cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potentiation effect of insulin on M3 muscarinic receptor agonist induced airway smooth muscle contraction

Background: Obesity increases incidence and severity of asthma, but underlying mechanisms are unclear. We have shown hyperinsulinemia, which is common in obese individuals, potentiates parasympathetic nerve mediated bronchoconstriction. Parasympathetic nerves release acetylcholine, binding to M3 muscarinic receptors on airway smooth muscle to cause bronchoconstriction. Here we tested if insulin potentiates M3 receptor agonist-induced airway smooth muscle contraction. Methods: Obesity prone and resistant rats were fed a low-fat diet for 5 weeks. Some rats were treated with insulin 16 hours before physiological measurements. Methacholine(MCh)-induced tracheal smooth muscle contractions were measured before and after incubation with insulin. Rat tracheal smooth muscle cells were loaded with calcium indicator Fluo4 and MCh-induced changes in intracellular calcium were measured in the absence or presence of insulin. M2 and M3 receptor mRNA expression was quantified from tracheal smooth muscle cells treated with or without insulin. Results: Insulin pretreatment significantly increased vagally induced bronchoconstriction, regardless of whether rats were prone to be obese or not. Insulin significantly potentiated MCh-induced tracheal smooth muscle contraction and increase of intracellular calcium, but did not change M2 or M3 receptor mRNA expression in cultured smooth muscle cells. Conclusions: Insulin potentiates M3 agonist induced airway smooth muscle contraction via increasing intracellular calcium responses. These data may explain why obese individuals with hyperinsulinemia are more prone to airway hyperreactivity and give insights into future targets for asthma treatment.
Unjust Cities? Gentrification, Integration, and the Fair Housing Act

What does gentrification mean for fair housing? This article considers the possibility that gentrification should be celebrated as a form of integration alongside a darker narrative that sees gentrification as necessarily unstable and leading to inequality or displacement of lower-income, predominantly of color, residents. Given evidence of both possibilities, this article considers how the Fair Housing Act might be deployed to minimize gentrification’s harms while harnessing some of the benefits that might attend integration and movement of higher-income residents to cities. Ultimately, the article urges building on the fair housing approach but employing a broader set of tools to advance a more robust form of integration. This broader framework would attend to how public and private goods are distributed in gentrifying cities, and build governance and participation mechanisms that enhance the voice and participation of traditionally excluded groups.
Dupilumab-Associated Blepharoconjunctivitis with Giant Papillae.

Purpose To describe a case of severe dupilumab-associated blepharoconjunctivitis with giant papillae treated with high potency corticosteroid eyedrops, without discontinuing or reducing dupilumab therapy. Case report A 22-year-old Latin American female with a long history of severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with no ocular involvement presented 20 weeks after starting treatment with dupilumab injections with blurry vision, multiple chalazia, eyelid swelling and severe conjunctival injection in both eyes. She also reports having a hordeolum 2 months prior and severely dry eyes starting 2 weeks prior. Slit-lamp examination revealed severe conjunctivitis with macroscopically visible giant papillae in the right lower tarsal conjunctiva. The diagnosis of severe dupilumab-associated blepharoconjunctivitis was made and difluprednate 0.05% eyedrops two times a day for 7 days was initiated. Given the severity of her AD and her marked skin improvement with dupilumab, it was decided to continue dupilumab without reducing the dose. At 2-day follow-up, conjunctival injection had markedly improved, and at 2-month follow-up, her examination was unremarkable. Currently, our patient only uses dexamethasone 0.1% drops few times a week as per needed for occasional eye irritation. Conclusion As dupilumab injections begin to claim a rightful place in medicine, the ophthalmic community may start encountering dupilumab-associated ocular surface disease all more often and potentially play an important role in identifying, characterizing and treating the adverse ocular effects from this novel medication.
Training Community Therapists to Deliver an Individualized Mental Health Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Changes in Caregiver Outcomes and Mediating Role on Child Outcomes.

