cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimated forces and moments experienced by osseointegrated endoprostheses for lower extremity amputees.

Abstract Background Percutaneous osseointegrated (OI) docking of prosthetic limbs returns loading directly to the residual bone of individuals with amputations. Lower limb diaphyseal biomechanics have not been studied during the wide range of daily activities performed by individuals with lower extremity amputations; therefore, little is known about the loads experienced at the bone-endoprosthetic interface of a percutaneous OI device. Research question Does residual limb length and/or gender influence loading magnitudes in the diaphysis of the femur or tibia during daily activities? Methods This observational study used motion capture data from 40 non-amputee volunteers performing nine activities ranging from low to high demand, to virtually simulate residual limbs of amputees. To simulate diaphyseal bone loading in individuals with lower limb amputations, virtual joints were defined during post-processing at 25, 50, and 75 % of residual limb length of both the femur and the tibia, representing six clinically relevant residual limb lengths for OI device placement. Peak axial distractive and compressive forces, torsional moments, and bending moments were calculated for each activity. Comparisons were made between genders and between different levels of the simulated residual limb. Results For simulated above and below knee amputations, short residual limbs showed the highest average bending, torsion, and axial distractive loads, while axial compressive loads were highest for long residual limbs. Absolute maxima for all subjects showed this same trend, except in below knee torsion, where 75 % residual tibia length showed the maximum. The highest demand activities yielding peaks in all directions were cutting with right leg planted, jump, run, and fall. Significance Overall, individuals with shorter residual limbs experienced higher diaphyseal forces. This should be taken into consideration during surgical implantation of percutaneous OI devices where residual limb length can potentially be shortened, and during rehabilitation of percutaneous OI patients.
Association of Autonomic Storming with Urinary Catheter Removal in NMDA Receptor Encephalitis: A Case Report.

We present a case of a 47-year-old female who presented with altered mental status and was found to have severe anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Her intensive care unit course was complicated by pa...
Formulating a Diagnosis for Chronic Pain

Formulating an underlying diagnosis for chronic noncancer pain relies on the information gathered during the history taking and physical examination of the patient. Chronic pain is better managed when the diagnosis better reflects the etiology of the pain. There are two basic types of pain: nociceptive and neuropathic. Examine the evidence for the diagnosis and, if necessary, reevaluate if the current diagnosis does not match the current symptoms and physical manifestations. Again, a systems based approach is recommended in order to gather information required to thoroughly evaluate a patient’s chronic pain. Lastly, a few case studies in this chapter illustrate the thought processes involved in evaluating a patient with chronic pain. Finally, substance use disorder and opioid use disorder should be considered in the differential diagnosis for a patient with chronic pain. These disorders may also appear as a co-morbidity.
Intersections of race, class, gender, and nation in fin-de-siècle Spanish literature and culture: editado por Jennifer Smith y Lisa Nalbone, Nueva York, Routledge, 2017, 214 pp., £36.99 (tapa blanda) ISBN13 978-0367346614 / £125 (tapa dura), ISBN13 978-1138206472

Problemas sociales como la organizacion del poder o la desigualdad se entienden mejor cuando se les explica como resultado de variados factores (raza, genero, clase, identidad sexual, etc.) que tra...
Social epigenomics: are we at an impasse?

Aim: Social scientists have placed particularly high expectations on the study of epigenomics to explain how exposure to adverse social factors like poverty, child maltreatment and racism - particularly early in childhood - might contribute to complex diseases. However, progress has stalled, reflecting many of the same challenges faced in genomics, including overhype, lack of diversity in samples, limited replication and difficulty interpreting significance of findings. Materials & methods: This review focuses on the future of social epigenomics by discussing progress made, ongoing methodological and analytical challenges and suggestions for improvement. Results & conclusion: Recommendations include more diverse sample types, cross-cultural, longitudinal and multi-generational studies. True integration of social and epigenomic data will require increased access to both data types in publicly available databases, enhanced data integration frameworks, and more collaborative efforts between social scientists and geneticists.
Do Long-Term Conservation Pasture Management Practices Influence Microbial Diversity and Antimicrobial Resistant Genes in Runoff?

