cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A 5-year study of attachment loss and tooth loss in community-dwelling older adults.

Tooth loss is a widely recognized endpoint measure for the effects of periodontal diseases and the impact of periodontal therapy. In fact, traditional clinical measures of periodontal status often are considered to be surrogate endpoints in that they are assumed to be related to tooth loss. However, the strength of the relationship between attachment loss and tooth loss in a representative population of untreated subjects has not been studied extensively. The purpose of this paper is to present the trends in attachment loss over a 5-yr period in a population of community-dwelling elderly blacks and whites. Specifically, this paper presents attachment loss trends both at the person and tooth level to address the following issues; 1) whether teeth that experience attachment loss during 1 time period are more likely to be lost at the next time period; and 2) given similar levels of attachment loss, why are some people more likely to lose teeth? In 1988, the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry initiated the Piedmont 65 + Dental Study, which was designed to elicit 800 dentate respondents in the 5-county area who were examined again at 18, 36 and 60 months. Our findings indicated that teeth with poorer attachment level at baseline had a higher probability of being lost during the next 5 yr and teeth that experienced attachment loss during a time period were more likely to be lost during the next time period than teeth without additional attachment loss. In addition, it appears that there are person-level characteristics associated with increasing tendency towards tooth loss in people with similar periodontal status, a finding that may clarify the relationship between attachment loss and tooth loss.
Lipid composition of a plasma membrane enriched fraction of maize roots

Abstract The lipid composition of a plasma membrane enriched fraction isolated from corn (Zea mays) roots was examined. On a wt basis, the lipid: protein ratio was 1.11. Phospholipids comprised 60% of total lipids with the major phospholipids being phosphatidylcholine (62%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (21%). Free sterol was the major neutral lipid. The sterol:phospholipid molar ratio was 0.31. The fatty acid composition of the membrane was predominantly linoleic (60%) and palmitic (30%).
Selection of rhinovirus 1A variants adapted for growth in mouse lung epithelial cells.

Rhinoviruses (RVs) are picornaviruses that are causative agents of the majority of upper respiratory tract infections, or “common colds,” in humans. RVs infect both the upper and lower respiratory tract, and in addition to the common cold may also cause pneumonia, complications in patients with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, and asthma exacerbations. Convenient animal models are not available to study the pathogenesis of rhinovirus-induced illness. Rhinovirus RV1A replicates poorly in mouse cells; variants with improved replication were selected by serial passage through mouse embryonic fibroblasts and mouse lung epithelial cells. Adaptation for improved growth in mouse cells was mediated by amino acid changes in the RV1a non-structural protein 3A. Mouse cell-adapted RV1A was capable of productively infecting mice in which the airway was subjected to chemical permeabilization. A mouse model for RV infection will permit studies of RV pathogenesis and may identify targets for therapeutic intervention.
Fast fourier transforms 2-3-5

Abstract Several programs based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) Algorithm developed by Cooley and Tukey are available. The Cooley and Tukey algorithm for the FFT requires the number of data N be a power of 2. Along with a subroutine which implements the Cooley and Tukey algorithm, six other new subroutines which are extensions of the Cooley and Tukey algorithm are given in this paper. Some applications to geoscience, along with some examples where the FFT subroutine based on the Cooley and Tukey algorithm is undesirable also are given.
Filling GAPs in the understanding of cardioprotection induced by GPCR activation: RGS proteins modulate ischaemic injury.

This editorial refers to ‘Gαi2-mediated protection from ischaemic injury is modulated by endogenous RGS proteins in the mouse heart’ by R.E. Waterson et al. , pp. 45–52, this issue. Brief periods of vascular occlusion followed by reperfusion (I/R) have been shown to confer protection against myocardial injury and necrosis induced by subsequent exposure to prolonged I/R, a phenomenon referred to as ischaemic preconditioning. Initially discovered by Murry et al. 1 in canine hearts 25 years ago, subsequent work has shown that preconditioning induces two periods of protection: an initial, early phase that arises with minutes of exposure to the bouts of preconditioning I/R, persists for 1–4 h, and then disappears, followed by the re-emergence of a protected phenotype 24 h later (delayed preconditioning).2,3 More recently, the phenomenon of ischaemic post-conditioning has been described, wherein the short bouts of I/R are initiated at the onset of reperfusion to induce cardioprotection.4 These preconditioning protocols (IPC) activate endogenous cell survival programmes that appear to exist in every species, organ, and tissue tested and may also operate in humans.2–4 Moreover, IPC represents the most powerful cardioprotective intervention yet discovered. As a consequence, an intense research effort has ensued in an attempt to elucidate the signalling mechanisms that mediate IPC so that practical therapies can be developed for patients who are predisposed to ischaemic disease. This work has resulted in identification of a number of pharmacological agents that mimic IPC, including adenosine, acetylcholine, opioids, calcitonin gene-related peptide, bradykinin, angiotensin II, and endothelin.2–4 Because each of these endogenously produced agonists serves as a ligand for Gαi protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), there is growing interest in developing therapies that potentiate and/or sustain their activity in cardiovascular disease. Since it is difficult to predict when myocardial ischaemia will occur, …
Trellis precoding: combined coding, precoding and shaping for intersymbol interference channels

