cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Executive Function and Planning in Early Development in Down Syndrome

Abstract Executive function (EF) has become an important area of research in populations with neurogenetic disorders, such as Down syndrome (DS). EFs are conceptualized as a set of interrelated processes that facilitate goal-directed behaviors. Planning, a centralized component of EF, requires the use of EF component skills (working memory, shifting, inhibition) in navigating and completing goal-directed-behavior in daily life. Understanding how these skills emerge in early life in children with DS is necessary in order to understand not only how skills interact with one another but also how they contribute to specific developmental cascades. This review examines the early development of EF in DS, with an emphasis on the emergence of early planning skills and opportunities for developmental interventions.
Personalizing medicine: beyond race.

Instead of using race as a shorthand for factors that directly influence health, researchers should investigate those factors themselves.
Emotion regulation moderates the association between chronic stress and cardiovascular disease risk in humans: a cross-sectional study.

Chronic stress is a risk factor for incident cardiovascular (CV) disease. Emotion regulation is the ability to modulate one’s state or behavior in response to a given situation or stressor, and may...
Combining the Creative Therapies with Technology: Using Social Media and Online Counseling to Treat Clients

The book is divided into four parts, each based on a type of therapy or service practiced. Part One explores art and play therapies. Part Two takes a look at music and drama therapies. Part Three e...
Design of a Multi Sensor-Based Low-Cost

Robotics industry is rapidly growing, and it has grown spectacularly in the past century. Due to their complex components and complicated underlying physics, people have chosen to circumvent understanding the phenomena within the actions that a robot makes, and actually study robotics from a technical point of view rather than using an engineering approach. In this project, a group of students designed and built a robot that is capable of executing two to three different gestures. The team ultimately designed and built a robot miniature car that has the ability to detect obstacles on its way, and is capable of following a black line path, along with other sound and light sensitive gestures. The robot was collected and gathered using a robotic components kit, and the designed robot car was constructed using low budget mechanical tools and equipment. Mainly, two servomotors were used along with other mechanical components and an Arduino control board. The robot was programmed using Arduino open-source software and it was intended to make the robot do the different gestures. The testing procedure for the robot car was successful as the team hypothesized; the robot was able to successfully operate as programmed and performed all the intended gestures. This paper will describe how the robot was built using only $250 resource and how it was programmed and demonstrated in some detail, so that other students can follow the design and controls of the robot.
The association between 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate use and postpartum hemorrhage.

Objective To evaluate whether receipt of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate within 7 days of delivery is associated with increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of women who were receiving 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for preterm birth prevention and delivered between 2010 and 2014. Women were dichotomized by whether a dose of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate was administered within 7 days of delivery. Demographic and clinical characteristics were examined, including obstetric history and details of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate receipt. Bivariable analyses were used to compare the frequency of postpartum hemorrhage in women stratified by 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate receipt within 7 days of delivery. Multivariable analysis was used to adjust for potential confounders. Results Of 221 women who met inclusion criteria, 93 (42%) received 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate within 7 days of delivery and 18 (7.8%) experienced a postpartum hemorrhage. No differences were observed in the frequency of postpartum hemorrhage between women who did and did not deliver within 7 days of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection (9.7% vs 7.0%, P=.478). These findings persisted after adjusting for potential confounders (adjusted odds ratio for postpartum hemorrhage, 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.5–15.8). Conclusion Recent receipt of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for prevention of recurrent preterm birth is not associated with risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
Positivity in -equivariant -theory of flag varieties associated to Kac-Moody groups II

Let G be any symmetrizable Kac-Moody group over C completed along the negative roots and Gmin ⊂ G be the ‘minimal’ Kac-Moody group. Let B be the standard (positive) Borel subgroup, B− the standard negative Borel subgroup, H = B∩ B− the standard maximal torus and W the Weyl group. Let X = G/B be the ‘thick’ flag variety (introduced by Kashiwara) which contains the standard KM flag ind-variety X = Gmin/B. Let T be the quotient torus H/Z(Gmin), where Z(Gmin) is the center of Gmin. Then, the action of H on X (and X) descends to an action of T . We denote the representation ring of T by R(T ). For any w ∈ W, we have the Schubert cell Cw := BwB/B ⊂ X, the Schubert variety Xw := Cw ⊂ X, the opposite Schubert cell Cw := B−wB/B ⊂ X, and the opposite Schubert variety Xw := Cw ⊂ X. When G is a (finite dimensional) semisimple group, it is referred to as the finite case. Let K T (X) be the T -equivariant topological K-group of the ind-variety X. Let {ψ}w∈W be the ‘basis’ of K T (X) given by Kostant-Kumar (cf. Definition 3.2). Express the product in topological K-theory K T (X):
Electrochemical C–H bond activation via cationic iridium hydride pincer complexes

