cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternative way to locate the transition temperatures of polymeric models with loops.

We investigate a new criterion that can be used to locate the transition temperatures of walk models and apply the criterion to locate the transition temperatures of trails and silhouettes on a square, a triangular, a simple cubic, and a face-centered-cubic lattice. As the temperature is varied, it is observed that the odd moments or the reduced moments of the persistence lengths undergo a drastic change in a narrow temperature range. The criterion exploits this interesting observation and identifies the drastic change with a collapse of the walk configurations from the swollen phase to the compact phase. The transition temperatures obtained from this criterion for trails on the square, triangular, simple cubic, and face-centered-cubic lattice are, respectively, 1.1, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.3; and for the silhouettes they are, respectively, 1.9, 1.2, 1.4, and 0.9. The results for trails on the square and simple cubic lattices are very close to those of existing computer-simulation results of much longer chains (\ensuremath{\sim}250).
Protein synthesis in cell-free extracts of Dictyostelium discoideum

We have developed an in vitro translation system for the lower eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum. Active extracts using endogenous mRNA support protein synthesis with optimal Mg2+ and K+ concentrations of 5 mM and 120 mM, respectively. [35S]Methionine incorporation is linear for more than 2 h. Polypeptides synthesized from endogenous mRNA have sizes ranging from less than 20 to over 100 kDa. Heat-shock proteins are synthesized in vitro in extracts prepared from heat-shocked cells. Possible uses of this system for study of translational control during growth and differentiation are discussed.
Imaging Specific Protein Labels on Eukaryotic Cells in Liquid with Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

Understanding the structure and dynamics of the protein complexes that underlie cellular function is a central scientific challenge. Biochemical techniques used to identify such complexes would be enhanced by the imaging of specific molecular positions in the context of intact cells, with protein-scale resolution (on the order of a few nanometers). Currently, though, nanometer resolution can only be achieved at the cost of less-direct imaging of the unperturbed cell. Cellular ultrastructure is traditionally studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which yields nanometer resolution on embedded and stained sections, or cryo sections. These cellular samples are neither intact nor in their native liquid state. Light microscopy is used to image protein distributions in fluorescently labeled cells in liquid to investigate cellular function, but even recent improvements in resolution by nanoscopy techniques are still insufficient to resolve the individual constituents of protein complexes. Thus, development of techniques capable of high-resolution imaging in native cellular states would contribute significantly to our understanding of cellular function at the molecular level. The development of liquid compartments that include electron-transparent silicon nitride membrane windows has led to the introduction of a novel concept to achieve nanometer resolution on tagged proteins in cells.
A T Cell-Specific Transcriptional Enhancer within the Human T Cell Receptor δ Locus

The T cell antigen receptor (TCR) delta gene is located within the TCR alpha locus. A T cell-specific transcriptional enhancer, distinct from the TCR alpha enhancer, has been identified within the J delta 3-C delta intron of the human T cell receptor delta gene. This enhancer activates transcription from the V delta 1 and V delta 3 promoters as well as from heterologous promoters. Enhancer activity has been localized to a 250-bp region that contains multiple binding sites for nuclear proteins. Thus, transcriptional control of the TCR delta and TCR alpha genes is mediated by distinct regulatory elements.
THE HEALTHY RAT PROSTATE CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF NATURAL KILLER-LIKE CELLS AND UNIQUE SUBSETS OF CD4+ HELPER-INDUCER T CELLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PROSTATITIS

ABSTRACTPurpose:: Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis spontaneously develops in aged Lewis and Wistar rats but not in Sprague-Dawley rats. We report the unique profile of lymphocyte subsets present in the healthy Sprague-Dawley rat prostate.Materials and Methods:: We compared enzymatic and mechanical methods of intraprostatic lymphocyte isolation in healthy 8 to 10-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Mechanical isolation was chosen because of its superior preservation of surface antigens. Intraprostatic lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry.Results:: Levels of prostatic αβTCR+ T cells were similar and levels of prostatic B cells were decreased 5 to 10-fold compared with those found in other tissues (p ≤0.005). Unexpectedly two-thirds of the total prostatic lymphocytes expressed the natural killer (NK) marker CD161a+. They were divided equally between NK (CD161a+αβTCR−) and NKT (CD161a+αβTCR+) cells. Of prostatic CD161a+ cells 50% to 60% were also CD8+. Levels of NKT cells were dramatically lower in ot...
Outcomes of mentoring at‐risk college students: gender and ethnic matching effects