Runoff from land-applied manure and poultry litter is one mechanism by which manure-borne bacteria are transported over large distances in the environment. There is a global concern that antimicrobial resistant (AMR) genes may be transmitted through the food chain from animal manures to soil to surface water. However, details are lacking on the ecology of AMR genes in water runoff as well as how conservation management practices may affect the runoff microbiome or minimize the movement of AMR genes. The aim of this study was to identify microbial community structure and diversity in water runoff following 14-years of poultry litter and cattle manure deposition and to evaluate the amount of AMR genes under five conventional and conservation pasture management strategies. Since 2004, all watersheds received annual poultry litter at a rate of 5.6 Mg ha-1 and were consistently managed. Surface runoff samples were collected from each watershed from 2018 to 2019, characterized using Illumina 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and enumerated for four AMR-associated genes (ermB, sulI, intlI, and blactx-m-32 ) using quantitative PCR. Overall, long-term pasture management influenced water microbial community structure, with effects differing by year (p 0.05) from pasture management on the abundance of these genes, indicating both conventional and conservation practices have similar ecologies for these targets; however, there was a greater detection of sulI genes from runoff in continuously grazed systems in 2019, with hay being lowest in 2019. Results illustrate that the edge of field buffer strips may increase bacterial richness in water runoff, but these changes in richness do not greatly impact target AMR genes in the United States largest land-use category.
COVID-19 among Minority Children in Detroit, Michigan during the Early National Surge of the Pandemic

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on communities of racial/ethnic minority groups in the US where long-standing health issues and structural inequities are now known to have resulted...
Deutsche Telekom, German Corporate Governance, and the Transition Costs of Capitalism

This is a partial and preliminary draft prepared for the Conference on Cross-border Views of Corporate Governance sponsored by the Columbia Law School Sloan Project on Corporate Governance and the L'Ecole Polytechnique Federale (Zurich), March 1997. Thanks go to David Blass for research assistance, to Mark Roe for innumerable conversations on German corporate governance, to David Charny and Katherina Pistor, for comments and suggestions, and to the Sloan Foundation for financial support.
Divergent effects of 9-cis-retinoic acid receptor on positive and negative thyroid hormone receptor-dependent gene expression.

The thyroid hormone (TH)-inducible expression of some genes has recently been shown to be enhanced by 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA) receptor (RXR). This effect appears to be at least partially elicited by the ability of RXR to heterodimerize with TH receptor (THR) and enhance its binding to the cis-acting thyroid hormone responsive elements (TREs) found within those genes. However, whether RXR beta enhances TH/THR-mediated transactivation of all Tre-containing genes, and if RXR has any effect on TH-dependent negative regulation are not known. In the present study, we show that the TH/THR-inducible expression of the myelin basic protein (MBP) gene is not enhanced by RXR beta, despite high affinity binding of the RXR beta.THR alpha heterodimer to the MBP-TRE. We also demonstrate that RXR beta reverses the TH/THR-dependent down-regulation mediated by the negative TRE found within the promoter of the mouse thyroid stimulating hormone gene (TSH). The ligand for RXR beta (9-cis-RA), either alone or in combination with TH, did not enhance the transcription mediated by either the MBP-TRE, TSH-TRE, or the malic enzyme (ME)-TRE. However, the ME-TRE is known to confer RXR beta-dependent enhancement of TH-induced gene expression. Thus, the capacity of RXR beta to modulate TH-dependent transcriptional regulation depends upon the nature of the TRE.
Lac repressor inducible gene expression in human breast cancer cells in vitro and in a xenograft tumor

We have studied the lac repressor (lacR) system in two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, in vitro and in vivo. Breast cancer cell lines were stably transfected with lacR and tested for inducibility by transient transfection with a lac operator/luciferase reporter plasmid. The level of expression of lacR did not appear to correlate with the basal or maximal activation of induction by isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG). Stable transfection with the same reporter gene resulted in up to 40-fold (MDA-MB-231) and 50-fold (MCF7) induction. In the absence of IPTG, a low level of basal reporter gene expression was seen in all clones. Detailed analysis showed that induction was rapid (maximal at 24 h), reversible (a return to basal expression by 24 h) and dose-dependent. To test if this system was also inducible in vivo, cells were grown as a xenograft tumor in nude mice. Mice were given IPTG (0.53 mmol) by intraperitoneal injection, and the tumors were biopsied at several time points following administration. IPTG caused a 10-fold increase in luciferase activity after 8 h, which persisted for 24 h. Thus, this system allows tightly controlled inducible in vivo and in vitro gene expression with low basal expression, and it may provide an important tool for the study of lethal genes in human breast cancer cells.
Introduction to Computer Systems

The aims of this chapter are to introduce the following: the components of a computer — the hardware; the component parts of a complete computer system — the other devices that you need to do useful work with a computer; the software needed to make the hardware do what you want;
The Tasks Ahead

This note, prepared ahead of the G20 Summit (November 15), builds upon the points laid out in the Managing Director's letter to the Heads of State and Government (November 9). It lays out two tasks ahead for policy makers. Policies for now should cover: (i) implementing and coordinating policies to sustain demand; (ii) providing liquidity support to emerging economies; and (iii) protecting low-income countries. Longer term reforms of the financial architecture should touch upon: (i) the design of financial regulation; (ii) a better way of assessing systemic risk; and (iii) mechanisms for more effective actions for crisis prevention and resolution.
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience: a prototype multi-institutional collaborative research center