A C–H bond activation strategy based on electrochemical activation of a metal hydride is introduced. Electrochemical oxidation of (tBu4PCP)IrH4 (tBu4PCP is [1,3-(tBu2PCH2)-C6H3]−) in the presence of pyridine derivatives generates cationic Ir hydride complexes of the type [(tBu4PCP)IrH(L)]+ (where L = pyridine, 2,6-lutidine, or 2-phenylpyridine). Facile deprotonation of [(tBu4PCP)IrH(2,6-lutidine)]+ with the phosphazene base tert-butylimino-tris(pyrrolidino)phosphorane, tBuP1(pyrr), results in selective C–H activation of 1,2-difluorobenzene (1,2-DFB) solvent to generate (tBu4PCP)Ir(H)(2,3-C6F2H3). The overall electrochemical C–H activation reaction proceeds at room temperature without need for chemical activation by a sacrificial alkene hydrogen acceptor. This rare example of undirected electrochemical C–H activation holds promise for the development of future catalytic processes.
A Data-Driven Approach to the Fragile Families Challenge: Prediction through Principal-Components Analysis and Random Forests:

Sociological research typically involves exploring theoretical relationships, but the emergence of “big data” enables alternative approaches. This work shows the promise of data-driven machine-lear...
Lidars designed for autonomous vehicles and for monitoring insects and fish (Conference Presentation)

The rapid growth of the market for Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) instruments is being driven by applications that include autonomous vehicle perception and navigation, as well as other novel applications such as monitoring insects flying in fields and fish spawning in lakes. Each of these applications comes with unique constraints that lead to very different optical, electronic, and software subsystems. This means that it is not possible to simply build one lidar and use it for all applications. This talk will discuss some of the primary design constraints for these novel lidar applications. Example photographs and design sketches will be shown and explained.
Bringing the Guilty to Justice: Can the ICC be Self-Enforcing?

Even though the International Criminal Court was instituted with the express goal of ending impunity, its lack of enforcement powers threatens to undermine its credibility as well as the effective administration of international criminal justice. While proponents of the court are content to rely on questionable means of enforcement such as military interventions, ICC skeptics are adamant that granting amnesties will ensure the removal of dictators from power. But, could there be a median solution between the extremes of at-any-cost accountability and outright exemption from punishment? Gatne theoretic analysis of the ICC offers a glimmer of hope for the effective enforcement of arrest warrants. A model developed by Michael Gilligan in 2006 suggests that in certain conditions the court may be self-enforcing and may have a deterrent effect. This, as Gilligan posits, occurs because the ICC provides corrupt leaders with a cogent but costlier exit strategy than asylum in the event of imminent regime collapse. However, the model does not account for the fact that the ICC prosecutes leaders and opposition groups alike and may therefore quell some opposition groups from rebelling. I develop a model of incomplete information involving the interaction between a leader and an opposition group to examine this effect. The results suggest that the ICC could inhibit certain opposition groups from rebelling, thereby positively affecting the survival rate of corrupt regimes
The Economic Contribution of CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery in Wyoming 2010-2012

Wyoming’s economy and state & local government budgets depend heavily on the state’s mineral wealth. Mineral related payments are roughly 65% of Wyoming State revenues, with severance taxes and royalties alone accounting for 51% of the State budget. The recent strength of oil prices relative to other minerals has brought the importance of Wyoming’s CO2 enhanced oil recovery industry to the forefront, with state oil production trending higher after decades of decline. Collectively, the WY oil units with active CO2 floods produced 23.35 million barrels of oil from 2010-2012, 14% of Wyoming crude production during that time, of which 20.43 million or 12.2% of production is attributable to the CO2 injection. Utilizing the regional input-output (IO) economic model, IMPLAN, we estimate that from 2010-2012 the CO2-EOR projects in Wyoming supported an average of 1,914 jobs annually. Ignoring the capital investments and thinking in terms of ongoing oil production, 188 jobs were supported for every 1 million barrels of incremental oil produced.
Application of a modified hyperbolic sine creep rate equation to correlate uniaxial creep rupture data of Sanicro 25 and HR6W

Uniaxial creep life data is still used to estimate long-term creep strength and maximum allowable design stresses for structural materials. Many ‘single-line’ equations have been developed to corre...
Targeting ischemia-induced KCC2 hypofunction rescues refractory neonatal seizures and mitigates epileptogenesis in a mouse model