Objective This study examines the impact of training therapists to deliver “An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)” (AIM HI) for children with autism spectrum disorder on caregiver outcomes and the mediating role of changes in caregiver outcomes on child outcomes. Method Data were drawn from a cluster randomized trial conducted in 29 publicly funded mental health programs randomized to receive AIM HI training or usual care. Therapists were recruited from enrolled programs and child/caregiver participants enrolled from therapists’ caseloads. Participants included 202 caregivers of children 5 to 13 years of age with autism spectrum disorder. Caregiver strain and sense of competence were assessed at baseline and 6 month postbaseline. Child behaviors were assessed at baseline and 6, 12, and 18 months postbaseline. Therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies were assessed between baseline and 6 months. Results A significant training effect was observed for caregiver sense of competence, with AIM HI caregivers reporting significantly greater improvement relative to usual care. There was no significant training effect for caregiver strain. Observer-rated therapist delivery of evidence-based interventions strategies over 6 months mediated training effects for sense of competence at 6 months. Changes in sense of competence from baseline to 6 months was associated with reduced child challenging behaviors at 6 months and mediated child outcomes at 12 and 18 months. Conclusion Combined with research demonstrating effectiveness of therapist AIM HI training on child outcomes, this study provides further evidence of the positive impact of training community therapists in the AIM HI intervention. Clinical trial registration information Effectiveness and Implementation of a Mental Health Intervention for ASD (AIM HI); https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT02416323.
Immune Cell Paracrine Signaling Drives the Neutrophil Response to A. fumigatus in an Infection-on-a-Chip Model

Neutrophils act as first responders during an infection, following signals from the pathogen as well as other host cells to migrate from blood vessels to the site of infection. This tightly regulated process is critical for pathogen clearance and, in many cases, eliminates the pathogen without the need for an additional immune response. It is, therefore, critical to understand what signals drive neutrophil migration to infection in a physiologically relevant environment. In this study, we used an infection-on-a-chip model to recapitulate many important aspects of the infectious microenvironment including an endothelial blood vessel, an extracellular matrix, and the environmental fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. We then used this model to visualize the innate immune response to fungal infection. We found that A. fumigatus germination dynamics are influenced by the presence of an endothelial lumen. Furthermore, we demonstrated that neutrophils are recruited to and swarm around A. fumigatus hyphae and that the presence of monocytes significantly increases the neutrophil response to A. fumigatus. Using secreted protein analysis and blocking antibodies, we found that this increased migration is likely due to signaling by MIP-1 family proteins. Finally, we demonstrated that signal relay between neutrophils, mediated by LTB4 signaling, is also important for sustained neutrophil migration and swarming in response to A. fumigatus infection in our system. Taken together, these results suggest that paracrine signaling from both monocytes and neutrophils plays an important role in driving the neutrophil response to A. fumigatus.
Low-dose intrathecal rituximab is a safe and potentially effective treatment for pediatric neuroimmunologic disorders.

Abstract Historically, treatment options for refractory neuroimmunologic disorders have been limited. Use of intrathecal rituximab has been described in a few case reports but experience in pediatric patients is limited. Here, we report our experience with intrathecal rituximab in 5 pediatric patients with refractory neuroimmunologic conditions. Patients were identified based on treatment-refractory symptoms despite first and second-line therapies and treated according to a standardized protocol. Although individual outcomes varied, intrathecal rituximab showed a favorable safety profile and was well-tolerated. Three out of five patients showed evidence of a positive clinical response assessed by modified Rankin score or Mitchell-Pike Opsoclonus-Myoclonus score. Findings from this retrospective observational study suggest that intrathecal rituximab is a safe and potentially effective therapy in carefully selected patients with refractory neuroimmunologic disorders despite appropriate first and second-line therapies.
Estimation of Expected Shortfall Using Quantile Regression: A Comparison Study

Expected Shortfall ( $$\mathrm {ES}$$ ) is one of the most heavily used measures of financial risk. It is defined as a scaled integral of the quantile of the profit-and-loss distribution up to a certainly confidence level. As such, quantile regression (QR) and the closely related expectile regression (ER) methods are natural techniques for estimating $$\mathrm {ES}$$ . In this paper, we survey QR and ER based estimators of ES and introduce several novel variants. We compare the performance of these methods through simulation and through a data analysis based on four major US market indices: the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 2000 Index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ Composite Index. Our results suggest that QR and ER methods often work better than other, more standard, approaches.
Chemical Force Microscopy Nanoscale Probing of Fundamental Chemical Interactions

