AKR)F X C3H backcross were typed for the production of infectious MuLV by tail biospy and then inoculated with MCA. Of the backcross mice, 81% produced high titers of ecotropic MuLV; the remaining 19% did not contain detectable infectious MuLV. The virus-producing and non-virus-producing backcross mice were equally sensitive and highly susceptible to MCA-induced sarcomagenesis. Tumors of all virus-positive mice contained infectious MuLV. Some tumors (54%) of virus-negative mice also contained infectious MuLV; this indicated the induction of endogenous MuLV in the tumors of these mice. We concluded that the overt production of MuLV in mice of this backcross did not function in the sensitivity of the mice to sarcoma induction by MCA. Furthermore, the presence of virus in some chemically induced tumors was due to an induction pehnomenon independent of the primary oncogenic event.
Experimental tests of a new Lorentz-invariant dynamics based solely on the first postulate of relativity. - I

We reanalyze some well-known experimental results within the framework of a new Lorentz-invariant dynamics (for particles and fields) based solely on the first postulate of special relativity. This theory differs from the conventional relativistic dynamics in a number of fundamental ways. However, new four-dimensional transformations still form the Lorentz group and the theory is consistent with all previously performed experiments.
SAMMD: Staphylococcus aureus microarray meta-database.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen, causing a wide variety of diseases ranging from superficial skin infections to severe life threatening infections. S. aureus is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections. Its ability to resist multiple antibiotics poses a growing public health problem. In order to understand the mechanism of pathogenesis of S. aureus, several global expression profiles have been developed. These transcriptional profiles included regulatory mutants of S. aureus and growth of wild type under different growth conditions. The abundance of these profiles has generated a large amount of data without a uniform annotation system to comprehensively examine them. We report the development of the Staphylococcus aureus Microarray meta-database (SAMMD) which includes data from all the published transcriptional profiles. SAMMD is a web-accessible database that helps users to perform a variety of analysis against and within the existing transcriptional profiles. SAMMD is a relational database that uses MySQL as the back end and PHP/JavaScript/DHTML as the front end. The database is normalized and consists of five tables, which holds information about gene annotations, regulated gene lists, experimental details, references, and other details. SAMMD data is collected from the peer-reviewed published articles. Data extraction and conversion was done using perl scripts while data entry was done through phpMyAdmin tool. The database is accessible via a web interface that contains several features such as a simple search by ORF ID, gene name, gene product name, advanced search using gene lists, comparing among datasets, browsing, downloading, statistics, and help. The database is licensed under General Public License (GPL). SAMMD is hosted and available at http://www.bioinformatics.org/sammd/ . Currently there are over 9500 entries for regulated genes, from 67 microarray experiments. SAMMD will help staphylococcal scientists to analyze their expression data and understand it at global level. It will also allow scientists to compare and contrast their transcriptome to that of the other published transcriptomes.
Diffraction studies of structure in two Fe multilayers

Abstract X-ray studies of sputtered Fe-V and Fe-Si LMS as a function of Fe layer thickness were used to determine the structure perpendicular to the layers. These studies showed the types of behavior expected of LMS and were generally consistent with results from existing previous studies. Electron diffraction studies were used to obtain information about the in-plane structure of these LMS. For each system specific forms of in-plane structure developed as the Fe layer thickness decreased. The superlattice system Fe-V developed a common BCC lattice for t Fe ≲ 25 A. The Fe-Si system showed a loss of long-range order as t Fe decreased; however, a simple transition from crystalline to amorphous form does not correctly describe this loss of order.
DOES MULTIPLE REGGEON EXCHANGE PRODUCE AN EIKONAL-TYPE FORMULA.

An attractive possibility, much discussed recently, suggests that multiple Reggeon exchange produces a scattering amplitude of the eikonal form. We investigate this matter on a simple example. The anticipated eikonal structure does not emerge.
Distinct regions of bacterial flagellar switch protein FliM interact with FliG, FliN and CheY.

