cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Employment and Volunteering Roles for the Elderly: Characteristics, Attributions, and Strategies

Workers and volunteers over age 60 are compared to nonworkers and nonvolunteers on psychological variables. Contrasting self-attributions of reasons for either activity or inactivity are studied as...
Review and mapping of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Africa: Using diverse data to inform surveillance gaps.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are among the most difficult to treat emerging multidrug-resistant organisms. Major limitations exist in surveillance needed to address CRE, particularly in areas with inadequate resources. We utilised optimised strategies to search for data on carbapenem susceptibility of Klebsiella spp. and Escherichia coli from the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Region. Core data elements were extracted for meta-analysis and mapping. Despite sparse data in existing reviews, 180 documents including 314 reports on susceptibility of E. coli and/or Klebsiella were located, providing information on 31 (66%) of 47 nations. Carbapenem-resistant E. coli or Klebsiella were identified in 22 (71%) of these 31 countries. Crude resistance proportions were estimated for nations with >100 representative isolates. Median resistance among E. coli was 5% in 1 nation (6%). For Klebsiella spp., corresponding figures were 5% in 2 nations (13%). Comprehensive, customised search strategies with analysis and mapping of defined data elements provide an enhanced view of carbapenem-resistant E. coli and Klebsiella in Africa. These CRE are widely distributed and are generally present at low to moderate levels. Whilst use of diverse and largely clinically derived data has limitations and cannot substitute for surveillance, it can enhance situational awareness. The approaches utilised can support improved risk understanding and prioritisation and may be applied to other micro-organisms and areas where surveillance remains inadequate.
Mito-nuclear effects uncovered in admixed populations

To function properly, mitochondria utilize products of 37 and >1,000 genes encoded by the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, respectively, which should be compatible with each other. Discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear genetic ancestry could contribute to phenotypic variation in admixed populations. Here we explored potential mito-nuclear incompatibility in six admixed human populations from the Americas: African Americans, African Caribbeans, Colombians, Mexicans, Peruvians, and Puerto Ricans. For individuals in these populations, we determined nuclear genome proportions derived from Africans, Europeans, and Native Americans, the geographic origins of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), as well as mtDNA copy number in lymphoblastoid cell lines. By comparing nuclear vs. mitochondrial ancestry in admixed populations, we show that, first, mtDNA copy number decreases with increasing discordance between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA ancestry, in agreement with mito-nuclear incompatibility. The direction of this effect is consistent across mtDNA haplogroups of different geographic origins. This observation suggests suboptimal regulation of mtDNA replication when its components are encoded by nuclear and mtDNA genes with different ancestry. Second, while most populations analyzed exhibit no such trend, in Puerto Ricans and African Americans we find a significant enrichment of ancestry at nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes towards the source populations contributing the most prevalent mtDNA haplogroups (Native American and African, respectively). This likely reflects compensatory effects of selection in recovering mito-nuclear interactions optimized in the source populations. Our results provide the first evidence of mito-nuclear effects in human admixed populations and we discuss its implications for human health and disease.
The associations between diet and physical activity with body composition and walking a timed distance in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Background Research on aging in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is limited, although people with PWS are living longer. Individuals with PWS present with high fat mass, low lean mass, and low levels of physical activity (PA). Previous reports in children and young adults with PWS show inadequate nutrient intake and body fat percentage indicating obesity. Previous studies in PWS rarely included individuals beyond young adulthood, especially studies conducted in the United States. This study includes adults from 18 to 62 years of age, and includes 19 of the estimated 60 adult individuals with PWS in Oklahoma. Because individuals with PWS are living longer, information must be provided on aging with PWS. This study is a report of the initial data for a planned longitudinal study on aging with PWS. Objective Determine associations between body composition, diet, PA, and a timed walk for adults with PWS, and to assess adequacy of dietary intake for those individuals aging with PWS. Design This cross-sectional investigation determined dietary habits, PA, and body composition of adults with PWS, and tested associations between these variables. Results Participants ranged in age from 18 to 62 years. They had healthier body composition, at 26.8% body fat, than previously reported. Mean body mass index (BMI) was in the overweight range at 26.7. Those who consumed higher amounts of fat (as a percent of total kilocalories) had statistically significant lower body fat percentage, but this may simply reflect that individuals with lower body fat percentages felt freer to consume fat. Mean steps taken per day was 7631.7 steps but only 16% of participants met healthy PA recommendations despite participating in daily structured exercise. All participants' diets met Dietary Guidelines for macronutrient distribution, but 80% were deficient in calcium, 100% were deficient in dietary vitamin D, and 87% were deficient in fiber. Sample size was small, so it was difficult to reach statistical significance, despite seeing clinical significance. Conclusions Recommend working toward healthy PA recommendations for all age groups by decreasing time in sedentary activity. Recommend increasing vitamin A and D fortified dairy products and high-fiber foods, and consider dietary supplementation, especially for calcium, vitamin D, and fiber.
Regulation of Transgenic Crops Intended for Pharmaceutical and Industrial Uses