In this study, the long‐term academic effects of mentoring relationships in higher education are explored, with particular emphasis on students in ethnic categories with a low first‐year retention rate. A sample of 339 undergraduate students in a student–faculty mentor program was statistically paired with 339 nonmentored controls on gender, ethnicity, class level, and entering grade point average (GPA). At the end of the one‐year mentoring experience, mentored students had a higher GPA, completed more units, and had a higher retention rate. Eleven years after the onset of this study, records revealed that by graduation the GPAs of the mentored students did not differ significantly from those of their controls and there were no differences in graduation rate. However, the mentored students remained on campus to pursue graduate study and teaching credentials at a higher rate. There was no apparent advantage associated with matching students with mentors based on gender, but students matched with mentors of...
A Study of Factors Influencing Parental Patronage of Quick Service Restaurants

Summary This study identified factors influencing parental quick service restaurant patronage. Results indicated that parents are influenced to patronize quick service restaurants most often by speed of service, menus that offered their childrens' favorite food items, and parents' lack of time for meal preparation at home. Children preferred French fries, pizza, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets at quick service restaurants. French fries, the favorite childrens' fast food menu selection, was ranked by respondents as one of the least healthy food items, while mashed potatoes, one of childrens' least favorite fast food menu selections, was perceived to be one of the healthier food selections by parents. Restaurateurs were encouraged to develop newer, healthier methods of preparing these popular menu items while offering more nutritious menu selections for children.
Content, Context, and Compositionality

: This paper addresses the question of whether mental representations are compositional. Several researchers have claimed recently that there are empirical data that show mental representations to be context-sensitive in a way that threatens compositionality. Some have then gone on to claim that connectionist encoding schemes are well suited to accommodate such noncom-positionality. I argue here that the data do not show that mental representations are noncompositional, and that there are significant problems with the suggested interpretations of connectionist encoding schemes.
Nature's impartiality, man's inhumanity: reflections on terrorism and world crisis in a context of historical disaster

This paper compares the terrorist outrages of 11 September 2001 in New York City and Washington to the Lisbon earthquake of 1 November 1755. Both events occurred, literally out of the blue, at critical junctures in history and both struck at the heart of large trading networks. Both affected public attitudes towards disaster as, not only did they cause unparalleled destruction, but they also represented symbolic victories of chaos over order, and of moral catastrophism over a benign view of human endeavour. The Lisbon earthquake led to a protracted debate on teleology, which has some parallels in the debate on technological values in modern society. It remains to be seen whether there will be parallels in the reconstruction and the ways in which major disasters are rationalised in the long term. But despite the differences between these two events--which are obviously very large as nearly 250 years of history separate them and they were the work of different sorts of forces--there are lessons to be learned from the comparison. One of these is that disaster can contribute to a perilous form of self absorption and cultural isolation.
Executive Function and Type 2 Diabetes: Putting the Pieces Together

The devastating impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on vascular, renal, retinal, and peripheral nerve functions has been well documented. However, there is also evidence that older adults with this disease exhibit impairments in the planning, coordinating, sequencing, and monitoring of cognitive operations, collectively known as executive function. Although poorly understood, disturbances in executive function, particularly within the dimension of time sharing, may contribute to the gait abnormalities and increased risk for falls, functional impairments, and disabilities associated with type 2 DM. However, the relationships between executive function and functional abilities remain poorly understood in this population. Current neuropsychological research regarding the concept of executive function is presented here as a framework upon which to examine the integrity of this critical cognitive entity in adults with type 2 DM. The pathophysiological mechanisms thought to underlie diabetes-related executive dysfunction are explored, and the possible contributions of executive deficits to impairments in gait and function observed in older people with type 2 DM are summarized. Finally, a brief discussion of dual-task assessment and intervention strategies that may facilitate the care and rehabilitation of the growing population of patients with type 2 DM is provided.
Minority health risk behaviors: an introduction to research on sexually transmitted diseases, violence, pregnancy prevention and substance use.

Aims: The goal of this article is to introduce the Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Violence, and Pregnancy Prevention Project (RSVPP), which represents one response of the National Institutes of Health to reduce health disparities in racial and ethnic populations. Methods: As part of this effort, seven independent projects were funded to design, implement, and evaluate community-based intervention strategies aimed at reducing risk behaviors among minority youth. The interventions and research designs varied across the sites; however, all sites included a common set of questions in their questionnaires. This study focuses on the lessons learned about community-based research across all sites. Results: Sites learned many lessons regarding community-based research, including: the value of building trust, the dynamic nature of communities, the intensive time and resources necessary for success, dissimilarities between researcher and community goals, the value of clear communication, the importance of recognizing the contribution of community members and expressing gratitude for their efforts; the difficulty of disseminating findings regarding sensitive topics, and the need for continuation of interventions. Conclusion: Community involvement posed challenges, but enhanced the quality of the implementation and the evaluation of the interventions. This special issue includes findings from the RSVPP sites.
Treatment of patients with coexisting epileptic and nonepileptic seizures