The FliG, FliM, and FliN proteins of the bacterial flagellar motor are believed to interact with one another to form the switch complex, which in turn is thought to interact with one of the chemotaxis proteins, CheY. In particular, FliM appears to be an intermediary between CheY and FliG: the current model suggests that CheY, when phosphorylated (CheY-P), binds to FliM and produces a conformational change in FliM that is propagated to FliG. The result of these interactions is to induce clockwise rotation of the flagellar motors and tumbling of the cell. Various genetic and biochemical studies have provided evidence that the switch proteins associate with each other and that CheY-P binds to FliM. Here, we have used affinity blotting to obtain direct evidence of interaction between Salmonella typhimurium FliM and FliN, FliM and FliG, and FliM and CheY-P. We have also examined the ability of various FliM deletion and truncation mutant proteins to bind to FliN, FliG, and CheY-P. From these data, we conclude that distinct regions of the FliM protein bind to each of these other proteins. We propose a model in which the N-terminal region of FliM binds to CheY-P, the middle region of FliM binds to FliG, and the C-terminal region binds to FliN.
Friendship Patterns and Self-Concept Development in Preadolescent Males

Summary This study was designed from the theoretical perspective of Sullivan who proposed that during preadolescence, a “chum” relationship increases a child's sense of self-worth. Ss were 60 male sixth graders, with an equal number in the chumship and nonchumship groups. Self-concept was measured with the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale. It was found that children involved in a chum relationship possessed significantly higher self concepts than those without a chum. This finding was accounted for in terms of Sullivan's notion that a chum relationship provides the opportunity for the preadolescent to realize that he shares common thoughts and feelings with his friend. Thus, his own sense of self-worth is consensually validated.
Mesogenic Properties of 2′,3″″-dimethyl-p- sexiphenyl

Abstract The mesogenic properties of 2′,3″″-dimethyl-p-sexiphenyl, 2, have been investigated. Although three endothermic transitions were observed only two were reproducible and correspond to a crystal to crystal change and a crystal to nematic change. A larger than expected decrease in the on-set temperature of rate the nematic transition and the absence of a smectic transition in 2 compared to p-sexiphenyl, 1, have been observed. These data support a proposed “lock-key” model for the molecular conformation of the parent compound, 1 which is not present in 2.
Sex differences in the neurochemical and functional effects of MDMA in Sprague-Dawley rats.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; “Ecstasy”) use has been associated with acute toxicities and persistent depletion of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT). This study investigates whether sex differences in the acute and long-term effects of MDMA exist. Male and female rats received saline or 15 mg/kg MDMA, ip, bid for 4 days. Temperature was monitored on days 1 and 4. Locomotor activity was measured in a second cohort of animals on days 1 and 4 and after recovery on day 14. The effects of MDMA on performance in a plus maze task and brain levels of serotonin (5-HT) and the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in a third cohort of animals 2 weeks after the last MDMA treatment. Locomotor activity and temperature increased after MDMA administration on day 1. The drug-induced increases in temperature but not locomotion attenuated with repeated MDMA administration. Male and female MDMA-treated rats spent less time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and had less 5-HT and 5-HIAA in all brain regions 2 weeks after the end of treatment. Temperature effects of MDMA and persistent effects on plus maze and brain serotonin content were similar in males and females. In contrast, females exhibited markedly greater locomotor stimulation after acute MDMA and also showed sensitization to an acute challenge 2 weeks later. MDMA elicits substantially greater locomotor activation in female rats than in males, but persistent effects on anxiety and serotonin content were similar in males and females.
The evolution of the international information system on research in documentation (ISORID)

A reading of the available documents on the International Information System on Research in Documentation (ISORID), a joint UNESCO-FID operation, reveals that the system has met as yet unresolved stresses that hinder the effective contribution to the world community that this system was envisioned to make. The apparent importance of ISORID to support other endeavors of UNESCO, particularly UNISIST, suggests one internally satisfied need that justifies existence to a degree. A quantitative comparision with the U.S.-based Library and Information Services Today (LIST) is not kind to ISORID and reflects the degree of difficulty that ISORID has with its essentially cooperative basis for gathering data. The theoretical basis for an international register appears sound, but practicalities are hindering its effectiveness to the fields of documentation, information science, and librarianship.
Animation: a useful tool for protein molecular dynamicists, applied to hydrogen bonds in the active site of elastase.

