cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Anxiety Disorders

ABSTRACT Objective This study explored psychosocial and "environmental" correlates of childhood anxiety disorders. The study examined relationships among parental psychiatric symptomatology, perceived family environment, temperament, and self-competence in children with a DSM-III-R anxiety disorder. Method A community sample of third through sixth graders was screened initially for symptoms of test anxiety. Those with high and low scores were administered the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children. Three groups (childhood anxiety disorder, test-anxious only, and normal controls) were identified and compared on the psychosocial variables. Results Children with an anxiety disorder had greater impairment on the indices of perceived self-competence and temperamental flexibility than controls, with the test-anxious children showing intermediate, yet significant, levels of disturbance. There was a trend for children with an anxiety disorder to describe their families as less promoting of independence than the other groups. Finally, measures of parental psychiatric symptomatology revealed more obsessive-compulsive symptoms for the fathers of both the anxiety disorder and test-anxious children compared with controls. Conclusions Results are consistent with previous findings suggesting the familial transmission of anxiety disorders and recent speculations regarding a relationship between behavioral inhibition, environmental control, and anxiety. Further research may isolate psychosocial and family environmental factors as instrumental treatment targets in the management of childhood anxiety disorders.
Water sorption and hydrolytic stability of polycarbonates

The hydrolytic stability of a new commercial polycarbonate (Calibre 300, Dow Chemical USA) was investigated and compared with that of other commercial polycarbonates. The tests were conducted between 56% and 95% relative humidity (R. H.) at 100°C. Also performed were water immersion tests at 80 and 100°C. The water diffusivity was found to be 8.7 × 10−7 cm2/s at 100°C with an activation energy of 7.9 kcal/mole. These values are similar to other glassy polymers. The equilibrium water sorption, C∞, was found to increase with temperature and R.H. The isotherm at 100°C was determined to be: C∞ = 0.005945 [R.H.]. When samples immersed in a water bath at 100°C were transferred into room-temperature water, visible aqueous microcavities were formed due to the condition of super-saturation, and under stress may become crack initiation sites. For the polycarbonate investigated here, it was found that the decrease in weight-average molecular weight (M)w was a first-order process under a constant R.H. and temperature, and that hydrolytic embrittlement, i. e., (M)w <34,000, was reached after ca. 188, 143, 99, and 66 days under 56%, 73%, 87%, and 95% R.H., respectively, at 100°C. A comparison with reported hydrolytic stability data for other polycarbonates showed large differences in their stability which are believed to be due to the extent of end-group capping (over 95% in Calibre 300) and resin purity: both phenolic end-groups and some additives (i.e., fire retardants, thermal stabilizers) are known to accelerate hydrolytic degradation.
Docosahexaenoic acid and human brain development: Evidence that a dietary supply is needed for optimal development

Humans evolved a uniquely large brain among terrestrial mammals. Brain and nervous tissue is rich in the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Docosahexaenoic acid is required for lower and high order functions in humans because of understood and emerging molecular mechanisms. Among brain components that depend on dietary components, DHA is limiting because its synthesis from terrestrial plant food precursors is low but its utilization when consumed in diet is very efficient. Negligible DHA is found in terrestrial plants, but in contrast, DHA is plentiful at the shoreline where it is made by single-celled organisms and plants, and in the seas supports development of very large marine mammal brains. Modern human brains accumulate DHA up to age 18, most aggressively from about half-way through gestation to about two years of age. Studies in modern humans and non-human primates show that modern infants consuming infant formulas that include only DHA precursors have lower DHA levels than for those with a source of preformed DHA. Functional measures show that infants consuming preformed DHA have improved visual and cognitive function. Dietary preformed DHA in the breast milk of modern mothers supports many-fold greater breast milk DHA than is found in the breast milk of vegans, a phenomenon linked to consumption of shore-based foods. Most current evidence suggests that the DHA-rich human brain required an ample and sustained source of dietary DHA to reach its full potential.
The electronic structure of SiO2: A review of recent spectroscopic and theoretical advances

Abstract Experimental and theoretical progress in understanding the electronic structure of SiO2 is critically reviewed. Relatively basic introductions to both the experimental and theoretical methods are provided.
Thinking Like a Nurse: Using Video Simulation to Rehearse for Professional Practice

Abstract Background Professional nurses are called upon to make increasingly high-stake decisions, calling for critical thinking and effective problem solving skills. Nurse educators are compelled to facilitate the transference of classroom knowledge to clinical practice to strengthen the student's transition to the professional role. The purpose of this article is to describe the effectiveness of using video simulation to develop critical thinking skills, leadership and quality and safety competencies in nursing students. Methods A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used with a convenience sample of 54 nursing students enrolled in a senior leadership course. The Creighton Simulation Evaluation Instrument TM was used to evaluate assessment, communication, critical thinking, and technical skills. Results Statistically significant differences between mean pretest and posttest scores (p = .0001) were found. Conclusions Project findings support the use of video scenarios for the application of theoretical knowledge to clinical situations, promotion of critical thinking skills and development of quality, safety and leadership competencies.
Asymmetric structure of five and six membered DNA hairpin loops