On a linear Gaussian channel with intersymbol interference (ISI), trellis precoding is a method that achieves the equalization performance of Tomlinson-Harashima (TH) precoding, the coding gain of any known lattice-type coset code, and a considerable shaping gain. Trellis precoding may be viewed as a generalization of trellis shaping to Gaussian ISI channels, or, alternatively, as a generalization of TH precoding, with coded modulation that achieves shaping gain. With trellis precoding channel capacity can be approached essentially as closely on any strictly bandlimited, high signal-to-noise ratio Gaussian channel as on the ideal channel, using the same coding techniques. For first- and second-order FIR and IIR (finite and infinite impulse response) channels, it is shown that shaping gains close to 1 dB can be obtained with a two-dimensional four-state trellis code. Trellis precoding is quite practical whenever channel information is available at the transmitter. >
Fundamental limitations of polynomial chaos for uncertainty quantification in systems with intermittent instabilities

Here, we examine the suitability of truncated Polynomial Chaos Expansions (PCE) and truncated GramCharlier Expansions (GrChE) as possible methods for uncertainty quantification (UQ) in nonlinear systems with intermittency and positive Lyapunov exponents. These two methods rely on truncated Galerkin projections of either the system variables in a fixed polynomial basis spanning the ‘uncertain’ subspace (PCE) or a suitable eigenfunction expansion of the joint probability distribution associated with the uncertain evolution of the system (GrChE). Based on a simple, statistically exactly solvable non-linear and non-Gaussian test model, we show in detail that methods exploiting truncated spectral expansions, be it PCE or GrChE, have significant limitations for uncertainty quantification in systems with intermittent instabilities or parametric uncertainties in the damping. Intermittency and fat-tailed probability densities are hallmark features of the inertial and dissipation ranges of turbulence and we show that in such important dynamical regimes PCE performs, at best, similarly to the vastly simpler Gaussian moment closure technique utilized earlier by the authors in a different context for UQ within a framework of Empirical Information Theory. Moreover, we show that the non-realizability of the GrChE approximations is linked to the onset of intermittency in the dynamics and it is frequently accompanied by an erroneous blow-up of the second-order statistics at short times. These limitations of the two types of truncated spectral expansions arise from the following: (i) Non-uniform convergence in time of PCE and GrChE resulting in a rapidly increasing number of terms necessary for a good approximation of the random process as time evolves, (ii) Fundamental problems with capturing the constant flux of randomness due to white Gaussian noise forcing via finite truncations of the spectral representation of the associated Wiener process, (iii) Slow decay of PCE and GrChE coefficients in the presence of intermittency, hampering implementation of sparse truncation methods which have been widely used in nearly elliptic problems or in low Reynolds number flows. Rigorous justification of these limitations is richly illustrated by straightforward tests exploiting a simple nonlinear and non-Gaussian but statistically exactly solvable test model which is proposed here as a challenging benchmark for algorithms for UQ in systems with intermittency.
A theory of taking care of oneself grounded in experiences of homeless youth.

? Background: Homeless adolescents are vulnerable to poor health outcomes owing to the dangerous and stressful environments in which they live Despite their vulnerability, many of them are motivated to engage in self-carebehaviors. ? Objective: The specific aim of this study was to explore self-care attitudes and behaviors of homeless adolescents. ? Method: Individual interviews were conducted with 15 homeless adolescents. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the constant comparative method of grounded theory ? Results: Findings revealed a basic social process of taking care of oneself in a high-risk environment. This basic social process was supported by levee categories: Becoming Aware of Oneself. Staying Alive With Limited Resources, and Handling One's Own Health, each inducing two processes. ? Discussion: Findings support Crem's conceptualizations of self-care and self-care agency and suggest the need for programs to support further healthy growth and development among homeless adolescents.
Comparative organization analysis: Sampling and measurement☆