Abstract Massive amounts of coordinate data result from molecular dynamics calculations. The animation program MDKINO is a simple but powerful tool for previewing or reviewing the results. In recent simulations of elastase, we have examined hydrogen bonding patterns, conformational changes involving shifts in ring positions and rotations of amino acid side chains, electric fields in interatomic space, and electric forces acting on chosen nuclei. Animation is also useful for checking on the stability of calculations in progress. Simple programming techniques achieve acceptable levels of animation with readily available hardware (PS330 or PS390 display with a serial interface to a laboratory VAX). In about half an hour, it is possible to make and watch a color stereo “movie” of a selected subsystem of a simulation (up to 1 000 frames of about 100 atoms each).
Development of a novel approach to safely couple the intestine to a distraction-induced device for intestinal growth: use of reconstructive tissue matrix

Distraction-induced intestinal growth may be a novel treatment for short bowel syndrome. Longitudinal, distractive tension created by the application of force creates a significant challenge: to produce adequate force, yet not cause perforation at the fixation points. This paper describes our development of a coupling strategy to allow for successful bowel lengthening. A curvilinear hydraulic device was implanted in an isolated Roux limb of small bowel in young Yorkshire pigs. Bowel was lengthened over a 2-week period. Study groups included: Group 1: Twelve silk transmural anchoring sutures into an engineered-coupling ring at the ends of each device. Group 2: Addition of felt pledgets to the coupling rings on the serosal surface of the small bowel. Group 3: Extraluminal use of either thin AlloDerm®, thick AlloDerm®, or Strattice™ mesh to anchor the device. Group 1 (suture-only) resulted in a gradual pulling through the suture with increasing tension and no lengthening. Felt pledgets eroded in a similar fashion, causing abdominal sepsis. Thin AlloDerm® failed to prevent erosion; however, it protected against gross contamination. Animals in which either thick AlloDerm® or Strattice™ mesh was used survived complication free to the study endpoint. Both thick AlloDerm® and Strattice™ prevented erosion and perforation allowing for an average of 10.85 cm expansion. This study demonstrates the use of either thick AlloDerm® or Strattice™ reconstructive tissue matrix which allows for safe and effective coupling. Further, we suggest this approach could be an adjunct to esophageal lengthening procedures.
The Apache Software Foundation: Brian Behlendorf

From "A Patchy Server" to the Apache Software Foundation that is an important part of the open source movement today, Brian Behlendorf describes the ASF's history. The first Web extra at http://youtu.be/6kRMlfIBMCY is a video interview with Brian Behlendorf about the Apache Software Foundation and its key role in the open source movement. The second Web extra at http://youtu.be/hy7gktf2FbI is an audio recording of Charles Severance's Computing Conversations column, in which he discusses his interview with Brian Behlendorf about the Apache Software Foundation and its key role in the open source movement.
Influence of Amplification on the Discrimination of Dichotic Consonant-Vowel Syllables in a Population with Sensorineural Hearing Loss

This study was designed to investigate the premise that the long-term use of monaural amplification influences dichotic listening conditions in a population with sensorineural hearing losses. 30 subjects with moderate, bilateral sensorineural hearing losses and 10 normally-hearing adults were chosen for this study. 20 of the subjects with sensorineural hearing loss had worn amplification successfully for at least 1 year prior to testing. 10 of these subjects had worn amplification only on the right ear while the remaining 10 had worn amplification only on the left ear. All subjects received 60 monaural and dichotic consonant-vowel (CV) nonsense syllables presented at equal loudness levels using the most comfortable level (MCL) as the loudness criteria. While monaural scores revealed nonsignificant differences between ears for all subjects, using percentage of error, dichotic results produced a right-ear advantage for the right-ear-aided, unaided and normally-hearing subjects. A significant left-ear advantage was seen for the left-ear-aided subjects. Results of this study suggest that amplification introduces selective listening effects which alter reported dichotic test scores.
An improved algorithm for reconstructing a simple polygon from its visibility angles