The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience was launched in the fall of 1999 with support from the National Science Foundation, the Georgia Research Alliance, and our eight participating institutions (Georgia State University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark-Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College). The CBN provides the resources to foster innovative research in behavioral neuroscience, with a specific focus on the neurobiology of social behavior. Center faculty working in collaboratories use diverse model systems from invertebrates to humans to investigate fear, aggression, affiliation, and reproductive behaviors. The addition of new research foci in reward and reinforcement, memory and cognition, and sex differences has expanded the potential for collaborations among Center investigators. Technology core laboratories develop the molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral, and imaging tools essential for investigating how the brain influences complex social behavior and, in turn, how social experience influences brain function. In addition to scientific discovery, a major goal of the CBN is to train the next generation of behavioral neuroscientists and to increase the number of women and under-represented minorities in neuroscience. Educational programs are offered for K-12 students to spark an interest in science. Undergraduate and graduate initiatives encourage students to participate in interdisciplinary and inter-institutional programs, while postdoctoral programs provide a bridge between laboratories and allow the interdisciplinary research and educational ventures to flourish. Finally, the CBN is committed to knowledge transfer, partnering with community organizations to bring neuroscience to the public. This multifaceted approach through research, education, and knowledge transfer will have a major impact on how we study interactions between the brain and behavior, as well as how the public views brain function and neuroscience.
Does Immigration Induce Urban Sprawl in the U.S.? A Demographic Analysis

This article, utilizing U.S. Census data in 1980 and 1990, probes the relationship between immigration and urban sprawl. The preliminary findings reveal that native-born and foreign-born populations are very different regarding their household behaviors. Population growth caused by immigration is not likely the major causal factor to urban sprawl. The residential pattern of native-borns is more prone to inducing urban sprawl, since native-borns have a much higher growth rate in the number of households, owner-occupied housing, suburban residency, and demand for new housing. The article also shows that household behavior is a critical factor in causing urban sprawl. Household growth rather than population growth has a stronger causal linkage with urban sprawl. Future research, implementing microdata, is necessary to better disentangle the complex relationship.
Biochemical mechanisms of resistance to non-cell wall antibacterial agents.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the biochemical mechanisms that provide the basis for resistance to antibiotics and other antibacterial agents. Few comments regarding the genetic basis of resistance are also included. Antibacterial agents have been introduced to treat most if not all bacterial infections in man, yet the record shows that emergence of resistance has invariably followed the clinical introduction of each one. Today, the problem of antibiotic resistance is more acute than at any other time in the antibiotic era. In spite of the wealth of antibacterial agents available to clinicians, the frequency at which antibiotic resistance develops is increasing. There is also the particularly problematic emergence of multiple drug resistance in many different bacteria, and the pronouncements from some quarters that fewer new drugs are being developed as antibacterials. Genetic determinants for resistance are intrinsic or are acquired as new information. Intrinsic resistance to antibiotics is determined by genetic and biochemical factors peculiar to a specific group of bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is understood to be acquired when a bacterial population, normally sensitive to an antibacterial agent, becomes resistant to that agent by virtue of obtaining new genetic information.
Automated design of neural networks for symbolic signal processing

A procedure is described for translating high-level knowledge about an application into a neural network architecture that incorporates that knowledge in its synaptic interconnections. The program's design philosophy stresses separation of neural design from network function, a uniform syntax for neurons, inputs, and outputs, and flexibility in modularizing the resulting network. The trainability of neural networks allows the application knowledge to be further fine-tuned for a specific data space. It is shown how the translation rules can allow for the selective training of subnetworks, and an example of a signal recognition algorithm to which this technique can be applied is given. >
Nitric Oxide Binding to the Ferri- and Ferroheme States of Nitrophorin 1, a Reversible NO-Binding Heme Protein from the Saliva of the Blood-Sucking Insect, Rhodnius prolixus

The recombinant NO-binding heme protein, nitrophorin 1 (NP1) from the saliva of the blood-sucking insect, Rhodnius prolixus, has been studied by spectroelectrochemistry, EPR, NMR, and FTIR spectros...
Cyclic AMP accumulation in cerebral cortex tissue from inbred strains of mice.

