cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of macrophage dysfunction in rodent malaria.

Immunosuppression in malaria has been attributed, in part, to alterations in macrophage function. The present study was undertaken in an attempt to characterize the dysfunction and to determine if it is regional or if it occurs in different populations of macrophages. The resting O2 consumption of either hepatic, splenic, or peritoneal macrophages or polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) was unaltered by the malaria infection. However, the respiratory burst was significantly enhanced in the three macrophage populations but not in the PMNs. A significant increase in their phagocytic capacity and microbicidal activity was noted for hepatic and peritoneal but not splenic macrophages or PMNs. The malaria-infected mice had a marked decrease in serum antibody and splenic plaque response to bovine serum albumin (BSA) but not to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Following an in vitro incubation with BSA, splenic macrophages from infected mice were not able to induce an antibody response when injected into normal mice. However, following incubation with KLH splenic macrophages could induce an adequate response in normal mice. This ability of macrophages from malaria-infected mice to transfer (or induce) a response in normal mice appeared to correlate with the amount of antigen digested, or perhaps retained, by the cells, i.e., BSA digestion was significantly less than KLH. These results indicate that the macrophage dysfunction in malaria is distinct depending on the tissue population that the macrophage is obtained from and that the impaired antibody response may be restricted to antigens requiring macrophage processing.
Glycol Methacrylate Embedding Technique Emphasizing Cost Containment, Ultrarapid Processing, and Adaptability to a Variety of Staining Techniques

A glycol methacrylate embedding technique is described which, while producing high-quality sections, achieves cost containment by ultrarapid processing and by adaptability to automated processing. Processing has been tailored to the type of tissue; ultrahigh-quality sections for special purposes are provided, and undecalcified specimens as large as a femoral head can be processed. The method is adaptable to histochemical stains, radioautography, and demonstration of antigen-antibody reactions. Blocks may be stored at temperatures up to 75 C without damage.
The Role of Trauma Type in the Risk for Insomnia.

Objective:Insomnia is common following exposure to trauma and can occur independently or as a feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is limited research identifying risk fa...
Mid-term evaluation of tuberculosis control in Huangpi,Wuhan city

Obiective To evaluate the mid-term work of tuberculosis control project implemented in Huangpi,Wuhan city from 2002 to 2005.MethodAll data from 2002 to 2005 in HuangPi,Wuhan city are collected and evaluated.ResultThe case-finding and cure quality have increased year by year.During the 4 years,9128 suspected patients were registered,among whom 4206 are active pulmonary tuberculosis,and the new infectious case register rate increased from 38.89/100,000 in 2002 to 57.40/100,000.The new smear positive cure rate increased too,from 90.33% in 2002 to 94.1%. ConclusionMarked achievements have been made by implementing tuberculosis control project,which has provided experience for going on with tuberculosis control program.
Sensorimotor Control in Overarm Throwing

Goal-directed movement is possible because the cortical regions regulating movement have continuous access to visual information. Extensive research from the various domains of motor control (i.e., neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and psychophysics) has documented the extent to which the unremitting availability of visual information enables the sensorimotor system to facilitate online control of goal-directed limb movement. However, the control mechanism guiding appreciably more complex movements characterized by ballistic, whole-body coordination is not well understood. In the overarm throw, for example, joint rotations must be optimally timed between body segments to exploit the passive flow of kinetic energy and, in turn, maximize projectile speed while maintaining accuracy. The purpose of this review is to draw from the various research domains in motor control and speculate on the nature of the sensorimotor control mechanism facilitating overarm throwing performance.
The role of sialoglycoconjugates in the aging and sequestration of red cells from circulation

Red blood cells (rbcs) have a definite life-span in circulation, 120 days in humans (and 60 days in rat). This involves the turnover of the equivalent of 2 x 10(11) rbcs per day in a normal adult. Many time-dependent physical, chemical, as well as biochemical and immunologic changes are associated with in vivo aging of rbcs in circulation. The major difficulty has been to unravel the complex picture and assign the primary signal responsible for the sequestration of the senescent rbc from circulation. Our current hypothesis based on the results of studies from many laboratories including our own is that it involves the progressive desialation of the most abundant sialoglycoprotein on rbc surface, glycophorin A. The complete desialation of glycophorin results in the exposure of multiple galactose-beta(1,3) N-acetylgalactosamine disaccharide residues on the rbc surface. These sites are recognized by the reticuloendothelial system, and result in the sequestration of those desialated senescent rbcs from circulation. This review summarizes the evidence for and against the immediate acceptance of this hypothesis.
Predicting Effects of Tropomyosin Mutations on Cardiac Muscle Contraction through Myofilament Modeling.