Abstract Neonatal seizures pose a clinical challenge for their early detection, acute management, and mitigation of long-term comorbidities. A major cause of neonatal seizures is hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy that results in seizures that are frequently refractory to the first-line anti-seizure medication phenobarbital (PB). One proposed mechanism for PB-inefficacy during neonatal seizures is the reduced expression and function of the neuron-specific K+/Cl− cotransporter 2 (KCC2), the main neuronal Cl− extruder that maintains chloride homeostasis and influences the efficacy of GABAergic inhibition. To determine if PB-refractoriness after ischemic neonatal seizures is dependent upon KCC2 hypofunction and can be rescued by KCC2 functional enhancement, we investigated the recently developed KCC2 functional enhancer CLP290 in a CD-1 mouse model of refractory ischemic neonatal seizures quantified with vEEG. We report that acute CLP290 intervention can rescue PB-resistance, KCC2 expression, and the development of epileptogenesis after ischemic neonatal seizures. KCC2 phosphorylation sites have a strong influence over KCC2 activity and seizure susceptibility in adult experimental epilepsy models. Therefore, we investigated seizure susceptibility in two different knock-in mice in which either phosphorylation of S940 or T906/T1007 was prevented. We report that KCC2 phosphorylation regulates both neonatal seizure susceptibility and CLP290-mediated KCC2 functional enhancement. Our results validate KCC2 as a clinically relevant target for refractory neonatal seizures and provide insights for future KCC2 drug development.
Spectroscopy of MACHO 97-SMC-1: Self-Lensing within the Small Magellanic Cloud

More than a dozen microlensing events have been detected so far toward the LMC, and two have been detected toward the SMC. If all of the lenses are in the Galactic halo, both the LMC and the SMC events are expected to have similar timescales. However, the first event toward the SMC, MACHO 97-SMC-1, had a timescale of 123 days, which is much larger than the typical timescale for the LMC events. Since the observed timescale of the SMC event would need the mass of the halo lens to be ~3 M☉, it has been argued earlier that the lens must be within the SMC, which we spectroscopically confirm in this Letter. From optical depth estimates, we first show that the stars within the SMC play a dominant role as gravitational lenses and can fully account for the observed microlensing events, mainly due to its large physical depth. We also show that if the lenses are within the Magellanic Clouds, then the SMC events should be longer in duration than the LMC events, a fact that is consistent with the observations. The timescale of the event implies that the mass of the lens is 2 M☉ if it is in the Milky Way disk or halo, in which case the lens, if it is a normal star, is expected to be bright and should reveal itself in the spectrum. Here, we present an optical spectrum of MACHO 97-SMC-1 obtained in 1997 May that shows that the source is a main-sequence B star. There is no trace of any contribution from the lens, which suggests that the lens is not in the Milky Way disk or halo but is a low-mass star within the SMC. The other alternative, that the lens could be a black hole in the Galactic halo, cannot be ruled out from the spectrum alone, but this is disfavored by the timescales of the LMC events. It is worth noting here that MACHO SMC-98-1 is the only other observed event toward the SMC. This was a binary lens event for which the caustic crossing timescale as observed by the PLANET, MACHO, EROS, and OGLE collaborations suggests that the lens is within the SMC. Furthermore, the only LMC event for which we have independent information on the location of the lens is the binary lens event MACHO LMC-9, where the caustic crossing timescale suggests the lens to be within the LMC. Thus, our current knowledge of the events indicates that all three microlensing events toward the Magellanic Clouds for which we have independent knowledge of the location of the lenses are due to self-lensing within the Magellanic Clouds.
Growth and stability of Pb intercalated phases under graphene on SiC

Graphene intercalation is a novel way to control graphene's band structure and generate two-dimensional quantum materials with unusual spintronic and electronic properties. Despite its importance, information about the intercalation mechanism is lacking, especially the role of low density domain boundaries between regions of graphene of different thickness. With high resolution surface diffraction we have systematically studied Pb intercalation on epi-graphene grown on SiC, with domain boundaries between buffer and single layer graphene. By examining the evolution of different diffraction spots as a function of tempertature, the location of Pb and stability of the intercalated phases underneath were determined.
Use of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-D As a Targeted Therapy in Lymphedema Treatment: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Background: Lymphangiogenic growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-D, are subjects of interest in studies of targeted therapies in lymphedema treatment. Methods and Results: We conducted a systematic review assessing the use of VEGF-D as a targeted therapy in lymphedema treatment. We hypothesized that VEGF-D was a promising therapy to induce lymphangiogenesis. Our search yielded 90 studies in the literature, but only 4 articles fulfilled our study eligibility criteria, and they were all experimental studies using viral gene transfer. The majority of the studies were conducted on small animals (mice) and investigated the effects of VEGF-D on lymph node transfer. All authors agreed about VEGF-D's lymphangiogenic potential, but they noticed that VEGF-C induced a superior lymphangiogenesis, and one study noticed that VEGF-D induced seroma. Conclusions: The publications assessing the use of VEGF-D as a targeted therapy in lymphedema treatment were able to demonstrate its lymphangiogenic potential. Nonetheless, further studies are still necessary to investigate VEGF-D's efficacy and safety in lymphedema treatment on patients.
Teaching Domain-Based Figurative Expressions: Designing and Implementing CL-informed SCOBAs