Abstract This paper employs confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the effects of using multiple indicators and heterogeneous samples in comparative organizational research. The results show that several indicators of different dimensions of organizational structure can be unified into a single measurement model and that theoretical constructs based upon these multiple indicators are applicable to a wide variety of organizational types. The findings imply that the development of a general theory of organizational structure need not be impeded by current sampling and measurement practices.
Paleosol evidence for Quaternary uplift and for climate and ecosystem changes in the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Abstract A noncalcareous volcanic paleosol succession from the upper montane rain forest of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica (Lat. 9°41′03.3″ N; Long. 83°53′45.9″ W; 2507 m elev.) provides evidence for changing Quaternary elevation, climate, and ecosystems. Basal deposits (Crb horizons) are saprolitized, porphyritic andesite enriched in Si, Al, and Fe, and depleted in base cations, which record an earliest period of very intense weathering forming a leached residuum of smectite–kaolinite and Fe-oxides (or oxyhydroxides) on a mature paleolandscape, probably in tropical lowlands. Paleo-saprolite deposits are sharply overlain by interbedded lapilli tuffs and two paleosols with dark-colored, organic C-rich (2–3 wt.%) Ab horizons (one containing abundant grass pollen), interpreted as mollic epipedons of grassland soils (andic Mollisol-like paleosols) with δ13C values (− 24.5‰ PDB) that record a former C3 grassland ecosystem. Possible pedogenic carbonate (Btkb) horizons (with all carbonate removed by overprinting by younger pedogenic processes) provide evidence of former drier and drained conditions. Uppermost buried soils (mainly Btb horizons) are non-calcareous, clay-rich, andic Ultisol-like paleosols that record pedogenesis under climates similar to current conditions, with highly weathered clay mineral suites. AMS dating of charcoal from the upper (Btb) paleosol constrains a latest glacial age (36,640 ± 650 14C yr BP; ages for two additional deeper samples were > 43–48 ka) for the 2Btb paleosol. Uplift rates of the Cordillera de Talamanca are estimated as 1 km/1 Ma. Consequently, the described paleosols provide evidence for: 1) initial lowland pedogenesis, perhaps at 2–3 Ma, 2) regional uplift and major unconformity, volcanism and development of a grassland ecosystem that has δ13C values similar to those measured in modern, high-elevation paramo sites in the cordillera (− 24.4 to − 26.3‰ PDB) but formed mollic epipedons and pedogenic carbonates, which do not characterize modern paramo soils, followed by 3) continued late Pleistocene volcanism and pedogenesis in environments similar to current oak-dominated montane rain forest conditions. The paleosol succession provides a valuable record of dynamic climate-ecosystem change and uplift history in the Cordillera de Talamanca that can complement and extend existing bog and lake sediment records.
Prerequisites for Assessing Whether to Engage in Collaborative Software Development in a Government Setting

This article discusses a systematic process to determine whether to engage in collaborative software development of desktop applications in a government setting. Section One discusses collaboration and collaborative development. Then, after assessment of the strengths and weaknesses, a development team should have a better understanding for choosing a program-specific solution for collaborative development. Section Two assesses whether the conditions are favorable to pursue collaborative development for an existing project. An algorithm is provided for government agencies to gauge the success of collaborative development for a specific application. If a development team is able to (a) obtain copyright permission ; (b) create an open development infrastructure; (c) pass through federal, organizational, and legal barriers; and (d) freely release the application's source code to the public, conditions may be favorable for collaborative development.
High-Versus Low-Threshold Surfactant Retreatment For Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

UNLABELLED Surfactant therapy has become an effective standard therapy for infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The first dose may be given either as prophylaxis immediately after delivery, or as rescue after an infant has developed RDS. Second and subsequent doses are currently recommended by the manufacturers to be administered at minimal levels of respiratory support. PURPOSE This study compared the relative efficacy of administering second and subsequent doses of Infasurf surfactant at a low threshold (FIO(2) >30%, still requiring endotracheal intubation) versus a high threshold (FIO(2) >40%, mean airway pressure >7 cm H(2)O) of respiratory support. METHODS A total of 2484 neonates received a first dose of surfactant; 1267 reached conventional retreatment criteria and were randomized to be retreated according to low- or high-threshold criteria. They were then retreated at a minimum of 6-hour intervals each time they reached their assigned threshold until receiving a maximum of 4 total doses. Subjects were stratified by whether they received their first dose by prophylaxis or rescue and by whether their lung disease was considered complicated (evidence of perinatal compromise or sepsis) or uncomplicated. RESULTS Among the patients randomized, 33% of prophylaxis and 23% of rescue subjects met criteria for the complicated stratum. Although infants allocated to the high-threshold strategy were receiving slightly more oxygen at 72 hours, there was no difference in the number receiving mechanical ventilation at 72 hours or in the secondary respiratory outcomes (requirement for supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation at 28 days, supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks' postconceptional age, inspired oxygen concentration >60% at any time). However, there was a significantly higher mortality for infants with complicated RDS who had received retreatment according to the high-threshold strategy. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that equal efficacy can be realized by delaying surfactant retreatment of infants with uncomplicated RDS until they have reached a higher level of respiratory support than is the current standard. We speculate that this would result in a substantial cost-saving from less utilization of drug. Conversely, we believe that infants with complicated RDS should continue to be treated by the low-threshold retreatment strategy, which is currently recommended by the manufacturers of the commercially available surfactants.
The ultrastructure of regeneration in the severed newt optic nerve.