A majority of studies have reported a rate of concurrence of epileptic seizures (ESs) in patients with nonepileptic seizures (NESs) of about 10–18%. We explored the relationship between the two paroxysmal disorders (ESs and NESs) in a series of patients with both, and report a treatment for these patients that proved remarkably effective: reduction of the dose of antiepileptic drug to the minimum required to achieve optimal freedom from seizures. NESs are hypothesized to have a psychobiological basis, and it has been proposed that they be recognized as posttraumatic startle seizures. Excessive suppression of epileptic paroxysmal activity appears to favor the expression of posttraumatic paroxysmal activity in patients with both paroxysmal disorders, and the manifestation of ESs and NESs tends to alternate. Of etiological significance is the finding that the patients commonly have both a personal history of trauma and a family history of epilepsy.
New views of the human NK cell immunological synapse: recent advances enabled by super- and high-resolution imaging techniques

Imaging technology has undergone rapid growth with the development of super resolution microscopy, which enables resolution below the diffraction barrier of light (~200 nm). In addition, new techniques for single molecule imaging are being added to the cell biologist’s arsenal. Immunologists have exploited these techniques to advance understanding of NK biology, particularly that of the immune synapse. The immune synapse’s relatively small size and complex architecture combined with its exquisitely controlled signaling milieu have made it a challenge to visualize. In this review we highlight and discuss new insights into NK cell immune synapse formation and regulation revealed by cutting edge imaging techniques, including super resolution microscopy and high resolution total internal reflection microscopy and Forster resonance energy transfer.
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is present in human milk and its receptor is present in human fetal intestine.

Objective. Human milk provides neonates with a meaningful degree of protection from infection, but the responsible mechanisms are not well understood. Discovering these mechanisms is important, because of the possibility of supplementing infant formulas with factors that simulate human milk9s protective capacity. We postulated that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), a cytokine known to augment antibacterial defenses through its salutory effect on neutrophil production, might be one such factor. To test this hypothesis, we quantified G-CSF in milk of healthy women and those with intraamniotic infection, and sought the presence of functional G-CSF receptors (G-CSF-R) in fetal/neonatal intestinal villi. Study Design. G-CSF was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay in 126 milk samples obtained from breast-feeding women, and the concentrations were analyzed according to gestational age, postpartum day of collection (first 2 days vs greater 2 days), and the presence versus absence of intraamniotic infection. G-CSF-R messenger ribonucleic acid transcripts were sought from fetal/neonatal intestine using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and localized using in situ RT-PCR. G-CSF-R protein, and specific intracellular signaling proteins (Janus tyrosine kinase-1, Janus tyrosine kinase-2, and tyrosine kinase-2), were sought by immunohistochemistry. Results. All milk samples contained G-CSF, and significantly more G-CSF was contained in milk collected during the first 2 postpartum days than during subsequent days. Milk from women who delivered prematurely had less G-CSF during the first 2 postpartum days than milk from women who delivered at term. When intraamniotic infection was present, the concentration of G-CSF in milk was elevated significantly compared with concentrations in milk of noninfected women. G-CSF concentrations were also higher in milk collected during the first 2 postpartum days from women who had received intrapartum recombinant G-CSF treatment, compared with milk obtained from women with intraamniotic infection, regardless if they delivered prematurely or at term. G-CSF-R messenger ribonucleic acid and protein were expressed on fetal villus enterocytes, and Janus tyrosine kinase-1, Janus tyrosine kinase-2, and tyrosine kinase-2 were present within the cytoplasm of these cells. Conclusions. Human milk contains substantial quantities of G-CSF. G-CSF-R are abundant on villus enterocytes, and specific proteins associated with G-CSF-R signaling are present in these cells.
Conditional Control of Protein Activity using Light-Induced Dimerizers

While chemical tools that allow control of protein activities and interactions have been in use for a number of decades, a recently emerging field centers on the use of light for protein control, allowing spatial, temporal, and reversible control of protein activity. Light-responsive protein modules that mediate protein dimerization in response to light can be linked to target proteins, such that activity of target proteins can be conditionally modulated by light. One such light-mediated dimerization module is based on a blue-light dependent interaction of Arabidopsis cryptochrome (CRY2) and CIB1 (Kennedy et al., 2010). Here, I will discuss the basic properties and uses of the CRY2-CIB1 dimerizer modules, providing examples of use controlling protein localization and protein activity with light. I will also discuss the use of pulsed LED light systems, that help prevent light-dependent toxicity that can result from extended light exposure.
Factors Affecting the Impact of Pain and Painful Experiences on the Exceptional Child

Pain is often regarded as a symptom associated with an underlying damage to the body, resulting from disease, accidental trauma, or medical procedures such as surgery. Under these circumstances its etiology is organic. In the absence of organic origin, the presence of pain may be regarded as psychogenic: It is nonetheless real and uncomfortable. When the continued pain experience is temporally displaced from the initial insult, a transition from an acute to a chronic pain condition has occurred. For the exceptional child, the potential incidence for pain is increased as a result of additional physical conditions requiring medical intervention. Additional psychological factors such as cognitive delay and emotional disturbance may then interact with developmental factors, exaggerating pain perception and interfering with coping abilities. This attentuation of coping skills ultimately has impact upon quality of life as well as more direct deficits in educational and psychological functioning. This paper disc...
FDSOI radiation dosimeters

