cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Degradation of chemical warfare agent simulants using gas–liquid pulsed streamer discharges

This study determines the effectiveness of pulsed streamer discharges (PSD), a type of advanced oxidation technology (AOT) to clean water contaminated with chemical agents. For the purpose of this study, experiments were conducted with G and H agent simulants to determine the degradation kinetics and to determine the effects of various electrical and chemical parameters in the degradation of these contaminants. The energy efficiency of contaminant degradation shows that pulsed streamer discharges can be an efficient technology in treating water contaminated with chemical agents. The maximum energy yields of degradation of H and G agent simulants by the pulsed corona discharges are 0.029 and 0.008 molecules/100 eV, respectively, in the series configuration with ferrous sulfate salt in solution.
Formation of Poliovirus-like Particles by Recombinant Baculoviruses Expressing the Individual VP0, VP3, and VP1 Proteins by Comparison to Particles Derived from the Expressed Poliovirus Polyprotein

The cDNA sequences encoding the VP0, VP3, and VP1 structural proteins of poliovirus type 3 (strain P3/Leon/37) have been individually cloned and used to prepare recombinant baculoviruses based on Autographs californica nuclear polyhedrosis viruses (AcNPV). Expression of the proteins was monitored in virus-infected Spodoptera frugiperda cells. Both the individually expressed VP0 protein and VP0 derived from the complete poliovirus coding region were shown to incorporate myristic acid. A significant improvement in VP0 protein yield was obtained when the amino terminal glycine of VP0 was changed to alanine (VP0/ala), suggesting that the presence of glycine or its myristylation is unfavorable for VP0 expression. Even so, the expression levels of the poliovirus capsid proteins were low by comparison with those obtained for other foreign genes (e.g., lacZ). The reason does not appear to be due to protein instability or, from the studies undertaken with VP0, the sequences that flank the AUG codon. Using recombinant baculoviruses that express VP0, VP1, and VP3 (or VP0/ala, VP1, and VP3), poliovirus-like particles (VLPs) were isolated from infected S. frugiperda cells. Examination by electron microscopy of the VLPs purified by CsCl gradient centrifugation revealed structures corresponding in size, appearance, and antigenicity to those expected for poliovirus procapsids; however, the yields of particles were low when compared to those derived from a construct (AcLeon) that expresses the complete coding region of poliovirus type 3, indicating that procapsid synthesis from the P1 precursor is a more favored route.
Cation transport and energy metabolism in the nucleated erythrocyte of the dogfish shark, Squalus acanthias.

Abstract 1. 1. Electrolyte distribution in the nucleated erythrocyte of the dogfish shark, Squalus acanthias, resembles that found in low Na+-high K+ mammalian erythrocytes. 2. 2. Na+ efflux (20°C) averaged 14·9 ± 2·7 m-equiv × kg RBC H2O−1 × hr−1, being reduced significantly by monoiodoacetate (10−2 M), N2 exposure, and ouabain (10−4 M). 3. 3. K+ influx (20°C) averaged 9·1 ±4·0 m-equiv × kg RBC H2O−1× hr−1, being reduced significantly by exposure to 12°C and ouabain (10−4 M). 4. 4. Total O2 consumption (30°C) averaged 3·14 ± 0·76 mM × kg RBC H2O−1× hr−1. Sixty-five per cent of QO2 is related to ATP generation. 5. 5. Lactate production (30°C) averaged 1·52 mM × kg RBC H2O−1 × hr−1. Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation produced a Pasteur effect. 6. 6. Total energy availability exceeds that required for cation transport, suggesting that other energy-consuming processes are present. A substantial amount of energy required for cation transport is presumably derived from oxidative phosphorylation.
Development of Questionnaires to Measure Psychosocial Influences on Children's Physical Activity

Abstract Background. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate questionnaires used to measure psychosocial determinants of physical activity in preadolescent children. Methods. Three theory-based questionnaires and a measure of after-school physical activity were administered to 422 fifth-grade students. A cross-validation design was employed for psychometric development of the scales, including factor analysis, reliability, and validation by correlating scale scores with intention to be physically active and after-school physical activity. Results. The Social Influences scale contained a single factor. The Self-Efficacy scale contained three factors: support seeking, barriers, and positive alternatives. The Beliefs scale contained two factors: social outcomes and physical activity outcomes. Reliability coefficients ranged from about 0.50 to 0.78. Significant correlations were obtained between all six scales and intention in the development sample, and between five scales and intention in the validation sample. Significant correlations were obtained between social influence and self-efficacy barriers and physical activity in the development sample, and between social influences and physical activity in the validation sample. Conclusions. Three scales to measure psychosocial determinants of physical activity were refined for use with rural, predominantly African-American, preadolescent children, and shown to be both reliable and valid. Factor analysis resulted in interpretable subscales that may be used as variables. These preliminary results provide support for using the scales to measure influences on activity in children.
Phase transition in a lipid bilayer. II. Influence of adamantane derivatives