Regrowing nerve fibers are seen in the regenerating newt (Triturus viridescens) optic nerve as early as the fourth postoperative day (4 p.o.d.). The first fibers are found growing through gutters, troughs or tunnels formed by glial cell processes which may serve as pathways to direct the fibers. By 6 p.o.d. regenerating nerve fibers exist in scattered “clusters” growing about the path established by the first fibers. By 10 p.o.d. the clustered appearance is replaced by a more uniform distribution throughout the regenerating nerve. Beginning with 6 p.o.d. there are increasing signs of spontaneous loss of some regenerating axons. By 21 p.o.d. the loss reaches a peak. The loss appears to be accompanied by continued ingrowth of new fibers. Even as late as 117 p.o.d. the optic nerve population is still not stable for there are signs both of continued nerve growth as well as spontaneous axon loss. Glial myelination of regenerated fibers sets in about 117 p.o.d. and proceeds from the initial lesion centrally toward the optic tectum. There appears to be a direct relation between axon diameter and the initiation of myelination.
Dystrophic Calcification of the Prostate after Cryotherapy

We present a previously undocumented complication of dystrophic calcification of the prostate after cryotherapy. An 87-year-old male presented with recurrent lower urinary tract infections and was found to have an obstructing large calcified mass in the right lobe of the prostate. Subsequently, he underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and bladder neck with laser lithotripsy to remove the calculus. We propose that chronic inflammation and necrosis of the prostate from cryotherapy resulted in dystrophic calcification of the prostate. As the use of cryotherapy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer continues to increase, it is important that clinicians be aware of this scenario and the technical challenges it poses.
Late effects of therapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Hodgkin’s lymphoma exemplifies a malignancy in which the benefits and risks of therapy are strikingly obvious: although 70% to 95% of patients survive (depending on disease stage), the late adverse health effects of therapy compromise quality of life and can be fatal. We review the broad range of these potential effects. Although secondary malignancies and cardiovascular disease are the most life-threatening sequelae, pulmonary, endocrine, and reproductive effects can also substantially compromise quality of life. Specific sequelae are not distributed evenly among survivors but depend on characteristics of the patient and treatment. Recent risk-adapted treatment protocols have eliminated or reduced the use of therapies most associated with adverse effects, such as alkylating agents, anthracyclines, and radiotherapy. Early studies suggest that these strategies reduce the frequency and severity of adverse effects, but additional follow-up of patients is necessary to confirm improved outcomes. Recognition of adverse effects has also led to recommendations for screening.
LIBERAL ARTS MATHEMATICS: PROBABILITY AND CALCULUS

ABSTRACT This article presents one model for a liberal arts mathematics course - a combination of probability and calculus. We describe some activities used in the course to heighten students' interest and to encourage student involvement.
Rethinking the Role of African American Churches as Social Service Providers

African American churches have traditionally played significant roles in the advancement of African Americans. Evidence suggests, however, that African American churches have been slow in responding to recent calls for greater faith-based involvement in the social services arena through seeking grants from federal and state governments although they continue their traditional patterns of providing social welfare services. As African American churches move farther into the twenty-first century and many social problems facing families and communities remain protracted, new ways of thinking are needed to increase the power of African American churches to influence services, policies and, ultimately, outcomes. This article presents a five-point plan of action to move African American churches beyond their traditional social service delivery paradigm to one that fully engages in the arena of social policy.
Fashion and Democratic Relationships

Clothing has political significance because it affects the relationships among citizens. Clothing is not simply a private or personal matter; it implies the existence of an intersubjective social world in which one presents oneself and is seen by others. In examining the implications of fashion for political relationships, I will concede that fashion aggravates antagonistic relationships among citizens when it is used to flaunt one's status and wealth, but I will also argue that clothes can also be used to exhibit respect toward others and allegiance to a group. Clothes, therefore, sometimes facilitate the democratic ideal of widely distributed power. Fashion can provoke dialogue about social and political matters, and that dialogue is democratic. When fashion manifests creativity, respect, allegiance, or membership, the relationships that it fosters are potentially democratic.
Impact of scaling and the scaling development environment

Dr. Robert Dennard's 1974 paper looked rather simple at first and did not attract much attention at Toshiba. It wasn't until CMOS acquired dominance in the mainstream of integrated circuit (IC) design that scaling theory became the physics-based guiding principle for Moore's Law to continue. Without scaling theory, the author doubts that Moore's Law could have survived for more than three decades. It was the first attempt to couple geometry shrink with other important factors such as power-delay products, on-chip interconnect performance and integration density.
The Directional Attack on Wireless Localization -or- How to Spoof Your Location with a Tin Can

