cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adverse Childhood Experience histories in foster parents: Connections to foster children's emotional and behavioral difficulties

Abstract Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known risk factors for negative health and behavioral outcomes, including caregiving. Foster parents are key to supporting foster children, yet there is limited research on their ACE history and how it might relate to their foster children’s behavior. Objective This study addressed three research questions: (1) What are ACE totals in this sample of foster parents and how do they compare with the original CDC-Kaiser study? (2) Does foster parents’ ACE exposure relate to foster child behavior? (3) Is the relation between foster parents’ ACEs and children’s challenging behaviors different based on the specific ACE? Participants & setting Participants were 89 foster parents (age M = 43.3 years) and 50 of their foster children (age M = 10 years) in central Texas. Children have been in their current placements for an average of 11 months (range 1 month to 4.7 years). Methods Foster parents completed demographics, the ACE Questionnaire ( Felitti et al., 1998 ) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire ( Goodman, 1997 ). Results Results showed over 40 % of foster parents in this sample reported 2+ ACEs and 20 % reported 4+ ACEs. Foster parents’ total ACEs related to foster children’s emotional problems (β = .27, p = .02), conduct problems (β = .28, p = .01), and hyperactivity-inattention (β = .25, p = .03). Certain ACEs related more strongly to child outcomes than others. Conclusions Foster parents may have a higher ACE exposure than the general population. Foster parents’ ACEs were associated with foster children’s challenging behaviors. Future research should investigate the mechanism of this connection.
Bayesian variable selection for multioutcome models through shared shrinkage

Variable selection over a potentially large set of covariates in a linear model is quite popular. In the Bayesian context, common prior choices can lead to a posterior expectation of the regression coefficients that is a sparse (or nearly sparse) vector with a few nonzero components, those covariates that are most important. This article extends the “global‐local” shrinkage idea to a scenario where one wishes to model multiple response variables simultaneously. Here, we have developed a variable selection method for a K‐outcome model (multivariate regression) that identifies the most important covariates across all outcomes. The prior for all regression coefficients is a mean zero normal with coefficient‐specific variance term that consists of a predictor‐specific factor (shared local shrinkage parameter) and a model‐specific factor (global shrinkage term) that differs in each model. The performance of our modeling approach is evaluated through simulation studies and a data example.
Feasibility and acceptability of a game-based symptom-reporting app for children with cancer: perspectives of children and parents

Children with cancer have difficulty identifying and describing the multiple symptoms they experience during hospitalization and between clinical encounters. Mobile health resources, including apps, are potential solutions to support child-centric symptom reporting. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed game-based symptom-reporting app for school-age children with cancer. Nineteen school-age children (6–12 years of age) receiving treatment for cancer at a COG institution in the Intermountain West of the United States used a game-based symptom-reporting app between clinical visits. Feasibility was evaluated through a summary of actual days of app use and interaction with each of the app’s features. Children and their parents participated in interviews regarding the app’s acceptability. Children used the app a median of 4 days (range 1–12) and interacted most frequently with the symptom reporting and the drawing features. Children enjoyed aspects of the app that supported their creativity and provided choices. Parents endorsed the interactive nature of the app and the value of the child providing his/her own report. Both children and parents identified additional opportunities to enhance the child’s user experience. Study results support the preliminary feasibility and acceptability of the app. Children’s and parents’ responses supported the developmental relevance of the app and its role in enhancing the child’s autonomy and serving as an outlet for creativity. Future directions include optimizing the child user’s experience and investigating the app’s role as a resource to enhance shared decision-making for symptom management.
Biofumigation: An alternative strategy for the control of plant parasitic nematodes

Abstract Plant-parasitic nematodes wreak havoc on the yield and quality of crops worldwide. Damage from these pests is estimated to exceed US$100 billion annually but is likely higher due to misdiagnosis. Nematode damage may be catastrophic, but historically the solution has been damaging as well. Use of the synthetic nematicide methyl bromide (MBr) poses risks to the environment and to human health. Biofumigation, the use of plant material and naturally produced compounds to control pests, is an increasingly feasible method of pest management. The process acts through the growth or incorporation of plant material into the soil, that, over the course of its degradation, releases glucosinolates that break down into nematotoxic isothiocyanates. These secondary plant metabolites exist naturally in commonly grown plants, most of which belong to the Brassicaceae family. Research endeavors have increasingly explored the potential of biofumigation. The reaction of target pests, the selection of biofumigant, and ideal environments for efficacy continue to be evaluated. This review seeks to provide a cost and benefit assessment of the status of biofumigation for the control of plant-parasitic nematodes as an alternative to conventional methyl bromide usage.
Formulation of a Model Resin System for Benchmarking Processing-Property Relationships in High-Performance Photo 3D Printing Applications