Point mutations to the human gene TPM1 have been implicated in the development of both hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies. Such observations have led to studies investigating the link between single residue changes and the biophysical behavior of the tropomyosin molecule. However, the degree to which these molecular perturbations explain the performance of intact sarcomeres containing mutant tropomyosin remains uncertain. Here, we present a modeling approach that integrates various aspects of tropomyosin’s molecular properties into a cohesive paradigm representing their impact on muscle function. In particular, we considered the effects of tropomyosin mutations on (1) persistence length, (2) equilibrium between thin filament blocked and closed regulatory states, and (3) the crossbridge duty cycle. After demonstrating the ability of the new model to capture Ca-dependent myofilament responses during both dynamic and steady-state activation, we used it to capture the effects of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) related E180G and D175N mutations on skinned myofiber mechanics. Our analysis indicates that the fiber-level effects of the two mutations can be accurately described by a combination of changes to the three tropomyosin properties represented in the model. Subsequently, we used the model to predict mutation effects on muscle twitch. Both mutations led to increased twitch contractility as a consequence of diminished cooperative inhibition between thin filament regulatory units. Overall, simulations suggest that a common twitch phenotype for HCM-linked tropomyosin mutations includes both increased contractility and elevated diastolic tension.
An alternate view of nonlinear adaptive filters

Nonlinear adaptive filters have been developed mostly using polynomial models such as truncated Volterra series, Weiner and Hammerstein models and utilizing linear adaptive algorithms such as NLMS, RLS, APA.
Human CIK Maintain Their In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Tumor Ability after Cryopreservation.

Abstract Adoptive cellular therapy holds promise for improving the outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). At present, donor lymphocyte infusion post-HCT is efficacious for only a limited number of diseases, yet can induce significant graft versus host disease (GVHD). To improve the outcome of this approach, it would be beneficial to identify populations of T cells that retain graft versus tumor (GVT) effects with reduced propensity for GVHD. We have previously described studies of murine expanded Cytokine Induced Killer (CIK) cells which are ex vivo activated and expanded T cells that express both T and NK markers. CIK cells mediate cytotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro in a non- MHC restricted NKG2D dependent manner. Human CIK cells were expanded from PBMC from 9 healthy donors, cultured with IFNg, CD3 and IL-2 and maintained in AastromRepliCell® biochambers for 21–28 days. We aimed to determine whether cryopreservation of the CIK affects viability, cytotoxicity and phenotype. Cells were cryopreserved immediately after harvest at 10x106/ml and stored in liquid nitrogen vapor phase. CIK viability was not compromised with cryopreservation and cells thawed at 1, 2, 4, 8, 10 and 28 weeks after freezing were 96% viable (range 95%–99%). Immediately upon thawing, CIK cells showed diminished cytotoxicity against the B cell lymphoma cell lines DB and SUDHL4 with 6–10% killing at the 40:1 E:T ratio. However, thawed CIK cells regained their pre-freeze cytotoxic activity against these targets within 5 hours of being placed in reactivation medium containing IL-2 at 300 IU/ml. Reactivation of the CIK cells was extended up to 48 hours but showed no further increase in cytotoxicity beyond that attained at 5 hours; nor did increasing the IL-2 concentration to 1500 IU/ml in the reactivation medium improve CIK cell activity over the same time course. Cell viability declined during reactivation, decreasing from an average 96% upon thawing to 60% over 48 hours. Thawed CIK cells placed in reactivation medium maintained their cytotoxic activity up to 14 days in vitro. The cytotoxicity of reactivated CIK cells was assessed in vivo using SCID mice inoculated IP with 1x106 human ovarian cancer UCI-101 cells expressing the firefly luciferase gene. The mice were treated weekly with 2x107 cryopreserved and thawed human CIK cells that were re-cultured for 5 hours before injection. Following each administration of CIK cells, there was a reduction of tumor signal. Weekly treatments resulted in a better survival outcome for the mice receiving CIK cells as compared to PBS control mice. This study demonstrates that human CIK cells may be reactivated after cryopreservation and regain their cytotoxic potential. These finding have important implications for the application of these cells as adoptive cellular therapy.
Beyond the “memory” of apartheid: Richard Rive and the Jewish mock-monarchs of Cape Town

This article builds upon critiques of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, asserting that the Commission “recalled” apartheid violence in the dichotomous terms of perpetrator and vic...
Lung Diseases, Occupational

Internationally, workers are exposed to a range of respiratory hazards. Exposures to hazards at work account for approximately 15% of all asthma and 10% of all lung cancer. Disease can occur immediately after massive chemical exposure or after years of chronic, low-level exposure, anywhere along the respiratory tract from the nose to the airways. Assessing the workplace is crucial when evaluating respiratory symptoms. As treatment options are limited, surveillance through breathing tests and chest radiographs may be indicated. Regulatory agencies exist in many countries to oversee compliance with the occupational exposure limits for various chemicals; however, rule enforcement varies greatly.
Measuring the Influences That Affect Technological Literacy in Rhode Island High Schools.

