cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early immune responses have long-term associations with clinical, virologic, and immunologic outcomes in patients with COVID-19

Abstract The great majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections are mild and uncomplicated, but some individuals with initially mild COVID-19 progressively develop more severe symptoms. Furthermore, mild to moderate infections are an important contributor to ongoing transmission. There remains a critical need to identify host immune biomarkers predictive of clinical and virologic outcomes in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Leveraging longitudinal samples and data from a clinical trial of Peginterferon Lambda for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected outpatients, we used host proteomics and transcriptomics to characterize the trajectory of the immune response in COVID-19 patients within the first 2 weeks of symptom onset. We define early immune signatures, including plasma levels of RIG-I and the CCR2 ligands (MCP1, MCP2 and MCP3), associated with control of oropharyngeal viral load, the degree of symptom severity, and immune memory (including SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses and spike (S) protein-binding IgG levels). We found that individuals receiving BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) vaccine had similar early immune trajectories to those observed in this natural infection cohort, including the induction of both inflammatory cytokines (e.g. MCP1) and negative immune regulators (e.g. TWEAK). Finally, we demonstrate that machine learning models using 8-10 plasma protein markers measured early within the course of infection are able to accurately predict symptom severity, T cell memory, and the antibody response post-infection.
The Use of Parenting Electives in Pediatric Residency

Abstract Background : Financial considerations and the desire to not prolong training often influence residents' parental leave length. Some residencies offer parenting electives. These primarily self-directed electives can extend parental time at home, support transition back to work, and allow residents to remain in training and be paid during these transitions. Objective : Describe the prevalence and structure of parenting electives within pediatric residency programs from three geographic regions of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD). Methods : All 66 pediatric residency program directors in the Western, Mid-America, and Northeastern regions of APPD were invited to participate in a phone interview regarding existence of and structure of their programs' parenting elective. Results : Thirty-six programs responded (55%). Of those, 24 (67% of responding programs) offer a specific parenting elective and an additional five (14%) offer a generic elective that can be tailored to new parents. Curricular elements shared by almost all programs offering specific parenting electives include self-reflective exercises, exploration of a community resource, and parenting articles/book review. Most programs incorporate clinic but not call into these electives. Conclusion : Parenting electives are increasingly available in pediatric residency programs to support new resident parents. Sharing common curricular elements may help other programs implement and/or enhance this elective offering.
Increased Dopamine Receptor Occupancy in People with Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Neuroleptic Exposure (P4.067)

OBJECTIVE: To compare and contrast the response to dopamine receptor blocking drugs in participants with and without Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (TS) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). BACKGROUND: Chronic pharmacological doses of dopamine D2/D3 receptor blocking drugs upregulate dopamine D2/D3 receptors. We hypothesized that dopamine D2/D3 receptor blocking drugs upregulate striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptors in patients with TS to a greater degree than patients with OCD and normal controls (Brasic, et al., 2013). To test this hypothesis, we sought to determine if dopamine D2/D3 receptor occupancy differentiates participants with TS and OCD from healthy controls. DESIGN/METHODS: Twenty-one adults (6 controls, 2 TS, 2 OCD, and 11 TS+OCD) underwent positron emission tomography (PET) for 90 minutes (A) after the intravenous injection of 740 MBq (20 mCi) high-specific-activity (HSA) (< 3 micrograms) [11C]raclopride and (B) again four or more days later after the intravenous injection of 740 MBq (20 mCi) low-specific-activity (LSA) (< 600 micrograms) [11C]raclopride. We defined dopamine receptor occupancy = BPHSA - BPLSA---------------------------- BP HSA where BP = binding potential, HSA = high specific activity, and LSA = low specific activity, in the five subdivisions of the striatum: anterior and posterior caudate nucleus, anterior and posterior putamen, and ventral striatum. RESULTS: The dopamine receptor occupancy was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in patients with TS+OCD than in controls for all brain regions except the posterior caudate nucleus. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TS+OCD experience a greater occupancy of striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptors after a pharmacological dose of a dopamine receptor blocking drug than normal controls. This finding may explain the limited efficacy of neuroleptics alone in many patients with TS+OCD. Study Supported by: National Institutes of Health (NIH): MH078175, NS38927, K24 DA00412, RO1 AA12839; National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS): UL1RR025005; Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.; Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD); and the Essel Foundation. Disclosure: Dr. Brasic has nothing to disclose. Dr. Singer has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for The Neurologist. Dr. Singer has received research support from Psyadon Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Zaidi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gean has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kumar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mathur has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mellinger-Pilgrim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Raymont has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dogan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alexander has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maris has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nestadt has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gjedde has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wong has nothing to disclose.
Evaluation of factors involved in antibotulinal properties of pasteurized process cheese spreads