A well-defined resin system is needed to serve as a benchmark for 3D printing of high-performance composites. This work describes the design and characterization of such a system that takes into account processability and performance considerations. The Grunberg–Nissan model for resin viscosity and the Fox equation for polymer Tg were used to determine proper monomer ratios. The target viscosity of the resin was below 500 cP, and the target final Tg of the cured polymer was 150 °C based on tan-δ peak from dynamic mechanical analysis. A tri-component model resin system, termed DA-2 resin, was determined and fully characterized. The printed polymer exhibited good thermal properties and high mechanical strength after post-cure, but has a comparatively low fracture toughness. The model resin will be used in additive manufacturing of fiber reinforced composite materials as well as for understanding the fundamental processing–property relationships in light-based 3D printing.
A 99 - 132 GHz Frequency Quadrupler with 8.5 dBm Peak Output Power and 8.8% DC-to-RF Efficiency in 130 nm BiCMOS

This paper presents the design of a frequency quadrupler which operates at 116 GHz in 130 nm BiCMOS process. The quadrupler consists of two-stage cascaded frequency doublers with two wideband baluns. The measured peak output power is 8.5 dBm at 116 GHz, and the 3-dB bandwidth is from 99 GHz to 132 GHz. The frequency quadrupler consumes 24 mA DC current from a 3.3 V power supply. The peak DC-to-RF efficiency of the quadrupler is 8.8%. To the best of the authors knowledge, this is the highest reported output power and efficiency achieved by frequency multiplier without a dedicated power amplifier in this frequency range with silicon processes.
Three-dimensional Analysis of Acetabular Morphology and Orientation in Patients With Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

BACKGROUND Previous studies analyzing the acetabuli in patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) have not definitively addressed the relationship between SCFE and acetabular shape. Femoral head overcoverage and acetabular version are thought to contribute to SCFE. The purpose of this study was to determine the acetabular morphology and orientation in hips with SCFE and compare them with normally developing children. METHODS Pelvic computed tomography (CT) images of patients with SCFE were compared with pelvic CTs of patients without orthopedic abnormalities (normal controls). Three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions were created from each CT examination. Custom software uniformly aligned the pelvis then determined acetabular measures from the reconstructions including acetabular version, acetabular tilt, articular surface area, and acetabular coverage angle measured in a radial manner dividing the acetabulum into octants. RESULTS Two-hundred forty-four hips were included (53 SCFE, 31 unaffected contralateral hips in patients with SCFE, and 160 controls). The acetabular version was similar among SCFE hips, unaffected contralateral hips, and normal controls (P=0.48). Control hips had higher acetabular tilt than SCFE-affected hips (P=0.01) and unaffected contralateral hips (P=0.04). The acetabular surface area was higher in SCFE-affected hips compared with controls (P<0.05). SCFE-affected hips and the unaffected contralateral hips in patients with SCFE had increased acetabular coverage compared with controls in all 5 acetabular octants. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to some previous studies, the authors did not find the acetabulum to be retroverted in patients with SCFE compared with controls. Both affected and unaffected hips of patients with SCFE have decreased acetabular tilt. Acetabular surface area is higher in hips with SCFE compared with normal controls, and both the SCFE-affected hips and unaffected hips had increased acetabular coverage compared with controls in all 5 octants of the acetabulum. The shared morphology of affected and unaffected hips in patients with SCFE suggests that their acetabular anatomy may predispose them to slip. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.
SPX64: A Scratchpad Memory for General-purpose Microprocessors

General-purpose computing systems employ memory hierarchies to provide the appearance of a single large, fast, coherent memory. In special-purpose CPUs, programmers manually manage distinct, non-coherent scratchpad memories. In this article, we combine these mechanisms by adding a virtually addressed, set-associative scratchpad to a general purpose CPU. Our scratchpad exists alongside a traditional cache and is able to avoid many of the programming challenges associated with traditional scratchpads without sacrificing generality (e.g., virtualization). Furthermore, our design delivers increased security and improves performance, especially for workloads with high locality or that interact with nonvolatile memory.
Controlled Vocabularies: Past, Present and Future of Subject Access

Controlled vocabularies are a foundational concept in library science and provide a framework for consistency in cataloging practices. Subject headings provide valuable access points to library res...
Efficient feed-forward volume rendering techniques for vector and parallel processors

Rendering volumes represented as a 3D grid of voxels requires an overwhelming amount of processing power. In this paper we investigate efficient techniques for rendering semi-transparent volumes on vector and parallel processors. Parallelism inherent in a regular grid is obtained by decomposing the volume into geometric primitives called beams, slices and slabs of voxels. By using the adjacent properties of voxels in beams and slices, efficient incremental transformation schemes are developed. The slab decomposition of the volume allows the implementation of an efficient parallel feed-forward renderer which includes the splatting technique for image reconstruction and a back-to-front method for creating images. The authors report the implementation of this feed-forward volume renderer on a hierarchical shared memory machine with individual pipelined processors.
Increased complexity of t(11;14) rearrangements in plasma cell neoplasms compared with mantle cell lymphoma.