Given a cyclically ordered vertex sequence of an unknown simple polygon P of n vertices and, for each vertex v of P, the sequence of angles defined by all the visible vertices of v in P, we study the problem of reconstructing the polygon P (up to similarity). An O(n^3logn) time algorithm has been proposed for this problem (by Disser, Mihalak, and Widmayer in 2011 [5]). We show in this paper that the running time of the algorithm in the previous work can be reduced to O(n^2) time by new observations on the geometric structures of the problem.
Onset of flow in a horizontally vibrated granular bed: Convection by horizontal shearing

We present experimental observations of the onset of flow for horizontally vibrated 3D granular systems. For accelerations Γ above Γ*, the top layers of granular material flow, leading to convection with motion both parallel and transverse to the shaking; the lower part of the layer moves with the shaker in solid body motion. With increasing Γ, more of the layer becomes liquefied. The initial bifurcation is backward, but a small amount of fluidization by gas flow lifts the hysteresis. A new convective mechanism, which we explore both experimentally and computationally, associated with horizontal shearing at the walls, is identified as the mechanism driving the transverse convective flow.
Race/ethnicity and the start of child care: A multi-level analysis of factors influencing first child care experiences

Abstract Early childhood education and care experiences play an important role in children's development and school readiness with, in general, sustained exposure to high quality, center-based care leading to positive outcomes. Hispanic parents have been shown to be less likely than others to place their children in center-based care, particularly when children are very young—a pattern that contrasts African American parents’ tendency for earlier use of center-based care. This paper examines child care choice from a contextual perspective. Using a multi-level modeling approach, we consider ethnicity and race, at the individual and neighborhood levels, in relation to the age at which children first participate in non-parental care and the type of care they first experience. Using data from the ECLS-K, the 1990 Census and other contextual sources, we demonstrate that Hispanic parents’ later use of care is explainable by economic and work participation factors at the family level, while neighborhood proportion of Hispanic individuals is associated with delayed entry into child care. In contrast, the observed early use of care among African American families persists after accounting for economic and work factors, and appears independent of differences in neighborhood context. Limitations and implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Testicular fibrothecoma: a morphologic and immunohistochemical study of 16 cases.

Benign intratesticular spindle cell lesions are rare. Herein, we report the morphology, immunohistochemical characteristics, and prognosis of 16 cases of testicular fibrothecoma. The mean age at diagnosis was 44 years (16 to 69 y). Of 15 patients with information, 14 presented with a palpable testic
Steady flow of non-Newtonian fluids through rectangular ducts

Abstract The present paper contains a numerical study for the secondary flow of a Reiner-Rivlin non-Newtonian fluid in laminar flow through ducts of square and rectangular cross section. Finite difference methods are developed to obtain the primary flow, the secondary flow, and the friction factor. The influence of the second normal stress coefficient, the Reynolds number, and the aspect ratio on the magnitude of the secondary flow are considered. In general, the effect of the secondary flow on the primary flow rate and friction factor is found to be negligible.
CD14 Is a Cell-activating Receptor for Bacterial Peptidoglycan