Cognitive Linguistics (CL) and Sociocultural Theory (SCT) complement each other in L2 pedagogy (Lantolf, 2006, 2011; Masuda & Arnett, 2015). In this study, we unite teaching materials informed by cross-linguistic CL studies and SCT pedagogy – namely, concept-based language instruction (C-BLI) – to teach two Chinese-speaking English-as-a-second-language learners figurative expressions in the MORALITY domain and the concept of conceptual metaphor using several SCOBAs (Schemas for Complete Orienting Basis of Action). We provide microgenetic analysis of two case studies, focusing on each participant’s process of internalization and their interaction with SCOBAs during the pre-test, two instructional sessions, and post-test. Both students demonstrated their abilities to draw on the concept of conceptual metaphor to understand figurative speech in English from domains not limited to morality. In the end, we discuss implications on the design and implementation of SCOBAs.
Lattice QCD calculation of the Collins-Soper kernel from quasi TMDPDFs

This work presents a lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculation of the nonperturbative Collins-Soper kernel, which describes the rapidity evolution of quark transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions. The kernel is extracted at transverse momentum scales in the range 400 MeV $< q_T < 1.7$ GeV in a calculation with dynamical fermions and quark masses corresponding to a larger-than-physical pion mass, $m_\pi=538(1)$ MeV. It is found that different approaches to extract the Collins-Soper kernel from the same underlying lattice QCD matrix elements yield significantly different results and uncertainty estimates, revealing that power corrections, such as those associated with higher-twist effects, and perturbative matching between quasi and light-cone beam functions, cannot be neglected.
The virtues of the virtual medical school interview.

The COVID-19 pandemic has mandated the use of virtual interactions in medical school. Although this falls mainly in the area of didactic instruction, of necessity, it has extended to the critical Admissions Process and the Medical School Interview itself. The California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) with their flipped classroom approach had previously entered a virtual space of instruction even before COVID-19. Because CUSM was, in a sense, already committed to 'virtual' education, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, CUSM focused not on what it might lose but what it might gain and what their applicants to medical school might gain with the virtual format. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to initially compare the Virtual Interview with the traditional On-Campus (In-Person) Interview during the hybrid 2020 year when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The Virtual Interview was patterned after the On-Campus Interview with some modifications. The same faculty conducted both interviews. A number of inherent advantages of the Virtual Interview surfaced to these faculty interviewers based on their subjective observations and conclusions. The overall interviewee satisfaction with the Virtual Interview was very positive based on their subjective observations and conclusions. The objective data from the Virtual Interviews compared to the On-Campus Interviews in the hybrid year resulted in a greater percentage of both offers of acceptance (p = .001) and matriculations (p = .001). In order to strengthen our initial observations, we expanded our study to include 2 pre-COVID-19 years (2018, 2019) of exclusively On-Campus interviews (n = 743) and 1 additional COVID-19 year (2021) of exclusively Virtual Interviews (n = 529). In this expanded study, interviewee demographics were not confounding and the Virtual Interview gave rise to overall greater interviewee satisfaction (p = .001), a trend to greater interviewer satisfaction and a greater percentage of both offers of acceptance (p = .047) and matriculations (p = .036).
Yeast cells as a discovery platform for neurodegenerative disease

Protein conformational changes govern most processes in cell biology. Because these phenomena are universal, we use a variety of model systems to study them, from yeast to mice. Recently we've been particularly interested in proteins that undergo self-perpetuating changes in conformation, such as prions. Surprisingly, our studies in yeast suggested that a cytoplasmic form of the mammalian prion, PrP, might be involved in disease. Mouse models we constructed to test this possibility established that cytoplasmic PrP is sufficient to cause neurodegenerative disease. This led us to establishing other models of protein-folding diseases in yeast, with the aim of learning about the causes of misfolding, the nature of its cyto-toxic effects, and mechanisms that might ameliorate them. A variety of high throughput methods are being used to exploit these. Computational methods are being employed to integrate data from different platforms. Results with alpha synuclein (whose misfolding is directly related to Parkinson's disease) and Huntingtin (whose misfolding is directly related to Huntingtin's disease) will be discussed.
Computer programs: Test score database and norm generator

Abstract A database program written in Applesoft BASIC was developed for the Apple II series microcomputer. The program allows school psychologists to save up to 18 variables for 248 persons on a floppy disk. Users can retrieve the data and quickly calculate a variety of norm tables and associated statistics.
What Do Teens Want to Know About Money—A Comparison of 1998 and 2008