Plasma cell neoplasms (PCN) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) can both harbor t(11;14)(q13;q32) (CCND1/IGH), usually resulting in cyclin D1 overexpression. In some cases, particularly at low levels of disease, it can be morphologically challenging to distinguish between these entities in the bone marrow (BM) since PCN with t(11;14) are often CD20-positive with lymphoplasmacytic cytology, while MCL can rarely have plasmacytic differentiation. We compared the difference in CCND1/IGH by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in PCN and MCL to evaluate for possible differentiating characteristics. We identified 326 cases of MCL with t(11;14) and 279 cases of PCN with t(11;14) from either formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue or fresh BM specimens. The "typical", balanced CCND1/IGH FISH signal pattern was defined as 3 total CCND1 signals, 3 total IGH signals, and 2 total fusion signals. Any deviation from the "typical" pattern was defined as an "atypical" pattern, which was further stratified into "gain of fusion" vs. "complex" patterns. There was a significantly higher proportion of cases that showed an atypical FISH pattern in PCN compared to MCL (53% versus 27%, P<0.0001). There was also a significantly higher proportion of cases that showed a complex FISH pattern in PCN compared to MCL (47% versus 17%, P<0.0001). We confirmed these findings using mate pair sequencing of 25 PCN and MCL samples. PCN more often have a complex CCND1/IGH FISH pattern compared with MCL, suggesting possible differences in the genomic mechanisms underlying these rearrangements in plasma cells compared to B cells. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Hyperbaric Impact Gauges Excess Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Although several investigators1,8,12 have described alterations of blood pressure (BP) over the course of human pregnancy, and ample evidence exists that circadian rhythms of BP are demonstrable during pregnancy,1,6,9,10,11 no longitudinal data exist of 24-hour BP patterns over the course of gestation in healthy women, nor does information exist about BP rhythm changes over the course of pregnancy in “hypertensive” women. We have described circadian rhythms of systolic and diastolic BP of three clinically healthy and two “hypertensive” pregnant women, with sequential measurement over the course of gestation in one healthy and one diabetic hypertensive patient. Further, the systolic and diastolic BP excess for each study is quantified by use of the hyperbaric index technique.5
Zn2+ regulation of ornithine transcarbamoylase. II. Metal binding site.

Abstract Two types of conformational changes are mediated in Escherichia coli ornithine transcarbamoylase by the metal ion zinc. Upon binding of zinc in rapid equilibrium, the enzyme undergoes an allosteric transition. In the absence of substrates, the zinc-bound enzyme further undergoes a slow isomerization with a concomitant activity loss. Three metal ions are tightly complexed in the isomerized enzyme as determined by gel chromatography and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Since the enzyme is a trimer composed of identical subunits, one zinc ion is bound per enzyme monomer. With the application of site-directed mutagenesis, the cysteinyl residue at position 273 of the enzyme has been identified as a metal ligand. When this residue is replaced by an alanine, zinc is no longer a tight-binding inhibitor and does not promote isomerization. The alteration in the action of zinc on the mutant enzyme is attributed to a reduced metal affinity. The mutant enzyme, when saturated by the metal, displays an intrinsic allostery unchanged from that of the wild-type; an identical Hill coefficient of 1.5 is found for zinc binding to the Ala273 and wild-type enzymes. Cys273 is also a binding site of l -ornithine. At pH 8.5, the Ala273 enzyme binds the substrate analog l -norvaline ten times more weakly and exhibits a k cat K n orn that is 27 times less than that of the wild-type enzyme. This finding supports our earlier interpretation that the zinc-induced ornithine co-operativity of ornithine transcarbamoylase is caused by direct competition between l -ornithine and the metal for the same site. As controls, each of the remaining three cysteinyl residues of the bacterial ornithine transcarbamoylase has also been replaced with alanine. These sulfhydryl groups are found not to be related to zinc complexation, ornithine binding or enzyme allostery.
Law and Social Science in the Twenty-First Century

The use of social science - of psychology in particular - to inform legal theory and practice is fast becoming the latest craze in the pages of legal academia. Despite this increase in research, practitioners in both disciplines have been frustrated, as well. Social scientists and others have viewed the legal system as underusing, misusing, or ignoring their theories and research. At the same time, the law has typically viewed social science as atheoretical, or as not yet having reached sufficient consensus to have anything helpful to say to the legal system. In the present paper I address a number of these issues: the peculiar relationship between psychology and law; traditional areas that psycholegal scholars have examined and the successes and failures in those areas; evaluation of some of the current trends of incorporating social science work into legal academia (e.g., behavioral law and economics, law and the emotions); and, especially, suggestions for how to ameliorate some of the tension between the two disciplines that has led to frustration on both "sides." In addition to descriptive accounts of successful and unsuccessful interdisciplinary work by both legal scholars and social scientists, I try to identify ways of addressing some of the tensions between law and social science - some may be irremediable, but for others I suggest concrete ways to resolve them. First, I discuss substantive areas in which interdisciplinary communication can be developed. I also emphasize methodological steps social scientists can take to most usefully present research to the legal system, focusing on meta-analytic techniques in particular. In the article's final sections I address tensions less conducive to remedy, but I close with optimism about the present and future of law and social science in the twenty-first century.
Assignment of cysteine and tryptophan residues during protein sequencing: Results of ABRF-94SEQ