This study sampled the current state of technological literacy in Rhode Island high schools using a new instrument, the Technological Literacy Assessment, which was developed for this study. Gender inequalities in technological literacy were discovered, and possible causes and solutions are presented. This study suggests possible next steps for technology teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and policy makers to move technology education forward and lays the groundwork for further studies of technological literacy. The Standards for Technological Literacy (International Technology Education Association [ITEA], 2007) were used as the benchmarks measured in this study.
Using Experiments in Ethics – Ethical Conservatism and the Psychology of Moral Luck

Psychological evidence detailing why we believe what we believe can provide a powerful basis for challenging the warrant of those beliefs. If psychology shows that a certain common belief derives from epistemically defective processes, then this threatens to undercut the epistemic authority of the belief. The canonical case of this sort of debunking argument is Freud’s critique of religion (1927). Freud argues that religious belief is a product of wish-fulfillment, not reason; as a result, he says, we should regard our religious beliefs as unwarranted. On the heels of psychological research on philosophically charged domains, these kinds of debunking arguments have been making a comeback. Debunking arguments have been advanced in the domains of metaphysics (e.g., Scholl 2007), metaethics (e.g., Nichols 2008), consciousness (e.g., Fiala et al. 2011), and normative ethics (e.g., Greene 2008; Singer 2005). In this paper, we use the problem of moral luck as a case studying, exploring how empirical work can inform normative ethics.
Development of a Mixed Reality Platform for Lateral Skull Base Anatomy.

The lateral skull base anatomy is complex and rich with essential neurovascular structures. Surgical dissection in the lateral skull base requires a firm understanding of the anatomical relationships to ensure optimal outcomes. Dissection requires careful identification of known landmarks to generate a mental image of the relative location of these structures. Safety and efficiency of dissection increases with experience as the surgeon’s 3D mental map of the anatomy improves. Technology that improves visualization of anatomic structures and their spatial relationship would significantly improve the surgeon’s operative experience. Extended reality (ExR) describes the spectrum, or “virtuality continuum” of technology from Virtual Reality (VR) where the user is immersed in the digital world to Augmented Reality (AR)1, which allows the user to overlay digital data or images over their environment. Recent technology advancements2 have allowed for ExR Head Mounted Display (HMD) devices. These wearable devices make application of ExR much more accessible and applicable to everyday uses including architecture3, healthcare4, simulation5 and education6. Current headsets produced by Oculus, HTC, Sony and Google create fully immersive VR environments. In contrast, Google Glass is an example of an AR headset that can be used to display pertinent healthcare data during a medical encounter6. Mixed Reality (MR) refers to interactive digital data displayed over the native environment. A MR HMD that projects images onto a transparent lens over the user’s visual field. The MR HMD has 3 key features ideal for image-guided navigation: 1) MR view, 2) spatial mapping, and 3) interactive hands-free interface. Mixed Reality: The MR headset projects images onto a transparent lens overlying the user’s visual field utilizing stereoscopy to create the perception of depth for 3D models. Due to the transparency, the user maintains view of the external environment with a holographic overlay, allowing the user to maintain focus on the actual field by displaying data in a head-up manner. Current intraoperative navigation systems require the surgeon to fix their attention on a separate screen to check the relative position of a probe or instrument placed onto a point of interest. With the HMD display, the surgeon does not need to break view of the actual surgical field.
Mentoring millennials in surgical education.

Purpose of reviewWe seek to define the Millennial generation and identify strengths that can be employed to improve medical and surgical education and career development. We outline how generational traits can be incorporated into adult learning theory, offer suggestions for modernizing traditional
Putting the National Diabetes Prevention Program to Work: Predictors of Achieving Weight-Loss Goals in an Employee Population.

INTRODUCTION Differences in eligibility criteria and intervention characteristics have limited the generalizability of findings from studies of worksite translations of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The objective of our study was to identify factors associated with achievement of the DPP's 5% weight-loss goal in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness DPP from 2014 to 2017. METHODS We analyzed data from a DPP worksite translation that adhered to national standards for program quality and intervention fidelity. We compared baseline characteristics and program metrics for participants who did and did not achieve the program's 5% weight-loss goal, and we developed a multivariable logistic regression model to identify independent predictors of achieving this goal. RESULTS Of the 165 employees enrolled in the DPP from 2014 to 2017, 43.6% (n = 72) met the 5% weight-loss goal. Mean (standard deviation) percentage weight loss for the program was 5.2% (6.0%), or 4.8 (6.0) kg. The median (interquartile range) body mass index at baseline was lower among participants who achieved the 5% weight-loss goal than among those who did not (31.6 [29.4-37.4] vs 34.7 [31.5-39.2], P = .009), and participants who achieved the goal reported more physical activity minutes per week (166.0 [135.2-223.0] min vs 128.5 [83.2-169.8] min, P < .001). Session attendance was greater for participants achieving the 5% weight-loss goal (23 [21-25]) sessions vs 18 [12-21] sessions, P < .001). In the adjusted analysis, physical activity and session attendance remained significant predictors of achieving the 5% weight-loss goal. CONCLUSION Session attendance and physical activity independently predicted achievement of the 5% weight-loss goal in this worksite translation of the DPP. Strategies designed to improve these metrics may increase DPP success rates.
Non-Contact vehicle Weigh-in-Motion using computer vision