Research indicates that the financial literacy of U.S. teens is low, yet they have access to and spend a great deal of money each year. Teens were surveyed in 1998 (N = 323) and again in 2008 (N = 558) to determine what teens wanted to know about money and how they wanted to learn. Data were collected regarding teens’ sources of income, why money was important, the types of financial information they would like to learn, and how they would like to learn from seven counties in California—Alameda, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. The findings indicate that teens are still interested in learning about many of the same financial topics identified in 1998, but their desire for web education has increased. These data can be used to develop programs that will interest teens.
Tomographic Methods in Flow Diagnostics

Flow visualization often displays the integral transforms of flow properties rather than the properties themselves. Interferometry is an example.
Developments in sub-barrier reactions

The study of sub-barrier reactions has developed in recent years to include a broad range of interconnected phenomena. The initial discoveries of enhanced sub-barrier fusion cross sections and the attempts to understand them in terms of couplings to other reactions channels have stimulated investigations into all aspects of heavy-ion collisions at low bombarding energies. As a result, new effects have been observed and new ideas are being put forward. The present talk gives an overview of some current themes in this field. Perhaps the most encompassing development is that one can no longer think of the low energy fusion reaction as an isolated phenomenon, since the fusion rates depend crucially on the presence of other reaction channels. Thus, one wants to know what are the properties of these channels and then how to use this knowledge to explain the fusion rates quantitatively. Generally speaking, quite a number of sub-barrier fusion reactions have been measured but the other reactions which occur have been isolated in a relatively few cases. It is also generally true that theoretical sub-barrier fusion calculations have been successful for a limited range of fairly light mass systems. Thus, the field continues to be a challenging area ofmore » research. Going beyond the problem of understanding the fusion mechanism, there have been interesting new developments in all of the reaction classes that have been studied at sub-barrier energies, namely, elastic scattering, inelastic excitation, transfer reactions and deep inelastic collisions. A brief discussion of each of these subjects and how they relate to fusion will be given below. In addition, the important subject of compound nuclear spin distributions produced in fusion reactions will be noted. 20 refs., 9 figs.« less
Total Ankle Arthroplasty Following Prior Infection About the Ankle.

Background We evaluated whether a history of prior infection about the native ankle joint, bone, or soft tissues was associated with a higher rate of infection following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) when compared with that of primary TAA in the general population. Methods This is a retrospective review of our institution's TAA registry to identify all patients who reported a prior history of ankle joint sepsis or osteomyelitis and who were subsequently treated with TAA with at least 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome measure was re-infection rate. Secondary outcome measures were patient-reported outcome scores, implant survival, and complications. Twenty-two TAAs were performed in 22 patients, consisting of 9 men and 13 women, with a mean age of 58.4 years (range = 30-80 years). Patients were followed for a mean of 29.3 months (range = 11.4-83.8 months). The length of complete symptom-free interval between the index infection to time of TAA was 8.8 years (range = 0-44 years). These patients had a mean 2.7 (range = 0-13) procedures involving the ipsilateral ankle joint prior to TAA. Results No deep infection was observed in this series. Eleven patients were followed for more than 2 years, with postoperative visual analog scale scores decreasing from 53.1 (range = 12-90) to 20.6 (range = 0-89) of 100. Ten of the 11 ankles also had AOFAS ankle-hindfoot and SF-36 scores. Their AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score increased from 38.9 (range = 10-61) to 70.1 (range = 29-90), and SF-36 score improved from 40.6 (range = 3.3-76.4) to 67.6 (range = 36.4-85.4). Conclusion Single-stage TAA can be a viable option to treat arthritic ankle pain for those patients with resolved bone or ankle joint infection, producing improved outcomes in pain and function.
Isolation and Amino Acid Composition of Ribosomal Proteins from Bacillus stearothermophilus

Twelve of the proteins from the 30S ribosome of Bacillus stearothermophilus were isolated by preparative disc electrophoresis. Amino acid analyses of these proteins showed them to be different from each other. The gross amino acid composition of 30S ribosomal protein from B. stearothermophilus and Escherichia coli are virtually identical. A number of the proteins of B. stearothermophilus had electrophoretic mobilities similar or identical to 30S ribosomal proteins of E. coli. However, there was little similarity between the two organisms in amino acid composition of individual proteins. There were no unusual chemical features of the B. stearothermophilus proteins which could explain the relative thermal stability of this organism's ribosomes.
On the possible existence of superheavy elements in the primeval Moon

Abstract The remarkably complete and well-dated record of the primeval history of the Moon poses two problems concerned with early heat sources. The early melting and differentiation, especially the formation of a lunar core, requires a source with a half-life of a few times 108 years. Convection and magnetic field generation in the iron core requires a heat source soluble in iron with a half-life of the order of 108 years. It is shown that both requirements are quantitatively met by supposing that superheavy elements existed in the early Moon and the relationship of this result with the search for their existence today is discussed.
Asymmetric spatiotemporal patterns of event-related desynchronization preceding voluntary sequential finger movements: a high-resolution EEG study.