The most interesting case in regulation of non-food agricultural biotechnology products is the manufacture of novel pharmaceutical and industrial products. The current regulatory situation in the United States has arisen out of a political economy driven largely by the food industry’s risk exposure. Yet, the resulting “zero tolerance” regulatory situation appears inefficient and unstable: set up for another incident such as befell Aventis and ProdiGene. The regulatory situation could be resolved by taking dissemination and susceptibility characteristics into account in setting containment requirements, including threshold allowances in the case of minor breaches of containment. A workable regulatory regime will need to be driven by major agricultural states’ political interests, along with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and mindful of the interests of the food industry. Countries intent on developing their domestic biotechnology industry might attract investment by providing a workable regulatory regime that ensures lower risk at lower cost.
Modulation of the Post-Ischemic Immune Response Improves Outcome in Focal Cerebral Ischemia: A Role for Lymphocytes in Stroke?

Inflammation appears to contribute to ischemic brain injury [5 16]. The factors that incite the inflammatory response are not clear, but break down of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) exposes the brain to the peripheral circulation and thus the systemic immune system. Following stroke, antigens found either primarily or exclusively in the central nervous system (CNS), like neuron-specific enolase (NSE), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), myelin basic protein (MBP), S-100 protein, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK)-BB, can be found within the plasma [8 13 14 43 57]. Furthermore, the plasma levels of these antigens correlate to eventual infarct size and neurological outcome [8 13 14 43 57]. This systemic encounter with CNS antigens may explain why there is an increase in the number of circulating lymphocytes and immunoglobulins that react with CNS antigens following stroke [1 28 60].
Multi-Octave GaN MMIC Circulator for Simultaneous Transmit Receive Applications

This paper presents a microwave implementation of the novel sequentially-switched delay line (SSDL) for simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) applications. The circuit is nonreciprocal and non-magnetic and is implemented in a high frequency GaN MMIC process. It isolates the transmit and receive paths. Measurements confirm the non-reciprocal nature of the circuit. The insertion loss is 5 – 8 dB with 20 – 35 dB isolation over DC-2 GHz.
Social-emotional processing in nonverbal individuals with Angelman syndrome: evidence from brain responses to known and novel names.

BACKGROUND The combination of intellectual, communicative and motor deficits limits the use of standardised behavioural assessments in individuals with Angelman syndrome (AS). The current study aimed to objectively evaluate the extent of social-emotional processing in AS using auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) during passive exposure to spoken stimuli. METHODS Auditory ERP responses were recorded in 13 nonverbal individuals with the deletion subtype of AS, age 4-45 years, during the name recognition paradigm, in which their own names and names of close others (relative or friend) were presented among novel names. No behavioural responses were required. RESULTS Contrary to findings in typical children and adults, there was no significant evidence of differential neural response to known vs. novel names in participants with AS. Nevertheless, greater amplitude differences between known and unknown names demonstrated the predicted association with better interpersonal relationships and receptive communication abilities. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate good tolerability of ERP procedures (85% success rate). The lack of own name differentiation is consistent with increased incidence of the autism-related symptoms in AS. Strong associations between the caregiver reports of adaptive functioning and neural indices of known name recognition support the utility of brain-based measures for objectively evaluating cognitive and affective processes in nonverbal persons with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Molecular polarity effect on the association constant of cyclodextrin-pyrimidine nucleobases in water

Abstract Host:guest interactions of 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin:nucleobases derivatives have been studied via absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in aqueous medium. The effect of the polarity of guests (pyrimidine nucleobases such as uracil, thymine and 5-fluorouracil) on the binding constant of the cyclodextrin-nucleobases complexes has been investigated. Benesi-Hildebrand method and nonlinear regression analysis were applied to determine the association constants of the formed complexes at room temperature. The formation constants derived from absorption titration experiments suggest that 1:1 host:guest complexes are formed and the least polar molecules in the ground state, 5-fluourouracil and thymine, are more strongly bound to the hydrophobic nonpolar cavity of the cyclodextrin compared to uracil. Similarly, excited state association constants derived from fluorescence titration experiments suggest that 2:1 host:guest complexes are formed and the least polar molecule in the excited state, uracil, is more strongly bound to the cyclodextrin. In addition, the emission spectra of bound pyrimidine nucleobases are blue shifted relative to the spectra of their counterpart, unbound pyrimidine nucleobases. The latter indicates a change in the environment of the guest molecule as it is displaced from the polar environment, water, into the nonpolar environment, cavity of the 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin.
Losing your temper and your perspective: Anger reduces perspective-taking