Abstract The influence of thirty-four adamantane, protoadamantane, and homoadamantane derivatives on the phase transition characteristics of the bilayer in dipalmitoyl lecithin liposomes has been determined by differential scanning calorimetry. Each of these compounds induces a broadening of the phase transition profile of the lipid bilayer that is dependent upon the concentration of the solute and its molecular structure. The concentration-response curves obtained for these solutes suggest that the cage compound derivatives modify the phase properties and under some conditions may induce a phase separation in the doped bilayer. The relative activity sequences obtained for the compounds examined cannot be accounted for by simple considerations of lipid/water partition coefficients, substitution constants based on free energy relationships, or the relative polarities or sizes of substituent groups. The observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the position and orientation of a solute within the bilayer are critical factors in determining its relative potency. The position of a solute within the bilayer is significantly controlled by the presence of polar substituents and by the relative geometric relationships of these groups. For a given substituent group, the shape and size of the hydrocarbon cage becomes increasingly can significantly alter its influence on the phase transition behavior of a bilayer.
A Model for Converting Dilatometric Strain Measurements to the Fraction of Phase Formed during the Transformation of Austenite to Martensite in Powder Metallurgy Steels

A model is developed to allow converting dilatometric strains that occur during the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) of austenite to martensite to volume fraction martensite formed in powder metallurgy steels. Unlike existing models, this model can accurately account for the observed decrease in the measured transformation strain with increased porosity. As a demonstration, the model is used to accurately calculate the volume fraction of martensite formed during the CCT of austenite to martensite in FL-4605 PM steel.
Density Functional Theory Prediction of the Relative Energies and Isotope Effects for the Concerted and Stepwise Mechanisms of the Diels−Alder Reaction of Butadiene and Ethylene

Density-functional theory has been applied to the study of the mechanism of the Diels−Alder reaction of butadiene and ethylene. Both synchronous concerted and two-step diradical mechanisms were studied at the Becke3LYP/6-31G* level. The lowest energy stepwise pathway has a free energy of activation 7.7 kcal/mol above that of the concerted path. Spin correction of the spin-contaminated diradical transition structure energy reduces this energy difference to 2.3 kcal/mol. A study of the H2 potential energy surface suggests that the spin-projection procedure overcorrects the energies of diradical species; the diradical energies likely fall between the corrected and uncorrected values. Thus, the free energy of concert for the Diels−Alder reaction is predicted to be between 2.3 and 7.7 kcal/mol, in excellent agreement with thermochemical estimates. Energies of reaction and geometries of the reactants and product are in good agreement with available experimental results. Calculated secondary kinetic isotope effe...
Drug effects on mouse exploratory behavior

Ditran, atropine sulfate, d-amphetamine, chlorpromazine, or isotonic saline were administered intraperitoneally to BDF1 mice prior to measurement of exploratory activity. D-amphetamine and chlorpromazine decreased exploration, whereas the anticholinergic compounds Ditran and atropine sulfate increased exploratory activity.
When minor is minor and major is major: Language expansion, contraction and death

Abstract Beginning with the premise that any meaningful interpretation of the notion ‘minority language’ is necessarily comparative in scope, an attempt is made to provide a linguistically valid definition of minority language, as well as language expansion, contraction and death. A continuum is established, the terminal nodes of which are defined by an isolate vs. non‐isolate contrast, and this continuum is then designed to display probative criteria: synthesis/analysis, syntagmaticisation/para‐digmaticisation, retention vs. loss of ‘core’ suppletion, greater/lesser pragmaticity, and so on. This continuum is framed within a biologistic model: linguistic strategies are viewed as prognostic hypotheses for survival, that is, as theories of purposive adaptation. Salient features of a critical mid‐point (fusion creolisation) are amply defined. The lesser contact node of the continuum is illustrated by isolates, while the greater contact node is illustrated by creoles. Finally, it is shown that minority langua...
Cell surface arabinogalactan-proteins and their relation to cell proliferation and viability