Intermolecular forces impact a wide spectrum of problems in condensed phases: from molecular recognition, self-assembly, and protein folding at the molecular and nanometer scale, to interfacial fracture, friction, and lubrication at a macroscopic length scale. Understanding these phenomena, regardless of the length scale, requires fundamental knowledge of the magnitude and range of underlying weak interactions between basic chemical functionalities in these systems (Figure 1). While the theoretical description has long recognized that intermolecular forces are necessarily microscopic in origin, experimental efforts in direct force measurements at the microscopic level have been lagging behind and have only intensified in the course of the last decade. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)1,2 is an ideal tool for probing interactions between various chemical groups, since it has pico-Newton force sensitivity (i.e., several orders of magnitude better than the weakest chemical bond3) and sub-nanometer spatial resolution (i.e., approaching the length of a chemical bond). These features enable AFM to produce nanometer to micron scale images of surface topography, adhesion, friction, and compliance, and make it an essential characterization technique for fields ranging from materials science to biology. As the name implies, intermolecular forces are at the center of the AFM operation. However, during the routine use of this technique the specific chemical groups on an AFM probe tip are typically ill-defined. To overcome this inherent limitation of the AFM, Lieber and coworkers introduced the concept of chemical modification of force probes to make them sensitive to specific molecular interactions4. By using chemically-functionalized tips, a force microscope can be transformed into a tool that can (i) quantify forces between different molecular groups, (ii) probe surface free energies on a nanometer scale, (iii) determine pKa values of the surface acid/base groups locally, and (iv) map the spatial distribution of specific functional groups and their ionization state. This ability to discriminate between chemically distinct functional groups has led the Lieber group to name the variation of force microscopy carried out with specifically functionalized tips “chemical force microscopy” (CFM)4. 3
“Renewable” Energy Sources and Their Limitations

In this chapter we shall briefly examine renewable energy sources which have become quite popular in the last decade and which some aficionados believe will enable mankind to overcome all future energy shortages. The so-called “renewables” are principally wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, biomass, and ocean-wave sources. Too many people forget that well-proven laws of physics place strict limits on how much and how fast energy can be produced and consumed, which in turn affects its economics. From an economic standpoint, renewables can only be supplementary “band-aids” to help us overcome the enormous energy shortages we are facing when oil-fields are depleted. They can be very helpful in certain remote locations, but as multi-gigawatt sources of needed base-power for industrialized areas of the world we shall show that nuclear power generation is a lot more practical, less prone to cause environmental destruction, more economical, and much less “dangerous” than what false propaganda of anti-nuclear zealots wants us to believe. It is the central message of this book and will be discussed in detail later in Chapters 6–8.
Fuzzy logic extension of nonparametric approach to feature selection and binary decision tree design

The binary decision tree for pattern recognition systems based on the selection of a set of features is both capable of high discrimination and is economical. A further extension is proposed which will incorporate fuzzy logic decisions at each node as part of the feature selection process. Each node will return a possibilistic response: "possibly" or "possibly not" as the decision regarding a set p.f. patterns. The advantage to fuzzy decision nodes is that the input to the decision tree may be linguistic in nature and the tree could return a 'crisp' or defuzzified output, which will be a useful result. >
Extracellular matrix and the development of disease: The role of its components in cancer progression

Publisher Summary The various intact basement membrane components, namely collagens and laminins, play a role in the homeostasis of polarized epithelia by balancing proliferation, migration, survival, and polarization of different cell types. In contrast, cleavage products of these basement membrane components may act in an opposite way, preventing cell proliferation, exacerbating cell migration, or inducing cell apoptosis. In pathological conditions, such as cancer progression, degradation of basement membrane components around tumors is considered critical for the promotion of invasion, migration into blood and/or lymphatic vessels, and traveling to distant sites. Generation of extracellular matrix (ECM) fragments can play opposite effects on cancer progression by enhancing tumor cell migration and by blocking tumor blood supply at the same time. Some of these ECM fragments have anti-angiogenic activity has raised a great deal of interest in the cancer field, making these fragments attractive candidate targets for potential cancer therapies. Treatment of tumor-bearing mice with synthesis peptides or recombinant basement membrane fragments has led to such promising results that several fragments (i.e., endostatin, tumstain) are now being tested in patients.
Drill Biopsy of the Canine Interventricular Septum A New Cardiac Catheterization Technic

Abstract A method of biopsy of the canine interventricular septum through a cardiac catheter is presented. Tissue is secured by electric drilling and syringe suction. Previous cardiac biopsy technics are reviewed, and the advantages of repeated sampling of undistorted tissue by catheterization are discussed. The potential value of ultrastructural, histochemical and microbiologic analyses of such tissue is suggested.
MN20, a D2 cyclin found in brain, is implicated in neural differentiation

Cyclins are regulatory proteins that promote the progression of dividing cells through the cell cycle. D-type cyclins are important mediators of the transition from G1 into S phase of the cell cycle and are thought to be widely expressed in mitotically active tissues (Matsushime et al., 1991b; Inaba et al., 1992; Xiong et al., 1992). We report the isolation of a cDNA clone, MN20, which represents a D2 cyclin message form whose expression pattern is highly restricted to brain. MN20 is not ubiquitous, but rather it is expressed only in restricted neuronal precursor populations, for example, in proliferating granule neuroblasts of the cerebellum but not hippocampus. Strikingly, MN20 expression is also found in postmitotic neuronal precursor cells of the embryonic cerebral cortex, but not in the dividing cortical neuroblasts. These observations suggest that the D2 cyclin gene serves regionally specific functions in neuronal differentiation, some of which may be distinct from the promotion of cell cycle progression and which act at the interface between mitosis and the assumption of mature neuronal morphology.
Unexpected Findings in Inguinal Hernia Surgery