Abstract Across six studies, we find that both incidental anger and integral anger reduce perspective-taking. In Study 1, participants who felt incidental anger were less likely to take others’ perspectives than those who felt neutral emotion. In Study 2, we demonstrate that arousal mediates the relationship between anger and diminished perspective-taking. In Studies 3 and 4, we show that anger reduces perspective-taking compared to neutral emotion, sadness, and disgust. In Study 5, we find that integral anger impairs perspective-taking compared to neutral emotion. In Study 6, prompting individuals to correctly attribute their feelings of incidental anger moderates the relationship between anger and perspective-taking. Taken together, across different anger inductions and perspective taking measures, we identify a robust relationship between anger and diminished perspective-taking. Our findings have particularly important implications for conflict, which is often characterized by feelings of anger and exacerbated by poor perspective-taking.
The Enigmatic Protein Kinase C-eta

Protein kinase C (PKC), a multi-gene family, plays critical roles in signal transduction and cell regulation. Protein kinase C-eta (PKCη) is a unique member of the PKC family since its regulation is distinct from other PKC isozymes. PKCη was shown to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death. It was also shown to contribute to chemoresistance in several cancers. PKCη has been associated with several cancers, including renal cell carcinoma, glioblastoma, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. However, mice lacking PKCη were more susceptible to tumor formation in a two-stage carcinogenesis model, and it is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, the role of PKCη in cancer remains controversial. The purpose of this review article is to discuss how PKCη regulates various cellular processes that may contribute to its contrasting roles in cancer.
Enhancement of tomogram interpretability using the locked self-rotation function

The interpretation of cryo-electron tomograms of macromolecular complexes can be difficult because of the large amount of noise and because of the missing wedge effect. Here it is shown how the presence of rotational symmetry in a sample can be utilized to enhance the quality of a tomographic analysis. The orientation of symmetry axes in a sub-tomogram can be determined using a locked self-rotation function. Given this knowledge, the sub-tomogram density can then be averaged to improve its interpretability. Sub-tomograms of the icosahedral bacteriophage phiX174 are used to demonstrate the procedure.
LEFT FOR DEAD: ANTI‐COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR IN ORBITAL SPACE

In a dynamic investment framework with depreciation, we show incumbent satellite operators have incentives to “warehouse” a fraction of their assigned spectrum and orbital slots, keeping nonoperational assets in place, which reduces output, increases prices, and diminishes social welfare. Exploring three distinct market structures, we model firms' incentives to warehouse, and show conditions under which firms choose to warehouse rather than replace nonfunctioning satellites. We find a dominant firm with a competitive fringe produces more and longer duration warehousing relative to perfect competition or monopoly. Regulators could remediate warehousing by increasing a firm's marginal costs, or by increasing the probability of reallocating orbital slots that do not have a fully functioning satellite.
“We didn’t forget” Utilizing a Community-Nurse Partnership to Promote Health in Rockport, Texas after Hurricane Harvey

Background On August 25th 2017 Harvey, a category 4 hurricane, made landfall on the south coast of Texas with heavy winds and rain that severely damaged the seaside town of Rockport. The challenge facing healthcare providers following a natural disaster is timely assessments of community need and available resources. One week later, faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, School of Nursing (SON) completed a community assessment and developed valuable partnerships. Aims Eighteen days after the initial assessment, faculty had secured support from The Children's Health Fund and operationalized strategies to provide disaster relief and experiential learning opportunities for the SON Population Focused Health undergraduate students. Materials & methods The community-as-partner model served as the framework to apply the nursing process to a community in crisis. As the focus shifted to recovery, the team prioritized the need to address long-term consequences for children after a natural disaster. Results Two educational sessions were designed using an interactive and instructional approach to discuss parental strategies to assess and support children as they navigated through loss after Harvey. Discussion This community-nurse partnership has endured, and the SON faculty and students continue to travel to Rockport to promote health and provide education to the community.
Beyond an ecological ideal gas law.

A new modelling study highlights the importance of the search process in predator–prey interactions. When predators act on information related to prey location, the dynamics and stability of populations are more realistic.
Autocrine/paracrine actions of growth hormone in human melanoma cell lines.

Abstract Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer. Its aggressiveness is most commonly attributed to ERK pathway mutations leading to constitutive signaling. Though initial tumor regression results from targeting this pathway, resistance often emerges. Interestingly, interrogation of the NCI-60 database indicates high growth hormone receptor (GHR) expression in melanoma cell lines. To further characterize melanoma, we tested responsiveness to human growth hormone (GH). GH treatment resulted in GHR signaling and increased invasion and migration, which was inhibited by a GHR monoclonal antibody (mAb) antagonist in WM35, SK-MEL 5, SK-MEL 28 and SK-MEL 119 cell lines. We also detected GH in the conditioned medium (CM) of human melanoma cell lines. GHR, JAK2 and STAT5 were basally phosphorylated in these cell lines, consistent with autocrine/paracrine GH production. Together, our results suggest that melanomas are enriched in GHR and produce GH that acts in an autocrine/paracrine manner. We suggest that GHR may constitute a therapeutic target in melanoma.
Neonatal intensive care unit admissions before and after the adoption of the baby friendly hospital initiative.