Two “Paul's Scarlet” rose (Rosa sp.) suspension cultures, Rosa 57 and Rosa 93. differed in their response to (β-D-Glc)3, a Yariv phenylglycoside that selectively binds to arabinogalactanproteins (AGPs). The growth of both of these cell lines was strongly inhibited by (β-D-Glc)3, but while the effect was readily reversible with Rosa 57, initial tests showed that the viability of Rosa 93 was severely compromised. Over a period of time, as the cell cultures were passaged in normal medium, aliquots were drawn and tested for sensitivity to (β-D-Glc)3. While all tests of Rosa 93 continued to show that (β-D-Glc)3 strongly inhibited growth, the viability and capacity for growth recovery after treatment progressively improved with passage number. The decreased proliferation and/or viability of these cell cultures in the presence of (β-D-Glc)3 was hypothesized to be due to the perturbation of AGPs. Since Rosa 57 and Rosa 93 differ in their response to (β-D-Glc)3, this hypothesis led to the prediction that these cell lines would also differ in their AGP complements. Electrophoretic and compositional analyses showed that Rosa 57 and Rosa 93 did differ in both the numbers and abundances of AGPs isolated from the cell walls and the conditioned culture medium. The amount of cell wall-associated AGPs in Rosa 93 increased with passage number and reached approximately three times the amount of cell wall-associated AGPs in Rosa 57. Conversely, Rosa 57 suspension cells accumulated a greater amount of AGPs in their conditioned culture medium than did Rosa 93 suspension cells. A cell cycle analysis was performed on Rosa 57 cells that were treated with (β-D-Glc)3 and blocked in cell division. The results showed that the cells were not preferentially arrested in S, G2, or M phase.
Mid Pleistocene climate instability in the subtropical northwestern Atlantic

Abstract We present Globigerinoides ruber, G. sacculifer and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei oxygen isotope records from northwestern subtropical Atlantic Site 1058 spanning the mid Pleistocene (∼ 600 to 400 ka). The high temporal resolution of these records (∼ 800 yr) allows us to compare millennial-scale climate signals during one of the most extreme glacial periods of the Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12) to an earlier, less extreme glacial (MIS 14), as well as to two full interglacial intervals (MIS 13 and MIS 15). We observe excellent agreement in the timing and amplitude of variations between the surface-most dwelling species G. ruber and Northern Hemisphere insolation during the two interglacial periods. There is some expression of Northern Hemisphere insolation during glacial MIS 14; however, during the more extreme glacial MIS 12 Northern Hemisphere insolation patterns are not apparent in any of the planktonic foraminiferal δ 18 O records. Insolation remains relatively high, but δ 18 O values increase toward the characteristic δ 18 O maximum of MIS 12 in all three of the records. On the millennial-scale, all three species display their highest amplitude δ 18 O variations (with a period between 4–6 kyr) during glacial MIS 12. Suborbital-scale variability is also statistically significant during glacial MIS 14, but the amplitude is smaller. These results support hypotheses linking millennial-scale climate fluctuations to the extent of continental glaciation. We propose that the relatively high degree of sea surface instability during one of the most extreme glacial periods of the Pleistocene arises from the competing effects of strong atmospheric winds related to the presence of a large ice sheet to the north and persistently high incident solar radiation during this interval of time.
Calligraphic Interfaces: An initial evaluation of MathPad 2 : A tool for creating dynamic mathematical illustrations

MathPad2 is a pen-based application prototype for creating mathematical sketches. Using a modeless gestural interface, it lets users make dynamic illustrations by associating handwritten mathematics with free-form drawings and provides a set of tools for graphing and evaluating mathematical expressions and solving equations. In this paper, we present the results of an initial evaluation of the MathPad2 prototype, examining the user interface's intuitiveness and the application's perceived usefulness. Our evaluations are based on both performance and questionnaire results including first attempt gesture performance, interface recall tests, and surveys of user interface satisfaction and perceived usefulness. The results of our evaluation suggest that, although some test subjects had difficulty with our mathematical expression recognizer, they found the interface, in general, intuitive and easy to remember. More importantly, these results suggest the prototype has the potential to assist beginning physics and mathematics students in problem solving and understanding scientific concepts.
The distribution of human C4 DNA variants in relation to major histocompatibility complex alleles and extended haplotypes.

Abstract A C4 DNA polymorphism that can subdivide C4 allotypes and major histocompatibility complex-linked complement gene cluster allele combinations (complotypes) that are not distinguishable by standard electrophoretic means was used to assess further the distribution and linkage association of C4 variants. Segregation of the DNA polymorphism in family studies allowed assignment of particular variants to particular major histocompatibility complex haplotypes. These studies revealed that some complotypes were exclusively correlated with a particular C4 DNA variant, whereas others were not and could be subdivided according to which particular C4 DNA variant was observed. When complotypes that could be subdivided at the DNA level were considered in relation to flanking major histocompatibility complex markers, it was apparent that complotypes associated with major histocompatibility complex “extended haplotypes” had an exclusive correlation with a particular C4 DNA variant. This finding supports the hypothesis that “extended haplotypes” are unique associations of major histocompatibility complex allele combinations and are genetically similar, stably inherited units.
Effective Strategies for Landscape-Scale Weed Control: A Case Study of the Skagit Knotweed Working Group, Washington

ABSTRACT: Numerous studies describe the biology of invasive plants and control techniques for addressing site-specific infestations. However, few describe the practical steps and components needed to control invasives at larger, more ecologically-meaningful scales. The Skagit Knotweed Working Group was formed in 2000 to control Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. & Zucc.) and related congeners (knotweed) throughout the upper Skagit River system. Based on our experience, we present several elements that we consider necessary for a successful landscape-scale weed control program: (1) delineation of a clearly defined project area; (2) setting realistic and attainable program goals; (3) the ability to quantify and report measures of control success; (4) engaged partnerships of major public and private landowners; (5) coordination of partner effort to encompass the entire project area; (6) participation of small private landowners; (7) biologically-based, adaptive, and prioritized control strategy; a...
Cryo-reconstructions of P22 polyheads suggest that phage assembly is nucleated by trimeric interactions among coat proteins