Abstract Objective To study spatiotemporal patterns of event-related desynchronization (ERD) preceding voluntary sequential finger movements performed with dominant right hand and nondominant left hand. Methods Nine subjects performed self-paced movements consisting of three key strokes with either hand. Subjects randomized the laterality and timing of movements. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 122 channels. Reference-free EEG power measurements in the beta band were calculated off-line. Results During motor preparation (−2 to −0.5 s with respect to movement onset), contralateral preponderance of event-related desynchronization (ERD) (lateralized power) was only observed during right hand finger movements, whereas ERD during left hand finger movements was bilateral. Conclusions For right-handers, activation on the left hemisphere during left hand movements is greater than that on the right hemisphere during right hand movements. Significance We provide further evidence for motor dominance of the left hemisphere in early period of motor preparation for complex sequential finger movements.
Correlates of parenting on a neonatal intensive care unit: maternal characteristics and family resources

Abstract The association of maternal characteristics, family resources, and receipt of prenatal care with parenting behaviors observed in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU; n = 383) was assessed. The parenting behavior of mothers not receiving prenatal care (n = 128) was compared to that of mothers of the preceding and subsequent admissions (n = 256) by retrospective chart review. Parenting variables included frequency of visits to the NICU and evaluative ratings of parents' involvement with their infant. Parenting of the no-prenatal-care group was significantly less favorable than the control on all comparisons. Factor analysis supported a priori grouping of parenting variables. A stepwise multiple regression of maternal and family characteristics to the factor-derived variable, parenting, showed significant contributions for prenatal drug use and father involvement. Pediatric interventions assessing maternal social and behavioral characteristics are proposed.
Rotational dynamics of molecular impurities in alkali halide crystals

We have carefully investigated the orientational dynamics of a single substitutional diatomic molecular impurity in alkali halide crystals. The orientational relaxation functions of ${E}_{g}$ and ${T}_{2g}$ symmetries are calculated by using Mori's projection-operator technique with truncation first applied to the rigid-lattice case by de Raedt and Michel [Phys. Rev. B 19, 767 (1979)]. For the ${\mathrm{CN}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ impurity in a rigid KBr lattice we find that the librational and central-peak behaviors of the spectral weight function for the two symmetries are strongly influenced by the hexadecapole moment of the molecular ion. We find that the rotation-translation coupling modifies the single-site cubic potential by self-energy corrections, suppresses librational motion, enhances diffusive motion, and narrows the width of the central peak.
Intermediate Bandwidth Quartz Crystal Filters.- A Simple Approach to Predistortion

Abstract : Intermediate band crystal filters can realize fractional bandwidths of more than 1%, but design and construction difficulties have severely limited their general use, despite the considerable number of practical applications. These filters rely on coils to broadband the response, and the effect of coil losses increases in proportion of the filter bandwidth. This paper describes the development of a 15 MHz crystal filter with a 1% fractional bandwidth. An eight order elliptic characteristic was chosen (C0825b 48), using a two crystal lattice configuration. The bandwidth of the filter was severely narrowbanded by coil losses, and it was found to be necessary to use optimization techniques to meet the required specification. As a result a special computer programme was developed which would provide a near optimal design allowing for an arbitrary distribution of coil losses in the chosen circuit configuration, but which only required minimal computational effort and was almost foolproof in use. (Author)
Rejoinder to Miriam Ben-Peretz

I would like to thank Miriam Ben-Peretz for her thorough and thoughtprovoking response to my article, "Simulating Survival." Especially in light of her personal experiences as a refugee from Hitler's Germany, I was impressed by her ability to judge my narrative with even-handed precision and to render clear-headed critiques. I don't mean to imply that eyewitnesses to events are unreliable judges of them, only that the gulf between lived history and learned history' is vast and that the emotional stakes in the representation of the former seem to me necessarily to trump those involved in the latter. It must be a strange thing, indeed, to read about a simulation, not of abstract historical events but of personally lived history. That said, I am not at all surprised that Ben-Peretz reaches conclusions about the simulation's moral weight that are different from my own. In this rejoinder, I discuss a few of the excellent points she raises, attempting to illuminate the convergence and disparities in our visions of Ms. Bess's class. My rejoinder primarily addresses two of the sections in Ben-Peretz's essay, "Interactive Teaching" and "Why Teach the Holocaust?"
Role of prostanoids and 20-HETE in mediating oxygen-induced constriction of skeletal muscle resistance arteries