Background: The Baby Friendly Hospital initiative (BFHI) is a global initiative of the World Health Organization developed in 1991 to promote and support successful breastfeeding. It has led to inc...
Signal of increased opioid overdose during COVID-19 from emergency medical services data.

Abstract Background Individuals with opioid use disorder may be at heightened risk of opioid overdose during the COVID-19 period of social isolation, economic distress, and disrupted treatment services delivery. This study evaluated changes in daily number of Kentucky emergency medical services (EMS) runs for opioid overdose between January 14, 2020 and April 26, 2020. Methods We evaluated the statistical significance of the changes in the average daily EMS opioid overdose runs in the 52 days before and after the COVID-19 state of emergency declaration, March 6, 2020. Results Kentucky EMS opioid overdose daily runs increased after the COVID-19 state emergency declaration. In contrast, EMS daily runs for other conditions leveled or declined. There was a 17% increase in the number of EMS opioid overdose runs with transportation to an emergency department (ED), a 71% increase in runs with refused transportation, and a 50% increase in runs for suspected opioid overdoses with deaths at the scene. The average daily EMS opioid overdose runs with refused transportation increased significantly, doubled to an average of 8 opioid overdose patients refusing transportation every day during the COVID-19-related study period. Conclusions This Kentucky-specific study provides empirical evidence for concerns that opioid overdoses are rising during the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for sharing of observations and analyses from different regions and surveillance systems with timely data collection (e.g., EMS data, syndromic surveillance data for ED visits) to improve our understanding of the situation, inform proactive response, and prevent another big wave of opioid overdoses in our communities.
THE LONG-TERM EVOLUTION OF PHOTOEVAPORATING PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

We perform calculations of our one-dimensional, two-zone disk model to study the long-term evolution of the circumstellar disk. In particular, we adopt published photoevaporation prescriptions and examine whether the photoevaporative loss alone, coupled with a range of initial angular momenta of the protostellar cloud, can explain the observed decline of the frequency of optically thick dusty disks with increasing age. In the parameter space we explore, disks have accreting and/or non-accreting transitional phases lasting for 20% of their lifetime, which is in reasonable agreement with observed statistics. Assuming that photoevaporation controls disk clearing, we find that the initial angular momentum distribution of clouds needs to be weighted in favor of slowly rotating protostellar cloud cores. Again, assuming inner disk dispersal by photoevaporation, we conjecture that this skewed angular momentum distribution is a result of fragmentation into binary or multiple stellar systems in rapidly rotating cores. Accreting and non-accreting transitional disks show different evolutionary paths on the plane, which possibly explains the different observed properties between the two populations. However, we further find that scaling the photoevaporation rates downward by a factor of 10 makes it difficult to clear the disks on the observed timescales, showing that the precise value of the photoevaporative loss is crucial to setting the clearing times. While our results apply only to pure photoevaporative loss (plus disk accretion), there may be implications for models in which planets clear disks preferentially at radii of the order of 10 AU.
A just alternative to litigation: applying restorative justice to climate-related loss and damage

Climate litigation is increasingly a feature of international climate policy. However, loss and damage cases have mostly been unsuccessful due to tensions around uncertainty, attribution, and the r...
Charm production in hadronic and heavy-ion collisions at ultrarelativistic energies to O( alpha s3).

We present results on rapidity and transverse momentum distributions of inclusive charm quark production in hadronic and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies, including the next-to-leading order O(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}_{\mathit{s}}^{3}$), radiative corrections, and the nuclear shadowing effect. We determine the hadronic and the effective (in-medium) K factor for the differential and total inclusive charm cross sections. We find the fraction of central and inelastic events that contain at least one charm quark pair at LHC energies and obtain the effective A dependence of the inclusive charm production in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC and in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC. We discuss theoretical uncertainties inherent in our calculation. In particular, we show how different extrapolations of gluon density in a nucleon and in a nucleus to the low-x region introduce large theoretical uncertainty in the calculation of charm production at LHC energies.
Health professional expectations for self-care skill development in youth with spina bifida.