Publisher Summary Routine assignment of cysteine and tryptophan residues is necessary for completeness of protein sequencing, because cysteine residue provides the major covalent cross-linkage in proteins and contributes to the biological and catalytic activity of many folded polypeptides. While, accurate assignment of tryptophan residues is crucial, when sequencing is used to design oligonucleotide probes of limited redundancy. This chapter discusses methods to improve the reliability of cysteine and tryptophan assignment, and describes the results of ABRF-94SEQ. ABRF-94SEQ allows to see which methods are used successfully in other facilities, and also provide the opportunity to assess these methods. It is observed that some who alkylate and some who does not alkylate, take risks making positive assignments for cysteine, when no PTH-residue or dehydroalanine/DTT adduct is apparent. If this assumption is done, it must be noted that this is not a positive assignment. Although cysteine and tryptophan identification may be problematic, the data suggest that routine identification of these residues should be possible for the majority of facilities.
A Mathematical Model of the Formation of Lanes in Crowds of Pedestrians Moving in Opposite Directions

In crowded environments, pedestrians moving in opposite directions segregate into lanes of individuals moving in the same direction. It is believed that this formation of lanes that facilitates the flow results from the individuals acting on their behalf, responding to local stimuli, without the intention of benefiting the crowd as a whole. We give evidence that this is true by developing and analyzing a simple mathematical model. Our results suggest that the simple behavior of moving out of the way to avoid imminent collisions leads to the formation of lanes of individuals moving in the same direction.
Robotic Visual Servoing Around a Static Target: An Example of Controlled Active Vision

This paper addresses the problem of robotic visual servecing (eye-in-hand configuration) around a static rigid target. The objective is to move the image projections of certain feature points of the static rigid target to some deisred image positions. The eye-in-hand configuration consists of a CCD camera mounted on the end-effector of the robotic manipulator to provide visual measurements of the motion of the target's features. The vision algorithm is based on a cross-correlation technique, called SSD optical flow. The camera model introduces a number of parameters that must be estimated on-line. An adaptive control algorithm compensates for the Servcing errors and the computational delays which are introduced by the time-consuming vision algorithms. Stability issues along with issues concerning the minimum number of required feature points are discussed. Experimental results are presented to verify the validity and the efficacy of the proposed algorithms.
Bis(tetra-ethyl-ammonium) bis-(dimethyl-formamide)-tetra-kis-(μ-N,2-dioxido-benzene-1-carboximidato)penta-copper(II).

The title compound, (C8H20N)2[Cu5(C7H4NO3)4(C3H7NO)2], abbreviated as (TEA)2[CuII(12-MCCuIIN(shi)-4](DMF)2 [where TEA is tetra­ethyl­ammonium, shi3− is salicyl­hydroximate (or N,2-dioxidobenzene-1-carboximidate) and DMF is N,N-dimethyl­formamide], contains five CuII ions. Four of the CuII ions are members of a metallacrown ring (MC), while the fifth CuII is bound in a central cavity. Two of the ring CuII ions are five-coordinate with distorted square-pyramidal geometry. The coordination sphere is composed of two shi3− ligands and one DMF mol­ecule. The other two ring CuII ions and the central CuII ion are four-coordinate with square-planar geometry. The coordination spheres of these ions are only composed of shi3− ligands. The charge of the [CuII(12-MCCuIIN(shi)-4]2− unit is balanced by two uncoordinated TEA+ countercations. The structure shows severe static disorder with the metallacrown, the tetra­ethyl­ammonium cations and the DMF solvent mol­ecule all disordered over each of two mutually exclusive sites, with occupancy rates for the major moieties of 0.6215 (6) for the metallacrown, 0.759 (3) for the tetra­ethyl­ammonium ion and 0.537 (6) for the DMF mol­ecules. The metallacrown unit is located on a crystallographic inversion center and disordered about a non-crystallographic twofold axis. The DMF mol­ecule and the tetra­ethyl­ammonium ion are disordered about a non-crystallographic twofold axis and pseudo-inversion center, respectively.
Sustainable Consumption, Engery Policy and Individual Well-being