We describe the fabrication of radiation dosimeters utilizing fully-depleted silicon-on insulator (FDSOI) substrates, and further demonstrate the detection of various ionizing radiation types including protons, a-particles, and X-rays by the threshold voltage (Vth) changes caused by the radiation-induced charge trapped in the buried oxide. Our FDSOI dosimeter exhibits a sensitivity of ∼3mV/krad(SiO2) to 1MeV protons and ∼10mV/krad(SiO2) to 8keV X-rays, respectively. The comparison of FDSOI dosimeter with existing bulk-Si detectors shows comparable sensitivity, with the additional advantage of up to 90 days of BOX charge retention time. Our findings are encouraging and provide innovative implementation of SOI technology in microelectronics radiation dosimetry while maintaining CMOS process compatibility.
The secret(ion) life of worms

Tandem mass spectrographic analysis of the secreted proteins of plant- and human-parasitic nematodes reveals molecular similarities that reflect the shared need to counter host defenses.
Turning Point in Myocarditis

See related article, pages 462–470 Myocarditis is an acute inflammatory disease of the heart and a precursor of dilated cardiomyopathy.1–8 Myocarditis is often characterized by a cellular infiltrate, and if inflammation of the myocardium does not resolve during the acute stage, the heart may be compromised because of necrosis and direct loss of myocytes,9 injury from granulomatous inflammation,10,11 or fibrosis attributable to proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen deposition.12,13 Once the myocardium becomes fibrotic, there may be loss of function. In this issue of Circulation Research , Kania et al describe a novel system to study fibrosis in myocarditis and the origins of the fibrosis in a mouse model.14 Mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)+ were used as donors of prominin 1+ cells, which may directly lead to fibrosis during the development of the chronic disease state in myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. Prominin 1+ cells are precursors of fibroblasts in the bone marrow and, once injected into hearts, were shown to develop into fibroblasts and produce collagen in the presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Fibrosis could be blocked with anti–TGF-β treatment.14 These studies are directly applicable to human disease. TGF-β is a potential turning point, where therapy may prevent the chronic and destructive progression to irreversible end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy with lowered ejection fraction and loss of function in the heart. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a more chronic disease …
Association of Histologic Variants in FSGS Clinical Trial with Presenting Features and Outcomes

Summary Background and objectives FSGS histologic variants have correlated with outcomes in retrospective studies. The FSGS Clinical Trial provided a unique opportunity to study the clinical impact of histologic variants in a well defined prospective cohort with steroid-resistant primary FSGS. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Renal biopsies of 138 FSGS Clinical Trial participants aged 2–38 years enrolled from 2004 to 2008 were analyzed using the Columbia classification by core pathologists. This study assessed the distribution of histologic variants and examined their clinical and biopsy characteristics and relationships to patient outcomes. Results The distribution of histologic variants was 68% (n=94) FSGS not otherwise specified, 12% (n=16) collapsing, 10% (n=14) tip, 7% (n=10) perihilar, and 3% (n=4) cellular. Individuals with not otherwise specified FSGS were more likely to have subnephrotic proteinuria (P=0.01); 33% of teenagers and adults had tip or collapsing variants compared with 10% of children, and subjects with these variants had greater proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia than not otherwise specified patients. Tip variant had the strongest association with white race (86%) and the lowest pathologic injury scores, baseline creatinine, and rate of progression. Collapsing variant had the strongest association with black race (63%, P=0.03) and the highest pathologic injury scores (P=0.003), baseline serum creatinine (P=0.003), and rate of progression. At 3 years, 47% of collapsing, 20% of not otherwise specified, and 7% of tip variant patients reached ESRD (P=0.005). Conclusions This is the first prospective study with protocol-defined immunomodulating therapies confirming poor renal survival in collapsing variant and showing better renal survival in tip variant among steroid-resistant patients.
Report on Offense Grading in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Legislature's Senate Judiciary Committee and House Judiciary Committee jointly commissioned this study of the criminal offense grading scheme contained in Pennsylvania criminal statutes. This Final Report, which was presented to a joint session of the two Committees on December 15, 2009, examines the extent to which current Pennsylvania law defines offenses with offense grades that are inconsistent with the relative seriousness of the offense as compared to other offenses, based upon an empirical survey of Pennsylvania residents.It also examines whether some offenses include within a single grade forms of conduct of very different degrees of seriousness, for which different offense grades should be assigned. Several other sorts of grading problems are examined and illustrated.Finally, after explaining why proper grading judgments are important, the Report discusses how the problems described came about, how they might be fixed, and how such problems might be avoided in the future.
Introduction to agricultural marketing

Introduction to agricultural marketing , Introduction to agricultural marketing , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
Evaluation of solid phase microextraction for the analysis of hydrophilic compounds.