The author examined expectations for the development of self-care skills for youth with spina bifida (SB) among a multidisciplinary group of health profession als, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other professionals. Ninety-seven professionals from U.S. SB clinics completed a Web-based survey of expectations for youth attainment of bowel, bladder, and skin care skills. Professionals rated expectations for two hypothetical vignettes: a child with moderate SB severity and a child with greater severity. Most professionals believed that all skills were attainable by the end of elementary school in the moderate severity condition. Expectations for skill attainment in the severe condition were lower and significantly later (end of high school) than in the moderate condition. Professionals who treated more patients annually expected earlier bowel and bladder skill attainment. Findings highlight the importance of developing different timelines for nursing education of youth with moderate versus more severe con d ition impairment.
Active Multi-View Object Recognition and Online Feature Selection

Adaptive action selection is crucial for object recognition on robots with limited operating capabilities. It offers much desired flexibility in trading off between the costs of acquiring information and making robust and reliable inference under uncertainty. In this paper, we describe an information-theoretic framework that combines and unifies two common techniques: view planning for resolving ambiguities and occlusions and online feature selection for reducing computational costs. Concretely, our algorithm adaptively chooses two strategies: utilize simple-to-compute features that are the most informative for the recognition task or move to new viewpoints that optimally reduce the expected uncertainties on the identity of the object. Extensive empirical studies have validated the effectiveness of the proposed framework. On a large RGB-D dataset, dynamic feature selection alone reduces the computation time at runtime by five folds, and when combining it with viewpoint selection, we significantly increase the recognition accuracy on average by 8–15% absolute, compared to systems that do not use these two strategies. Lastly, we have also demonstrated successfully the effectiveness of the framework on a quadcopter platform with limited operating time.
Functional Significance of Daily Cycles in Sexual Behavior of the Male Golden Hamster

One hypothesis about the function of circadian rhythms (CR’s) is that they provide an endogenous temporal program for adaptive synchronization of the physiology and behavior of an animal to its fluctuating external world (Enright 1970, Daan 1981). For example, the circadian control of Drosophila eclosion presumably restricts the emergence of the adult fly to the generally humid conditions around dawn that permit successful eclosion (Pittendrigh 1958). Likewise, an endogenous clock in the honeybee allows it to synchronize its daily visits to a particular flower species at the time when pollen or nectar is available (Renner 1960). There is, however, little empirical evidence to support this hypothesis for the functional role of rhythmicity in mammals.
Evaluation of jar lid design characteristics by older women with hand use limitations.

The study evaluated several lid design characteristics (diameter, height, top shape, side shape, and surface texture) by means of controlled laboratory testing with older women with hand function limitations. A subjective evaluation process was applied to examine main effects and interactions of lid design characteristics on usability, determined by participants' perceptions of effort and discomfort. Results showed that lid height was the most important design characteristic associated with usability. For 42 mm diameter lids, designs perceived as best were ones with taller height, hexagonal top shape, and convex side shape. For 28 mm diameter lids, the best designs were ones with taller height and hexagonal top shape. Additionally, when the smaller lid's side shape was flat, a serrate surface texture provided some advantages, particularly for subjects with more severe hand dysfunction. This information could be used by package designers to improve jar lid usability for a growing sector of consumers.
Linking Self-Efficacy Beliefs to Employee Retention in Child Welfare

SUMMARY This article describes the results of a two-state study of relationships between child welfare employees' intentions to remain employed in child welfare and their self-efficacy beliefs about their capabilities to accomplish core work tasks. Linkages between self-efficacy motivation and persistence and intent to remain employed in child welfare were also examined. The development of the study measures and the results of data analyses pertaining to their empirical structures and scale reliabilities for a large sample (n = 941) of child welfare staff are described. Major findings of the study confirmed the hypothesized, positive relationships between child welfare employees' self-efficacy beliefs and their intentions to remain employed in child welfare. These findings replicated across the two states. Implications of the findings for practice, theory development, and future research in child welfare are discussed
'Major' Changes Toward Philosophy and Theology: Interpreting a Recent Trend for Millennials in Catholic Higher Education

This study examines emerging trends among those members of the Millennial generation who have dedicated a significant portion of their young-adult lives to the study of philosophy and theology at Catholic colleges and universities. Our analyses suggest that the number and percentage of Millennial undergraduates who earned degrees in philosophy or theology at Catholic institutions of higher education and the subsequent variation between them and their Generation X predecessors provide statistically signifi cant data that might better inform our understanding of the religiosity, spiritual searching, and adherence to Church authority in this population.
Behaviour of American Crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos ) when encountering an oncoming vehicle

A carrion feeder attempting to forage on a road benefits greatly from an appropriate response to vehicular traffic. In this observational study, we tested the ability of American Crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos ) to judge the behaviour of fast-moving vehicles and avoid collision on a narrow road. Unsurprisingly, American Crows feeding in the same lane as the approaching vehicle always flew off, but interestingly, a significant proportion of American Crows in the opposite lane chose to remain on the road. In addition, 21% of the American Crows in the same lane as the approaching vehicle walked over to the opposite lane to avoid injury, but none of the American Crows in the opposite lane walked over to the lane in which the vehicle was approaching. These are among the first quantitative data indicating that a non-human animal can detect the directionality of oncoming vehicles on a road and, like humans, actively move out of the way or switch lanes to avoid death based on an understanding of the bahaviour of vehicular traffic.
Development of 2.2-/spl mu/m InGaAs photodetectors using molecular beam epitaxy