Environmental law focuses on regulating the production of energy and goods. Less attention has been given to reducing the environmental footprint of consumption. This Article brings together several strands of research, including psychological and economic research on subjective well-being; research on energy efficiency; writings by urban planners on sustainable communities; and recent work on individual behavior and sustainability. The conclusion, in a nutshell, is that changes in consumption of goods and energy, assisted by improvements in urban design and transportation infrastructure, can significantly reduce energy use and environmental harm. A variety of legal tools are available to promote these changes. Remarkably, many of the steps needed for sustainability can actually improve quality of life, adding to individual satisfaction. Thus, sustainability for society and the pursuit of individual happiness need not be at odds.
Fault tolerant avionics display system

Discusses the fault-tolerant requirements of avionics display systems, and an open architecture which permits implementing these requirements. The fault tolerant requirements include the classes of hardware and software faults. Within each class, the requirements are broken down into fault types the system must tolerate. The designers of both hardware and software must develop and integrated approach to implementing fault detection, damage assessment, fault isolation, and recovery for the fault types. Active matrix (AM) liquid crystal displays (LCDs) used with high-performance graphics and video processors provide the capability needed to achieve these fault-tolerant designs. >
A theory for flow of polycrystals

Abstract A theory is presented to account for the strain rate dependence of the steady state flow stress for polycrystalline metal specimens. It is shown that an excellent agreement can be obtained between theory and experiment if grain boundary sliding is assumed to be controlled by Newtonian friction while the flow of the crystalline matrix is assumed to satisfy a simple non-Newtonian viscous relationship. A technique is presented for the analysis of the experimental data.
The Future of Dental and Maxillofacial Imaging

Improvements in software removal of scatter artifacts; reduced x-ray dose; and delivery of interpretive reports, analyses, appliances, and images will continue, and use of cone beam volumetric tomography will increase. Distributive networks will be introduced to simplify all of these tasks. Virtual articulators, computer assisted design and computer assisted manufacturing devices will improve, and online delivery of some of these services will increase concomitantly. Consequently, dentistry will improve and, along with it, patient care.
LARGE SYMMETRY BREAKING AND MASS RELATIONS

The effects of symmetry breaking on the multiplet structure of composite particles are studied. The Sakata triplet is used for illustrations, and simple special models are studied where some mass regularities remain even in the presence of a fairly large symmetry breaking.
The efficacy of parent training with maritally distressed and nondistressed mothers: A multimethod assessment

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine the efficacy of a parent training program for child noncompliance with maritally distressed and nondistressed mothers. A multimethod assessment package was used. Changes in parenting behavior and child behavior were assessed via in-home observations prior to and following intervention. In addition, maternal perceptions of child adjustment also were obtained prior to and following intervention. The results indicated that mothers and children in the two groups demonstrated similar positive changes from pre- to postassessment in parent and child behaviors which were directly taught. However, one child behavior which was not directly treated failed to change for the Maritally Distressed group. Finally, both groups showed positive changes in maternal perceptions of the adjustment of their children and the Maritally Distressed group reported an increase in marital satisfaction from the pre- to postassessments. Implications of the findings for the treatment of families with child and marital problems are discussed.
Modeling the organic nitrate yields in the reaction of alkyl peroxy radicals with nitric oxide. 2. Reaction simulations

Master equation calculations are used to model gas-phase literature experimental data for alkyl nitrate formation via the following reaction system of reversible reactions: (1) RO2 + NO ↔ ROONO, (2) ROONO ↔ RO + NO2, (3) ROONO ↔ RONO2, and (4) RONO2 ↔ RO + NO2 for R = CH3, i-C3H7, and 2-C5H11. The structures and thermochemistry of the stable species are based on electronic structure calculations described in the preceding companion paper in this issue (Lohr et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 2003, 107, xxx−xxx). Literature data for recombination rate constants are used to constrain the model calculations. Several transition state models and a range of energy transfer parameters are investigated. The results for R = CH3 show that a wide variety of plausible transition state models for k-4 gives good agreement with experiment for reaction (−4), because changes in assumed energy transfer parameters can compensate for differences between the transition state models. It is concluded that recombination reactions are good...
Electric field effects in the thermal decomposition of solids

The ability to ‘tune’ or even alter the thermal decomposition behaviour of solid materials is of practical interest, for example in their use as rocket propellents. During a study of the electrical conductivity of technologically-important materials1,2, we became intrigued by the possibility of altering their thermal stability by imposition of an electric field across the heated samples. Our observations of d.c. electric field effects on the thermal decomposition of some model compounds are presented here. We have applied differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to probe these effects. The DSC apparatus and the sample holder arrangement in particular was modified to permit application of an electric field across the heated sample. We have found that, in certain cases, the decomposition temperature can be lowered by as much as ∼100 °C in the presence of an electric field.
CONTRIBUTORS TO STRESS RESISTANCE: Testing a Model of Women's Work-Family Conflict