The hypothesis that CD14 (an endotoxin receptor present on macrophages and neutrophils) acts as a cell-activating receptor for bacterial peptidoglycan was tested using mouse 70Z/3 cells transfected with human CD14. 70Z/3 cells transfected with an empty vector were unresponsive to insoluble and soluble peptidoglycan, as well as to low concentrations of endotoxin. 70Z/3-CD14 cells were responsive to both insoluble and soluble peptidoglycan, as well as to low concentrations of endotoxin, as measured by the expression of surface IgM, activation of NF-κB, and degradation of IκB-α. Peptidoglycan also induced activation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB-α in macrophage RAW264.7 cells. These peptidoglycan-induced effects (in contrast to endotoxin-induced effects) were not inhibited by polymyxin B. Both peptidoglycan- and endotoxin-induced activation of NF-κB were inhibited by anti-CD14 mAb. The N-terminal 151 amino acids of CD14 were sufficient for acquisition of full responsiveness to both peptidoglycan and endotoxin, but CD14 deletion mutants lacking four small regions within the N-terminal 65 amino acids showed differentially diminished responses to peptidoglycan and endotoxin. These results identify CD14 as the functional receptor for peptidoglycan and demonstrate that similar, but not identical sequences in the N-terminal 65-amino acid region of CD14 are critical for the NF-κB and IgM responses to both peptidoglycan and endotoxin.
Expression of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β and interleukin-6) in amniochorionic membranes

Abstract OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the expression of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β and interleukin-6) by fetal membranes in response to infection in vivo and to endotoxin in organ culture. Study design: Amniochorionic membranes were collected from infected and uninfected women and analyzed for cytokine messenger ribonucleic acid and protein. Normal membranes were cultured and exposed to endotoxin. Messenger ribonucleic acid expression was analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Cellular localization of messenger ribonucleic acid and protein was determined by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemical evaluation, respectively. RESULSTS: Messenger ribonucleic acid for interleukin-1β appeared to be increased in infected or endotoxin-stimulated amniochorionic membranes, whereas interleukin-6 messenger ribonucleic acid was only observed in infected membranes or after endotoxin stimulation. Interleukin-1β messenger ribonucleic acid was localized exclusively to chorionic cells, whereas protein was obsreved in both chorion and amnion. Interleukin-6 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein were produced in both amniotic and chorionic cells. CONCLUSION: Amniochorionic membranes are a site of inflammatory cytokine production. These findings may have significance in preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes.
The excretion and metabolism of35S-labeled thioridazine in urine, blood, bile, and feces

Abstract After administration of a single oral dose of 35 S-ring-labeled thioridazine to neuropsychiatrie patients, the following observations were made: 1. Approximately 30% of the original dose is excreted in the urine. 2. Approximately 50% of the original dose is excreted in the feces. 3. Over 60% of the drug passes through the bile fluid. 4. Only about 3% of the original dose remains in the serum at peak levels which are reached after 3 to 4 hr after administration. 5. Radioautograms and chromatograms of a urinary extract indicate a congruity between radioactive metabolites and acid chromogens and that urinary metabolites differ qualitatively from those found in feces and bile. 6. Chloroform extracts over 97% of the urinary radioactivity. This would be in accord with the observation that little or no glucuronide-conjugated material appears in the urine after oral administration of thioridazine.
Albuterol preferentially increases IL-4 over IFN-γ release from respiratory syncytial virus-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Abstract Rationale Previous studies have shown that albuterol increases IL-4 and decreases IFN-γ. This study was designed to determine whether the addition of albuterol to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) alters the Th1/Th2 cytokine profile of RSV-stimulated PBMCs. Methods PBMCs were isolated from three adult donors and incubated with RSV in the presence or absence of albuterol. After incubation, cell-free supernatant was collected and IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-5 concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results PBMCs from two patients had no baseline IFN-γ production and one had 10.69 pg/mL. Baseline IL-4 concentrations were 6.65 pg/mL, 5.20 pg/mL and 1.30 pg/mL. Baseline IL-5 concentrations were 479.2 pg/mL, 1570 pg/mL, and 169.7 pg/mL. RSV increased IFN-γ (to 770 pg/mL, 166 pg/mL, and 69.44 pg/mL) and IL-4 (to 10.32 pg/mL, 6 pg/mL, and 2.45 pg/mL) and decreased IL-5 (to 404.3 pg/mL, 1220 pg/mL, and 56.05 pg/mL). Addition of albuterol to RSV-stimulated PBMCs had a mild and variable effect on IFN-γ production (increased 4.7%, increased 23%, and decreased 7.2%). In contrast, addition of albuterol increased IL-4 by 78%, 53%, and 32% compared to RSV and increased IL-5 by 10%, 24%, and 30% compared to RSV. Conclusions This pilot study suggests that while IFN-γ is not greatly affected by albuterol in RSV-stimulated mononuclear cells, IL-4 and IL-5 invariably increased. Current literature indicates that albuterol is not always efficacious in treatment of bronchiolitis. Our data suggest that albuterol may enhance a Th2 response in RSV infection. In light of this information, albuterol should be used judiciously in RSV-infected patients.
“A Good Work for Our Race To-Day”: Interests, Virtues, and the Achievement of Justice in Frederick Douglass's Freedmen's Monument Speech