Abstract Heavy vehicles must be closely monitored to prevent fatigue-induced deterioration and critical fractures to transportation infrastructure. This paper introduces an innovative computer vision-based non-contact vehicle weigh-in-motion method and presents a proof-of-concept study. The method is based on simple physics that tire-roadway contact force equals the contact pressure multiplied by the contact area. The area can be estimated by measuring tire deformation parameters such as tire-roadway contact length and tire vertical deflection using computer vision, while tire pressure can be streamed from on-board sensors. To demonstrate the feasibility of this method, a computer vision system was developed and experiments were conducted involving empty and fully loaded concrete trucks and a sport utility vehicle. Results show high accuracy of vehicle weight estimation, demonstrating the potential of this computer vision-based method as a non-contact means for weighing vehicles in motion.
Racial/ethnic differences in bone mineral density, muscle function and fat mass in young women

Background: Racial/ethnic differences in bone mineral density (BMD) result in increased susceptibility of some ethnic groups to fragility fractures in comparison to others. Conventionally, both lean mass and fat mass provide mechanical loading to the skeleton and increase BMD, however, increase in fat mass beyond a certain level without a concurrent increase in muscle mass/strength, is detrimental to the skeleton. The aim of this study was to determine racial/ethnic differences in BMD, muscle function and fat mass in 18-30-year-old women of Caucasian, East-Asian, South-Asian, Hispanic and African-American backgrounds. Materials and methods: Forty- six women participated in the study. The visits included signing a written informed consent and questionnaires to assess health status, menstrual history, physical activity and calcium intake. Body composition (fat mass, bone free lean body mass (BFLBM), and bone mineral content (BMC)) and total and regional BMD were measured using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry, while handgrip test, jump test, 1Repetition- Maximum leg press test, and bilateral isokinetic testing of knee flexors and extensors were used to quantify lower limb muscle strength and power. Results: African-American women had a higher BMD at the left and right trochanter (p=0.03) and higher BMC at several sites in comparison to South-Asians (p=0.02) and Hispanics (p=0.03). South-Asian women had a higher fat mass (p=0.04) and percent body fat (p=0.003), and lower BFLBM (p=0.04) and strength (p=0.003) than East-Asians and Caucasians. Conclusion: This type of research is essential to identify at-risk minorities and fundamental for creating awareness, developing ethnicity-specific diagnostic criteria, and preventative and therapeutic strategies. Keywords: DXA; Osteoporosis; Body composition; Premenopausal; Lean mass; Muscle strength.
Continuous monitoring of mobility performance trajectory in patients receiving chemotherapy.

e14104Background: Accurate performance status (PS) assessment is important for chemotherapy decisions, but current tools such as the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) PS assessment are subj...
Behavioral Inhibition System function as the mediator in the pathway from electrodermal fear conditioning to antisocial behavior: Integrating the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory

Abstract Poor fear conditioning skin conductance response (SCR) is associated with more antisocial behavior in childhood and in adulthood. However, the intermediate mechanism remains unclear. The current study proposes that the integration of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) would help elucidate the mechanism. This is also the first study to examine the psychobiological characteristics of active offenders. I tested whether the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) of the RST mediated the relation between fear conditioning and antisocial behavior in a heterogeneous sample of active offenders, demographically matched controls and college students recruited in Central South Atlanta. Negative emotionality was included to examine the discriminant validity of BIS function in this proposed mediating pathway. Active offenders did not show fear conditioning SCR despite comparable response magnitudes as the demographic controls. Poor fear conditioning SCR was associated with low BIS function (but not negative emotionality), which was in turn associated with more antisocial behavior. The poor fear conditioning SCR observed in active offenders, reflects weak BIS function and low inhibitory response, suggested that active offenders were insensitive to punishment cues and more readily engaging in antisocial behavior.
Expression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transactivator of Transcription (HIV-Tat1-86) Protein Alters Nociceptive Processing that is Sensitive to Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Interventions.