Large strain differences in neurohumorally induced increases in cyclic AMP can be observed in chopped cerebral cortex of genetically uniform strains of mice. Data from F1 hybrids of C57BL/6J × DBA/2J and preliminary data from C57BL/6J × SEC/1ReJ suggests dominant transmission by C57 of a chemical factor favoring low accumulation of cyclic AMP in the first cross and recessive transmission of this factor in the second cross. These chemical observations correlate with previously observed transmission of “low active avoidance learning” in the same hybrid strains. Results of determinations of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity in supernatant fractions from C57, DBA and the C57 × DBA cross provide a possible explanation for the accumulation differences in those strains.
Mechanism of a genetic glissando*: structural biology of indel mutations

Insertions and deletions of bases in DNA (collectively termed "indels") are both common and biologically relevant, being associated with different human pathologies including cancer and diseases associated with expansions of repeats. Four decades of research have resulted in several hypotheses regarding how indels are generated during DNA synthesis and how they subsequently undergo or escape correction. Recent structural studies of DNA polymerases bound to mutagenic substrates have increased our understanding of how DNA polymerases cope with abnormal substrates. These structures provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying indel generation.
Entrepreneurship and economic development: the relative attraction of employment centres by firm size

Our research empirically explores the relative importance of firm size in fostering economic growth by using cross-sectional variation in the relative location of large and small firms in urban centres of employment. Our method compares the relative location of large and small firms between the older and established centres of employment with the newly emerging employment sub-centres. We conduct our cross-sectional examination of dynamic changes using data from 2010 for the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. We find that large firms are more likely than small to desire a central location not only in the CBD, but in the newly emerging sub-centres as well.
Interactive learning of image visual similarities and semantic categorization

ABSTRACT The "query by example" model has been extensively used to retrieve similar images in content-based imagedatabase management. The query is characterized by searching images with feature vectors similar to those ofthe example based upon either a default or a user-defined similarity metric. However, low level features oftenencounter a severe performance bottleneck as applied to natural image collections with complicated contents andgreat perceptual varieties. The feature-based similarity matching approach tends to retrieve many irrelevant images.This is not surprising since images different in semantic meanings but close enough in low level features can bereturned as a pertinent result. Such a query process lacks user involvement and therefore results in a gap betweenfeatures and semantics.In this work, a novel content-based image retrieval scheme that learns image visual similarities and semanticcategories from relevance feedback is presented. First, we choose the most suitable low level features to describeimages by analyzing image contents and categorize each image by predicting its semantic meanings. During theinteractive retrieval process, users are allowed to confirm semantic classification of the query example and evaluateretrieval results with relevance feedback. By processing the feedback information, the system learns both imagevisual similarities and semantic meanings. In similarity learning, the retrieving results are refined by modifyingthe similarity metric. Semantic learning is performed by using the decision tree training algorithm. The systemcontinues being updated along the retrieval procedure.Keywords: image database, content analysis, interactive learning, relevance feedback, image retrieval.
Examining the influence of spring soil moisture anomalies on summer precipitation in the U.S. Great Plains using the Community Atmosphere Model version 3

[1] The influence of spring soil moisture anomalies on summer precipitation variations in the U.S. Great Plains was investigated using the coupled version of the Community Atmosphere Model version 3-Community Land Model version 3. A series of experiments were conducted to examine how spring soil moisture anomalies influence summer precipitation. Results demonstrate that there are significant differences in precipitation response depending on the timing, sign, and magnitude of the spring soil moisture anomalies. Timing is the most important factor that controls the soil moisture-precipitation interaction. Soil moisture anomalies imposed on 1 May and 1 June tend to have significant influences on summer precipitation, depending on the sign of the soil moisture anomalies. Dry soil moisture anomalies tend to affect subsequent precipitation for longer than wet soil moisture anomalies when initialized on 1 May. Wet soil moisture anomalies can have more immediate and larger impacts on summer precipitation when they are imposed on 1 June. April soil moisture anomalies do not have a statistically significant impact on summer precipitation. The precipitation response is stronger as the magnitude of the soil moisture anomalies increases. Significant differences in the temporal variations of soil moisture exist not only between dry and wet experiments but also among the 10 soil layers. Generally the near-surface layers respond much more rapidly than the deep soil layers. Further study is needed to determine whether these findings are model specific.
Falls in older adults : Risk assessment, management and prevention

Falls are a common and serious problem for older adults. This article reviews practical aspects of the evaluation and management of this disorder in the ambulatory setting. Older patients should be screened for falls or changes in mobility as part of their annual health maintenance examination. Most falls are due to multiple factors, including disorders of gait, balance, strength, and vision. Polypharmacy and certain medications contribute to falls in many patients and can be a remediable factor. Many falls can be prevented through individualized multicomponent interventions. Exercise programs, rehabilitation, medication management, and treatment of vitamin D deficiency are the most effective single interventions. Referral to a geriatrician should be considered for patients with other common geriatric syndromes, such as cognitive impairment, incontinence, or depression.
Characterization of Equalized and Repeated Interconnects for NoC Applications

As the number of cores increases and onand off-chip bandwidth demand rises, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to rely on conventional interconnects and remain within the chip power budget. This article explores leveraging equalization for global and semi-global long interconnects to overcome this problem.
Radar coordination and resource management in a distributed sensor network using emergent control