Bacteriophage P22 forms an isometric capsid during normal assembly, yet when the coat protein (CP) is altered at a single site, helical structures (polyheads) also form. The structures of three distinct polyheads obtained from F170L and F170A variants were determined by cryo-reconstruction methods. An understanding of the structures of aberrant assemblies such as polyheads helps to explain how amino acid substitutions affect the CP, and these results can now be put into the context of CP pseudo-atomic models. F170L CP forms two types of polyhead and each has the CP organized as hexons (oligomers of six CPs). These hexons have a skewed structure similar to that in procapsids (precursor capsids formed prior to dsDNA packaging), yet their organization differs completely in polyheads and procapsids. F170A CP forms only one type of polyhead, and though this has hexons organized similarly to hexons in F170L polyheads, the hexons are isometric structures like those found in mature virions. The hexon organization in all three polyheads suggests that nucleation of procapsid assembly occurs via a trimer of CP monomers, and this drives formation of a T = 7, isometric particle. These variants also form procapsids, but they mature quite differently: F170A expands spontaneously at room temperature, whereas F170L requires more energy. The P22 CP structure along with scaffolding protein interactions appear to dictate curvature and geometry in assembled structures and residue 170 significantly influences both assembly and maturation.
Three-dimensional confocal microscopy of the human optic nerve in vivo.

A scanning laser confocal microscope was used to visualize the human fundus (the back portion of the eyeball, as seen by means of the ophthalmoscope) in vivo from near the retinal surface to deep within the optic nerve head. Thirty-two optical sections based on reflected light were acquired, digitized and aligned to compensate for small eye movements. The registered stack of optical sections was reconstructed with three-dimensional volume rendering software and presented as a movie. The three-dimensional rendering presents a new technique to view the optic nerve. This technique is clinically important since morphological changes of the lamina cribrosa of the optic nerve may be involved in glaucoma.
Sorption of cadmium on hydrous ferric oxide at high sorbate/sorbent ratios: Equilibrium, kinetics, and modeling

Equilibrium and kinetics data for cadmium sorption on hydrous ferric oxide are presented for a wide range of sorbate/sorbent ratios. The equilibrium data follow a Langmuir isotherm at low Cd2+ concentrations (<10−6 M), a Freundlich isotherm at low to moderate concentrations (10−6–10−3 M), and exhibit a maximum sorption density at the highest concentrations. A two-site surface complexation model is needed to fit the equilibrium data. To describe the expected transition from adsorption to precipitations as Cd(OH)2(s) saturates, the surface precipitation model (Farley, K. J., Dzombak, D. A., and Morel, F. M. M., J. Colloid Interface Sci. 106, 226, 1985) can be incorporated in the two-site complexation model without addition of fitting parameters. The kinetics of cadmium sorption slow considerably as the sorbate/sorbent ratio is increased, and these results are consistent with the equilibrium data in that rate expressions based on two site types are necessary to fit the kinetics data corresponding to high sorbate/sorbent ratios.
Regulatory focus affects physician risk tolerance

Risk tolerance is a source of variation in physician decision-making. This variation, if independent of clinical concerns, can result in mistaken utilization of health services. To address such problems, it will be helpful to identify nonclinical factors of risk tolerance, particularly those amendable to intervention – regulatory focus theory suggests such a factor. This study tested whether regulatory focus affects risk tolerance among primary care physicians. Twenty-seven primary care physicians were assigned to promotion-focused or prevention-focused manipulations and compared on the Risk Taking Attitudes in Medical Decision Making scale using a randomization test. Results provide evidence that physicians assigned to the promotion-focus manipulation adopted an attitude of greater risk tolerance than the physicians assigned to the prevention-focused manipulation (P=0.01). The Cohen’s d statistic was conventionally large at 0.92. Results imply that situational regulatory focus in primary care physicians affects risk tolerance and may thereby be a nonclinical source of practice variation. Results also provide marginal evidence that chronic regulatory focus is associated with risk tolerance (P=0.05), but the mechanism remains unclear. Research and intervention targeting physician risk tolerance may benefit by considering situational regulatory focus as an explanatory factor.
Cell Biology of Secretion