Despite the success of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) in reducing viral load, a substantial portion of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)+ patients report chronic pain. The exact mechanism underlying this co-morbidity even with undetectable viral load remains unknown, but the transactivator of transcription (HIV-Tat) protein is of particular interest. Functional HIV-Tat protein is observed even in cerebrospinal fluid of patients who have an undetectable viral load. It is hypothesized that Tat protein exposure is sufficient to induce neuropathic pain-like manifestations via both activation of microglia and generation of oxidative stress. iTat mice conditionally expressed Tat(1-86) protein in the central nervous system upon daily administration of doxycycline (100 mg/kg/d, i.p., up to 14 days). The effect of HIV-Tat protein exposure on the well-being of the animal was assessed using sucrose-evoked grooming and acute nesting behavior for pain-depressed behaviors, and the development of hyperalgesia assessed with warm-water tail-withdrawal and von Frey assays for thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, respectively. Tissue harvested at select time points was used to assess ex vivo alterations in oxidative stress, astrocytosis and microgliosis, and blood-brain barrier integrity with assays utilizing fluorescence-based indicators. Tat protein induced mild thermal hyperalgesia but robust mechanical allodynia starting after 4 days of exposure, reaching a nadir after 7 days. Changes in nociceptive processing were associated with reduced sucrose-evoked grooming behavior without altering acute nesting behavior, and in spinal cord dysregulated free radical generation as measured by DCF fluorescence intensity, altered immunohistochemical expression of the gliotic markers, Iba-1 and GFAP, and increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier to the small molecule fluorescent tracer, sodium fluorescein, in a time-dependent manner. Pretreatment with the anti-inflammatory, indomethacin (1 mg/kg/d, i.p.), the antioxidant, methylsulfonylmethane (100 mg/kg/d i.p.), or the immunomodulatory agent, dimethylfumarate (100 mg/kg/d p.o.) thirty minutes prior to daily injections of doxycycline (100 mg/kg/d i.p.) over 7 days significantly attenuated the development of Tat-induced mechanical allodynia. Collectively, the data suggests that even acute exposure to HIV-1 Tat protein at pathologically relevant levels is sufficient to produce select neurophysiological and behavioral manifestations of chronic pain consistent with that reported by HIV-positive patients.
Lightning Response of a Grounding System Buried in Multilayered Earth Based on the Galerkin's Boundary Element and Quasi-Static Complex Image Methods

In this article, we propose a numerical method for accurately simulating the distribution of the lightning current along a grounding grid in a horizontal multilayered earth model. The mathematical model is based on the Galerkin's boundary element method where the quasi-static complex image method and the closed form of Green's function are used for calculations. Furthermore, the effects of the frequency-dependent conductivity and permittivity of the soil are considered. Analytical expressions are also derived for the mutual impedance and induction coefficient. The proposed model can calculate the distribution of the lightning current along a grounding system using the inverse fast Fourier transform and it can be employed to study the transient lightning response characteristics of a grounding grid.
The Arminian Nunnery: virginity at Little Gidding

By 1632 Nicholas Ferrar had written what his biographer Francis Turner later described as a “Tract on Virginity”. In it Nicholas firmly defended marriage as God’s plan for most people but sharply c...
Critical illness in patients with metastatic cancer: a population-based cohort study of epidemiology and outcomes.

The appropriateness of intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients with metastatic cancer remains debated. We aimed to examine the short-term outcomes and their temporal pattern in critically ill patients with metastatic disease. We used state-wide data to identify hospitalizations aged ≥18 years with metastatic cancer admitted to ICU in Texas during 2010–2014. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to examine the factors associated with short-term mortality and its temporal trends among all ICU admissions and those undergoing mechanical ventilation. Among 136,644 ICU admissions with metastatic cancer, 50.8% were aged ≥65 years, with one or more organ failures present in 53.3% and mechanical ventilation was used in 11.1%. The crude short-term mortality among all ICU admissions and those mechanically ventilated was 28.1% and 62.0%, respectively. Discharge to home occurred in 57.1% of all ICU admissions. On adjusted analyses, short-term mortality increased with rising number of organ failures (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.399, 95% CI 1.374 to 1.425), while being lower with chemotherapy (aOR 0.467, 95% CI 0.432 to 0.506) and radiation therapy (aOR 0.832, 95% CI 0.749 to 0.924), and decreased over time (aOR 0.934 per year, 95% CI 0.924 to 0.945). Predictors of short-term mortality were largely similar among those undergoing mechanical ventilation. Most ICU admissions with metastatic cancer survived hospitalization, although short-term mortality was very high among those undergoing mechanical ventilation. Short-term mortality decreased over time and was lower among those receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These findings support consideration of critical care in patients with metastatic cancer, but underscore the need to address patient-centered goals of care ahead of ICU admission.
Reconciling Meticulous Divine Providence with Objective Chance

Randomness can be defined in terms of objective probability: an event is random just in case its objective probability (in the circumstances) is other than zero or one. There is a tension between objective probability and divine providence: if God has arranged for E to occur, then its objective probability would seem to be one. I will first show that this tension creates problems for six models of how to combine worldly chance with divine providence: determinism, Molinism, Thomism, divine luck, the multiverse, and van Inwagen’s theory of chance. I will then develop two new solutions to this problem.
Predictability And Human Stress: Toward A Clarification Of Evidence And Theory

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces predictability and human stress and the notion of predictability. Two nonoverlapping classes of predictability are defined in the chapter: knowing the conditions under which the event will occur (contingency predictability) and knowing what the event will be like (what-kind-of-event predictability). The interaction of the two classes of predictability and their controllability is discussed in the chapter. The chapter describes the five major existing theories of predictability and human stress—namely, information seeking, preparatory response, preparatory set, uncontrollability, and safety signal. To specify the conditions under which predictability has stress-reducing effects and when it does not, four new hypotheses (the blunting hypothesis, the analytic hypothesis, the script hypothesis, and the arousal hypothesis) that attempt to organize the sweep of data are considered in the chapter. Humans generally prefer predictable over unpredictable aversive events. There is one exception, however—that is, when individuals can distract themselves from danger-related information, they prefer unpredictable aversive events.
NOAH® - AVMA NETWORK OF ANIMAL HEALTH