As the list of anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense missions grows, there is an increasing need to coordinate and optimize usage of radar resources across the netted force. Early attempts at this optimization involved top-down control mechanisms whereby sensors accept resource tasking orders from networked tracking elements. These approaches rely heavily on uncertain knowledge of sensor constraints and capabilities. Furthermore, advanced sensor systems may support self-defense missions of the host platform and are therefore unable to relinquish control to an external function. To surmount these issues, the use of bottom-up emergent control techniques is proposed. The information necessary to make quality, network-wide resource allocations is readily available to sensor nodes with access to a netted track picture. By assessing resource priorities relative to the network (versus local) track picture, sensors can understand the contribution of their resources to the netted force. This allows the sensors to apply resources where most needed and remove waste. Furthermore, simple local rules for resource usage, when properly constructed, allow sensors to obtain a globally optimal resource allocation without direct coordination (emergence). These results are robust to partial implementation (i.e., not all nodes upgraded at once) and failures on individual nodes (whether from casualty or reallocation to other sensor missions), and they leave resource control decisions in the hands of the sensor systems instead of an external function. This paper presents independent research and development work on emergent control of sensor resources and the impact to resource allocation and tracking performance.
Information gathering among the faculty of a comprehensive college : Formality and globality

Abstract A survey of faculty at a comprehensive college reveals highly active information gathering. Formal sources of information are more important than informal sources, and use of books and journals varies across disciplinary areas. A two-dimensional definition of information gathering is presented in terms of formal and global sources of information.
Storage and dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in soil physical fractions following woody plant invasion of grassland

Abstract Woody plant invasion of grasslands is prevalent worldwide. In the Rio Grande Plains of Texas, subtropical thorn woodlands dominated by C3 trees/shrubs have been replacing C4 grasslands over the past 150 yr, resulting in increased soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and concomitant increases in soil total nitrogen (STN). To elucidate mechanisms of change in SOC and STN, we separated soil organic matter into specific size/density fractions and determined the concentration of C and N in these fractions. Soils were collected from remnant grasslands (Time 0) and woody plant stands (ages 10–130 yr). Rates of whole-soil C and N accrual in the upper 15 cm of the soil profile averaged 10–30 g C m−2 yr−1 and 1–3 g N m−2 yr−1, respectively, over the past 130 yr of woodland development. These rates of accumulation have increased soil C and N stocks in older wooded areas by 100–500% relative to remnant grasslands. Probable causes of these increased pool sizes include higher rates of organic matter production in wooded areas, greater inherent biochemical resistance of woody litter to decomposition, and protection of organic matter by stabilization within soil macro- and microaggregates. The mass proportions of the free light fraction ( 250 μm) increased linearly with time following woody plant invasion of grassland. Conversely, the mass proportions of free microaggregate (53–250 μm) and free silt+clay (
Influence of dietary lysine level, pre-slaughter fasting, and rendement napole genotype on fresh pork quality

Sixty-four gilts from a commercial hybrid line were selected based on rendement napole (RN) genotype and live weight to evaluate the effects of feeding a lysine-deficient diet and feed withdrawal prior to slaughter on fresh pork quality. Glycolytic potential was measured and the bimodal distribution was utilized to predict RN genotype. Diets containing 4.8 (deficient) or 6.4 g/kg lysine were fed for the last six weeks prior to slaughter. Feed withdrawal treatments were imposed 12 or 36 h prior to slaughter. The lysine-deficient diet increased intramuscular fat content; however, feed withdrawal did not consistently impact fresh pork quality. Pork from RN carriers had a lower ultimate pH and Hunter L*. Results from this study suggest that feeding a lysine-deficient diet can increase the intramuscular fat content of both RN genotypes, but feed withdrawal did not impact pork quality.
Reaction pathways for the formation of the YBa2Cu3O7−x compound

The kinetics of the reactions that lead to the formation of YBa2Cu3O7−x was investigated starting from various powder mixtures containing different reactants as sources of Ba, Cu, and Y (BaCO3, BaO, CuO, Y2O3. Y2Cu3O5. and BaCuO2). These powders were calcined at 940 °C for various time intervals. Quantitative x-ray analysis was used to determine the relative amounts of the compounds present in the calcined powders. When BaCO3 was used as the source of barium, long calcination times were required to obtain the single phased YBa2Cu3O7−x because of the slow decomposition of BaCO3. This leads to large particles and broad particle size distributions and hence to a lower density of the sintered superconducting pellets. Procedures to attain high density superconducting material are identified on the basis of the kinetic studies. Each of them isolates the slow reaction in a first step and prepares the superconducting material via a rapid reaction in a second step. The kinetic studies reveal the reaction mechanisms that were followed in different cases.
Activated sludge treatment of synthetic wastewater containing pentachlorophenol.