Regardless of how well an operation for repair of an inguinal hernia seems to be going, a surgeon can encounter the unexpected at any stage and experience the great challenge of intraoperative recognition and response. It is important to be prepared to detect unusual intraoperative findings and to apply prompt and appropriate corrective measures.
Experimental Investigation and Computational Modeling of Hydrodynamics in Bifurcating Microchannels

Methods involving microfluidics have been used in several chemical, biological and medical applications. In particular, a network of bifurcating microchannels can be used to distribute flow in a large space. In this work, we carried out experiments to determine hydrodynamic characteristics of bifurcating microfluidic networks. We measured pressure drop across bifurcating networks of various complexities for various flow rates. We also measured planar velocity fields in these networks by using particle image velocimetry. We further analyzed hydrodynamics in these networks using mathematical and computational modeling. Our results show that the experimental frictional resistances of complex bifurcating microchannels are about 30% greater than that predicted by Navier-Stokes’ equations. Experimentally measured velocity profiles indicate that flow distributes equally at a bifurcation regardless of the complexity of the network. Flow division other than bifurcation such as trifurcation or quadruplication can lead to heterogeneities. These findings were verified by the results from the numerical simulations.
Using Modern Technology to Understand Reservoir Compartmentalization: Demonstration And Technology Transfer to Industry

Much of the research done at the Bureau of Economic Geology concentrates on developing a better understanding of the compartmentalization of oil and gas reservoirs. Because reservoirs are compartmentalized, considerable reserves can remain uncontacted if wells are incorrectly sited or if recovery processes are improperly designed. Therefore, demonstrating to industry how to use both new and existing technologies to define reservoir compartmentalization is crucial, as is implementing appropriate technology transfer activities to assist oil and gas operators wanting to use these new technical approaches to manage their producing properties. One of the most vital compartmentalization studies at the Bureau is the Secondary Gas Recovery (SGR) program, which is funded equally by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Gas Research Institute (GRI). During this program’s 6-year history, reservoir compartmentalization analyses have been completed not only in fluvial reservoirs deposited in highaccommodation Gulf Coast basins but in fluvio-deltaic reservoirs deposited in low-accommodation Midcontinent basins. The industry partners who have provided field demonstration sites have provided financial and in-kind matching contributions several times higher than the amounts DOE and GRI have expended in the studies. This presentation will summarize the major technical findings of the SGR program, review the activities that have been used to transfer key SGR technologies to end users, and describe SGR technology transfer products that seem to have the greatest appeal to industry and the greatest value to oil and gas exploitation staffs.
Vulcanology: Interaction between Kilauea and Mauna Loa.

Last year witnessed an unexpected communication between this pair of volcanoes. After almost a decade of very slow rates of deformation, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the largest volcano on Earth, began inflating in May 2002; at the same time, a high-volume effusive episode began at its neighbour Kilauea. We have found a correlation between these events at a very short timescale, detected by continuous deformation monitoring. This remarkable observation suggests that there is a crustal-level interaction between the magma systems of Mauna Loa and Kilauea, reviving a century-old controversy over the relationship between these two volcanoes on the basis of differences in their lava chemistry and in their patterns of eruptive behaviour1,2,3,4,5.
The thermodynamics of complexing of Ln(III) and Am(III) by chloroacetates

Abstract The thermodynamic parameters of complexation of Ce(III), Eu(III), Tm(III) and Am(III) by ClCH 2 CO 2 − , Cl 2 CHCO 2 − and Cl 3 CCO 2 − have been measured by potentiometry, solvent extraction and calorimetry in a medium of 2.0 M (NaClO 4 ). The log of the stability constants of any particular cation correlated linearly with the ligand p K a . From comparison of the entropy data it is proposed that the ratio of inner to outer sphere nature of the complexes varies in the order LnClAc 2+ > LnCl 2 Ac 2+ > LnCl 3 Ac 2+ .
Do consumers respond to publicly reported quality information? Evidence from nursing homes.