The tertiary structure of nucleic acid hairpins was elucidated by means of the accessibility of the single-strand-specific nuclease from mung bean. This molecular probe has proven especially useful in determining details of the structural arrangement of the nucleotides within a loop. In this study 3'-labeling is introduced to complement previously used 5'-labeling in order to assess and to exclude possible artifacts of the method. Both labeling procedures result in mutually consistent cleavage patterns. Therefore, methodological artifacts can be excluded and the potential of the nuclease as structural probe is increased. DNA hairpins with five and six membered loops reveal an asymmetric loop structure with a sharp bend of the phosphate-ribose backbone between the second and third nucleotide on the 3'-side of a loop. These hairpin structures differ from smaller loops with 3 or 4 members, which reveal this type of bend between the first and second 3' nucleotide, and resemble with respect to the asymmetry anticodon loops of tRNA.
Osteocyte density in woven bone

Woven bone forms rapidly during tissue growth, following injury and in response to certain anabolic stimuli. Functional differences between woven and lamellar bone may be due, in part, to differences in osteocyte density (cells per unit tissue). Woven bone has been estimated to contain four to eight times more osteocytes than lamellar bone, although primary data to support this assertion are limited. Given recent findings implicating osteocytes as regulators of bone remodeling, bone formation and bone volume, such large differences in osteocyte density between woven and lamellar bone may have important consequences. In this study, we compared the density of osteocyte lacunae (lacunae/mm(2) tissue) in rat lamellar bone with that in woven bone formed under several different circumstances. We found that the lacunar density of lamellar cortical bone in the rat (834+/-83 cells/mm2, mean+/-SD) did not differ significantly from that of periosteal woven bone formed via intramembranous osteogenesis, either in response to mechanical loading (921+/-204 cells/mm2) or in the periosteal buttressing region of the fracture callus (1138+/-168 cells/mm2). In contrast, lacunar density of endochondrally derived woven bone in the center (gap) region of fracture callus was nearly 100% greater (1875+/-270 cells/mm2) than in lamellar cortical bone while lacunar density of primary spongiosa of the growth plate was 40% greater (1674+/-228 cells/mm2) than that in lamellar cancellous bone (1189+/-164). These findings demonstrate that lacunar density in woven bone varies depending on skeletal site and developmental history and appears to be elevated in endochondrally derived woven bone adjacent to marrow space. Given the considerable evidence supporting osteocytes as local initiators of bone remodeling, we suggest that woven bone with increased lacunar density may undergo remodeling at an accelerated rate.
Finite sample properties of some alternative GMM estimators

We investigate the small-sample properties of three alternative generalized method of moments (GMM) estimators of asset-pricing models. The estimators that we consider include ones in which the weighting matrix is iterated to convergence and ones in which the weighting matrix is changed with each choice of the parameters. Particular attention is devoted to assessing the performance of the asymptotic theory for making inferences based directly on the deterioration of GMM criterion functions.
Synthesis of virus-specific proteins in simian sarcoma virus-transformed primate cells

Abstract Marmoset monkey cells productively and nonproductively transformed by simian sarcoma virus (SSV) were evaluated for expression of simian sarcoma associated virus (SSAV)-specific structural polypeptides and SSV transformation-specific polypeptides. Virus-producing cells contained, in addition to virus structural proteins, a 62,000-dalton polypeptide (pr62 gag) precipitable by antisera specific for SSAV p28 or p10, and a polypeptide of approximately 80,000 daltons (pr80 env) which could be glucosamine-labeled and which was precipitated by antisera specific for SSAV envelope proteins. Results of pulse-chase experiments provided evidence for a precursor-product relationship between pr62 gag and p28 and between pr80 env and the envelope proteins gp70, p15E, and p12E. Pr62 and p12 were the only detectable phosphorylated virus-specific polypeptides. Nucleic acid hybridization techniques demonstrated SSAV-related DNA and RNA in clonal SSV-transformed nonproducer marmoset cell lines (HF/SSV-NP), but synthesis of SSAV-related protein was demonstrated in only one of five of these lines. This cell line expressed pr62 which was not processed to yield p28 or other gag gene products. Gel electrophoresis of immunoprecipitates demonstrated that SSV does not express a transformation-specific polyprotein comprised in part of either p28, p10, or p12 and a nonstructural component. Antibodies which precipitated a protein specific for SSV-transformed cells were not detected in sera from marmoset monkeys bearing SSV-induced tumors, or in sera from a goat or marmosets inoculated with autologous SSV-transformed cells or HF/SSV-NP cells.
Prenatal bladder outlet obstruction secondary to ureterocele