Activated sludge treatment of a pentachlorophenol (PCP)-containing synthetic waste was examined. With a waste containing some sugars, and 40–120 mg/L PCP, laboratory activated sludge required about seven days for acclimation. However, the prior addition of a quasipure culture of PCP-metabolizing Arthrobacter resulted in immediate acclimation. Even with acclimated sludge, however, the system was upset for two days by a simple step change from 40 to 120 mg/L of PCP. The stability of the system to such a shock load was considerably improved when a chemostat culture of the PCP-metabolizing Arthrobacter was fed slowly into the mixed liquor. Kinetic models were developed to describe the dynamic response of the system in terms of growth parameters, hydraulic detention time, sludge age, and bleed-in rate from the chemostat.
Estimating Intervention Effects of Prevention Programs: Accounting for Noncompliance

Individuals not fully complying with their assigned treatments is a common problem encountered in randomized evaluations of behavioral interventions. Treatment group members rarely attend all sessions or do all “required” activities; control group members sometimes find ways to participate in aspects of the intervention. As a result, there is often interest in estimating both the effect of being assigned to participate in the intervention, as well as the impact of actually participating and doing all of the required activities. Methods known broadly as “complier average causal effects” (CACE) or “instrumental variables” (IV) methods have been developed to estimate this latter effect, but they are more commonly applied in medical and treatment research. Since the use of these statistical techniques in prevention trials has been less widespread, many prevention scientists may not be familiar with the underlying assumptions and limitations of CACE and IV approaches. This paper provides an introduction to these methods, described in the context of randomized controlled trials of two preventive interventions: one for perinatal depression among at-risk women and the other for aggressive disruptive behavior in children. Through these case studies, the underlying assumptions and limitations of these methods are highlighted.
Optimizing queries over semantically integrated datasets on MapReduce platforms

Life science databases generally consist of multiple heterogeneous datasets that have been integrated using complex ontologies. Querying such databases typically involves complex graph patterns, and evaluating such patterns poses challenges when MapReduce-based platforms are used to scale up processing, translating to long execution workflows with large amount of disk and network I/O costs. In this poster, we focus on optimizing UNION queries (e.g., unions of conjunctives for inference) and present an algebraic interpretation of the query rewritings which are more amenable to efficient processing on MapReduce.
Anaphylaxis After Hymenoptera Sting: Is It Venom Allergy, a Clonal Disorder, or Both?

A 47-year-old man presented with loss of consciousness 5 minutes after being stung by a yellow jacket in his backyard. Epinephrine and fluids were required for resuscitation. Allergy evaluation revealed specific IgE to yellow jacket and honeybee, and the patient was started on venom immunotherapy. He had systemic reactions during buildup and a severe anaphylactic episode requiring 3 doses of intramuscular epinephrine at maintenance doses. Immunotherapy was discontinued. Serum tryptase level after 1 such episode was 29 ng/mL, with a baseline level of 25 ng/mL 4 weeks later. The physical examination was unremarkable including no skin lesions of cutaneous mastocytosis. Because of elevated baseline tryptase level, a bone marrow biopsy was performed, which revealed multifocal dense infiltrates of mast cells. A diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis was made. The patient was treated with omalizumab and was able to tolerate immunotherapy and is currently maintained on lifelong immunotherapy. He was restung in the field and has not had anaphylaxis.
Demographic and health surveillance: longitudinal ethical considerations

Longitudinal data gathered from health surveillance, when combined with detailed demographic information, can provide invaluable insight into disease outcomes. Many such surveillance sites exist in the developing world, particularly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and focus on diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cholera, malaria and tuberculosis. The indistinct positions of such surveillance systems, often inhabiting an area between research, treatment and population health monitoring, means that the necessity of and responsibility for ethical oversight is unclear. This regulatory vacuum is further compounded by a lack of attention to longitudinal surveillance systems in ethics literature. In this paper, we explore some key ethical questions that arise during demographic and health surveillance in relation to ethical principles of beneficence, respect for persons and justice: health-care provision, informed consent and study sustainability.
Demography, Culture, and Policy: Understanding Japan's Low Fertility

Insights into the causes of Japans prolonged and sharp fall in total fertility rate come from comparing Japan with France. The two countries share dirigiste administrative approaches family policy reform undertaken under the auspices of pragmatic right wing parties and justified on pronatalist grounds and involvement of demographic experts in crafting and shepherding such policies. But the countries differ with respect to their total fertility rates (France 1.98 Japan 1.29) and the effectiveness of their family policies. Thus comparing them can help identify areas of divergence that might explain these differences and assist in the project of theory building. Several salient explanations are rooted in Japans labor market: it exacts high opportunity costs from parents who interrupt their careers to raise children keeps ideal workers from having much time for their families assumes and reinforces a traditional gender ideology and hires few young workers into good jobs. (authors)
Synthesis and Nonlinear-Optical Properties of Vinyl-Addition Poly(norbornene)s