Abstract Public reporting of quality information is designed to address information asymmetry in health care markets. Without public reporting, consumers may have little information to help them differentiate quality among providers, giving providers little incentive to compete on quality. Public reporting enables consumers to choose highly ranked providers. Using a four-year (2000–2003) panel dataset, we examine the relationship between report card scores and patient choice of nursing home after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began publicly reporting nursing home quality information on post-acute care in 2002. We find that the relationship between reported quality and nursing home choice is positive and statistically significant suggesting that patients were more likely to choose facilities with higher reported post-acute care quality after public reporting was initiated. However, the magnitude of the effect was small. We conclude that there has been minimal consumer response to information in the post-acute care market.
Long-term cultivation of T-cell subsets from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Abstract Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and from healthy controls have been cultured in vitro in the presence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and interleukin 2 (IL-2). The T-cell subsets that grew were of both helper and suppressor type within the first week, but after 1–3 months, T cells with a suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype predominated. The lymphocytes from AIDS patients responded less effectively to the culture conditions employed. These results indicate that IL-2 can be used to maintain both major subsets of T cells from AIDS patients as well as healthy controls for short periods. However, in both situations, the helper phenotype is selectively reduced after one month in culture.
Indexical Propositions and De Re Belief Ascriptions

I develop here a novel version of the Fregean view of belief ascriptions (i.e., sentences of the form ‘S believes that p’) and I explain how my view accounts for various problem cases that many philosophers have supposed are incompatible with Fregeanism. The so-called problem cases involve (a) what Perry calls essential indexicals and (b) de re ascriptions in which it is acceptable to substitute coreferential but non-synonymous terms in belief contexts. I also respond to two traditional worries about what the sense of a proper name could be, and I explain how my view provides intuitively pleasing solutions to Kripke’s ‘London’–‘Londres’ puzzle and his Paderewski puzzle. Finally, in addition to defending my view, I also argue very briefly against Russellian alternatives to Fregeanism.
The phylogenetic distribution of electroreception: evidence for convergent evolution of a primitive vertebrate sense modality.

Electroreception is now known in many taxa of fishes and amphibians, but not in other vertebrates or in any invertebrates21,27,85. The evolution of electroreception in vertebrates may be of general interest because it is quite different from that of many other sense modalities including mechanoreception by the lateral line, the most closely related sensory system. Electroreception appears to have been lost, not merely in single families or lower taxa, but in the common ancestors of Holostei and Teleostei and may have been repeatedly (2–4 times) and independently invented in several teleost radiations by the development of novel receptors in the periphery and of nuclei in the central nervous system out of the common clay of the peripheral and central lateral line system. This paper combines new data and a review of the literature to arrive at a general account of the probable evolution.
Molecularly Defined Caprolactone Oligomers and Polymers: Synthesis and Characterization

The synthesis of molecularly defined e-caprolactone oligomers and polymers up to the 64-mer, via an exponential growth strategy, is described. By careful selection of orthogonal protecting groups, t-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) ether for the hydroxyl group and benzyl (Bn) ester for the carboxylic acid group, a highly efficient synthetic strategy was developed with yields for both deprotection steps being essentially quantitative and for the coupling reactions using 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), yields of 80−95% were obtained even at high molecular weights. This allows monodisperse dimers, tetramers, octamers, 16-mers, 32-mers and 64-mers to be prepared in gram quantities and fully characterized using mass spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and IR and NMR spectroscopy. Thermal and physical properties were measured using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). These results conclusi...
Interlibrary Loan Tsunami: Investigating the Rising Tide of Borrowing Requests at a Small Private University

Interlibrary loan borrowing statistics at Foley Center Library at Gonzaga University far exceeded those at other institutions in its affinity group. This study details an effort to explore the disparity by examining policies, statistics, and trends. A review of affinity group institutions’ interlibrary loan Web sites and a follow-up survey revealed minimal policy differences. Other factors examined included increases in electronic databases, enrollment, and usage patterns. The increased usage of interlibrary loan was warranted, yet workload management was still an issue. Subsequent procedure modifications resulted in a 23% reduction in article borrowing requests over a six-month period.
Central nervous system Strongyloides stercoralis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a report of two cases and review of the literature

Hyperinfection with Strongyloides stercoralis is rare in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), despite endemicity in areas where infection with human immunodeficiency virus is highly prevalent. We autopsied two patients with AIDS and disseminated Strongyloides and describe their central nervous system findings. The microscopic patterns of brain infection were dissimilar in the two patients, and reflected histology in systemic viscera. In one patient, a granulomatous response accompanied filariform larvae in all locations, including granulomatous ependymitis in brain. Additionally in the brain, larvae without tissue reaction were seen. In the second patient, the absence of tissue response to larvae was body wide, and isolated parasites were found in centrum semiovale. The occurrence of these patients in a region where Strongyloides is not endemic suggests that this infection may be more prevalent in AIDS than formerly suspected.
Polynomial division with a remainder by means of evaluation and interpolation