Frederick Douglass's Freedmen's Monument speech of 1876 is notable for its complexity, and commentators have offered widely varying readings. Critics have judged it an abdication of racial responsibility, indicative of an unwarranted optimism characteristic of Douglass's larger argument on racial reform. In this article, I explicate this speech, highlighting the complex rhetorical design in which Douglass forges a memory of Lincoln as a medium for issuing carefully targeted appeals to the interests and virtues of black and white Americans. In its hitherto underappreciated theoretical dimension, the speech epitomizes a theory of racial progress that challenges recent, pessimistic readings of America's racial history and prospects.
Multisensor imagery analysis for mapping and assessment of 12 January 2010 earthquake-induced building damage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

On 12 January 2010, a devastating earthquake of magnitude 7 struck the densely populated Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince and several other towns along the bay of Port-au-Prince. The severely impacted areas lie in close proximity to the epicentre of the earthquake. The earthquake impacted more than 5 million people, of which more than 230,000 people lost their lives and approximately 1.2 million people were left homeless. In this study, a new multisensor imagery-based analysis approach is presented for detection, delineation, and mapping of collapsed and severely damaged buildings. The thrust of the approach is on improving the accuracy of pixel-based analysis performed on the post-earthquake Advanced Land Imager by utilizing very high spatial resolution WorldView-2 imagery acquired immediately after the earthquake. The study also highlights some of the challenges and constraints of traditional pixel-based analysis performed on medium-resolution imagery for detection, delineation, and mapping of earthquake-induced damage to buildings in a spectrally complex high-density urban environment.
A Novel Choline Cotransporter Sequestration Compartment in Cholinergic Neurons Revealed by Selective Endosomal Ablation

The sodium-dependent, high affinity choline transporter - choline cotransporter - (ChCoT, aka: cho-1, CHT1, CHT) undergoes constitutive and regulated trafficking between the plasma membrane and cytoplasmic compartments. The pathways and regulatory mechanisms of this trafficking are not well understood. We report herein studies involving selective endosomal ablation to further our understanding of the trafficking of the ChCoT. Selective ablation of early sorting and recycling endosomes resulted in a decrease of approximately 75% of [3H]choline uptake and approximately 70% of [3H]hemicholinium-3 binding. Western blot analysis showed that ablation produced a similar decrease in ChCoTs in the plasma membrane subcellular fraction. The time frame for this loss was approximately 2 h which has been shown to be the constitutive cycling time for ChCoTs in this tissue. Ablation appears to be dependent on the intracellular cycling of transferrin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase and the selective deposition of transferrin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase in early endosomes, both sorting and recycling. Ablated brain slices retained their capacity to recruit via regulated trafficking ChCoTs to the plasma membrane. This recruitment of ChCoTs suggests that the recruitable compartment is distinct from the early endosomes. It will be necessary to do further studies to identify the novel sequestration compartment supportive of the ChCoT regulated trafficking.