Two commercially available solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibers, polyacrylate and carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), were evaluated for their ability to extract hydrophilic compounds from drinking water. Conditions, such as desorption time, desorption temperature, sample temperature, sample stirring, methanol concentration in the sample, and ionic strength of the sample, were optimized for 12 hydrophilic compounds (e.g., amines and alcohols) with both fibers. Accuracy, precision, and method detection limits (MDLs) were determined for the target analytes with both fibers. In general, both fibers exhibited excellent accuracy and precision in the range of 91-110% and 1.0-13%, respectively. The carboxen/PDMS fiber extracted these hydrophilic compounds from water with 10 to 100 times lower MDLs (0.10 to 15 micrograms/l) than the polyacrylate fiber (1.5 to 80 micrograms/l). The MDLs of the carboxen/PDMS fiber demonstrate that SPME is a feasible approach for extracting hydrophilic compounds from drinking water.
Die Behandlung unspezifischer chronischer Rückenschmerzen mit manueller Triggerpunkt-Therapie

90 fortlaufende Patienten einer Schmerzambulanz mit chronischen Ruckenschmerzen (Schmerzanamnese 6 Monate–30 Jahre, Mittel 4,4 Jahre) wurden mit manueller Triggerpunkttherapie behandelt. 1 bis 2 Jahre nach der Intervention war die Schmerzeinschatzung der Patienten auf der visuellen Analogskala von durchschnittlich 6,60 auf 3,37 abgesunken. Die Resultate sind signifikant (p= 0,0033). Sie belegen, das ein Teil der chronischen Ruckenschmerzpatienten unter primar muskularen Schmerzen leidet und das die manuelle Triggerpunkttherapie ein taugliches Verfahren ist, solche Schmerzen langfristig zu beseitigen oder zu bessern.
Identification of Safe Navigation Routes in a Remote Watershed under Extreme Storm Events Utilizing GIS and Hydrologic Models

In recent years, geographic information system (GIS) has been incorporated into hydrology to become an essential tool for many engineers. It has the ability to model different watersheds, provided digital topographic data are available. GIS software and available online resource data are used to examine the Moran Creek Watershed, which is part of the larger Long Prairie Watershed in Central Minnesota. Once the watershed is delineated, HEC-GEOHMS is utilized to extract useful information for constructing a HEC-HMS model, which was subsequently calibrated based on an extreme spring rainfall event in 2012. Rainfall data from surrounding rain gauges for the rainfall event and flow data at a USGS gauge station near Pillager, Minnesota, were gathered. Based on the major rainfall event, locations within the watershed that experience flooding and safe travel routes were identified utilizing the ModClark method.
From Amusement to Commonweal——A Case Study on Anshan Sunshine Commonweal Association

As the social commonweal work develops in China, all kinds of commonweal organizations spring up, among which there is a kind of grass-root organization coming from amusement organization.Although there are fewof them, they offer a newmodel for the development of the Commonweal Association.Anshan Sunshine Commonweal Association is one model of them, which is not only the need of the social and economic development in our country, but the results of the increasing of the sense of philanthropy.It is important that the organization is good at the structure of memberships, the team building and the experience of activity ,which deserves study.
Using Consumer Stories as a Pedagogical Tool

Cultural influences play an important role in explaining differences between consumer behavior patterns across countries. These differences may, in tum, determine the success or failure of a product or service introduction in a different country from the one where it was originally successful. International marketers sometimes find it to be a challenge to learn about the intricate and often implicit cultural issues that frame consumer responses to products and services. In a similar way, teaching the complexities of cultural adaptation to college students, whose understanding of the marketplace is framed within their personal cultural experience, is no easy task.
Nonlinear Dynamics, Innovation and Metropolitan Development

This chapter describes the effects of innovation on metropolitan development in terms of the mathematics of nonlinear dynamics. Its main methodological message is that the analysis of these effects can be conducted productively as an unexpected, exogenously induced, perturbation of paths. Such perturbation could lead either to phase transitions and a change of state for the metropolitan area concerned, or to divergencies in dynamic trajectories. Path disturbance, imposed either as an outside shock or as an endogenous event in metropolitan development, could be depicted either by changes in model parameters or the altering of initial conditions. Whereas parameter change may be attributed to basic innovation (which is always exogenous), disturbances of initial conditions can be due at times to endogenous marginal innovation. Both can bring about phase transitions, whereas marginal innovations may be responsible for divergencies. The focus of this chapter is on the marginal type, as they seem to be much more likely to occur than the basic ones, although they have rather confined impacts.
Where to Look for a Job

Assuming that you do not intend to launch a solo practice or join your father, you will have to look for a position. Having learned the lessons of the previous chapters, you probably have at least a notion of the type or category of practice you want and the geographic/demographic area in which you wish to live. The question now is how to find a suitable position.
External Validation of a Prognostic Model for Predicting Nonresponse Following Knee Arthroplasty.