Vinyl-addition poly(norbornene) copolymers functionalized with nonlinear optical chromophore side groups have been prepared using (η6-toluene)Ni(C6F5)2, and their electrooptic properties have been characterized. The nickel complex used to polymerize the norbornene monomers is tolerant to many functional groups found in nonlinear optical chromophores although nitriles and amines other than trisubstituted amines strongly inhibit the reaction. A vinyl-addition copolymer of hexylnorbornene and a norbornene-functionalized Disperse Red 1 chromophore was scaled up and studied in detail. Initial studies indicate that electric field poling is effective but that relaxation of polar order in the poly(norbornene) is faster than in a comparable methacrylate copolymer.
Elucidation of the Mechanism of an Epigenetic Switch by Single-molecule Assays

The lambda bacteriophage epigenetic switch determines the growth lifestyle of the virus after infection of its host (E. coli). It is now clear that the switch consists of a ∼2.3 kbp-long DNA loop mediated by the lambda repressor protein. Using tethered particle microscopy (TPM), magnetic tweezers and AFM, our laboratory has novel, direct evidence of loop formation and breakdown by the repressor, the first characterization of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the looping reaction and its dependence on DNA supercoiling and repressor non-specific binding. These in vitro data provide insight into the different possible nucleoprotein complexes and into the lambda repressor-mediated looping mechanism which leads to predictions for that in vivo. The significance of this work consists not only of the new insight into a paradigmatic epigenetic switch that governs lysogeny vs. lysis, but also the detailed mechanics of regulatory DNA loops mediated by proteins bound to multipartite operators and capable of different levels of oligomerization.
Arthur F. Bentley and the foundations of behavioral science.

Arthur F. Bentley's early work on the foundations of behavioral science has been neglected by students of the history and philosophy of social science. Bentley believed that the development of behavioral science required extensive reflection on and criticism of the categorial presuppositions of both everyday and scientific knowledge. This paper is concerned with Bentley's criticism of psychological explanation, his theory of observation, and the basic concepts of his behavioral science.
Gene transfer of human heme oxygenase into coronary endothelial cells potentially promotes angiogenesis

Heme oxygenase (HO-1) is a stress protein that has been suggested to participate in defense mechanisms against agents that induce oxidative injury such as hemoglobin/heme, hypoxia-ischemia and cytokines. Overexpression of HO-1 in endothelial cells (EC) might, therefore, protect against oxidative stress produced under these pathological conditions, by generation of CO, a vasodilator, and bilirubin, which has antioxidant properties that enhance blood vessel formation to counteract hypoxia-induced injury. A plasmid containing the cytomegalovirus promoter (pCMV) neomycin human HO-1 gene complexed to cationic liposomes, lipofectin, was used to transfect rabbit coronary microvessel EC. Cells transfected with human HO-1 gene demonstrated a twofold increase in HO activity and maintained a similar phenotype as in the nontransfected cells. Cell number in transfected cells with human HO-1 gene increased by about 45%, as compared to nontransfected or those transfected with control pCMV. Transfected and nontransfected EC revealed a similar response to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in capillary formation. However, transfected cells with the human HO-1 gene exhibited a twofold increase in blood vessel formation. The angiogenic response of EC to overexpression of HO-1 gene provides direct evidence that the inductive form of HO-1 following injury represents an important tissue adaptive mechanism for moderating the severity of cell damage produced in inflammatory reaction sites of hemorrhage, thrombosis and hypoxic-ischemia. Thus, HO-1 may participate in the regulation of EC activation, proliferation and angiogenesis.
The effect of cognitive self-instructions on preservice teacher's anxiety about teaching

Abstract Elementary education preservice teachers participated in a cognitive self-instructional procedure aimed at eliminating or considerably diminishing the negative emotions related to the student teaching field experience (such as feelings of threat, tensions, worry, fear, and anxiety) by altering their self-talk. Sixty-seven subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: experimental, attention control, or assessment control. The dependent measure used to assess the relative effectiveness of the treatment procedure was the Survey of Feelings about Teaching developed by the authors. The experimental treatment is a modification of Meichenbaum's Stress Inoculation training. Results indicated that the training program significantly decreased self-reported anxiety about teaching.
Single-pulse shock-tube study on the decomposition of 1-pentyl radicals