We present 2 cases of prenatal hydroureteronephrosis and bladder outlet obstruction due to an obstructing ureterocele. Both neonates were stabilized and managed with early endoscopic decompression. Neither infant demonstrated significant function in the kidney ipsilateral to the ureterocele either before or after ureterocele puncture. There have been few cases reported of prenatal bladder outlet obstruction due to a ureterocele. Our limited experience has been poor with regard to salvaging the affected upper tract. Future definitive management will be tailored as more of these cases are documented.
Histone deacetylase 1 phosphorylation at S421 and S423 is constitutive in vivo, but dispensable in vitro

Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) is a transcriptional regulator associated with proliferation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis, although its precise cellular role is unclear. HDAC1 was previously characterized as a phosphoprotein where mutation of phosphorylated S421 and S423 resulted in a loss of deacetylase activity and protein association. Here, the role of phosphorylation in regulating HDAC1 function was examined using phospho-specific antibodies. The antibody studies revealed that phosphorylation at S421 and S423 is constant during the cell cycle, under stress conditions, or in the presence of kinase or phosphatase inhibitors. Further, phosphorylation is dispensable for catalysis or protein association in vitro, as revealed by phosphatase studies. Truncation mutants of HDAC1 demonstrated that binding to Sin3A is promoted by S421 and S423 phosphorylation, while interaction with RbAp48 is not. Taken together, the data are consistent with constitutive phosphorylation of HDAC1 at S421 and S423 in vivo, which is dispensable for activity in vitro.
Strain in wet thermally oxidized square and circular mesas

In this paper, we report the observation, through optical microscopy, of drumhead-like patterns in square and circular mesas which have been wet thermally oxidized to completion. Micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements are used to show that these patterns roughly correspond to variations in strain induced in surrounding semiconductor layers by the oxidation process. In addition, the patterns have a specific orientation with respect to the crystallographic axes of the semiconductor. A crystallographic dependence of the oxidation process itself is demonstrated and used to explain the orientation of the drumhead patterns.
The kindling model of alcohol dependence: similar persistent reduction in seizure threshold to pentylenetetrazol in animals receiving chronic ethanol or chronic pentylenetetrazol.

Rats on a chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) regimen showed a persistent reduction in seizure threshold to the convulsant drug pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). CIE rats were given ethanol by intubation on an alternate day schedule and tested at selected intervals for seizure threshold with PTZ. A significant reduction in seizure threshold, a sign of withdrawal, was observed 20 hr after the first dose. The severity of withdrawal intensified on repetition of the ethanol administration and depression-hyperexcitability cycle, with the seizure threshold reaching a maximum decrease after 12 doses and remaining reduced up to 60 doses. The reduction in seizure threshold persisted for at least 40 days of no alcohol following the 60th dose. The long-lasting decrease in seizure threshold following CIE treatment resembled the “kindling” phenomenon produced by chronic administration of PTZ (25 mg/kg, 3 times/week). The CIE rats developed, in addition, a tolerance to the anticonvulsant action of ethanol, which occurred well after the decrease in PTZ seizure threshold, and a tolerance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol, which developed rapidly. PTZ kindled rats that had never been exposed to ethanol also exhibited tolerance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol. We propose that kindling contributes to the mechanism of the development of dependence on central nervous system depressants like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol, drugs that act on the γ-aminobutyric acid-A receptor chloride ion channel complex. Repeated episodes of depression and withdrawal hyperexcitability are postulated to produce kindling during the repeated withdrawal episodes. In chronic ethanol abuse, the withdrawal stress/hyperexcitability would be repeated many times and lead to the development of dependence as measured by the persistent increase in withdrawal severity, manifested as heightened sensitivity to seizures (kindling). The long-lasting decreases in seizure threshold following both chronic pentylenetetrazol and chronic intermittent ethanol suggest the possibility that some common mechanisms, such as the involvement of γ-aminobutyric acid-A receptors, may underlie the two kindling phenomena.
Optimal state-free, size-aware dispatching for heterogeneous M/G/-type systems

We consider a cluster of heterogeneous servers, modeled as M/G/1 first-come first-serve queues with different processing speeds. A dispatcher that assigns jobs to the servers takes as input only the size of the arriving job and the overall job-size distribution. This general model captures the behavior of a variety of real systems, such as web server clusters. Our goal is to identify assignment strategies that the dispatcher can perform to minimize expected completion time and waiting time. We show that there exist optimal strategies that are deterministic, fixing the server to which jobs of particular sizes are always sent. We prove that the optimal strategy for systems with identical servers assigns a non-overlapping interval range of job sizes to each server. We then prove that when server processing speeds differ, it is necessary to assign each server a distinct set of intervals of job sizes in order to minimize expected waiting or response times.
Saccadic eye movements among copper smelter workers