802.11 localization algorithms provide the ability to accurately position and track wireless clients thereby enabling location-based services and applications. However, we show that these localization techniques are vulnerable to noncryptographic attacks where an adversary uses a low-cost directional antenna to appear from the localization algorithm's perspective to be in another arbitrary location of their choosing. The attacker's ability to actively influence where they are positioned is a key distinguishing feature of the directional attack relative to prior localization attacks that use transmit power control to introduce localization errors. We implement a representative set of received signal strength-based localization algorithms and evaluate the attack in a real office building environment. To mitigate the attack's effectiveness, we develop and evaluate an attack detection scheme that offers a high detection rate with few false positives.
Wilson loops and minimal surfaces

The AdS-CFT correspondence suggests that the Wilson loop of the large N gauge theory with $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetry in four dimensions is described by a minimal surface in ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{5}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{S}}^{5}.$ We examine various aspects of this proposal, comparing gauge theory expectations with computations of minimal surfaces. There is a distinguished class of loops, which we call BPS loops, whose expectation values are free from ultraviolet divergence. We formulate the loop equation for such loops. To the extent that we have checked, the minimal surface in ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{5}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{S}}^{5}$ gives a solution of the equation. We also discuss the zigzag symmetry of the loop operator. In the $\mathcal{N}=4$ gauge theory, we expect the zigzag symmetry to hold when the loop does not couple the scalar fields in the supermultiplet. We will show how this is realized for the minimal surface.
Psychological Sequelae of Relative “Treatment Failure” for Children Receiving Human Growth Hormone Replacement

Abstract Eleven children with hypopituitary growth hormone deficiency were evaluated by interviews, observation, and projective testing before and during one year of human growth hormone (hGH) replacement therapy. Families were evaluated with structured and unstructured interviews. Before hGH treatment, the short children were immature and dependent and were treated like much younger children whom they resembled physically. In spite of accelerated growth with hGH, children and parents perceived the treatment to be a failure relative to their expectations. The children became angry, pessimistic, guilty, and negativistic, and felt unacceptable as they were. The course of disappointment and grief, following relative “treatment failure,” provided an opportunity for studying the nature and course of depression in medically and psychologically vulnerable children.
Generalized stack operator for diffraction tomography

The problem of determining the acoustic properties of a layered background in which unknown weakly scattering components are imbedded is addressed within the context of diffraction tomography. The theory is developed using a generalized slant stack operator and the distorted wave Born approximation analogy to the development of diffraction tomography (DT) for constant backgrounds. It is shown that the reconstruction algorithms of DT for constant backgrounds can be directly applied to layered backgrounds after suitable preprocessing of a set of line source data by the generalized slant stack operator that is derived here. >
Counterselection against Dμ Is Mediated through Immunoglobulin (Ig)α-Igβ

The pre-B cell receptor is a key checkpoint regulator in developing B cells. Early events that are controlled by the pre-B cell receptor include positive selection for cells express membrane immunoglobulin heavy chains and negative selection against cells expressing truncated immunoglobulins that lack a complete variable region (Dμ). Positive selection is known to be mediated by membrane immunoglobulin heavy chains through Igα-Igβ, whereas the mechanism for counterselection against Dμ has not been determined. We have examined the role of the Igα-Igβ signal transducers in counterselection against Dμ using mice that lack Igβ. We found that Dμ expression is not selected against in developing B cells in Igβ mutant mice. Thus, the molecular mechanism for counterselection against Dμ in pre-B cells resembles positive selection in that it requires interaction between mDμ and Igα-Igβ.
Postnatal neurodevelopmental expression and glutamate-dependent regulation of the ZNF804A rodent homologue

article The zinc finger protein ZNF804A rs1344706 variant is a replicated genome-wide significant risk variant for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While its association with altered brain structure and cognition in patients and healthy risk allele carriers is well documented, the characteristics and function of the gene in the brain remains poorly understood. Here, we used in situ hybridization to determine mRNA expression levels of the ZNF804A rodent homologue, Zfp804a, across multiple postnatal neurodevelopmental time points in the rat brain. We found changesinZfp804a expression in the rat hippocampus, frontal cortex, and thalamus across post- natal neurodevelopment. Zfp804a mRNA peaked at postnatalday (P) 21 inhippocampal CA1 and DG regions and was highest in the lower cortical layers of frontal cortex at P1, possibly highlighting a role in developmental migration. Using immunofluorescence, we found that Zfp804a mRNA and ZFP804A co-localized with neurons and not astrocytes. In primary cultured cortical neurons, we found that Zfp804a expression was significantly increased when neurons were exposed to glutamate (20 μM), but this increase was blocked by the N-methyl- D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist MK-801. Expression of Comt, Pde4b, and Drd2, genes previously shown to be regulated by ZNF804A overexpression, was also significantly changed in an NMDA-dependent manner. Our results describe, for the first time, the unique postnatal neurodevelopmental expression of Zfp804a in the rodent brain and demonstrate that glutamate potentially plays an important role inthe regulation of this psychiatric susceptibility gene. These are critical steps toward understanding the biological function of ZNF804A in the mammalian brain.
Aggregation in vivo of Dissociated Cells: II. Role of developmental age in tissue reconstruction†