This study determined the contribution of cytochrome P450 (CP450) 4A enzyme metabolites of arachidonic acid in mediating the constriction of isolated rat skeletal muscle resistance arteries in response to elevated PO2. Gracilis arteries (GA) were viewed via television microscopy and constrictor responses to elevated PO2 were measured with a video micrometer. Endothelium removal and treatment of GA with 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA; suicide substrate inhibitor of CP450 4A enzymes) impaired oxygen-induced constriction of the vessels; treatment of endothelium-denuded GA with 17-ODYA eliminated responses to elevated PO2. NOS inhibition and inhibition of EET production had no effect on oxygen-induced constriction of the vessels, although cyclooxygenase inhibition with indomethacin impaired GA responses to elevated PO2. Treatment of GA with dibromododecenyl methylsulfimide (DDMS; inhibitor of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) production) or 6(Z),15(Z)-20-HEDE (antagonist for 20-HETE receptors) mimicked the effects of 17-ODYA on GA responses to elevated PO2. Treatment of vessels with iberiotoxin or glibenclamide reduced the constriction of the vessels in response to elevated PO2 while treatment with both K+ channel blockers eliminated oxygen-induced constriction of the vessels. Following treatment of GA with indomethacin and 20-HETE, the vessels failed to respond to elevated PO2. These results suggest that oxygen-induced constriction of skeletal muscle resistance arteries represents the combined effects of reduced prostanoid release from the vascular endothelium and enhanced 20-HETE production in vascular smooth muscle cells.
Catecholaminergic and opioidergic mechanisms involved in the hypotensive response of pindolol

Abstract The present study evaluated the involvement of opioidergic and catecholaminergic mechanisms in the hypotensive action of pindolol. Pindolol (1 mg/kg i.a.) was administered to unanesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats instrumented for direct arterial pressure monitoring. Peripheral administration of pindolol produced a significant decrease in blood pressure in both SHR and WKY rats with SHR animals having a greater response. Heart rate was reduced in SHR; however, a tachycardia was observed in WKY rats. Pretreatment with naloxone (100 μg/kg i.a.) 10 min prior to pindolol administration prevented the hypotensive response. Similar pretreatment with yohimbine, an α 2 -receptor antagonist, also prevented the pindolol-induced hypotensive response in both SHR and WKY rats. Neither naloxone nor yohimbine alone significantly affected blood pressure or heart rate. These results suggest that opioidergic and catecholaminergic mechanisms are involved in the hypotensive action of pindolol.
Enhancing support and learning services for instructors and students who engage in course-related multimedia and web projects

In this paper, we describe a project called SPONGE that was initiated by IT staff at NDSU in response to a growing need for enhanced support and learning services for instructors and their students who engage in multimedia and Web projects. Until SPONGE, instructors and students received project assistance from three separate IT service areas: the Technology Learning Center, the Service Center/Multimedia Area, and Custom Media Services. IT staff identified the need for a communication "bridge" and a "learning link" between the instructors and the three service areas for project planning and developing/coordinating support and learning services. IT staff proposed an initiative that would require some reorganizing. The plan called for hiring Media Assistants, student employees who would possess skills in multimedia and/or Web technologies and graphic design. Instructors would be invited to meet each semester with IT service providers to plan projects, identify needs, and coordinate support. A SPONGE Web site would provide resources for students, instructors, and IT service providers. Positive outcomes of the SPONGE initiative include: improved communication between IT service providers, instructors, and students; better utilization of existing services; proactive project planning; and enhanced multimedia and Web development support and learning opportunities. This plan was funded by student technology fees in Spring 2002.
Undergraduate Role Players as “Clients” for Graduate Counseling Students

We describe two exercises using undergraduates from abnormal psychology courses to act as role play clients for graduate counselor-trainees. The first exercise involves mock counseling sessions; the second is a mock case conference. We grade graduates on their counseling and case-conceptualization skills. Under-graduates participate as ungraded volunteers. We believe that graduate students benefit from the challenge and honest feedback that undergraduate role players provide. Undergraduates reported academic benefits and increased empathy for the characters they played. The exercises seem to be educationally beneficial and my also help decrease undergraduates' negative stereotyping of persons with psychological problems.
Estimation of the durability of elastic clamps of the KPP-5 rail fastening

The results of inspection of a section of the railway track are used determine the pressing force of the KPP-5 rail fastening in the mounting state and its behavior in the course of motion of freight trains. We also develop a procedure of durability tests for the elastic clamps of this fastening and construct the fatigue curve for clamps made of 60S2 steel.
Momentum-dependent orbital character of unoccupied Cs-induced levels on Cu(100) and Cu(111)

Abstract We present inverse photoemission spectra from the Cs Cu (100) and Cs Cu (111) systems, obtained with a photon-energy dispersive grating spectrograph. On both substrates, the intensity of a Cs-derived unoccupied electronic state increased with increasing excitation energy in regions of the surface Brillouin zone (SBZ) which contained a projected bulk band gap of the substrate. However, when the Cs feature was degenerate with the substrate sp-derived bulk band, the intensity of the Cs feature decreased with increasing excitation energy. We interpret this as evidence for a change in the orbital character of a Cs-induced unoccupied electronic state from d-like in the former case to sp-like in the latter, owing to hybridization in the adsorbate/substrate bond. This effect was observed whether sampling of the SBZ was achieved by varying the Cs coverage or by probing a different value of k ‖ .
Dissociated vertical deviation and head tilts.