Saccade accuracy was studied in 87 copper smelter workers. Findings were compared with those obtained in 52 lead-exposed automobile production workers and 52 controls examined as part of a separate study. Both groups of workers showed a decrease in saccade accuracy compared to controls. Saccade accuracy was reduced in copper smelter workers over 50 years of age compared to automobile production workers in this age group. Decreased saccade accuracy was not correlated with blood lead (Pb-B), zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), or urinary arsenic (As-U) levels among copper smelter workers, but was significantly correlated with both Pb-B and ZPP in the group of automobile production workers. Saccade accuracy decreased significantly with age and duration of exposure only in the group of copper smelter workers. Complex exposures to lead and other toxic agents present in the smelter may account for the reduction in saccade accuracy among copper smelter workers.
Speculative p-DFAs for parallel XML parsing

XML has seen wide acceptance in a number of application domains, and contributed to the success of wide-scale grid and scientific computing environments. Performance, however, is still an issue, and limits adoption under some situations where it might otherwise be able to provide significant interoperability, flexibility, and extensibility. As CPUs increasingly have multiple cores, parallel XML parsing can help to address this concern. This paper explores the use of speculation to improve the performance of parallel XML parsing. Building on previous work, we use an initial preparsing stage to build a sketch of the document which we called the skeleton. This skeleton contains enough information so that we can then proceed to do the full parse in parallel using unmodified libxml2. The preparsing itself is parallelized using product machines which we call p-DFAs. During execution, unlikely possibilities are discarded in favor of more likely ones. Statistics are gathered to decide which possibilities are not likely. The results show good performance and scalability on both a 30 CPU Sun E6500 machine running Solaris and a Linux machine with two Intel Xeon L5320 CPUs for a total of 8 physical cores.
Midcourse Space Experiment: Off-Axis Rejection Performance of the Infrared Sensor

The Spatial Infrared Imaging Telescope III (SPIRIT III) sensor on the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite observed stray radiation from the lower atmosphere and terrestrial surface, nonrejected Earth radiance, at angles of approximately 2 to 14 deg from the optical axis in measurements of Earth limb radiance. Analysis indicates that direct scatter of terrestrial radiance from contaminants on the telescope primary mirror is the principal source of stray radiation and the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of the primary mirror for the 6.8-10.8-μm radiometer band is (1.11 ± 0.22) x 10 -2 persr at 1 deg off axis with an angular dependence of θ -1.71 ± 0.07 . Similarly, the BRDF values for the three other LWIR radiometer bands (11.1-13.2,13.5-15.9, and 18.2-25.1 μm) havebeendeterminedas(1.03 ± 0.05) × 10 -2 θ -1.66±0.10 , (2.21 ± 0.18) × 10 -2 θ -2.04±0.21 , and (2.59 ± 0.02) × 10 -2 θ -2.10±0.09 sr -1 , respectively. The BRDF values derived from the on-orbit data are significantly greater than prelaunch measurements, and the increase is attributed to particulate accumulation on the primary mirror during the prelaunch period, launch, and the on-orbit telescope aperture cover removal and ejection process.
Warm Season Variations in the Low-Level Circulation and Precipitation over the Central United States in Observations, AMIP Simulations, and Idealized SST Experiments

Sea surface temperature (SST) linkages to central U.S. low-level circulation and precipitation variability are investigated from the perspective of the Great Plains low-level jet (GPLLJ) and recurring modes of SST variability. The observed and simulated links are first examined via GPLLJ index regressions to precipitation, SST, and large-scale circulation fields in the NCEP‐NCAR and North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) reanalyses, and NASA’s Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Project (NSIPP1) and Community Climate Model, version 3 (CCM3) ensemble mean Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) simulations for the 1949‐2002 (1979‐2002 for NARR) period. Characteristics of the low-level circulation and its related precipitation are further examined in the U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Drought Working Group idealized climate model simulations (NSIPP1 and CCM3) forced with varying polarities of recurring modes of SST variability. It is found that the observed and simulated correlations of the GPLLJ index to Atlantic and Pacific SST, large-scale atmospheric circulation, and Great Plains precipitation variability for 1949‐2002 are robust during the July‐September (JAS) season and show connections to a distinct global-scale SST variability pattern, one similar to that used in forcing the NSIPP1 and CCM3 idealized simulations, and a subtropical Atlantic-based sea level pressure (SLP) anomaly with a maximum over the Gulf of Mexico. The idealized simulations demonstrate that a warm Pacific and/or a cold Atlantic are influential over regional hydroclimate features including the monthly preference for maximum GPLLJ and precipitation in the seasonal cycle. Furthermore, it appears that the regional expression of globally derived SST variability is important for generating an anomalous atmospheric low-level response of consequence to the GPLLJ, especially when the SST anomaly is positioned over a regional maximum in climatological SST, and in this case the Western Hemisphere warm pool.
Incremental test collections