Dissociated skin cells from 5- to 14-day old chick embryos were placed on the chorioallantoic membrane of host embryos as a suspension or after preaggregation in vitro and were allowed to develop as grafts for 6–10 days. The capacity of cells from younger and older embryos to reconstruct feathers was examined and found to differ characteristically. Young cells, from 5- to 8-day embryos (pre-placodal and placodal feather stages), reconstructed normal feathers in advanced states of differentiation within large thin-walled vesicles lined by unkeratinized epithelium. Cells of intermediate age, 10-day old embryos (hump stage feathers), reconstructed feathers which showed typical histological differentiation into barb ridges and pulp, but were atypical in overall plan; skin epithelium was formed usually as compact keratinizing cysts, sometimes as thin unkeratinized linings of expanded vesicles. Cells from older skin, from 12- to 14-day old embryos, did not reconstruct feathers, but, instead, formed extensive sheets of thick, stratified, keratinized epithelium associated with a dense dermal stroma. These results indicate that cells dissociated from the dermal papilla at post-placodal stages do not initiate de novo feather morphogenesis. This loss of capacity for feather reconstruction which accompanies advancing developmental age is discussed in terms of known epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and is considered as a consequence of several possible events: (a) loss of inductiveness by the dermis, (b) loss of responsiveness by the epidermis, (c) loss of cell recognition in sorting out processes, (d) active suppression of sorting out or inductive interactions by conflicting concomitant developmental processes.
Histoplasma capsulatum yeast phase-specific protein Yps3p induces Toll-like receptor 2 signaling

Histoplasma capsulatum is a common cause of fungal infection in certain geographic areas, and although most infections are asymptomatic, it is capable of causing histoplasmosis, a disseminated, life-threatening disease, especially in immunocompromised individuals. A deeper understanding of this host-pathogen interaction is needed to develop novel therapeutic strategies to counter lethal infection. Although several lines of evidence suggest that this fungus is neurotropic in HIV patients, little is known about the immunobiology of Histoplasma infection in the central nervous system [CNS]. The goal of the present study was to understand the innate neuroimmune mechanisms that recognize H. capsulatum during the initial stages of infection. Using a 293T stable cell line expressing murine Toll-like receptor 2 [TLR2], we show here that TLR2 recognizes H. capsulatum cell wall protein Yps3p and induces the activation of NF-κB. In further experiments, we tested the ability of Yps3p to induce signaling from TLR2 in primary microglial cells, the resident brain macrophages of the CNS. Our data show that H. capsulatum Yps3p induced TLR2 signaling in wild-type microglia, but not in microglia isolated from TLR2 KO mice, confirming that Yps3p is a ligand for TLR2. Furthermore, Yps3p-induced TLR2 signaling was suppressed by vaccinia virus-encoded TLR inhibitors. This is the first demonstration of a fungal protein serving as a TLR ligand and mediating signaling in primary brain cells.
Ligand binding by TPR domains

Tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains bind specific peptide ligands and are thought to mediate protein–protein interactions in a variety of biological systems. Here we compare peptide ligand-binding by several different TPR domains. We present specific examples that demonstrate that TPR domains typically undergo little or no structural rearrangement upon ligand binding. Our data suggest that, contrary to a recent proposal, coupled folding and binding is not the common mechanism of ligand recognition by TPR domains.
The influence of trauma and patient characteristics on provider burnout in VA post-traumatic stress disorder specialty programmes.

Objective Prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) – post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments now available at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) – expose the provider to graphic traumatic material. Little is known about the impact of traumatic material on VHA providers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between trauma content, patient characteristics, and burnout among VHA PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) providers. It was hypothesized that trauma content and patient characteristics would significantly predict burnout in this population. Design This cross-sectional study consisted of 137 participants. The sample was mostly female (67%), Caucasian (non-Hispanic; 81%), and married (70%) with a mean age of 44.3 years (SD = 11.3). Methods Participants completed an electronic survey that assessed demographics, patient characteristics (i.e., anger, personality disorder, malingering), trauma content characteristics (e.g., killing of women and children) as well as burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS; Maslach et al., 1996, Burnout inventory manual. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologist Press). Results Over half of the study population reported being bothered by trauma content; however, trauma content did not predict burnout. Treating patients with personality disorders and suspected malingering predicted burnout in PCT providers. High numbers (77%) reported perceiving that emotional exhaustion impacted the quality of care they provided. Conclusion These findings suggest an important role of burnout assessment, prevention, and treatment strategies at the VHA. Practitioner points This paper addresses the impact of provider burnout on perceived quality of care. This paper also addresses potential predictors of burnout in PCT settings. This paper outlines potential remedies to provider burnout in the VHA.
Differences in the mechanics of information diffusion across topics: idioms, political hashtags, and complex contagion on twitter