Background Instruments designed to predict the extent of pain and function following knee arthroplasty (KA) recovery has strong potential to guide patients and clinicians in shared decision making. Our purpose was to test the external validity of a recently developed prognostic instrument designed to estimate the probability of nonresponse following KA. Methods We used data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a 9-year multisite National Institutes of Health study designed to examine the natural history of knee osteoarthritis in 4796 subjects. A total of 427 subjects underwent KA over the study period. Dowsey et al examined the prognostic role of obesity, general mental health, pain and function, and Kellgren and Lawrence knee osteoarthritis grades. Calibration of the prognostic model was determined using a calibration curve. The c-statistic was used to indicate discrimination of the model. Results In the primary analysis, 63 (19.3%) of 326 subjects in OAI were classified as nonresponders. The calibration curve generated from OAI data indicated poor calibration relative to the recently developed instrument. Discrimination as measured by the c-statistic was 0.76. Conclusion The external validity of the prognostic instrument was partially supported. While discrimination of the model was very similar to the recently developed instrument, calibration was poor indicating poor agreement between actual vs predicted probabilities of nonresponse. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index and Kellgren and Lawrence grades show strong potential for use in future prognostic model development. Measurements of general mental health and obesity were not prognostic for nonresponse.
Immunonutrition in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Dietary supplementation with nutrients such as glutamine and omega-3 fatty acids to modulate/boost host immunity in critical illness is a new concept. We review current evidence (animal and human studies) on the role of immunonutrition in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Dietary supplementation during stress states (ARDS) with omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to attenuate inflammation and improve lung microvascular permeability in animals. In humans, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has shown mixed results. While studies show improvement in oxygenation and lung mechanics, a recent study demonstrated increased mortality with omega-3 fatty acids. Similarly, animal studies suggest that lower glutamine levels are associated with worse outcomes in surgical and septic patients. But, a recent study in humans has shown an increased trend towards all-cause mortality. Current evidence is conflicting and does not support use of immune-modulating therapies (glutamine or omega-3 fatty acids) in ARDS.
Cultural Fitness in the Usability of U.S. Census Internet Survey in Chinese Language

The U.S. Census Bureau in 2016 developed a testing version of the Internet data collection instrument for the 2020 Census in the Chinese language to assess its usability among those residents who can read and write in Chinese but have limited English proficiency. The purpose of this study was to characterize cultural- and linguistic-specific usability issues in the Chinese version and to propose recommendations for resolving those issues. Thirteen native Chinese speakers participated in this study. Each participant completed the Chinese version of the 2016 Census Test Internet Instrument alone using a laptop or a mobile device (a tablet or a smartphone). A test administrator (TA) used a think-aloud protocol while the participant was completing the Internet instrument, and then debriefed with the participant on his or her experience with the instrument. After reviewing the audio and video recordings and the TA’s observation and debriefing notes, we summarized the issues in four categories: sentence-level Chinese text presentation, word-level Chinese text presentation, data entry, and navigation. Based on these usability findings, we recommend that future Internet surveys tailor the programming to Chinese sentence structure and meaning (syntax and semantics) and that translation be adapted to fit the Internet survey context.
Fronto-orbital advancement, Le Fort III distraction osteogenesis, and bimaxillary orthognathic jaw surgery with and without osteochondral graft treatment approaches of three siblings with Crouzon’s syndrome

Abstract Objectives Crouzon’s syndrome (CS) is a rare autosomal dominant, first branchial arch disorder characterized by craniosynostosis, most commonly coronal and sagittal, leading to distinctive malformations of the skull (brachycephaly) and face (exophthalmos, maxillary hypoplasia, mandibular prognathism), with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and raised intra cranial pressure (ICP). We present three siblings affected by CS with various degree of severity and the appropriate treatments carried out for the correction of the ensued afflictions. The objectives are; (1) to describe the various treatment approaches of three siblings affected by various degree of CS and, (2) to emphasize that multidisciplinary approach is deemed essential in the successful management of the syndrome. Methods Based on the severity of the presentation various surgical interventions are planned; from fronto-orbital advancement to relieve raised ICP, Le Fort III midfacial distraction for the correction of exophthalmos and maxillary hypoplasia, and OSA; to bimaxillary orthognathic surgery with osteochondrol bone harvest for the correction of prognathic mandible and hypolastic maxilla. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first crouzon’s syndrome case series showing comprehensive treatment of three siblings affected by varying degree of severity. A thorough planning along with phased treatment is essential for successful management of Crouzon’s syndrome.
Global Initiatives for Female Entrepreneurship: The Sustainable Development and Millennium Development Goals