Corpora and topics are readily available for information retrieval research. Relevance judgments, which are necessary for system evaluation, are expensive; the cost of obtaining them prohibits in-house evaluation of retrieval systems on new corpora or new topics. We present an algorithm for cheaply constructing sets of relevance judgments. Our method intelligently selects documents to be judged and decides when to stop in such a way that with very little work there can be a high degree of confidence in the result of the evaluation. We demonstrate the algorithm's effectiveness by showing that it produces small sets of relevance judgments that reliably discriminate between two systems. The algorithm can be used to incrementally design retrieval systems by simultaneously comparing sets of systems. The number of additional judgments needed after each incremental design change decreases at a rate reciprocal to the number of systems being compared. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, we evaluate TREC ad hoc submissions, showing that with 95% fewer relevance judgments we can reach a Kendall's tau rank correlation of at least 0.9.
Commercially Sexually Exploited Girls and Participant Perceptions of Blameworthiness: Examining the Effects of Victimization History and Race Disclosure

Prostitution among female youth has been largely misunderstood, trivialized, or ignored. Increased attention has been directed toward juvenile female delinquency, particularly related to the overlap in their status as victims and offenders. Areas in this research continue to be underinvestigated, however, especially with regard to public perceptions of commercially sexually exploited girls. The current study used survey questionnaires to examine participant perceptions of the blameworthiness of a prostituted minor while considering her victimization history disclosure and race. Results indicate that victimization history disclosure significantly reduced perceptions of blameworthiness and reduced blameworthiness operated similarly for Caucasian and African American females forced into prostitution. Further research directions are discussed.
The Myth of the Neronian Persecution

A conventional certainty is that the first state-driven persecution of Christians happened in the reign of Nero and that it involved the deaths of Peter and Paul, and the mass execution of Christians in the aftermath of the great fire of July 64 c.e. The argument here contests all of these facts, especially the general execution personally ordered by Nero. The only source for this event is a brief passage in the historian Tacitus. Although the passage is probably genuine Tacitus, it reflects ideas and connections prevalent at the time the historian was writing and not the realities of the 60s.
Effects of invasive Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on survival of sugar maple seedlings in a southwestern Ohio forest.

Invasion by Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in eastern deciduous forests negatively affect diversity and abundance of herbaceous vegetation and tree seedlings. We used a 3 x 2 factorial design (L. maackii present/absent/removed and O. virginianus present/excluded) to assess individual and interactive effects of these species on survival of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings in a deciduous forest in southwestern Ohio. Survival of seedlings was negatively affected by presence of honeysuckle and browsing by deer, but there was no significant deer x honeysuckle interaction. Negative effects on survival and, hence abundance, of sugar maple seedlings could affect the relative dominance of species of canopy trees in these forests. Because there was no honeysuckle x deer interaction, control measures that target Amur honeysuckle and white-tailed deer separately could be employed without producing unintended effects on sugar maple seedlings.
A Three-Dimensional Swept Volume Display Based on LED Arrays

Stereoscopic, or multi-view, display systems are considered as better alternatives to conventional two-dimensional (2D) displays, since such systems can provide important visual cues for the human brain to process three-dimensional (3D) objects. An auto-stereoscopic display is a device that can render 3D images for viewers without the aid of special headgear or glasses. In this paper, we present a new design of an auto-stereoscopic swept-volume display (SVD) system based on light-emitting diode (LED) arrays. This system is constituted of a display device and a graphics control sub-system. The display device is a 2D rotating panel of LEDs, relying on “persistence of vision” to generate 3D images. The graphics control sub-system is composed of a combination of PC software, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and supporting circuitry. The primary task of the graphics control sub-system is to process 3D data and control each LED. In addition, a new 3D image generation and rendering method was developed to reduce the bandwidth requirement and to facilitate 3D image display. Demonstrated in the experiments, a prototype of this system is capable of displaying 3D images and videos with full 360 ° view angles.
Automatic Segmentation of MR Brain Images Using Spatial-Varying Gaussian Mixture and Markov Random Field Approach

We present an automatic segmentation method using the Maximum a posterior (MAP)-Markov random field (MRF) framework that possesses regional adaptive capability for the segmentation of MR brain images with the presence of noise and the intensity inhomogeneity. A spatial-varying Gaussian mixture (SVGM) is used to model the conditional probability distribution of each of the three brain tissues (WM, GM and CSF), and the MRF is used to represent prior probabilities. A three-component random vector consisting of spatial and intensity information is used in SVGM such that the model can represent more complex image characteristics, such as intensity inhomogeneity. The regional adaptive capability is achieved by imposing a similarity criterion that minimizes the intensity variation of the segmented tissues in local regions. Initial parameters of SVGM are estimated from a brain atlas using either the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm or modified k-mean (MKM) algorithm, and the iterated conditional modes (ICM) algorithm is used to perform the segmentation. The parameters estimation and the ICM algorithm are alternatively operated until a stopping criterion is reached. The implement of the method is validated by quantitatively comparing with other published classification methods on fifteen simulated and twenty in vivo brain volumes using the same evaluation criteria. Our algorithm demonstrates superior performance in all cases other than two, and is especially suitable for the volumes with higher noise and inhomogeneity. The complete experiments illustrate that the incorporations of the spatial information and the regional adaptive processing into MAP-MRF framework provide better solution to the segmentation of MR brain images.
Rickettsial diseases and ectoparasites from military bases in Japan