There is a widespread intuitive sense that different kinds of information spread differently on-line, but it has been difficult to evaluate this question quantitatively since it requires a setting where many different kinds of information spread in a shared environment. Here we study this issue on Twitter, analyzing the ways in which tokens known as hashtags spread on a network defined by the interactions among Twitter users. We find significant variation in the ways that widely-used hashtags on different topics spread.Our results show that this variation is not attributable simply to differences in "stickiness," the probability of adoption based on one or more exposures, but also to a quantity that could be viewed as a kind of "persistence" - the relative extent to which repeated exposures to a hashtag continue to have significant marginal effects. We find that hashtags on politically controversial topics are particularly persistent, with repeated exposures continuing to have unusually large marginal effects on adoption; this provides, to our knowledge, the first large-scale validation of the "complex contagion" principle from sociology, which posits that repeated exposures to an idea are particularly crucial when the idea is in some way controversial or contentious. Among other findings, we discover that hashtags representing the natural analogues of Twitter idioms and neologisms are particularly non-persistent, with the effect of multiple exposures decaying rapidly relative to the first exposure.We also study the subgraph structure of the initial adopters for different widely-adopted hashtags, again finding structural differences across topics. We develop simulation-based and generative models to analyze how the adoption dynamics interact with the network structure of the early adopters on which a hashtag spreads.
Infarctions on antemortem MRI are associated with the presence of microinfarcts at autopsy

0.641 (P 1⁄4 0.066), 0.861 (P<0.001), and 0.753 (P<0.001), respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the texture-based marker was for controls -0.360 6 0.648, for MCI 0.101 6 0.950, and for AD 1.021 6 1.117. Normal controls and AD as well as MCI and AD were separable from each other according to the rank sum test (P<0.001 for both) whereas normal controls andMCI were not separable (P1⁄4 0.082). The separation of the AD group maintained significance after adjusting for hippocampal volume (P 1⁄4 0.003 and P 1⁄4 0.011). Conclusions: A novel texture-based MRI marker was able to discriminate between both normal controls and AD, and MCI and AD, even after adjusting for the diagnostic power of volume, demonstrating that hippocampal MRI Texture was related to cognition. The marker, relying on textural information extracted directly from the tissue, may complement existing MRI makers targeting atrophy.
Threat to Parental Role: A Possible Mechanism of Altered Self-Concept Related to Carrier Knowledge.

Researchers and clinicians have suggested that learning one is a carrier for a genetic disorder has the potential to alter self-concept. Concerns about self-concept have influenced the development of policies regarding the availability of carrier testing for minors and the informed-consent process. A literature review identified three mechanisms through which self-concept has been proposed to be affected: altered perception of genetic identity, diminished social identity, and an altered perception of health. This paper presents a conceptual framework developed from identity theory and the “self's response to threat” to propose a fourth mechanism: threat to the parental role. Clarification of the role of self-concept, the threat to self-concept related to carrier knowledge, and coping behaviors activated in response to this threat would help to target appropriate genetic counseling interventions.
Trichinella spiralis infection in voles alters female odor preference but not partner preference

Females may choose mates based on secondary sex traits that reflect disease resistance. Accordingly, females should be able to distinguish between unparasitized and parasitized males, and should prefer to mate with unparasitized individuals. Mate and odor preferences for uninfected males or males infected with the nematode, Trichinella spiralis, were examined among prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow voles (M. pennsylvanicus). In a 15-min odor preference test, only female meadow voles distinguished between bedding from parasitized and unparasitized conspecific males, and preferred to spend time with bedding from unparasitized males. Although T. spiralis infection influenced odor preference in female meadow voles, there was no effect of infection status on mate preference among either species. Testosterone and corticosterone concentrations were not different between parasitized and unparasitized males. However, among prairie voles, males that spent an increased amount of time with females during the mate preference test had elevated testosterone concentrations. Taken together, these data suggest that (1) female meadow voles can discriminate between unparasitized and parasitized males, (2) the effects of infection on steroid hormone concentrations may be masked by the effects of social interactions, and (3) parasites may represent a selective constraint on partner preference in voles; however, the life cycle of parasites may influence female preference and should be considered in studies of female preference.
Neurocognitive Outcomes in Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Objective s To review issues associated with neurocognitive outcome in survivors of pediatric cancer. Recommendations are made for future research directions. Methods A large body of literature pertaining to neurocognitive outcome in cancer survivors was reviewed. Brain development and methodological issues that provide challenges to conducting meaningful research in cancer outcomes also are discussed. Results Neurotoxic agents used in some cancer therapies produce permanent neurocognitive sequelae, especially in very young children. Conclusions The state of neurocognitive research for pediatric cancer survivors needs to move beyond empirical studies of neurocognitive sequelae to research that will identify individual patients at risk for neurocognitive morbidity.
Infinite-State Backward Exploration of Boolean Broadcast Programs