This chapter presents and discusses international initiatives of both the Sustainable Development Goals and the Millennium Development Goals relative to economic, business development, and education. Next, it uses the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor as a way to apply working definitions to the abstract concepts in an effort to design policies that objectively measure development initiatives that promote female entrepreneurs.
Spatial distribution of metals within the liver acinus and their perturbation by PCB126

Animal studies show that exposure to the environmental pollutant 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) causes alterations in hepatic metals as measured in acid-digested volume-adjusted tissue. These studies lack the detail of the spatial distribution within the liver. Here we use X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) to assess the spatial distribution of trace elements within liver tissue. Liver samples from male Sprague Dawley rats, treated either with vehicle or PCB126, were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded. Serial sections were prepared for traditional H&E staining or placed on silicon nitride windows for XFM. With XFM, metal gradients between the portal triad and the central vein were seen, especially with copper and iron. These gradients change with exposure to PCB126, even reverse. This is the first report of how micronutrients vary spatially within the liver and how they change in response to toxicant exposure. In addition, high concentrations of zinc clusters were discovered in the extracellular space. PCB126 treatment did not affect their presence, but did alter their elemental makeup suggesting a more general biological function. Further work is needed to properly evaluate the gradients and their alterations as well as classify the zinc clusters to determine their role in liver function and zinc homeostasis.
Multirate Signal Processing for Software Radio Architectures

Abstract This chapter is about multirate signal processing and the potential that it brings to modern (software) radios. Optimizing the sample rate while processing signals provides many advantages to digital systems. Costs and computational complexity reduction, improved performance and reduced chip size are just some of them. Digital filters, up converters, and down converters are the basic elements for designing multirate architectures and their introduction in this chapter is necessary for a deeper understanding of perfect reconstruction polyphase channelizers, which are the key modules of the modern digital radios. This chapter follows a very practical approach. We decided to keep the mathematical formulation to a minimum to allow more space for concepts and figures. References are given at the end of the chapter for the interested readers.
An NMR blood test for uveal melanoma

In a recent article a simple nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) blood test was suggested for the detection of the presence of cancer. The test's sensitivity to uveal melanoma of both pre- and posttreatment status has been investigated. Cases in this study were 95 patients with uveal melanoma, and controls were 70 participants in an ongoing case control study of retinal eye disease being conducted at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Proton NMR evaluations at 4.7 T (200 MHz) were performed on plasma obtained from EDTA and citrated blood samples. The average line-width values were calculated from each spectrum. Statistical analysis revealed that mean proton NMR line widths were essentially equal for patients with treated (18.7 Hz) and untreated tumors (18.4 Hz) and for controls (18.5 Hz). Results based on this data set suggest that proton NMR spectroscopy has little predictive power in the detection of uveal melanoma or in the monitoring of therapy.
Teachers' Ratings of Students' Behaviors: What Constitutes Behavior Disorder in School?:

Behaviorally disordered and nonhandicapped students of both sexes and three age levels were assessed for adjustment problems, using a teacher-completed checklist. This permitted prevalence estimates for each of the adjustment problems represented on the checklist and for total problems, separately for behaviorally disordered and nonhandicapped students in each of the six age-sex subgroupings. Statistical comparisons of prevalence were made in each of these age-sex subgroupings as well. Finally, the value of a cutoff score procedure based on total problems was examined as a method for identifying the behaviorally disordered student. Results show that on most of the checklist items significantly more behaviorally disordered students experienced problems than the nonhandicapped students. Among the behaviorally disordered students, there were relatively few differences between sexes and age levels. Problems noted for the behaviorally disordered appear to be compatible with the PL 94-142 definition of seriousl...
Reward and aversion processing in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: functional neuroimaging with visual and thermal stimuli

In patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a decrease in the brain reward function was reported in behavioral- and in neuroimaging studies. While pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this response are unclear, there are several lines of evidence suggesting over-recruitment of the brain reward regions by aversive stimuli rendering them unavailable to respond to reward-related content. The purpose of this study was to juxtapose brain responses to functional neuroimaging probes that reliably produce rewarding and aversive experiences in PTSD subjects and in healthy controls. The stimuli used were pleasant, aversive and neutral images selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) along with pain-inducing heat applied to the dorsum of the left hand; all were administered during 3 T functional magnetic resonance imaging. Analyses of IAPS responses for the pleasant images revealed significantly decreased subjective ratings and brain activations in PTSD subjects that included striatum and medial prefrontal-, parietal- and temporal cortices. For the aversive images, decreased activations were observed in the amygdala and in the thalamus. PTSD and healthy subjects provided similar subjective ratings of thermal sensory thresholds and each of the temperatures. When 46 °C (hot) and 42 °C (neutral) temperatures were contrasted, voxelwise between-group comparison revealed greater activations in the striatum, amygdala, hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex in the PTSD subjects. These latter findings were for the most part mirrored by the 44 vs. 42 °C contrast. Our data suggest different brain alterations patterns in PTSD, namely relatively diminished corticolimbic response to pleasant and aversive psychosocial stimuli in the face of exaggerated response to heat-related pain. The present findings support the hypothesis that brain sensitization to pain in PTSD may interfere with the processing of psychosocial stimuli whether they are of rewarding or aversive valence.
Functional characterization of Traf4, a p53 transcriptional target