Abstract: Ectoparasitic arthropods are often vectors of rickettsiosis. We conducted a survey of ectoparasites on U.S. military facilities throughout Japan with the use of specimens submitted by pest control, public health, and veterinary personnel. Over 1,600 individual ectoparasites were collected. Fifteen species were identified, including several significant vectors of human diseases such as scrub typhus and rickettsial spotted fevers. These ectoparasites included Ctenocephalides felis, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes persulcatus, Leptotrombidium fuji, Leptotrombidium pallidum, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Rickettsial agents were detected by PCR and DNA sequencing. These included Bartonella henselae, Bartonella japonica, a novel Bartonella, Coxiella burnetii, an unnamed Coxiella, Ehrlichia canis, Orientia tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia typhi, and “Rickettsia Rf2125”/“Rickettsia cf1and5”.
First Report of Downy Mildew (Caused by Peronospora destructor) of Onion in Georgia.

In February 1999, localized areas in a commercial field of Vidalia sweet onions in Toombs County, GA, exhibited symptoms that included elongated pale to light tan lesions on older leaves as well as some totally collapsed leaves. A dark, sooty to purple-gray fungal growth also was observed on affected leaves. Both symptoms and signs were observed during a period of wet, cool weather. Microscopic observation of affected tissues revealed nonseptate mycelia and dichotomously branched sporangiophores, which tapered to short sterigmata, giving rise to pyriform to fusiform sporangia. Based on these observations, the disease was determined to be downy mildew of onion caused by Peronospora destructor (Berk.). The dimensions of 25 sporangia averaged 25.1 ± 3.8 × 64.2 ± 4.3 μm, falling within the range of those currently reported for P. destructor (1). The disease was isolated to the field in which it was initially reported and did not cause extensive damage. Its failure to progress and spread may have been due to t...
THE EFFECT OF EXTENDED EXPOSURE TO A HOT ENVIRONMENT ON THE RESPONSE OF THE CHICKEN TO HYPERTHERMIA

Adult female White Leghorns lived for 12 weeks at either 32–35 °C and 50–60% R.H. (adapted) or 22–24 °C, R.H. uncontrolled (controls). Hyperthermia was induced by exposing the restricted animal to 40.5 °C and 60% R.H. Body temperature (TB), respiratory rate (RR), minute volume , tidal volume (VT), heart rate (HR), and systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure (SBP, DBP, and PP) were monitored at changes in TB. Adapted birds resisted hyperthermia better than controls, but the time–TB relationship was biphasic. Between TB of 42.0 and 43.5 °C regression coefficients relating time to TB were not different (adapted, 20.4 ± 0.6 and controls, 22.1 ± 0.8 minute/°C) but they did diverge significantly between TB of 44.0 and 45.5 °C (35.9 ± 0.8 and 25.6 ± 0.8 minute/°C). Body weight (BW), RR, , HR, SBP, and DBP were significantly lower in adapted birds before hyperthermia. Covariance analysis indicated that, of these differences, the lower BW handicapped and the lower , SBP, and DBP aided the adapted birds in resistin...
Integrative analysis of gene and miRNA expression profiles with transcription factor–miRNA feed-forward loops identifies regulators in human cancers

We describe here a novel method for integrating gene and miRNA expression profiles in cancer using feed-forward loops (FFLs) consisting of transcription factors (TFs), miRNAs and their common target genes. The dChip-GemiNI (Gene and miRNA Network-based Integration) method statistically ranks computationally predicted FFLs by their explanatory power to account for differential gene and miRNA expression between two biological conditions such as normal and cancer. GemiNI integrates not only gene and miRNA expression data but also computationally derived information about TF-target gene and miRNA-mRNA interactions. Literature validation shows that the integrated modeling of expression data and FFLs better identifies cancer-related TFs and miRNAs compared to existing approaches. We have utilized GemiNI for analyzing six data sets of solid cancers (liver, kidney, prostate, lung and germ cell) and found that top-ranked FFLs account for ∼20% of transcriptome changes between normal and cancer. We have identified common FFL regulators across multiple cancer types, such as known FFLs consisting of MYC and miR-15/miR-17 families, and novel FFLs consisting of ARNT, CREB1 and their miRNA partners. The results and analysis web server are available at http://www.canevolve.org/dChip-GemiNi.
Thermal Isolation of Encapsulated MEMS Resonators

This paper presents an in-chip thermal-isolation technique for a micro-ovenized microelectromechanical-system resonator. Resonators with a microoven can be used for high-precision feedback control of temperature to compensate for the temperature dependence of resonator frequency over a wide temperature range. However, ovenization requires power consumption for heating, and the thermal time constant must be minimized for effective temperature control. This paper demonstrates an efficient local-thermal-isolation mechanism, which can reduce the power requirement to a few milliwatts and the thermal time constant to a few milliseconds. In this method, the mechanical suspension of the resonator is modified to provide thermal isolation and include an integrated resistive heater. This combination provides mechanical suspension, electrical heating, and thermal isolation in a compact structure that requires low heating power and has a small thermal time constant. A power consumption of approximately 12 mW for a 125degC temperature rise and a thermal time constant ranging from 7 to 10 ms is reported in this paper, which is orders of magnitude lower than that of commercially available ovenized quartz resonators. A CMOS-compatible wafer-scale encapsulation process is used to fabricate this device, and the thermal-isolation design is achieved without any modification to the existing resonator fabrication process.
Mechanisms of progesterone-induced neuroprotection.