This study integrated work-family research with the stress resource perspective and organizational leadership theory. Based on the premise that stress is a major contributor to work-family conflict, this research examined resources likely to reduce the stress and work-family conflict women experience. Family emotional support, leader-member exchange, and hardiness were explored as potential resources. The 206 participants were recruited in daycare centers, a business community, and a university setting. The sample was diverse in terms of ethnicity and occupation. However, the majority of the women were married (68%) with children (82%). Path analytic tests supported most of the relationships in the hypothesized model. Findings suggest that having a high-quality relationship with one's supervisor may have complex implications for work-family conflict.
Enantiomeric specificity of (-)-2,2',3,3',6,6'-hexachlorobiphenyl toward ryanodine receptor types 1 and 2.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with unsymmetrical chlorine substitutions and multiple ortho-substitutions that restrict rotation around the biphenyl bond may exist in two stable enantiomeric forms. Stereospecific binding and functional modification of specific biological signaling targets have not been previously described for PCB atropisomers. We report that (−)-2,2′,3,3′,6,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl [(−)-PCB 136] enhances the binding of [3H]ryanodine to high-affinity sites on ryanodine receptors type 1 (RyR1) and type 2 (RyR2) (EC50 values ∼0.95 μM), whereas (+)-PCB 136 is inactive at ≤10 μM. (−)-PCB 136 induces a rapid release of Ca2+ from microsomal vesicles by selective sensitization of RyRs, an effect not antagonized by (+)-PCB 136. (−)-PCB 136 (500nM) enhances the activity of reconstituted RyR1 channels 3-fold by stabilizing the open and destabilizing the closed conformational states. The enantiomeric specificity is also demonstrated in intact HEK 293 cells expressing RyR1 where exposure to (−)-PCB 13...
Electrophoretic analysis of paralytic shellfish toxins

Abstract Seven paralytic shellfish poisons (PSP) from the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis and PSP infested shellfish have been separated by cellulose acetate membrane strip electrophoresis. The acid hydrolysis products of two of these, saxitoxin and neosaxitoxin, are analyzed by electrophoresis.
Disability and Medicare Costs of Elderly Persons

Rapidly growing Medicare expenditures, which are already expected to exceed revenues by the year 2002, are likely to accelerate as a result of the increasing numbers of very old beneficiaries (85+ years), who are particularly at risk of being disabled. The concern for Medicare is that elderly persons with disabilities incur higher than average health care costs because of the underlying causes of their disability, which are usually chronic medical conditions (Manton and Stallard 1992). Such conditions often require long-term care, but they also tend to induce illnesses requiring acute care. This study analyzed data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to examine the relationship between disability and Medicare costs. It examined relations between levels of disability and costs, interactions between disability and other beneficiary characteristics, and changes in the level of disability and costs. (The Milbank Quarterly 1997 December; 75(4): 461-493).
Power system modal analysis considering doubly-fed induction generators

This paper presents a modal analysis of a two machine power system that includes a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG). The DFIG's model considers rotor flux linkages as dynamic states and stator flux linkages as algebraic variables. Active- and reactive-power controllers are also modeled. Active power is tracked for optimal power extraction from the wind. Using the power system set of differential-algebraic equations, eigenvalue trajectories are obtained when the load is varied. The system dynamics show little interaction between the DFIG and the synchronous machine (base case). Thus, system behavior is compared when the DFIG is replaced by (i) a hypothetical synchronous generator and (ii) a negative load (NL). Results show that an NL model resembles very well a DFIG dynamic model in the power system. A high sensitivity with respect to the parameters of the fast loop of the power controllers is observed. Lowering the parameters of the reactive power controller can actually make the system more stable. With respect to the loading at the Hopf point, its estimation is obtained with a low error by the NL model. These results have been verified using a 39-bus, 10-machine system. Using an NL model for representing wind power generators in power systems analysis can provide reasonable results while reducing simulation time and model complexity.
A common single nucleotide polymorphism A118G of the μ opioid receptor alters its N-glycosylation and protein stability.

The A118G SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) of the hMOPR [human MOPR (μ opioid receptor)] gene OPRM1 results in an amino acid substitution (N40D). Subjects homozygous for the 118G allele have been reported to require higher morphine doses to achieve adequate analgesia, and the 118G allele is more prevalent among drug abusers. However, changes in the MOPR protein associated with this SNP are unknown. Using a knockin mouse model (G/G mice; mice homozygous for the 112G allele of MOPR) that possesses the equivalent nucleotide/amino acid substitution (A112G; N38D) of the A118G SNP in the hMOPR gene, we investigated the N-linked glycosylation status of thalamic and striatal MOPR in G/G mice compared with A/A mice (wild-type mice homozygous for the 112A allele of MOPR). The molecular mass of MOPR determined by immunoblotting was lower in G/G mice than in A/A mice. Following treatment with peptide N-glycosidase F, which removes all N-linked glycans, both MOPR variants had an identical molecular mass, indicating that this discrepancy was due to a lower level of N-glycosylation of the MOPR in G/G mice. In Chinese-hamster ovary cells stably expressing hMOPRs, 118G/Asp 40 -hMOPR had a lower molecular mass than 118A/Asn 40 -hMOPR, which was similarly due to differential N-glycosylation. Pulse–chase studies revealed that the half-life of the mature form of 118G/Asp 40 -hMOPR (~12 h) was shorter than that of 118A/Asn 40 -hMOPR (~28 h). Thus the A118G SNP reduces MOPR N-glycosylation and protein stability.
Lack of effect of coenzyme Q10 on coumarin-induced hypoprothrombinaemia.