NOAH is an acronym for Network of Animal Health. NOAH is a computer-based online service developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association for its members, and other professional involved in veterinary medicine and animal health.
The role of subcellular organelles in hormone secretion: The interactions of calcium, vitamin A, vinblastine, and cytochalasin B in PTH secretion

Abstract To determine the role of subcellular organelles in hormone secretion, we studied the interaction of low calcium concentration (low Ca), retinol (vitamin A, vit A), vinblastine (VB), and cytochalasin B (CB) in parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. Bovine parathyroid tissue pieces were incubated in media containing the above agents. Vit A stimulated PTH release to a mean of 170% of control. This effect of vit A was diminished when tissues were simultaneously stimulated with low Ca and, furthermore, absent when tissues were pre-incubated in low Ca. VB had no effect on low Ca-stimulated secretion, but did inhibit vit A-induced secretion in the presence of low Ca. CB stimulated PTH secretion to a mean of 150% of control during the second and third hours of incubation. CB had at least an additive effect with low Ca in stimulating PTH secretion, with a more prompt and greater response than seen in normal calcium. VB did not inhibit the acute effect of CB on secretion in normal calcium media, but did inhibit CB-induced secretion during the third hour of incubation. None of the agents stimulated the release of lysosomal cathepsin D, and vit A and CB did not stimulate the release of LDH. Our results suggest that; (1) vit A and low Ca stimulate PTH secretion through a common pathway involving the cell membrane; (2) CB stimulates PTH secretion through a separate effect on the cell membrane or submembrane microfilaments, which normally retards secretion of PTH; and (3) microtubular proteins may facilitate basal secretion of PTH, but are not involved in low Ca-stimulated secretion of PTH.
Observer Design for Non-Lexicographic-Fixed Time-Varying Continuous Systems

The state estimation problem is considered for linear time-varying systems with non-lexicographic-fixed observability basis. A two-stage design strategy is presented for constructing observers for this class of systems. At the first stage, by augmenting the given system with an auxiliary system, the original system is transformed into a new augmented model whose observability indices are lexicographic-fixed. A specific augmentation scheme is proposed in order to find this auxiliary system. At the second stage, a design procedure is given to construct minimum-order observers for the augmented system by utilizing the new input and output information. Canonical transformation technique is also employed to simplify the design procedure. Finally, with the help of a simple reverse transformation, solutions to the original problem are obtained. An example is given to illustrate the design procedure and techniques.
Targeting RhoB as a novel approach for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (THER6P.856)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by high titers of autoantibodies and increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines leading to chronic inflammation of the distal joints. Current biologic therapies, such as the B cell depleting antibody rituximab, have uncovered the important role that autoreactive B cells play in the disease process. Unfortunately, neither immunosuppressive nor biologic therapies specifically target autoreactive B cells. Here, we present data identifying a novel molecular target and newly developed therapeutic that may specifically target these cells. The small GTPase RhoB is a stress response protein that mediates tyrosine kinase receptor stimulated proliferation and migration. While much of the work on RhoB has focused on its function in cancer, we suggest a new role for this GTPase in autoimmune disease. Using the K/BxN model of RA, we show that treatment with an anti-RhoB antibody lowers autoantibody production and attenuates joint swelling. Mice genetically deficient in RhoB exhibit reduced arthritis, providing genetic confirmation of RhoB’s role in mediating autoimmunity. Interestingly, both RhoB deficient mice and mice treated with anti-RhoB Ig mounted productive antibody responses to immunization with model antigens, suggesting that RhoB may have a specific role in the autoreactive B cell. Our data suggest that RhoB antibody therapy could be a new effective therapeutic to treat antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases.
Chapter 7 Human capital: Education and agriculture

Abstract This chapter presents a review and synthesis of effects of education in agriculture, summarizes major contributions, and suggests major research gaps in the literature. Although growth in knowledge enables skill acquisition and specialization of labor, which generally raises labor productivity, and technical change, the dominant effect on agriculture has been technical change. A puzzle remains why schooling does not have broader direct impacts in agriculture. Furthermore, as we proxy education or general intellectual achievement by schooling in our empirical research, this has led to biased interpretations of impacts when general intellectual achievement of school graduates changes over time and perhaps in nonlinear ways.
Microwave Initiated Atomic Spectra from Select Atomic Species