Gonadal steroid hormones such as estrogen and progesterone can no longer be considered strictly within the confines of reproductive function, and with respect to their anatomic targets, extrahypothalamic structures within the brain such as the cerebral cortex have revealed them- selves to be important targets. As such, it may come as no surprise that the decline in such hormones, which occurs after the menopause or ovariecto- my, can result in neuronal dysfunction. Although estrogen has been shown to help restore the deficits consequent to ovariectomy, it is important to consider that ovariectomy, like the menopause, results in the precipitous loss of not only estrogen but of progesterone as well. As such, the loss of progesterone may contribute to the deficits observed after ovariectomy or the increased risk for Alzheimer's disease seen after the menopause. In- deed, recent evidence supports the neuroprotective potential of progester- one itself. Here, we review the current understanding of some of the diverse mechanisms by which progesterone may reduce neuronal vulnerability to toxic insults relevant to age and age-associated diseases such as Alz- heimer's disease. Further, we comment on the need to carefully consider the various preparations of progestins that are currently available and ar- gue that "not all progestins are created equal," at least when it comes to in- fluences on neuroprotection and other extrahypothalamic brain functions. Progesterone is a major gonadal hormone that is synthesized primarily by the ovary (corpus luteum) in the female and by the testes and adrenal cortex in the male. Although progesterone levels are generally higher in the female, it is worth noting that levels of progesterone during the female follicular phase of the menstrual cycle are similar to those seen in males, suggesting
Magnetostriction measurement by interferometry

A laser Doppler interferometric method using synchronous detection to measure the magnetostriction of soft magnetic films is described. The instrument measures 2 AA magnetostrictive deflections of Permalloy films on 500 mu m silicon substrates. Saturation magnetostriction of 10/sup -9/ can be measured for 1000 nm films on 100 mu m Si substrates. The ultimate resolution of the interferometer is 0.1 AA as demonstrated using piezoelectrically-driven mirrors. >
Age-related changes in upper body adaptation to walking speed in human locomotion

Assessments of changes in gait stability due to aging and disease are predominantly based on lower extremity kinematic and kinetic data. These gait changes are also often based on comparisons at preferred speed only. The purpose of this experiment was to: (1) examine agerelated changes in range of motion and coordination of segments of the upper body during locomotion; and (2) investigate the effects of a systematic walking velocity manipulation on rotational motion and coordination. Participants (n = 30) walked on a motor driven treadmill at speeds ranging from 0.2 to 1.8 m/s and were divided into three groups with mean ages of 23.3, 49.3 and 72.6 years, respectively. Seven highspeed infrared cameras were used to record three-dimensional kinematics of the pelvis, trunk and head. Dependent variables were amplitude of segmental and joint rotations, as well as relative phase to assess coordination between segments. Although no differences in stride parameterswerefoundbetweenthegroups,age-related changesinmovementamplitudeinresponsetospeedmanipulationswereobservedfor all segments and joints. Pelvic rotations in sagittal, frontal and transverse planes of motion were systematically reduced with age. Older individuals showed reduced trunk flexion‐extension in the sagittal plane and increased trunk axial rotation in the transverse plane. Coordination analysis showed reduced compensatory movement between pelvis and trunk in older individuals. These findings support the importance of systematic manipulation of walking velocity and three-dimensional upper body kinematics in assessing age-related changes in locomotor stability and adaptability. # 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Clay/Polymer Nanocomposites: Processing, Properties, and Applications

Clay/polymer nanocomposites have been extensively studied in recent years. The present state of the art for these materials is summarized in this chapter. The development of fabrication methods for these composites is very challenging because the platelets of nanoclay exist in the form of clusters, which need to be dispersed in the matrix resin in order to obtain any benefit from the high surface area of nanoclay. Incorporation of only a small weight fraction (1–5 %) of nanoclay in polymers provides significant benefits in the properties of composites. Several tensile, flexural, and thermal properties are found to increase by 30–40 % due to the presence of nanoclay in the composite compared to the properties of the neat resin. Entrapment of air porosity at higher nanoclay content can lead to reversal of the trends and can actually reduce the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. Theoretical models have been developed to estimate the properties of nanocomposites by accounting for the microstructure that may include clustered, intercalated, or exfoliated nanoclay. The benefit in mechanical properties obtained from incorporating nanoclay is much greater than that can be achieved with microscale reinforcement at the same loading levels. The current applications of clay/epoxy nanocomposites are in the area of automotive moldings and fire retardant coatings.
Implementing Tutorials in Introductory Physics at an Inner-City University in Chicago