The sections in this article are: 1 Intracellular Transport in Vesicles 2 Membrane Fusion and Exocytosis 2.1 Investigations in Synaptic Vesicles 2.2 Investigations in Yeast 2.3 Reconstituted Systems of Transport 2.4 Convergence of Separate Approaches 2.5 Calcium Dependence of Stimulated Neurotransmitter Release 2.6 Docking Vesicles to the Correct Membrane 2.7 Other Fusion Mechanisms 2.8 Evidence for SNAP-NSF-Mediated Docking/Fusion With Dense Core Granules 2.9 Exocytosis in Endocrine Cells 3 Membrane Budding and Endocytosis 3.1 Budding Involving Clathrin 3.2 Budding Involving COPI/ARF 3.3 Endocytosis in Endocrine Cells 3.4 Formation of Secretory Granules in Endocrine Cells
Conversational lives: visualizing interpersonal online social interactions

The dynamic and distributed nature of interactions on popular social network platforms creates challenges in personally understanding the collective meaning and impact of this disparate activity over time. We propose the development of the Social Reflector application, a dynamic visualization interface for exploring individual social network activity over time. We discuss the design, implementation and evaluation of three visual strategies for representing key facets of social communication interactions - conversation potential, activity rhythms, and interpersonal communications. Findings and results from a preliminary user study with Facebook users are presented and promising future research directions introduced.
Prevalence and impact of migraine.

Headache is an ancient affliction described as early as 3000 BC. 38 It is also an extremely common affliction: One population-based study estimated that 90% of men and 95% of women had unprovoked headaches annually. 20 Although studied for centuries, the epidemiology of primary headache disorders has been clarified only in the last 2 decades. Understanding the epidemiology of headache is important from both clinical and public health perspectives. 19,23,25 Epidemiologic data describe the scope and distribution of various headache disorders. Information about the impact of headache on individual headache sufferers, whether or not they consult doctors, can be used to assess health care delivery and to devise interventions to improve diagnosis and treatment. 25,41,53 This article first discusses the methodologic issues that influence the study of headache epidemiology. The studies of migraine prevalence and incidence are reviewed as well. The next section summarizes some data on the impact of migraine on individual headache sufferers and society. The article closes with a discussion of the clinical implications of these epidemiologic data.
Vitamin A deficiency alters the pulmonary parenchymal elastic modulus and elastic fiber concentration in rats

Background: Bronchial hyperreactivity is influenced by properties of the conducting airways and the surrounding pulmonary parenchyma, which is tethered to the conducting airways. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is associated with an increase in airway hyperreactivity in rats and a decrease in the volume density of alveoli and alveolar ducts. To better define the effects of VAD on the mechanical properties of the pulmonary parenchyma, we have studied the elastic modulus, elastic fibers and elastin gene-expression in rats with VAD, which were supplemented with retinoic acid (RA) or remained unsupplemented. Methods: Parenchymal mechanics were assessed before and after the administration of carbamylcholine (CCh) by determining the bulk and shear moduli of lungs that that had been removed from rats which were vitamin A deficient or received a control diet. Elastin mRNA and insoluble elastin were quantified and elastic fibers were enumerated using morphometric methods. Additional morphometric studies were performed to assess airway contraction and alveolar distortion. Results: VAD produced an approximately 2-fold augmentation in the CCh-mediated increase of the bulk modulus and a significant dampening of the increase in shear modulus after CCh, compared to vitamin A sufficient (VAS) rats. RA-supplementation for up to 21 days did not reverse the effects of VAD on the elastic modulus. VAD was also associated with a decrease in the concentration of parenchymal elastic fibers, which was restored and was accompanied by an increase in tropoelastin mRNA after 12 days of RA-treatment. Lung elastin, which was resistant to 0.1 N NaOH at 98°, decreased in VAD and was not restored after 21 days of RA-treatment. Conclusion: Alterations in parenchymal mechanics and structure contribute to bronchial hyperreactivity in VAD but they are not reversed by RA-treatment, in contrast to the VAD-related alterations in the airways.
Bronchopulmonary arterial communications in pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect.

Abstract The case of a 23 year old woman with pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect is presented. A continuous murmur was produced by large bilateral anastomoses between bronchial and first order pulmonary arteries. Interesting clinical features included absence of cyanosis because of large pulmonary blood flow, and successful completion of a pregnancy. Death was due to the rupture of a large pulmonary aneurysm.
Accidental deposition of local anaesthetic in the subdural space following caudal block

The incidence of accidental injection of local anaesthetic into the subdural space during neuraxial blockade is rare. The presentation of unexplainable clinical signs that do not match the clinical picture of subarachnoid or intravascular injection of the local anaesthetic agent should invoke high suspicion of unintentional subdural block. We report on a case of a six-month-old infant who developed motor block and unconsciousness with haemodynamic stability, following a caudal block for postoperative analgesia. The report will help to illustrate the mechanism behind the complication of subdural deposition of the drug, its detection, treatment and possible avoidance.
Content Specificity of Expert Judgments in a Standard‐Setting Study