Abstract The evaluation-interpolation technique of A. Toom is applied to approximate polynomial division with a remainder. This elementary method leads to the same computation (except for simple power shifts), and to the same record asymptotic parallel complexity estimate for this problem, O A (log m , m ), as those of the more advanced methods of D. Bini and A. Schonhage. This approach also simplifies the approximation error analysis.
Cross-fostering reveals an effect of spleen size and nest temperatures on immune responses in nestling European starlings

Immunocompetence may be a good measure of offspring quality, however, factors affecting variation in immune responses are not clear. Research suggests that immune function can vary due to differences in genetics, development conditions and individual quality. Here, I examined factors affecting variation in immune response among nestling European starlings through a split-nest cross-fostering brood manipulation that included two important covariates: spleen size and nest temperatures. Immunocompetence was assessed via a cell-mediated immune response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). This paper provides the first direct evidence that individuals with large spleens also mount strong immune responses. Exposure to PHA did not cause splenomegaly, as there was no difference in spleen size between control birds and those injected with PHA. Offspring immune function was affected by common origin and by rearing environment, though rearing environment appeared to exert its influence only through nest temperatures. A comparison of the immune performance of siblings reared in their home nest versus those reared in other nests revealed a strong effect of maternal quality. As the difference in natal clutch size increased, the magnitude of the difference in immune performance between home-reared nestlings versus out-reared nestlings increased. Overall, nestling immune function appears to be determined by the combination of genetic, maternal and environmental effects.
Stability of mandibular rest position

Abstract The stability of mandibular rest position was tested by two methods. A statistical analysis of the data indicated that there was no significant difference in mandibular rest position at the same sitting, between sittings approximately 1 year apart, or between the two methods. However, differences were of a magnitude to make the stability of rest position questionable for certain individuals. Similar measurements from both groups after the third year will add information as to the reliability of the methods tested and to the constancy of the position.
34. Design and testing of above 0 °C cryo-therapeutic devices

This presentation will describe the design of several new classes of devices for low temperature therapeutic procedures and the results of initial tests on humans. The devices are used for cryotherapy and for induction of core temperature reduction. Their operation is based on new methods to induce targeted behaviors of the human thermoregulatory system. More than 300 human trials have been conducted that will be presented and discussed. Extensive data records include skin and core temperature measurements, and superficial and deep cutaneous blood flow. Computer simulation models for local and systemic heat transfer behavior during therapeutic cooling include integrated effects such as regional modulation of blood flow, local thermal boundary conditions, and thermoregulatory control schemes.
Dissecting the Molecular Mechanism of How Force Activates Yeast TRP Channel TRPY1

Though clear for the prokaryotic mechanosensitive (MS) MscL and MscS, how mechanical force activates eukaryotic MS channels remains poorly understood. Several members of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family are apparently involved in animal mechanosensations and are therefore promising MS-channel candidates. The yeast homolog, TRPY1, expressed in the yeast vacuolar membrane, can clearly be gated by hyper-osmotic shock in vivo and by directly stretching excised vacuolar membrane patches under patch clamp. Here, we investigated the structure-function relationship of TRPY1 by mutagenesis, aiming at dissecting how force is sensed by TRPY1 and how force opens the channel gate. TRP channels share general organization with well-studied voltage-gated potassium channels, being tetramers with each subunit consisting of six transmembrane helices (S1-S6) and N- and C-terminal cytoplamic domains. We found that the C-terminal cytoplasmic domains of TRPY1 harbor Ca2+ binding motifs, which confer TRPY1 Ca2+ activation. We demonstrated that the Ca2+ activation and the force activation are synergistic and the two gating mechanisms act in parallel. We proposed that force is perceived by the transmembrane domains. Our further in-depth analyses showed that strategic insertions of long peptide linkers before S4-S5 linker and after S6 can surprisingly yield functional channels with largely intact mechanosensitivity, highlighting the crucial roles of the pore module in TRPY1 mechanosensitivity. Together with our detailed scanning mutagenesis, we will discuss possible molecular mechanisms on how force activates TRPY1.
Growth of C3 and C4 perennial grasses under reduced irradiance

Several studies have compared C 3 and C 4 species for response to water and temperature regimes. Little comparative information exists, however, on growth responses of C 3 and C 4 species to irradiance regime. The objective of this study was to determine adaptive responses of C 3 and C 4 grasses to irradiance regime. Three C 3 and two C 4 perennial forage grasses were field-established near Ames, IA, and grown under 37, 70, and 100% of full sunlight by use of polypropylene shade cloths (.)
Speculation and theory-building in the development of psychology as a science