Summary form only given. Operation of photodetectors in the near infrared (1.0-3.0 /spl mu/m) has become increasingly important for a variety of applications. Significant improvements in the performance of these systems can be obtained by integrating these photodetectors in large scale linear and 2-D focal plane arrays (FPAs). InGaAs on InP as photodetector was used. Growth was by molecular beam epitaxy.
Revision Arthroscopic Contracture Release in the Elbow Resulting in an Ulnar Nerve Transection

The indications for elbow arthroscopy have expanded over the past several years. Currently, it is used for removal of loose bodies, treatment of lateral epicondylitis, synovectomy, contracture release, and management of osteochondritis dissecans1-4. Although elbow arthroscopy is a relatively safe procedure, the reported complication rate is as high as 10%, which is higher than that seen with knee and shoulder arthroscopy3,5,6. The rate of neurovascular complications is reported to range from 0% to 14%5,6. In a review of a large series of patients treated with elbow arthroscopy, Kelly et al.5 reported a 2.5% rate of neurovascular complication, all of which were transient neurapraxias. In the literature, there are only a few reports of complete nerve transection occurring during elbow arthroscopy7-10. In the present report, we describe a patient who presented, following an arthroscopic release of an elbow contracture, with a complete transection of a previously transposed ulnar nerve. The patient was informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication, and he consented. Institutional review board approval was obtained. A forty-five-year-old left-hand-dominant construction worker fell and sustained a small avulsion fracture of the coronoid process of the right ulna without an elbow dislocation. The elbow was immobilized in a posterior splint for four weeks. On removal of the splint, there was a restricted range of motion of the elbow. Intensive physical therapy was initiated with the aid of a turnbuckle-type splint to improve flexion. At four months after the injury, the active and passive ranges of motion were still limited (10° of extension to 70° of flexion, with full forearm rotation). The patient underwent an open release of the contracture and a subcutaneous ulnar nerve transposition with postoperative radiation …
To draw a tree

The quintessential goal of information visualization is depicting abstractions and relations for non-spatial data. A hierarchy is a particularly expressive abstraction that can be applied to a broad range of domains: the genealogical lineages of human descent, the functional decomposition of complex mechanical objects, the classification of knowledge, the evolutionary relationships between species. All of these hierarchical relationships are representable through the abstraction of a recursively defined tree. For this reason, trees occupy a place along with arrays, lists and graphs as one of the most important data structures in computer science. Considering the simple problem of how to effectively draw a tree uncovers many issues fundamental to information visualization. Different drawing styles emphasize different properties of trees, often in subtle ways. I will discuss how people think about trees, and thus what kinds of relationships a tree drawing can usefully convey. My discussion will include a review of many methods for drawing trees, including both historical examples from the sciences and techniques recently developed by researchers in information visualization.
Using Peer Response Groups with Limited English Proficient Writers

The use of peer response groups in writing classrooms has become increasingly popular in recent years as emphasis has shifted from product to process. For the limited English proficient (LEP) student, however, interaction with peers or teacher has been more restricted. The present study investigated the effectiveness of the use of heterogeneous (in terms of language proficiency and ability) peer response groups with forty-six LEP students in grade four language arts classes. The results indicated significant differences on two measures of fluency for the subjects assigned to peer response groups; however, there was no difference in overall quality of compositions produced.
Considering World History as a Space for Developing Global Citizenship Competencies

Abstract This article addresses how we might teach for global citizenship in world history classrooms. Despite the name, secondary world history courses in the United States have not consistently focused on global interconnections, multiple perspectives, and inquiry into global issues. We explore why this might be, as well as suggest specific learning activities and curricular topics in world history that could help meet global citizenship goals.
Pair effects in disordered ternary alloys

Abstract A generalization of the coherent potential approximation and its diagrammatic equivalent have been used to include pair effects in the electronic self-energy of compositionally disordered-model ternary alloys.
The amino 1H resonances of oligonucleotide helices: d(CGCG).