Abstract Introduction: The association of anomalous head posture and dissociated vertical deviation does not seem to be appreciated, as evidenced by the paucity of literature linking these two conditions. Method: The series describes 14 patients who had an anomalous head posture and dissociated vertical deviation. The assumed head tilts appeared to decrease the magnitude and improve the motor control of dissociated vertical deviation. Results: Twelve of 14 patients tilted their heads contralateral to the eye with the dissociated vertical deviation, or away from the eye with a larger amount of dissociated vertical deviation if the disorder was bilateral. Two patients tilted their heads to the same side as the eye with the dissociated vertical deviation. Forced head tilt testing in the opposite direction showed an increase in the magnitude of the dissociated vertical deviation or poorer control of the deviation. Dissociated vertical deviation was not related to oblique muscle dysfunction. Peripheral fusion was demonstrated in 10 patients, as evidenced by low-grade stereopsis or Worth 4 dot fusion at near. One patient did not show any demonstrable fusion with conventional tests. Another did not show evidence of stereopsis, but Worth 4 dot testing was not performed. Two other patients were too young to cooperate with sensory testing. Anomalous head posture was controlled or minimized after the control of the dissociated vertical deviation by surgery in four patients. Two patients showed improved stereopsis after surgery for dissociated vertical deviation. Conclusion: Dissociated vertical deviation should be included in the differential diagnosis of an ocular cause of head tilts. Forced contralateral head tilt testing will confirm whether dissociated vertical deviation is the cause if motor control of the dissociated vertical deviation worsens or becomes manifest rather than latent. The presence of an anomalous head posture in patients with dissociated vertical deviation can be improved with strabismus surgery.
Effects of plasma transferrin and albumin on the absorption of trivalent chromium.

Abstract Concentrations of transferrin and albumin were varied in the bloodstream to determine whether trivalent chromium absorption in the rat is affected by either of these putative chromium transport proteins. In a series of double perfusion experiments, the intestinal lumen was perfused with a standardized liquid test meal (intestinal perfusate) containing Cr 3+ , with 51 Cr 3+ as tracer. The vasculature which supplies the small intestine was perfused with a modified Kreb's-Ringer Bicarbonate solution, KRB, (vascular perfusate). The control KRB contained 5% human serum. Experimental KRB contained various concentrations of human serum, human apo-transferrin and bovine serum albumin. When plasma proteins were omitted from the vascular perfusate, both chromium uptake from the intestinal perfusate and chromium transport into the vascular perfusate decreased significantly (61 and 63 percent, respectively) from the control condition. Chromium uptake and transport returned to, but did not exceed, the control level when physiologic amounts of apo-transferrin and/or albumin were added. Chromium retention by the small intestine was unaffected by the plasma proteins. We conclude that the absorption of trivalent chromium is maximal when either transferrin or albumin is present in the circulation. However, only subphysiologic levels are necessary.
Biomarker-Based Calibration of Retrospective Exposure Predictions of Perfluorooctanoic Acid

Estimated historical exposures and serum concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been extensively used in epidemiologic studies that examined associations between PFOA exposures and adverse health outcomes among residents in highly exposed areas in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Using measured serum PFOA levels in 2005-2006, we applied two calibration methods to these retrospective exposure predictions: (1) multiplicative calibration and (2) Bayesian pharmacokinetic calibration with larger adjustments to more recent exposure estimates and smaller adjustments to exposure estimates for years farther in the past. We conducted simulation studies of various hypothetical exposure scenarios and compared hypothetical true historical intake rates with estimates based on mis-specified baseline exposure and pharmacokinetic models to find the method with the least bias. The Bayesian method outperformed the multiplicative method if a change to bottled water consumption was not reported or if the half-life of PFOA was mis-specified. On the other hand, the multiplicative method outperformed the Bayesian method if actual tap water consumption rates were systematically overestimated. If tap water consumption rates gradually decreased over time because of substitution with bottled water or other liquids, neither method clearly outperformed another. Calibration of retrospective exposure estimates using recently collected biomarkers may help reduce uncertainties in environmental epidemiologic studies.