Isotopes of gaseous Helium ( 3 He and 4 He) were admitted into the vacuum system at various pressures and allowed to stabilize. Quantum states were then energized using a 2.45 GHz magnetron coupled to the gases by loose coupling. A residual gas analyzer Model 100 series manufactured by Stanford Research Systems was used to determine the mass of each species. An Ocean Optics Optical Spectrometer model collecting the light via an optic probe was used to obtain the spectra and to characterize the spectroscopic peaks. The data collected from these isotopes represent characteristic spectral emission lines generated due to the transitions among discrete quantum energy levels. The data analysis, especially for atomic spectroscopy, becomes an extremely important tool in developing an understanding of the quantum levels active within each atom. In this paper is presented a summary of the analysis of work that was done on two isotopes of helium. Data using both computational as well as theoretical techniques are presented. Traditional high voltage arc discharge data were taken for the gas species and these are compared with microwave stimulated atomic emissions.
Calculation of crystalline lens power using a modification of the Bennett method

We present a method for measuring lens power from extended depth OCT biometry, corneal topography, and refraction using an improvement on the Bennett method. A reduced eye model was used to derive a formula for lens power in terms of ocular distances, corneal power, and objective spherical equivalent refraction. An error analysis shows that the formula predicts relaxed lens power with a theoretical accuracy of ± 0.5 D for refractive error ranging from −10 D to + 10 D. The formula was used to calculate lens power in 16 eyes of 8 human subjects. Mean lens power was 24.3 D ± 1.7 D.
The murine alpha B-crystallin/small heat shock protein enhancer: identification of alpha BE-1, alpha BE-2, alpha BE-3, and MRF control elements.

Abstract The murine alpha B-crystallin gene (a member of the small heat shock protein family) is expressed constitutively at high levels in the lens and at lower levels in many other tissues, including skeletal muscle. We have previously used the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter fused to the human growth hormone gene to identify an alpha B-crystallin enhancer at positions -427 to -259 that has high activity in muscle and low activity in lens cell lines. In the study reported here, we performed DNase I footprinting, transfection, mutagenesis, and electrophoretic mobility shift experiments using the murine C2C12 muscle and alpha TN4-1 lens cell lines and the rabbit N/N1003A lens cell line to identify sequences responsible for activity of this enhancer. Enhancer activity in both the muscle and lens cells was dependent on novel elements called alpha BE-1 (-407 to -397), alpha BE-2 (-360 to -327), and alpha BE-3 (-317 to -306). These elements were also weakly occupied by nuclear proteins in L929 cells, which appear to express the alpha B-crystallin gene at a very low level (detectable only by the polymerase chain reaction). A fourth element containing a consensus muscle regulatory factor-binding site called MRF (-300 to -288) was occupied and used only by the C2C12 muscle cells. Cotransfection in NIH 3T3 cells and antibody-gel shift experiments using C2C12 nuclear extracts indicated that MyoD, myogen, or a similar member of this family can activate the alpha B-crystallin enhancer by interaction with the MRF site. Taken together, we conclude that the alpha BE-1, alpha BE-2, and alpha BE-3 elements are shared by both lens and muscle cells, but the MRF element is used only in muscle cells, providing the first example of a muscle-specific control element in a crystallin gene.
Numerical simulation of two-dimensional inlet flowfields

Inlet flowfields for airbreathing missiles are calculated by a two-dimensional computational method. A supersonic freestream is assumed to allow the forebody calculation to be uncoupled from the inlet calculation. The inlet calculation employs an implicit, time-marching, finite difference procedure to solve the Euler equations formulated in body-fitted coordinates. The method can be used for a flowfield with both subsonic and supersonic regions and is found to converge rapidly for supercritical inlet operation. For subcritical inlet operation, however, convergence to steady state is slow.
How much magma is required to rift a continent

article i nfo Article history: Many continental rifts are associated with and preceded by the formation of large igneous provinces. Partial melting of a large region of anomalously hot, upwelling mantle isrequired to explain these huge volumes of pre- and syn-rift basaltic magma. The uplift associated with a shallow region of hot mantle is often invoked as a cause of the "rift-push" force that may drive the observed extension. The rift-push force is likely to be an order of magnitude toosmall todrive tectonicstretching of normal continentallithosphere, but may besufficient to drive opening of lithosphere-cutting dikes. Intrusion of a sequence of such dikes along a narrow zone may provide enough heat to significantly weaken the lithosphere. Here we use a newly developed 2D numerical approach, in which magma filled dikes open in continental lithosphere in response to an evolving model stress field, and the advection and diffusion of heat is tracked, to investigate the relation between the volume of magma and the amount of lithospheric weakening. The available rifting force, lithospheric structure, and parameters controlling magma flux are varied in the numerical simulations. For continental lithosphere ≥60 km thick (HL=H1200 °C) heat diffusion is unimportant and only a small amount of magma is required ( 10-20 m.y. similar to "magmatic rifts" like the Red Sea).
P-31 nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the appearance of an isotropic component in dielaidoylphosphatidylethanolamine