This study investigated the comparability of Angoff-based item ratings on a general education test battery made by judges from within-content specialties and across content domains. Judges were from English, mathematics, science, and social studies specialties in teacher education programs in a midwestern state. Cutscores established from the judges' ratings of out-of-content items differed little from the cutscores set using the ratings made by the content specialists. Further, out-of-content ratings by judges were not more influenced by performance data than were the ratings provided by judges rating items within their content specialty. The degree to which these results generalize to other content specialties needs to be investigated. In a typical Angoff-based judgmental standard-setting study, a group of judges is convened. During training, the judges are instructed to focus on the skills and abilities of a hypothetical minimally competent candidate. These judges then assess each item in the examination by providing independent estimates of the conditional probability that a randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer it correctly. After these initial estimates are made, performance data are often provided to the judges. These performance data are usually obtained from an administration of the test to a sample of examinees who are representative of the total population; the item difficulty indices for the total group are reported to the judges. Occasionally, when an external criterion is available, performance data for examinees classified as "empirically minimally competent" are also shared with the judges. The judges are typically asked to reconsider their initial estimates and provide revised estimates of item difficulty for the hypothetical minimally competent candidate group. One critical feature of a standard-setting study is the selection of the judges who will provide the assessments of predicted item performance by the minimally competent candidate group. Jaeger (1991) specifies several criteria for judge selection, including content specificity (i.e., domain of specialization) of the judge. Most standard-setting studies utilize content experts as judges. Some studies have compared standard-setting results from different expert groups. For example, Cross, Frary, Kelly, Small, and Impara (1985) compared the cutscore results from two groups of content specialists-teachers in public high schools and teacher-educators in college/university settings-on a generalized teacher education battery. They found that different standards resulted from these two content specialist groups. Also, Busch and Jaeger (1990) found similar effects for public school- and
A low-power implantable event-based seizure detection algorithm

Closed-loop neurostimulation has shown great promise as an alternate therapy for over 30% of the epileptic patient population that remain non-responsive to other forms of treatment. We present an event-based seizure detection algorithm that can be implemented in real-time using low power digital CMOS circuits to form an implantable epilepsy prosthesis. Seizures are detected by classifying and marking out ‘events’ in the recorded local field potential data and measuring the inter-event-intervals (IEI). The circuit implementation can be programmed post-implantation to custom fit the thresholds for detection. Hippocampal depth electrode recordings are used to validate the efficacy of a designed hardware prototype and thresholds are tuned to produce less than 5% false positives from recorded data.
Effects of non-fat dairy products added to the routine diet on vascular function: A randomized controlled crossover trial

Abstract Background and aims High consumption of low- and non-fat dairy products is associated with reduced risk of high blood pressure (BP) and central arterial stiffness. However, interventional studies to determine if the addition of non-fat dairy products to the diet is capable of reducing central BP and improving vascular function are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine if the solitary addition of non-fat dairy products to the normal routine diet would reduce central BP and improve vascular function in middle-aged and older adults with elevated BP. Methods and results Using a randomized, crossover intervention study design, forty-nine adults (44% men, 53 ± 2 years, 170 ± 2 cm, 88 ± 3 kg; mean ± SEM) with elevated BP (134 ± 1/81 ± 1 mm Hg) underwent a High Dairy condition (+4 servings/day of conventional non-fat dairy products) and No Dairy condition (+4 servings/day fruit products) in which all dairy products were removed. Both dietary conditions lasted 4 weeks with a 2-week washout before crossing over into the alternate condition. The High Dairy condition produced reductions in central systolic BP (−3 ± 1 mm Hg) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (−0.5 ± 0.1 m/sec), with a concomitant increase in brachial flow-mediated dilation (+1.1 ± 0.4%) and cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (+5 ± 1 ms/mm Hg) ( P P Conclusions The solitary manipulation of conventional dairy products in the normal routine diet modulates levels of central BP and vascular function in middle-aged and older adults with elevated BP. Clinical trial registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01577030.
Moisture absorption in uncured underfill materials

This paper presents a systematic study on moisture absorption in uncured underfill based on epoxy cured with acid anhydride [methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA)] and epoxy cured with non-acid anhydride curing agent. The influence of absorbed moisture on curing properties, thermomechanical property, and adhesion property of underfill after curing has been investigated. For epoxy cured with non-acid anhydride, the moisture absorption is low, and the absorbed moisture has no significant effect on the properties of cured underfill materials. For epoxy cured with acid anhydride, the moisture absorption before curing can be more than 2.0%, and the absorbed moisture can affect the properties significantly. The absorbed moisture can catalyze the curing reaction between acid anhydride and epoxy. The glass transition temperature of the cured samples is reduced after the underfill absorbs the moisture before curing. The adhesion strength decreases dramatically after the underfill absorbs the moisture before curing.
Taste Genes Associated with Dental Caries