Tutorials in Introductory Physics [2] are widely used and have proven to be effective in promoting student understanding for many students in introductory physics. Despite this, there are currently few research results that document their effectiveness at innercity schools in which students may have weak preparation in mathematics and reading. In this paper we discuss our preliminary efforts in implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of these materials for students at an inner-city university located on the south side of Chicago.
Incoherent Demands: Outcomes-Focused, Race to the Top-Aligned Policies and Their Impact on Urban Teaching and Learning

Education reforms in recent decades have increasingly focused on student and teacher outcomes. These reforms mark a movement away from earlier federal policies that concentrated on inputs: on students’ equitable access to educational resources, on compensatory programs, and on social welfare supports (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Educational policies in the Race to the Top-funding era emphasize teachers’ performances and students’ test scores (US Department of Education (DOE), 2009) and thus locate themselves ideologically far from the Brown vs. Board of Education decision (1954) and the early iterations of Title I legislation. While high expectations for outcomes are not inherently misguided, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) era that began in 2002 demonstrated that an exclusive focus on test scores subjects urban schools to extreme pressure and degrades the quality of education offered to low-income students of color (Berliner, 2007; Kim & Sunderman, 2005; Nichols & Berliner, 2007). To gain insight into whether the outcomes demanded of teachers and students were similarly reductive in the first years of RttT-aligned policies, I interviewed urban teachers about how new and longstanding policies impacted their planning and instruction in 2013 and 2014. I wanted to understand how teachers of low-income students of color reacted to and navigated a complex mix of reforms from city, state, and federal levels. I found that teachers described tensions among several types of policies—tensions they often framed as threatening the quality of teaching and learning in their classrooms.
Challenge of Pharmaceutical Companies Facing with Development of “Heavy Bomb” Drugs

For the some top pharmaceutical companies in the world, those depending on “heavy bomb” drugs to drive the market are facing pressure. The Pfizer is facing bright prospect thanks to its sales of 8 “heavy bomb” drugs had reached as high as $22.3 billion in 2002, debut of 4 drugs now on the market and its 3 drugs in later research stage are shown to be “heavy bomb” promisingly in 2008. However, a marked decline of market shares of “heavy tomb” drugs for GlaxoSmithKline, Merk Co, Wyeth and Johnson Johnson is seen. But the market positions of Amgen, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca are improving.
Epidemic Features of measles in Shawan Distrct During 1986-2005

Objective Through analyzing the incidence of measles from 1986 to 2005 in Shawan District,Leshan City to grasp to measles epidemiology characteristics and rules,to study the epidemic factors,and to discusses control strategy and measures. Method The incidence data were analysed by descriptive epidemiology. Results During 1986-2005,321 sporadic measles cases coccasiomal in outbreak pattern were confirmed,with an annual incidence of 7.86%/105. April to May was the peak time. More eases were children aged 3-14 years old.In recent years,8 months and 18 years old population revealed high incidence tendency.Immunization history anxalysis showed 10.75% cases without immunization history,54.30% without all course immunization and 28.50% with unknow immunization history. Conclusion To prevent the spread of measles cases,it is important to maintain high level measles vaccine in children,to strengthen duplicate inoculation,to develop strengthened immunization,to establish immunzation barrier and to make sensitivity in measles survlillance.
Meniscus repair update: current concepts and new techniques.

Meniscal repair in selective active individuals with repairable meniscal tears should be performed whenever indications are met.
Survey of consumer users of a statewide drug information service

A survey of consumers who had used a state-supported drug information center (DIC) was conducted to determine reasons for and frequency of use of the DIC and opinions about the services of the DIC. The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center (APDIC) mailed questionnaires to 281 lay persons who had requested information about use of prescription or nonprescription drugs. The questionnaires were sent only to callers who responded affirmatively when asked to participate in the survey. Of 154 (54.8%) respondents (83.8% women), 40.9% were using no prescription drugs at the time of the survey and 83.8% purchased fewer than two nonprescription drugs per month. Approximately 44% said they tried to obtain drug information at least once per month. Pharmacists were named as the most frequent source of drug information for nonprescription drugs, but information about prescription drugs was sought more frequently from physicians and reference books. APDIC was mentioned most frequently as a source of information about all drugs (both prescription and nonprescription). Nearly all respondents said the information from APDIC was helpful and the service should be continued. Drug information consumers looked to this DIC to meet a demand not being met by pharmacists or physicians in the community. Consumers viewed the information as valuable and used this service because it was available and accessible.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Hemoglobinopathies

Techniques are currently available at a few specialized centers for the antenatal detection of hemoglobinopathies such as beta thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. Fetal blood sampling and analysis require considerable experience and skill. Ongoing progress should soon improve our ability to make diagnoses and expand availability of these services.