Abstract An examination of the 1H NMR assignments and exchange properties of the amino resonances of the self-complementary tetramer, d(CGCG) was undertaken with regard to buffer effects, transfer of saturation from the water resonance and temperature dependence of amino 1H line shape and chemical shift. The lack of buffer effect on visible exchangeable proton resonances is evidence for the stringent requirement for nucleo-base protonation at pH values below neutrality, which is greatly reduced in the helical state. For this reason, sharp resonances are observed for both Watson-Crick and non-Watson-Crick cytosine amino protons for base-paired regions. Considerations of monomeric exchange mechanisms for the cytosine and guanine amino protons formed the basis for successful assignment and isolation of their resonances in the helical state by presaturation of the water resonance at selected pH values. Preirradiation of the water resonance at pH <6 would isolate the guanine amino 1H resonances of any self-com...
Specificity of Gathepsin III

Summary1. A purified cathepsin III (leucine aminopeptidase) preparation hydro-lyzed L-leucinamide from 2 to 3 times as fast as either L-leucylglycine or L-leucyl-γ-amino-butyric acid and about 4 times as fast as L-leucyl-β-alanine. The activity of the enzyme was not affected by the proximity to the peptide bond of the free carboxyl group of leucyl peptides. 2. The fact that L-leucinamide is hydrolyzed faster than are the peptides of leucine can possibly be explained by the hypothesis that the large groups attached to the peptide nitrogen of the substrates interfere with the formation of an enzyme-substrate complex. 3. The hydrolysis of the substrates by enzyme preparation A closely approximated zero order kinetics. The failure to observe a regular kinetic order for the reactions catalyzed by preparations B and C may be the result of destruction of the enzyme in the more highly purified preparations.
Recognition and environmental context: The effect of testing by phone

Many experiments have shown that recognition memory is relatively unaffected by changes in environmental testing context. In the experiment reported in this paper, subjects studied a list of words in the laboratory and were tested by surprise by phone when they were at home. The results showed a significant impairment in recognition, relative to recognition by controls tested in the laboratory. This context effect seems to be related to the difficulty that subjects experienced in mentally reinstating the study context.
Radiation need not be feared, but it must be respected.

AJR:196, April 2011 dures, inappropriately limiting the scope of procedures, or use of radiation-starved images may limit diagnostic confidence and not be in the patient’s best interest. Additional use of diagnostic radiation usually improves image appearance without acute health consequences. However, once an image or imaging series is diagnostic, further increases in image appearance purchased with radiation dose do not benefit the patient. Unfortunately, there have been a few recent examples of dose overindulgence producing acute reactions. Ordering physicians are the gatekeepers charged with controlling the drift toward too many procedures. Radiologists and medical physicists should minimize the number of procedures that are too extensive or too hot. Radiotherapy often requires a balance between the patient’s acceptance of radiation toxicity and the possibility of achieving desired clinical outcomes. As a rule, modern Radiation Need Not Be Feared, But It Must Be Respected
Effect of partial charge parameterization on the phase equilibria of dimethyl ether

The effect of partial charge parameterization on the fluid phase behavior of dimethyl ether (DME) is investigated with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations coupled with histogram reweighting techniques. A total of 16 optimized parameter sets are presented, covering a range of dipole moments from 0 to 2.4 D. Although all 16 parameter sets are able to reproduce experimental saturated liquid densities, only six of the parameter sets, corresponding to − 0.433 ≤ q O ≤ − 0.58 are able to simultaneously produce accurate predictions for the saturated liquid densities and vapor pressures over the temperature range 280 ≤ T ≤ 380. The heat of vaporization, acentric factor and radial distributions are also presented.
Singular value decomposition based data distortion strategy for privacy protection

Privacy-preserving is a major concern in the application of data mining techniques to datasets containing personal, sensitive, or confidential information. Data distortion is a critical component to preserve privacy in security-related data mining applications, such as in data mining-based terrorist analysis systems. We propose a sparsified Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method for data distortion. We also put forth a few metrics to measure the difference between the distorted dataset and the original dataset and the degree of the privacy protection. Our experimental results using synthetic and real world datasets show that the sparsified SVD method works well in preserving privacy as well as maintaining utility of the datasets.
Labial opacity and roundness harmony in Nawuri

Recently, a number of linguists (cf. Clements, 1991; Odden, 1991; Hume, 1992; Clements and Hume 1992) have proposed models of segment structure in which the place features of consonants and vowels are arrayed on different planes. As a consequence of this arrangement, these models predict that vowel-to-vowel place feature assimilation processes should not be blocked by intervening plain consonants (i.e., consonants with no distinctive secondary articulation).
A Normative Theory of Meaning

The authors don't disappoint this expectation. Theirs is "a radically normative position on meaning claims" according to which the appearance that meaning claims are "descriptive" is deceptive; "the role of semantic discourse is not to describe anything at all" (2). Meaning claims, being normative, are prescriptive rather than descriptive; it's the job of meaning claims to prescribe linguistic behavior; they are "normative claims seeking to legislate similarity of usage between terms of different languages" (63). A few important aspects of the further development of the theory may be elaborated, and evaluated, in the following way. Meaning claims are "claims about how words ought to be used" (213); they prescribe linguistic behavior-but exactly what sort, or sorts, of linguistic behavior do they prescribe? Of course, there are different kinds of meaning claims, and we shouldn't expect claims of each kind to prescribe exactly the same sort of thing. We may divide meaning claims into two kinds:
A stable colorimetric assay for cyclophosphamide and its alkylating metabolites based on the alkylation of 4-(4'-nitrobenzyl)-pyridine.