5459 Traf4 is a p53 transcriptional target that was first identified as an upregulated gene in breast cancer, and it is also a member of the Traf (Tumor necrosis factor associated factor) family of proteins. In general, Traf proteins serve as adaptor molecules that bridge extracellular signals via receptors and downstream intracellular phosphorlyation and transcriptional events. Despite its name and sequence similarity to other Traf proteins, Traf4 does not bind to TNFR, and its physiological receptor remains unknown. We have found that Traf4 is expressed in wide variety of cancer cells lines, and this mRNA expression does not appear to be dependent entirely on p53. By immunofluorescence, overexpressed Traf4 is localized to the cytosol and is also found in punctate nuclear structures in osteosarcoma cells (U2OS). To further investigate the function of Traf4, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen using Traf4 as bait. From two screens using a murine kidney and a human fetal brain cDNA target libraries, 8 candidate Traf4 interacting proteins were obtained including the c-terminal 200aa of beta-catenin. Overexpressed Traf4 and beta-catenin are able to physically interact in 293 cells. Functionally, Traf4 seems to slightly enhance beta-catenin related transcription using a luciferase reporter as well as provide some protection of beta-catenin protein levels from p53-mediated degradation. The interaction between Traf4 and beta-catenin is another link between the p53 and Wnt signaling pathways.
Abstract P250: Sex-Related Differences in the Associations of Variability in Body Mass Index and Metabolic Health With Incidence of Obesity and Metabolically Unhealthy Status: The Framingham Offspring Study

Introduction: Higher variability of body mass index (BMI) is associated with both cardiometabolic and cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals. It is unclear, however if variability of BMI i...
O 2 emission toward Orion H 2 peak 1 and the role of FUV-illuminated C-shocks

Molecular oxygen (O2) has been the target of ground-based and space-borne searches for decades. Of the thousands of lines of sight surveyed, only those toward Rho Ophiuchus and Orion H2 Peak 1 have yielded detections of any statistical significance. The detection of the O2 NJ = 33?12 and 54?34 lines at 487.249 GHz and 773.840 GHz, respectively, toward Rho Ophiuchus has been attributed to a short-lived peak in the time-dependent, cold-cloud O2 abundance, while the detection of the O2 NJ = 33?12, 54?34 lines, plus the 76?56 line at 1120.715 GHz, toward Orion has been ascribed to time-dependent preshock physical and chemical evolution and low-velocity (12 km s?1) non-dissociative C-type shocks, both of which are fully shielded from far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation, plus a postshock region that is exposed to an FUV field. We report a re-interpretation of the Orion O2 detection based on new C-type shock models that fully incorporate the significant effects the presence of even a weak FUV field can have on the preshock gas, shock structure, and postshock chemistry. In particular, we show that a family of solutions exists, depending on the FUV intensity, that reproduces both the observed O2 intensities and O2 line ratios. The solution in closest agreement with the shock parameters inferred for H2 Peak 1 from other gas tracers assumes a 23 km s?1 shock impacting gas with a preshock density of 8 ? 104 cm?3 and = 1, substantially different from that inferred for the fully?shielded shock case. As pointed out previously, the similarity between the LSR velocity of all three O2 lines (11 km s?1) and recently measured H2O 532?441 maser emission at 620.701 GHz toward H2 Peak 1 suggests that the O2 emission arises behind the same shocks responsible for the maser emission, though the O2 emission is almost certainly more extended than the localized high-density maser spots. Since maser emission arises along lines of sight of low-velocity gradient, indicating shock motion largely perpendicular to our line of sight, we note that this geometry can explain not only?the narrow (?3 km s?1) observed O2 line widths despite their excitation behind a shock?but also why such O2 detections are rare.
AAV2-BDNF promotes respiratory axon plasticity and recovery of diaphragm function following spinal cord injury.

More than half of spinal cord injury (SCI) cases occur in the cervical region, leading to respiratory dysfunction due to damaged neural circuitry that controls critically important muscles such as ...
Null geodesics of the Kerr exterior

The null geodesic equation in the Kerr spacetime can be expressed as a set of integral equations involving certain potentials. We classify the roots of these potentials and express the integrals in manifestly real Legendre elliptic form. We then solve the equations using Jacobi elliptic functions, providing the complete set of null geodesics of the Kerr exterior as explicit parametrized curves.