SEVERAL coumarin and indanedione drugs are capable of inducing hypoprothrombinaemia, presumably by interfering with the cofactor role of vitamin K in prothrombin synthesis. This role of vitamin K, probably involving electron transport, can be competitively inhibited by coumarins, and the inhibition competitively overcome by large doses of vitamin K (ref. 1).
Stability Testing of a Modified Space Shuttle Main Engine

The testing of the combustion stability characteristics of Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) 0208 is described in terms of augmenting the technology base for large O/H thrust-chamber assemblies. The throat area is increased by 12 percent over that of the flight SSMEs, and the thrust chamber assembly does not include stability aids. Acoustic modes in the chamber are excited by means of rapid pressure generators employed in the start-transient through mainstage operations. Stability characteristics are determined by damp times which are facilitated by high-frequency instrumentation measuring oscillations and locating stable operating regions. All vibration modes are damped to within the requirements for a chamber mode set forth by the Chemical Propulsion Information Agency. No sustained chamber acoustic oscillations are exhibited in engine 0208's combustion chamber configuration in spite of the absence of baffles and acoustic cavities.
Magnetic spectrographs for nuclear reaction studies

Abstract A brief introduction is given to the terminology of ion optics as applied to magnetic spectrographs. First-order resolving power and aberration-limited resolving power are defined. Several examples of magnetic spectrographs are described and the main characteristics tabulated. Kinematic broadening and means of correcting it are discussed. Limitations to the final resolution imposed by target rather than spectrograph effects are treated next with special emphasis on heavy-ion reactions. Finally, one example of a multigap spectrograph is described.
Articular Cartilage Repair Where We Have Been, Where We Are Now, and Where We Are Headed

This review traces the genealogy of the field of articular cartilage repair from its earliest attempts to its present day vast proliferation of research advances. Prior to the 1980s there was only sporadic efforts to regenerate articular cartilage as it was considered to be incapable of regeneration based on historical dogma. The first flurry of reports documented the use of various cell types ultimately leading to the first successful demonstration of autologous chondrocyte transplantation which was later translated to clinical use and has resulted in the revised axiom that cartilage regeneration is possible. The current field of cartilage repair is multifaceted and some of the 1980s’ vintage concepts have been revisited with state of the art technology now available. The future of the field is now poised to undertake the repair of whole cartilage surfaces beyond focal defects and an appreciation for integrated whole joint health to restore cartilage homeostasis.
Intracellular transport mutants of yeast

Abstract Temperature-sensitive yeast secretory mutants are blocked in the transport of all major cell surface proteins. The early portion of the export pathway is also used for transport of newly synthesized vacuolar proteins, while the late portion of the export pathway shares its gene product requirements with the endocytic pathway. Actin may play a role in the polarized transport of vesicles.
Integration of Course Learning Outcomes With Program Assessment for ABET Accreditation

This paper intends to discuss a course assessment procedure to link course learning outcomes to program outcomes for ABET accreditation requirements. ME 323 Vibrations is used as an example to demonstrate this course assessment procedure. The procedure begins with the development of course objectives and learning outcomes. Then course learning outcomes are directly mapped with the program outcomes. Mapped learning outcomes and program outcomes are integrated into the course syllabus, and shared with students. Students are required to read both of them as the first course assignment. Further, the course teaching contents and learning activities are developed according to the established course objectives. Achievements of students are evaluated according to a program assessment evaluation form. The current course evaluation results indicate that the approach provides a promising tool for ME course assessment per ABET requirements.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Long-term retention of fear-potentiated startle following a short training session

The permanence of aversive memories has been reported to vary when assessed with conditioned emotional response procedures (months) versus avoidance response measures (days). When evaluated with the potentiated startle paradigm, five light-shock pairings at a 2-min intertrial interval produced highly reliable potentiated startle, which was similar in magnitude from 1 to 28 days after training and maximal using a 0.6-mA footshock intensity. These results are consistent with such measures as conditioned emotional response procedures, in which aversive memories have been observed after months following originaltraining. The results obtained with various shock intensities are also discussed in the context of other indices of fear.
Attachment of Escherichia coli on Plant Surface Structures Built by Microfabrication

Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables contaminated with human pathogenic bacteria has caused numerous outbreaks of food-borne disease in recent years. Understanding the nature of bacterial colonisation on plant surfaces could lead to more effective practices to prevent contamination. The goal of our study was to determine the effect on bacterial attachment of structures mimicking those that occur on plants. Plant surfaces have microstructures in a wide range of sizes and shapes, causing difficulty in separating and understanding individual effects. Microfabrication methods were used to build surface structures on silicon to mimic stomata, trichomes, and grooves between plant epidermal cells. These structures were subjected to a 48-h culture of Escherichia coli tagged with green fluorescent protein. Bacterial attachment characteristics were determined by observation under a confocal laser scanning microscope. The number of bacteria in an area with an array of trichomes was about half of that for the stomata or grooves. Within an array of trichomes, the bacteria level around the base of the trichomes was 4.7 times higher than areas further away. Within an array of stomata, the level of bacteria attaching to the area 2.5–5.0 μm away from the stomatal opening was 35–59 percent higher than the area next to the opening or areas further away. Within an array of grooves, there were no significant location effects. Microstructure geometry and position clearly affected bacterial attachment in our model system.
Cardiac rhabdomyoma. Rare cause of fetal death.

Two cases of nonimmune hydrops fetalis and fetal death associated with cardiac rhabdomyoma are reported. Case 1 presented with fetal supraventricular tachycardia, and cardiac rhabdomyoma was accurately diagnosed by fetal echocardiography. Autopsy revealed multiple rhabdomyomata involving the right atrial free wall, the sinoatrial node, and the left ventricle. The left circumflex coronary artery was extrinsically compressed by adjacent tumor tissue, causing left ventricular myocardial infarction. Case 2 had a unique, pedunculated, ball-like rhabdomyoma that almost totally occluded the mitral orifice. The causes of fetal death in patients with cardiac rhabdomyoma are analyzed and the possibility of fetal surgical management is proposed. (Chest 1991; 99:139–43)
Formulating Vertical Integration Strategies

A framework is proposed that develops the dimensions of vertical integration strategies and proposes key factors that might augment their uses within various scenarios. These represent new hypotheses and conjectures about make-or-buy decisions that require empirical testing. If the framework is valid, strategists could formulate better hybrid vertical integration strategies by recognizing the hypothesized effects of these forces on the industries that might be linked.
Catalytic roles of divalent metal ions in phosphoryl transfer by EcoRV endonuclease.

The rate constant for the phosphoryl transfer step in site-specific DNA cleavage by EcoRV endonuclease has been determined as a function of pH and identity of the required divalent metal ion cofact...
Human but not ovine isolates of Bordetella parapertussis are highly clonal as determined by PCR-based RAPD fingerprinting.

The DNA fingerprints of 170 human isolates and ten ovine isolates ofBordetella parapertussis were examined by arbitrarily-primed PCR/RAPD with 29 primers. Based on this technique, all the human isolates appear highly genetically homogenous. The ovine isolates could be distinguished from human isolates and they showed diversity among themselves. Therefore, human isolates ofB. parapertussis are a highly clonal group adapted to infect humans and they are distinct from polymorphic ovine isolates.
Downlink data transmission scheduling algorithms in wireless networks

Abstract The problem of downlink data transmission scheduling in wireless networks is studied. It is pointed out that every downlink data transmission scheduling algorithm must have two components to solve the two subproblems of power assignment and transmission scheduling. Two types of downlink data transmission scheduling algorithms are proposed. In the first type, power assignment is performed before transmission scheduling. In the second type, power assignment is performed after transmission scheduling. The performance of two algorithms of the first type which use the equal power allocation method are analyzed. It is shown that both algorithms exhibit excellent worst-case performance and asymptotically optimal average-case performance under the condition that the total transmission power is equally allocated to the channels. In general, both algorithms exhibit excellent average-case performance. It is demonstrated that two algorithms of the second type perform better than the two algorithms of the first type due to the equal time power allocation method. Furthermore, the performance of our algorithms are very close to the optimal and the room for further performance improvement is very limited. It is shown that all the above algorithms can be extended to schedule downlink data transmissions with parallel channels. It is also shown that the simple sequential scheduling algorithm is optimal if the total transmission power is equally allocated to the channels. As an extra contribution, an M/G/1 queueing model for the FCFS queueing discipline is established, and it is observed that increasing the number of channels has more impact on the reduction of the average response time than increasing the total transmission power.
An examination of direct and indirect effects of exposure and attention to health media on intentions to avoid unprotected sun exposure.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, accounting for more than 2 million diagnoses and more than 9,000 deaths annually. A regional online survey of students enrolled at institutions of higher education (N = 1,251) examined (a) associations between health media use and intentions to avoid unprotected sun exposure and (b) theoretically derived health behavior constructs that may mediate the relationship between media use and individuals’ decisions to avoid unprotected sun exposure. Individuals with greater exposure and attention to health information in television, magazines, and newspapers had higher intentions to avoid unprotected sun exposure. Multiple mediation models indicated that health behavior constructs collectively mediated the relationship between television use and sun-protective behavioral intentions. Both cumulative and specific indirect mediating effects were observed for the relationship between magazine use and sun-protective behavioral intentions. However...