1-Pentyl radicals have been decomposed in single-pulse shock-tube experiments. The precursor is n-pentyl iodide, and the reaction conditions are 850–1000 K and 1.5–5 bar pressure. With 1-pentyl radicals being released with the rate expression k(n-C5H11I=1-C5H11+I)=4×1014 exp(−25,820/T)s−1 we find the branching ratios for the decomposition to form olefin products to be k(1-C5H11=2C2H4+CH3)/k(1-C5H11)=2.3 exp(−2018/T) k(1-C5H11=C3H6+C2H5)/k(1-C5H11)=0.27 exp(803/T) k(1-C5H11=1-C4H8+CH3)/k(1-C5H11)=0.068 exp(310/T) where k(1-C5H11) is the total rate constant for 1-pentyl radical decomposition. The results from the last two channels are interpreted in terms of radical isomerization through 1,4- and 1,3-hydrogen migration to form 2-pentyl and 3-pentyl radicals. From kinetic modeling, we find k(1-C5H11→2-C5H11)=1×1012 exp(−11,330/T)s−1 k(1-C5H11→3-C5H11)=3×1011 exp(−12,100/T)s−1 Under the present conditions, pentyl radicals are not being equilibrated. Some of the problems in the interpretation and extrapolation of experimental results on the decomposition of complex radicals are considered. It appears that the isomerization of secondary pentyl radicals will not be competitive with β C-C bond fission. The molecular elimination of HI from n-pentyl iodide is characterized by the rate expression (n-C5H11I=1-C5H10+HI)=1.05×1013 exp(−25,730/T)s−1 and is relatively unimportant in the present context.
Southern Delegates and Republican National Convention Politics, 1880–1928

Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Republican Party dominated American elections in all geographical areas except the former Confederacy, which remained solidly Democratic. Despite this, Southern states were consistently provided with a sizable delegation to the Republican National Convention (as much as 26 percent of the total). This raises the question: Why would a region that delivered no votes on Election Day be given a substantial say in the selection of the party's presidential candidate? Previous research on the role Southern delegates played in Republican conventions has been limited to individual cases or to studies only tangentially related to this question. We explore the continuous and sizable presence of Southern delegates at Republican conventions by conducting a historical overview of the 1880–1928 period. We find that Republican Party leaders—and particularly presidents—adopted a “Southern strategy” by investing heavily in maintaining a minor party organization in the South, as a way to create a reliable voting base at conventions. We also show that as the Republican Party's strength across the country grew under the “System of 1896,” challenges to the delegate apportionment method—and thereby efforts to minimize Southern influence at Republican conventions—increased substantially.
Cycle covers (I) -- Minimal contra pairs and Hamilton weights

Let G be a bridgeless cubic graph associated with an eulerian weight w:E(G)@?{1,2}. A faithful circuit cover of the pair (G,w) is a family of circuits in G which covers each edge e of G precisely w(e) times. A circuit C of G is removable if the graph obtained from G by deleting all weight 1 edges contained in C remains bridgeless. A pair (G,w) is called a contra pair if it has no faithful circuit cover, and a contra pair (G,w) is minimal if it has no removable circuit, but for each weight 2 edge e, the graph G-e has a faithful circuit cover with respect to the weight w. It is proved by Alspach et al. (1994) [2] that if (G,w) is a minimal contra pair, then the graph G must contain a Petersen minor. It is further conjectured by Fleischner and Jackson (1988) [5] that this graph G must be the Petersen graph itself (not just as a minor). In this paper, we prove that this conjecture is true if every Hamilton weight graph is constructed from K"4 via a series of (Y->@?)-operations.
Interventricular redistribution of myocardial blood flow during metabolic vasodilation.

To determine the effect of metabolic vasodilation on the blood flow distribution within the hypoperfused left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) of the pig (a perfusion bed containing both left and right ventricular myocardium), 28 anesthetized (isoflurane) pigs were studied during intracoronary dobutamine infusion (2.5±1, SD, μg/min) at two levels of reduced, constant coronary inflow. In 8 pigs, coronary inflow was reduced from 59±9 ml/min to 42±10 ml/ min; coronary perfusion pressure fell to 62±2 mm Hg (8260±260 Pa) and then fell further to 54±6 mm Hg (7190±800 Pa) during dobutamine infusion. Subendocardial blood flow in the anterior wall of the left ventricle perfused by the LAD decreased from 0.64±0.12 ml min−1g−1 with hypoperfusion alone, to 0.40±0.14 ml min−1 g−1 (P<0.002) with the addition of dobutamine. Conversely, blood flow to the right ventricular region supplied by the LAD increased significantly from 0.78±0.40 ml min−1 g−1 (hypoperfusion alone) to 0.92±0.50 ml min−1 g−1 (P<0.008) with dobutamine. In 10 pigs, a more severe reduction of coronary inflow to 26±12 ml/min and subsequent dobutamine infusion resulted in a similar redistribution of blood flow from the left to the right ventricular portion of the perfusion bed. Infusion of dobutamine during hypoperfusion, but with a pressure-constant perfusion system, was associated with increases in blood flow to both the right and left ventricular portions of the perfusion territory. Thus, dobutamine could recruit a significant vasodilator reserve throughout the entire perfusion bed including the left ventricular subendocardium. These data demonstrate that the metabolic vasodilation accompanying inotropic stimulation under flow-limited conditions results in an interventricular redistribution, or “steal”, of blood flow within the LAD perfusion bed.