We have utilized phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance, which provides an excellent means of characterizing the physical state of lipids, to investigate the polymorphic phase behavior of pure dielaidoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DEPE). We have observed a sharp isotropic component in the typical bilayer and inverted hexagonal P-31 NMR spectra. This component appears in the spectra of both the bilayer and inverted hexagonal lipid phases after several cycles through the bilayer-to-hexagonal phase transition. The magnitude of the isotropic component increased as a function of the number of cycles through the transition. The appearance of this component was not a function of time at constant temperature, but only a function of the number of cycles through the transition. The isotropic component is stable at all temperatures above the gel-to-liquid crystal transition, but it abruptly disappears when the lipid is cooled below the gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition. It is suggested that this isotropic phase is similar to the isotropic phase observed in dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) by x-ray diffraction and identified as a cubic phase (Shyamsunder, E., S. M. Gruner, M. W. Tate, D. C. Turner, P. T. C. So, and C. P. S. Tilcock. 1988. Biochemistry. 27:2332–2336).
Upwarp of anomalous asthenosphere beneath the Rio Grande rift

Continental rifts are possible analogues of mid-ocean ridges, although major plate tectonic features are less clearly observed1. Current thermal models of mid-ocean ridges2–4 consist of solid lithospheric plates overlying the hotter, less viscous asthenosphere, with plate thickness increasing away from the ridge axis. The lithospheric lower boundary lies at or near the melting point isotherm, so that at greater depths higher temperatures account for lower viscosity, lower seismic velocities and possibly partial melting. Upwarp of this boundary at the ridge axis concentrates heat there, thus lowering densities by expansion and raising the sea floor to the level of thermal isostatic equilibrium. At slow spreading ridges, a major central graben forms owing to the mechanics of magma injection into the crust5. Topography, heat flow, gravity and seismic studies support these models. On the continents, a low-velocity channel has been observed, although it is poorly developed beneath ancient cratons6–9. Plate tectonic models have been applied to continental basins and margins10–12, but further similarities to the oceanic models remain elusive. Topographic uplift is often ascribed to Airy type isostatic compensation caused by crustal thickening, rather than thermal compensation in the asthenosphere. Here we discuss the Rio Grande rift, in southwestern United States. Teleseismic P-wave residuals show that regional uplift is explained by asthenosphere uplift rather than crustal thickening.
Efficacy of interactive, automated programmed instruction in nutrition education for cancer prevention.

Abstract Ninety‐two undergraduates were assigned into groups to evaluate the effectiveness of interactive, computer‐delivered programmed instruction for nutrition education on the topic of diet and cancer compared to traditional passive modes of instruction. Students were monitored for knowledge gains by means of a single 50‐item test and an application task, using a 4‐day diet record, administered 4 weeks prior to and 3 weeks after intervention. Results indicated that although subjects in the interactive group took nearly twice as long to complete the program, having the opportunity to respond to program blanks, this group produced significantly greater knowledge gains and lowered their fat intake by 41.8% compared to 26.1 % reduction in fat intake in the noninteractive computer group and 18.6% in the passive prose text groups. Results suggest that interactive, computer‐delivered, programmed instruction can be a very important adjunct to health care and cancer prevention programs at high schools and univ...
First-principles electronic structure and its relation to thermoelectric properties of Bi 2 Te 3

The electronic structure of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3},$ which is a major constituent of the best thermoelectric material operating at room temperature, was calculated by using the first principles full-potential linearized-augmented-plane-wave method with spin-orbit interaction included by a second variational method. A search of the whole Brillouin zone shows that the band edges are located off the symmetry lines, with locations that are in accord with the phenomenological six-band model. In doped ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3},$ Fermi surfaces near the band edges show a nonparabolic behavior. At a high doping concentration, the Fermi surfaces display elongated features, i.e., a knifelike Fermi surface for the valence band and spoonlike Fermi surfaces for the conduction band, which can be attributed to the layered structure of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}.$ The effect of the anisotropic electronic structure combined with a low lattice thermal conductivity of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ gives a large figure of merit.
Thin Film Deposition and Photodissociation Mechanisms for Lanthanide Oxide Production from Tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)-Ln(III) in Laser-Assisted MOCVD

Photoionization mass spectrometry reveals details of the multistep unimolecular mechanism, whereby the 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato (thd−) anionic ligand decomposes, while still bound in the metal complex, to yield a gas-phase metal oxide product in metal−organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of lanthanide oxides from Ln(thd)3 precursors. The decomposition occurs with stepwise elimination of small closed-shell hydrocarbon fragments and carbon monoxide up to a penultimate Ln(OC2H) ethyneoxide, from which both LnO (dominant) and LnC2 (minor) products are derived. Formation of the metal oxide and carbide occurs in competition with a previously described mechanism(1-3) wherein sequential dissociation of ligand radicals produces the reduced metal Ln0. Evidence for gas-phase formation of a Ln2(thd)6 dimer as a result of expansion-cooling in the precursor source assembly is also given. Laser-assisted MOCVD of Eu(thd)3 on silica, with subsequent exposure to atmosphere, produces amorphous Eu2O3 with ...