Abstract In this commentary on a classic article by Paul Wachtel on the importance of theoretical work in empirical research, the author expresses agreement that reward structures discourage the kind of theoretical speculation that may lead to new understandings of existing data and, even more critically, to new ways of formulating questions to be addressed in controlled research. Our students in particular need to be encouraged to reflect on what their own empirical research really means within the larger framework of trying to understand the world in psychological terms. New theories and paradigms do not emerge inevitably from a body of data. Rather, they represent creative insights whose sources are poorly understood and yet are overlooked at our risk.
Donor−Acceptor Poly(thiophene-block-perylene diimide) Copolymers: Synthesis and Solar Cell Fabrication

Donor−acceptor diblock copolymers, composed of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rrP3HT) as the electron donor block and poly(perylene diimide acrylate) (PPDA) as the electron acceptor block, were prepared and used to fabricate a solar cell. Vinyl-terminated rrP3HT was synthesized by Grignard metathesis polymerization and converted to an alkoxyamine macroinitiator. This polythiophene macroinitiator was used in controlled free radical polymerization of a perylene diimide-containing acrylate. The targeted donor−acceptor diblock copolymers were prepared with low-to-moderate polydispersity indices (1.2−1.4) and molecular weights sufficiently high for producing films by spin-coating. These copolymers showed efficient photoluminescence quenching in the solid state, indicative of charge separation, and were used to produce a solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 0.49%.
The relationship of the skin conductance and finger pulse amplitude components of the orienting response to season of birth in schizophrenia and depression

Schizophrenia is said to be associated with a modest excess of winter births. We examined relations of season of birth (SOB) to the skin conductance response (SCR) and finger pulse amplitude response (FPAR) components of the orienting response (OR) in 83 schizophrenic patients, 59 depressed patients, and 81 normal controls. SCR-OR nonresponding was more prevalent among depressed patients regardless of SOB, whereas only winter-born schizophrenics showed significantly more frequent electrodermal nonresponding than controls. However, this latter relation was not confirmed with log linear analysis. No other relations of SOB to SCR-OR or FPAR-OR nonresponding were significant. Our data do not support the view that nonresponding in the SCR or FPAR components of the OR is associated with winter birth either in schizophrenia or depression.
Teaching: An Interplay of Aims, Constraints, Conflicts, and Compromises

is essentially a contentious interplay of curricular and instructional aims and a host of regressive constraints, 4 of which are discussed in the present article. They are: (a) the endless and fallible nature of fully understanding knowledge and of representing it in an ontologically congruous manner (epistemological constraint); (b) the problems inherent in mediating knowledge through language (semiotic constraint); (c) the tenuous validity of the psychological assumptions on which the presentation of knowledge is conducted in the classroom (learning constraint); and (d) the local and potentially regressive variables, such as instructional time, language aptitude, attitude, personality, and motivation (environmental constraint). The thrust of the present article is to show that these 4 constraints exert inevitable and pedagogically fruitful tension on classroom teaching.
A minimax principle for nonoverdamped systems

Abstract A minimax characterization of a subset of the real eigenvalues ω of the quadratic eigenvalue problem (ω2A + ωB + C)ξ = 0 is presented, where A, B and C are linear Hermitian operators (matrices) on and into the n-dimensional complex Hilbert space En, and A > 0. This minimax characterization extends to all the eigenvalues of a semi-overdamped system, and Duffin's minimax theory for overdamped systems is recovered as a special case.
Stereochemical recognition of enantiomeric and diastereomeric dipeptides by high-performance liquid chromatography on a chiral stationary phase based upon immobilized α-chymotrypsin

A series of 24 enantiomeric and diastereomeric dipeptides were chromatographed on a chiral stationary phase (CSP) based upon immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin (ACHT). The ACHT-CSP was able to resolve stereochemically a number of the enantiomeric D,D- and L,L-dipeptides as well as the diastereomeric D,D-/L,L- and L,D-/D,L-dipeptides. The solutes were also chromatographed on a N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone-deactivated form of the ACHT-CSP, where stereochemical separations were also achieved. The results of this study suggest that binding interactions between the dipeptides and the ACHT-CSP occur at the active site of the ACHT and at other hydrophobic sites on the ACHT molecule.
A comparison of the AMBER*, OPLSAA and HF potential energy surfaces for a series of diastereomeric cyclic urea HIV-1 inhibitors

Abstract The LM:MC conformational search method was used to identify the low energy structures on the OPLS-AA/GBSA(water) and AMBER*/GBSA(water) surfaces for a diastereomeric series of cyclic urea molecules that have been shown to be potent inhibitors of the HIV-1 protease enzyme. The lowest energy structures from each search were then subjected to geometry optimization and frequency analysis using the HF/6-311G** method in conjunction with the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) treatment for water. A comparison of the diastereomeric energies and structures indicates that the OPLSAA/GBSA(water) surface is in good agreement with the HF/6-311G**/SCRF(water) surface.
Adsorptive infiltration of metals in urban drainage--media characteristics