Pasteurized process cheese spreads with various levels of sodium chloride, disodium phosphate, moisture and pH were challenged with spores of Clostridium botulinum types A and B. Response surface methodology was used to design experiments that would yield maximum results with the minimum number of trials. Supplemental experiments were added to further clarify the response and to examine combinations of special interest. A total of 304 treatment combinations (batches) was incubated at 30°C, and five samples from each batch were taken at predetermined intervals up to 42 wk of incubation and tested for botulinal toxin. Sodium chloride and disodium phosphate inhibited botulinal toxin production with similar effectiveness. The inhibitory effect of low pH (<5.7) and low moisture (<54%) levels on botulinal toxin production was as expected, i.e., as either pH or moisture went up, it was necessary to increase sodium chloride and/or phosphate concentrations to compensate. Differences in water activity between cheese spreads with different compositions were observed but they were too small to use for controlling the properties of the products, e.g., a range of 9% in moisture level (51 to 60%) produced only 0.022 variation in water activity. Combinations of the above factors were developed for safe pasteurized process cheese spreads containing up to 60% moisture.
Third harmonic generation in ultrathin epsilon-near-zero media

We demonstrate efficient third harmonic generation from a 21.6nm-thick indium tin oxide film on glass substrate for a pump fundamental wavelength of 1350nm using the field enhancement properties of optical modes supported by epsilon-near-zero media.
Nonparametric probability bounds for Nash equilibrium actions in a simultaneous discrete game

We study a simultaneous, complete-information game played by p = 1 P agents. Each p has an ordinal decision variable Yp ∈ Ap = {0 1 Mp }, where Mp can be unbounded, Ap is p’s action space, and each element in Ap is an ac- tion, that is, a potential value for Yp . The collective action space is the Cartesian product A = P Ap . A profile of actions y ∈ A is a Nash equilibrium (NE) pro- p=1 file if y is played with positive probability in some existing NE. Assuming that we observe NE behavior in the data, we characterize bounds for the probability that a prespecified y in A is a NE profile. Comparing the resulting upper bound with Pr[Y = y] (where Y is the observed outcome of the game), we also obtain a lower bound for the probability that the underlying equilibrium selection mechanism ME chooses a NE where y is played given that such a NE exists. Our bounds are nonparametric, and they rely on shape restrictions on payoff functions and on the assumption that the researcher has ex ante knowledge about the direction of strategic interaction (e.g., that for q = p, higher values of Yq reduce p’s payoffs). Our results allow us to investigate whether certain action profiles in A are scarcely observed as outcomes in the data because they are rarely NE profiles or because ME rarely selects such NE. Our empirical illustration is a multiple entry game played by Home Depot and Lowe’s. Keywords. Ordered response game, nonparametric identification, bounds, entry models. JEL classification. C14, C35, C71.
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Gene Superfamily

Cytochrome P450, which was first named a ‘pigment in the cell’ having an absorption maximum of 450 nm when reduced and bound to carbon monoxide, was thought to be a single enzyme in the early 1960s. P450 was correlated with drug and steroid metabolism by the late 1960s and recognised eventually to comprise an ancient gene superfamily encoding numerous ubiquitous enzymes that participate in countless essential life processes. More than 12 000 P450 genes are named across all kingdoms of life. Nearly all eukaryotes require sterols in their membranes for essential fluidity and lipid-packing characteristics. CYP51 is the sterol 14α-demethylase that makes these sterols; thus, it is fundamental to eukaryotic life. Cytochromes P450 evolved novel functions in chordates leading to the origin of steroid hormones. In conjunction with steroid hormone receptors, these novel regulatory pathways distinguish chordates from other animals. Defects in many of the 57 human functional CYP genes are involved in some inborn errors of metabolism and other clinical diseases. Key Concepts: Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are haeme-containing membrane proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or mitochondrial inner membrane. Most CYPs require a source of electrons from an electron transfer chain to function: NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) in the ER and ferredoxin (FDX) plus ferredoxin reductase (FDXR) in mitochondria. CYP functions can be divided into oxidation/reduction of endogenous or exogenous compounds (e.g. drugs, chemicals, pollutants, etc.). Endogenous P450 substrates are mainly lipids including steroids, lanosterol, bile acids, vitamin D, retinoic acid, eicosanoids, fatty acids and some haeme breakdown products. In 2010, 13 of 57 human P450s remain as orphans without known substrates. Cytochromes P450 in humans (and most vertebrates) are divided into 18 CYP gene families based on sequence similarity. Polymorphism in CYP genes can alter a person's ability to metabolise drugs (poor, intermediate, efficient or ultra-rapid metaboliser). CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 are the major drug-metabolising enzymes in humans. CYP2D6 appears to be the most polymorphic. Alterations in CYP drug metabolism are often responsible for adverse drug reactions – especially when multiple drugs are taken. The triazole antifungal drugs ketoconazole, fluconazole and itraconazole target the fungal CYP51 required for fungal sterol biosynthesis. Drug resistance may occur by mutations in this gene. Keywords: metabolism of fatty acids; cholesterol; steroids; retinoids; vitamin D derivatives; bile acids; eicosanoids; metabolism of environmental pollutants; drug metabolism; monooxygenases
New surface-associated heat-labile colonization factor antigen (CFA/II) produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli of serogroups O6 and O8.