Abstract A modification of the 4-(4′-nitrobenzyl)-pyridine method for the colorimetric determination of cyclophosphamide and its alkylating metabolites has been developed by using triethylamine alkalinization and a higher concentration of 4-(4′-nitrobenzyl)-pyridine and acetone in the assay, and by eliminating ethyl acetate extraction of the pigment. Significantly improved pigment stability and comparable sensitivity were obtained when triethylamine was used in place of sodium hydroxide for color development. The modified method is convenient, economical, and well-suited for the determination of many samples in parallel.
Apolipoprotein E inhibits toll-like receptor (TLR)-3- and TLR-4-mediated macrophage activation through distinct mechanisms.

Previous studies have shown that apoE (apolipoprotein E) expression in macrophages suppresses inflammatory responses; however, whether endogenously synthesized apoE acts intracellularly or after its secretion in suppressing macrophage inflammation remains unclear. The present study used the murine monocyte macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 to examine the influence of exogenous apoE on macrophage inflammatory responses induced by TLR (Toll-like receptor)-4 and TLR-3 agonists LPS (lipopolysaccharide) and poly(I-C) respectively. Results showed that exogenously added apoE suppressed the LPS and poly(I-C) induction of IL (interleukin)-6, IL-1β and TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α) secretion by RAW 264.7 cells. The mechanism was related to apoE suppression of TLR-agonist-induced phosphorylation of JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and c-Jun. A peptide containing the tandem repeat sequence of the receptor-binding domain of apoE, apoE-(141–155)2, was similarly effective in inhibiting LPS- and poly(I-C)-induced macrophage inflammatory responses. Reductive methylation of lysine residues in apoE, which abolished its receptor-binding capability without affecting its ability to interact with HSPGs (heparin sulfate proteoglycans), inhibited the ability of apoE to suppress macrophage responses to LPS, but had no effect on apoE suppression of poly(I-C)-induced macrophage activation. The ability of apoE to suppress poly(I-C)-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production was abolished by heparinase treatment of RAW 264.7 cells to remove cell-surface HSPGs. Taken together, these results indicate that exogenous apoE inhibits macrophage inflammatory responses to TLR-4 and TLR-3 agonists through distinct mechanisms related to receptor and HSPG binding respectively, and that these inhibitory effects converged on suppression of JNK and c-Jun activation which are necessary for macrophage activation. Abbreviations: ABCA1, ATP-binding-cassette transporter, subfamily A, member 1; apoE, apolipoprotein E; DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; FBS, fetal bovine serum; GST, glutathione transferase; HRP, horseradish peroxidase; HSPG, heparin sulfate proteoglycan; IL, interleukin; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; JIP, JNK-interacting protein; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; LRP, LDL-receptor-related protein; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; RAP, receptor-associated protein; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; TLR, Toll-like receptor; TNF-α, tumour necrosis factor-α
Neural and molecular mechanisms underlying information storage in Aplysia: implications for learning and memory

Abstract The marine mollusc Aplysia is one of several experimental preparations that neuroscientists are using to help understand the mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Simple behavioral modifications such as sensitization and classical conditioning can be related to changes in the ability of previously formed synaptic connections to release neurotransmitter substance. The modifications of transmitter release in turn are regulated by the intracellular second messengers Ca 2+ and cAMP. The second messenger systems may act separately in the case of non-associative learning (sensitization) but their specific interactions may underly forms of associative learning such as classical conditioning.
The half life of 239Pu

Abstract The half life of 239Pu was obtained by two methods, that of isotopic-dilution mass spectrometry and that of measuring the alpha-particle specific activity, to give values 24,089± 23 and 24,019± 21 yr, respectively.
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Nuclear Translocator Alters CD30-Mediated NF-κB–Dependent Transcription

Expression and signaling of CD30, a tumor necrosis factor receptor family member, is up-regulated in numerous lymphoid-derived neoplasias, most notably anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) and Hodgkin's lymphoma. To gain insight into the mechanism of CD30 signaling, we used an affinity purification strategy that led to the identification of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) as a CD30-interacting protein that modulated the activity of the RelB subunit of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). ALCL cells that were deficient in ARNT exhibited defects in RelB recruitment to NF-kappaB-responsive promoters, whereas RelA recruitment to the same sites was potentiated, resulting in the augmented expression of these NF-kappaB-responsive genes. These findings indicate that ARNT functions in concert with RelB in a CD30-induced negative feedback mechanism.