Assertion checking for non-recursive unbounded-thread Boolean programs can be performed in principle by converting the program into an infinite-state transition system such as a Petri net and subjecting the system to a coverability check, for which sound and complete algorithms exist. Said conversion adds, however, an additional heavy burden to these already expensive algorithms, as the number of system states is exponential in the size of the program. Our solution to this problem avoids the construction of a Petri net and instead applies the coverability algorithm directly to the Boolean program. A challenge is that, in the presence of advanced communication primitives such as broadcasts, the coverability algorithm proceeds backwards, requiring a backward execution of the program. The benefit of avoiding the up-front transition system construction is that "what you see is what you pay": only system states backward-reachable from the target state are generated, often resulting in dramatic savings. We demonstrate this using Boolean programs constructed by the SatAbs predicate abstraction engine.
Research Article: Genomic regions containing QTL for plant height, internodes length, and flower color in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr]

Abstract Crop yields are reduced by drought, diseases, and deficiencies that reduce plant height in many species. Conversely plants that are too tall may lodge to reduce harvestable yield. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for plant height (PLH), internode lengths (INL), and flower color (FLC) traits in soybean using mainly microsatellite markers and a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from ‘Essex’ and ‘Forrest’. A total of 14 QTL for the 3 traits were located on 7 different linkage groups (LG). Twelve QTL for INL were identified on LGs A2, C2, E, F, G, I, and K. LOD scores ranged from 2.53 to 4.48 and R2 from 18.4 to 33.7 %. One QTL for PLH (qPLH) was identified on LG F by the marker interval Satt554-CCA19 and has peak LOD scores of 4.63 with an R2 of 25.0%. One QTL for FLC (qFLC) was identified on LG G by the marker Satt122 and has peak LOD scores of 2.60 with an R2 of 15.5%. The QTL presented here are important to plant height manipulation during s...
Injection of muscimol in dorsomedial hypothalamus and stress-induced Fos expression in paraventricular nucleus

Prior microinjection of the GABAA-receptor agonist muscimol into the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) in conscious rats attenuates the increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and circulating adrenoc...
Youth's Awareness of and Reactions to The Real Cost National Tobacco Public Education Campaign

In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched its first tobacco-focused public education campaign, The Real Cost, aimed at reducing tobacco use among 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States. This study describes The Real Cost message strategy, implementation, and initial evaluation findings. The campaign was designed to encourage youth who had never smoked but are susceptible to trying cigarettes (susceptible nonsmokers) and youth who have previously experimented with smoking (experimenters) to reassess what they know about the "costs" of tobacco use to their body and mind. The Real Cost aired on national television, online, radio, and other media channels, resulting in high awareness levels. Overall, 89.0% of U.S. youth were aware of at least one advertisement 6 to 8 months after campaign launch, and high levels of awareness were attained within the campaign's two targeted audiences: susceptible nonsmokers (90.5%) and experimenters (94.6%). Most youth consider The Real Cost advertising to be effective, based on assessments of ad perceived effectiveness (mean = 4.0 on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0). High levels of awareness and positive ad reactions are requisite proximal indicators of health behavioral change. Additional research is being conducted to assess whether potential shifts in population-level cognitions and/or behaviors are attributable to this campaign. Current findings demonstrate that The Real Cost has attained high levels of ad awareness which is a critical first step in achieving positive changes in tobacco-related attitudes and behaviors. These data can also be used to inform ongoing message and media strategies for The Real Cost and other U.S. youth tobacco prevention campaigns.
Tuning oxygen permeability in azobenzene-containing side-chain liquid crystalline polymers

A series of poly[4-(4-cyanoazobenzene-4′-oxy)alkyl methacrylate]s, side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (azoLCPs) were synthesized with methylene groups as spacers varying from 5 to 12. The thermal properties and phase transition temperatures of the polymers were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy and a relationship between spacer lengths, glass transition (Tg) and clearing temperatures (Tc) of the polymers was established. The Tg decreased with increasing spacer length, while the Tc exibited an odd–even effect with varying spacer length. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the degree crystallinity above and below Tc. The azoLCPs exhibited smectic ↔ nematic ↔ isotropic phases. Increasing crystallinity correlated linearly with decreasing gas permeability as measured using an oxygen permeation analyzer, which was used to measure the films’ permeability to oxygen (O2) gas. Switching of the azoLCPs from a liquid crystalline to an isotropic state was accomplished by heating the films above their Tc, which resulted in at least a 10-fold increase in the O2 permeability coefficient (PO2). Increasing the methylene spacer length of the azoLCP had little or no effect on gas permeability however it did decrease the Tc, allowing fine control of the temperature at which the switch in PO2 takes place by tuning the mesophase between nematic and isotropic states.