Abstract Urban pavement drainage often contains significant quantities of anthropogenic metal elements, including Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn that exceed surface water discharge standards. In many urban areas low rainfall pH, results in predominately dissolved metal element mass. Such partitioning has critical implications for the selection of in-situ treatment. One such category of treatment is engineered infiltration systems. To be effective, such systems must adsorb dissolved metal elements to their fixed media while also acting as filters for particulate-bound fractions. One such strategy is called a partial exfiltration trench (PET). The PET contains oxide-coated sand (OCS); an amphoteric media of high surface area (5–15 m2/g) as compared to uncoated silica sand (0.01–0.05 m2/g). OCS was generated through heating a mixture of silica sand and ferric nitrate solution to dryness. This paper presents results of both media characterization and bench scale PET simulations. Media tested were OCS and plain silica sand. Media testing was carried out until capacity was exhausted, using both synthetic and actual stormwater loadings. Testing was conducted for pH levels of 6.5 and 8.0. Results indicated that OCS had greater capacity than silica sand for all dissolved fractions. As the pH was raised from 6.5 to 8.0, OCS capacity was improved. A PET configuration with porous pavement resulted in the highest in-situ treatment capacity for metal element bearing storm water.
Measuring Community Corrections’ Officials Perceptions of Goals, Strategies, and Workload From a Systems Perspective: Differences Between Directors and Nondirectors

The criminal justice system has experienced changes related to correctional population growth over the past 30years. This article applies general systems theory to assess differences between direct...
A visualization model for concurrent systems

Concurrent systems maintain a distributed state and thus require coordination and synchronization between components to ensure consistency. To provide a coherent design approach to concurrent systems, recent work has employed an object-based methodology which emphasizes interactions through well-defined interfaces. The Actor model has provided formal reasoning about distributed object systems. Nonetheless, due to the complex interactions among components and the high volume of observable information produced, understanding and reasoning about concurrent algorithms in terms of simple interactions is a difficult task. Coordination patterns, which abstract over simple interactions, are not biased by low-level event orderings and are the appropriate mechanism for reasoning about concurrent algorithms. We outline a methodology for visualizing coordination patterns in concurrent algorithms which emphasizes observable interactions and causal connections between objects. We introduce visualizers as a linguistic mechanism for mapping coordination patterns to visualization. Visualizers are specified separately from algorithm code and thus respect code integrity. Moreover, visualizers may be implemented strictly in terms of object interfaces and thus preserve object encapsulation.
Negative observations for multiple hypothesis tracking of dynamic extended objects

A novel approach to utilizing negative information to improve multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) of extended objects is presented. Specifically, a missed detection of a tracked object is treated as an observation of object occlusion, the likelihood of which is described by an occlusion-based sensor detection model. This negative observation is used to update hypothesis weights in a method that is supplementary to any existing MHT framework, as it continues to inform the filter in the absence of traditional measurements. Experimental results are presented demonstrating that integrating this additional interpretation of the available information improves tracking performance.
Drag coefficient in one-dimensional two-group two-fluid model

Abstract Recently, the concept of the interfacial area transport equation has been proposed to predict the dynamic change of interfacial structure in transient and developing flows. In this approach, bubbles are categorized into two groups (group 1: spherical/distorted bubbles; group 2: cap/slug/churn-turbulent bubbles) due to the considerable difference in their transport characteristics. In this paper, the equations for calculating drag coefficients of both groups under developing flow conditions are derived based on the momentum equations in the one-dimensional two-group two-fluid model. It is found that void fraction of both groups should be taken into account in determining drag coefficient of each group. The shape factor is important for group 2 bubbles even though it can be approximated to be unity for group 1 bubbles. Experimental data of air–water upward bubbly flows in various sizes of pipes are used to examine the existing drag coefficient model of group 1 bubbles. It is shown that the Ishii and Chawla’s models for spherical and distorted bubbles can predict the experimental data in the forced convective flow systems satisfactorily, which confirms their applicability to bubbly flow systems.
The Voter News Service and the 2000 Election Night Calls

After examining the rhetoric of the network broadcast coverage on election night 2000, it is concluded that although individual “decision desk” call times were not identical across networks, there was a consistent pattern of correct and incorrect calls. The language of the election night broadcasts undercut network credibility on two counts. First, the networks largely failed to acknowledge their common reliance on the Voter News Service for their information, creating the impression that independent research by the five different networks was producing identical calls. Second, the networks failed to adequately describe how the calls were being made and the limitations of predictive models in a close election.