Dental caries is influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, including dietary habits. Previous reports have characterized the influence of genetic variation on taste preferences and dietary habits. We therefore hypothesized that genetic variation in taste pathway genes (TAS2R38, TAS1R2, GNAT3) may be associated with dental caries risk and/or protection. Families were recruited by the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA) for collection of biological samples, demographic data, and clinical assessment of oral health, including caries scores. Multiple single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays for each gene were performed and analyzed by transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) analysis (FBAT software) for three dentition groups: primary, mixed, and permanent. Statistically significant associations were seen in TAS2R38 and TAS1R2 for caries risk and/or protection.
On Reconstruction of the Diffusion and of the Principal Coefficient of a Hyperbolic Equation

Consider the second order hyperbolic equation $${u_{{tt}}} - div\left( {a\nabla u} \right) + b{u_{t}} = 0{\text{ }}in{\text{ }}Q = \times \left( {0,T} \right)$$ (1.1) with zero initial conditions $$u = {u_{t}} = 0{\text{ }}on{\text{ }}\Omega \left\{ 0 \right\}$$ (1.2) and the lateral Neumann boundary condition $$a{\partial _{v}}u = h{\text{ }}on{\text{ }}\partial \Omega \times \left( {0,T} \right)$$ (1.3) Under rather general assumptions: a, 6 do not depend on x, are in L∞(Ω), a is C 1 near ∂Ω, and > ∈ > 0 this initial boundary value problem has a unique solution u, u t ∈ H 1 2 (Q) provided h, h t ∈ L2(oΩ × (0, T)), h = 0 on oΩ × {0}, and ∞ is a bounded domain in ℝ n with the boundary oΩ ∈ C 1 or fi is a half-space in ℝ n (and then h is assumed to be compactly supported). A solution u is understood in the generalized sense as a function satisfying the following integral equality \(\int\limits_{Q} {\left( {{u_{t}}{v_{t}} - a\nabla u \cdot \nabla v - b{u_{t}}v} \right)dx{\text{ }}dt = {\text{ }}\int\limits_{{\partial \Omega \times \left( {0,T} \right)}} {h{\text{ }}v{\text{ }}dS\left( {x,t} \right)} }\) for any function v from the same class as u but satisfying the zero Cauchy data on ∞ × {T}. In geophysics of fundamental importance is the following inverse problem: find a,b given either for one h (single boundary measurement) or for all (regular) h supported in F × (0,T). Here Γ is a part of oΩ which can coincide with oΩ, but in most of geophysical applications it is relatively small part of it. In fact, F is the observation area.
Discourses of Racist Nativism in California Public Education: English Dominance as Racist Nativist Microaggressions

This article uses a Latina/o critical theory framework (LatCrit), as a branch of critical race theory (CRT) in education, to understand how discourses of racist nativism—the institutionalized ways people perceive, understand and make sense of contemporary US immigration, that justifies native (white) dominance, and reinforces hegemonic power—emerge in California public K–12 education for Chicana students. I use data from 40 testimonio interviews with 20 undocumented and US-born Chicana students, to show how racist nativist discourses have been institutionalized in California public education by English hegemony, that maintains social, political, and economic dominance over Latina/o students and communities, regardless of actual nativity. Teacher practices of English dominance is a manifestation of this hegemony that can be articulated by the concept of racist nativist microaggression—systemic, everyday forms of racist nativism that are subtle, layered, and cumulative verbal and non-verbal assaults directe...
Preconception stress increases the risk of infertility: results from a couple-based prospective cohort study--the LIFE study.

study question: Are women’s stress levels prospectively associated with fecundity and infertility? summaryanswer: Higher levels of stress as measured by salivary alpha-amylase are associated with a longer time-to-pregnancy (TTP) and an increased risk of infertility. what is known already: Data suggest that stress and reproduction are interrelated; however, the directionality of that association is unclear. studydesign,size,duration: In 2005–2009, we enrolled 501 couples in a prospective cohort study with preconception enrollment at two research sites (Michigan and Texas, USA). Couples were followed for up to 12 months as they tried to conceive and through pregnancy if it occurred. A total of 401 (80%) couples completed the study protocol and 373 (93%) had complete data available for this analysis. participants/materials,setting,methods: Enrolled women collected saliva the morning following enrollment and then the morning following their first observed study menses for the measurement of cortisol and alpha-amylase, which are biomarkers of stress. TTP was measured in cycles. Covariate data were captured on both a baseline questionnaire and daily journals. main results and the role of chance: Among the 401 (80%) women who completed the protocol, 347 (87%) became pregnant and 54 (13%) did not. After adjustment for female age, race, income, and use of alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes while trying to conceive, women in the highest tertile of alpha-amylase exhibited a 29% reduction in fecundity (longer TTP) compared with women in the lowest tertile [fecundability odds ratios (FORs) ¼ 0.71; 95% confidence interval (CI) ¼ (0.51, 1.00); P , 0.05]. This reduction in fecundity translated into a .2-fold increased risk of infertility among these women [relative risk (RR) ¼ 2.07; 95% CI ¼ (1.04, 4.11)]. In contrast, we found no association between salivary cortisol and fecundability. limitations, reasons for caution: Due to fiscal and logistical concerns, we were unable to collect repeated saliva samples and perceived stress questionnaire data throughout the duration of follow-up. Therefore, we were unable to examine whether stress levels increased as women continued to fail to get pregnant. Our ability to control for potential confounders using time-varying data from the daily journals, however, minimizes residual confounding. wider implications of the findings: This is the first US study to demonstrate a prospective association between salivary stress biomarkers and TTP, and the first in the world to observe an association with infertility.
The roles of life course resources on social work minority students’ educational aspirations

This study seeks to investigate the importance of life course capital on the educational aspirations of 40 social work undergraduates who were predominantly visible ethnic minority, immigrant descendants or non-traditional students in the mainstream US. Applying the resource perspective in this context, minority students’ academic successes hinge on their ability to acquire valuable resources needed for academic success over their life course (e.g. economic capital such as parental financial investment, scholarship and financial aids; cultural capital such as educational aspirations and values; and social capital such as parents’ involvement and social networks). Overall, minority social work students in this study face a multifaceted array of challenges associated with family financial strain, poor quality of early education, work obligations and economic constraints. Despite the fact that the participants exhibited a remarkable range of educational resilience, the diversities in their journeys to social...
Report of the adult treatment panel III: the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines on the detection, evaluation and treatment of elevated cholesterol in adults

The ATP III report represents an important advance from previous ATP reports dating back to the late 1980s. The guidelines are more tightly evidence-based than previous reports, partly because of evolution of the guideline process, requiring clearly delineated links between evidence and recommendations and also because of the robust evidence base published over the last decade. An important change in ATP III is the expansion of the high-risk category to include patients without evident vascular disease, but with a level of risk equivalent to those patients with established CHD. This group termed "coronary heart disease equivalents" now includes patients with diabetes, and those with a 10-year absolute risk of over 20 percent for CHD events. With the ATP III report, the Framingham risk score is formally introduced into the guideline process. The scoring system allows for easy calculation of the absolute risk for an individual of having a "hard" CHD event (myocardial infarction, or CHD death). The report also discusses in detail concepts of lifetime or long-term risk. ATP III has broadened recommendations for lifestyle change termed "therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC)," and eliminated the step 1 and step 2 diet approach. Finally, the report details established approaches to improve adherence and provides patients and clinicians with a set of implementation tools to enhance use of the guidelines and compliance with the guidelines' recommendations. It is hoped that by improved understanding, recognition of a firm evidence base, and education through multiple channels, that adherence with the new ATP III guidelines will improve the care of our population by more effectively targeting lipid factors that lead to the development and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Experiences with the LEGO Mindstorms throughout the Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum

The LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention Systems are contemporary learning tools that have been used in a number of courses throughout the undergraduate Computer Science curriculum. However, with a few exceptions, very little information is available describing the degree to which Mindstorms projects improved (or hindered) the learning process in these courses. This paper describes personal experiences and provides practical advice for successfully incorporating Mindstorms projects into an undergraduate computer science course, as well as highlighting the types of assignments that have not worked well. Specifically, the author has incorporated Mindstorms projects into five courses: Fundamental Concepts of Computer Science (a non-major Computer Science course), Programming I, Programming II, a general programming language practicum, and the survey of Programming Languages course. These courses will be summarized, and the paper will conclude with a general discussion of lessons learned about Mindstorms use in the classroom.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Associated With Low Cardiovascular Mortality With Contemporary Management Strategies

Background—Youthful age has been considered the time of greatest risk for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), largely because of the possibility of sudden death. The last 2 decades hav...
Responses of the American Cockroach, Periplaneta Americana (L.), to High Concentrations of Dietary Aflatoxin B1

Aflatoxins are a group of fungal metabolites produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus and they may be found as contaminants in many stored agricultural products (Diener and Davis, 1969; Golumbic and Kulic, 1969). Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a highly toxic heptacarcinogen in most laboratory and domestic animals (Newberne and Butler, 1969); and has been shown to be more toxic than any of the other naturally occurring aflatoxins such as AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 (Butler and Wogan, 1965).
The Osmotic Pressure of Blood in Anaphylactic Shock in Rabbits

The antigen used was in all cases eggwhite in a 50% solution. The rabbits were sensitized by 4 to 7 intraperitoneal and intravenous injections of 3 to 5 cc. of 50% eggwhite given at intervals of 2 days. The shocking dose was administered 17 to 21 days after the last sensitizing injection. As a rule 3 cc. given intravenously caused lethal shock and in some cases 1 cc. given intravenously caused death with the usual symptoms of anaphylactic shock. In all experiments except those in which the rabbits were shocked by intraperitoneal injection, normal animals were given identical doses of eggwhite and blood was taken for study as in the case of the sensitized and shocked animals.