Abstract Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) belonging to serogroups O6 and O8 do not possess the H-10407-type colonization factor antigen (CFA/I). However, these frequently isolated ETEC were found to possess a second and distinct heat-labile surface-associated colonization factor antigen, termed CFA/II. Whereas CFA/I mediates mannose-resistant hemagglutination of human group A erythrocytes, CFA/II does not. CFA/II mediates mannose-resistant hemagglutination of bovine erythrocytes, and mannose-resistant hemagglutination is rapid only at reduced temperature (4°C). Because CFA/II, like CFA/I, is spontaneously lost by many ETEC isolates in the laboratory, it was possible to produce specific anti-CFA/II serum by preparing antiserum against living cells of a prototype strain (PB-176) and adsorbing this serum with living and heat-treated cells of its CFA/II-negative derivative strain PB-176-P. This serum, which neutralized the colonization factor activity of CFA/II-positive strains in infant rabbits, was employed to confirm the presence of CFA/II on ETEC which exhibited mannose-resistant hemagglutination of bovine but not human erythrocytes. CFA/II, like CFA/I, mediates adherence of the bacteria to the mucosal surface of the small intestine, as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence. CFA/II appears to be an important virulence factor for humans since CFA/II-positive ETEC are frequently isolated from diarrhea cases, particularly travelers' diarrhea, in Mexico; these ETEC were not uncommon in a collection of isolates from Bangladesh. The O6:H16 strain of ETEC responsible for an outbreak of diarrhea in the United States was also shown to be CFA/II positive. CFA/I and CFA/II were never found on the same serotypes of ETEC, but 98% of the heat-stable and heat-labile enterotoxin-producing ETEC belonging to the frequently isolated serogroups O6, O8, O15, O25, O63, and O78 were positive for either CFA/I or CFA/II.
Development and implementation of a sustainable operator training and certification process

In 1997, a group of senior managers from the worldwide locations of the IBM Microelectronics Division established a team to investigate and improve manufacturing operator training. Emphasis was placed on developing and implementing a sustained process with continuous improvement. The team chose both project management and process maturity disciplines to guide the development and implementation of a sustainable training process.
Service user involvement in risk assessment and management: The Transition Inventory

Background Drawing on self-prediction theory and the positive benefits of increasing health service user participation in risk assessments, the Transition Inventory (TI) was developed. It is an aid to the assessment of areas that people anticipate will be of difficulty in the next stage of transition, for example from open hospital to the community. Aims The aim of this paper is to determine reliability and convergent/discriminant validity data for the TI and its subscales, including behavioral impulsivity, social pressure, substance misuse, financial/employment, leisure, negative affect, interpersonal and family concerns and social alienation. Methods Eighty-eight male offenders coming towards the end of a period of imprisonment were asked to complete the TI. Their results were compared with the staff-rated Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) scale, alcohol blame and causation of crime items. Comparisons with the MCAA's antisocial intent scale, which is a future-orientated scale, and the associates scale allowed for convergent/discriminant validity to be examined with TI scales. With a community offender sample, TI results were used to predict researcher ratings. Results The TI scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Overall, the MCAA's antisocial intent scale had higher correlations with the TI than with a nonfuture-orientated scale. TI scales also demonstrated convergent validity with other measures and preliminary predictive validity with researcher ratings. Conclusions/implications for practice The TI provides a way to increase service user involvement in the assessments that determine when and how they transfer to settings where they will have more independence. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synergistic activation of RSK correlates with c-fos induction in MO7e cells stimulated with GM-CSF plus Steel factor.

Steel factor (SLF) plus GM-CSF induces proliferative synergy in factor-dependent cell line MO7e and hematopoietic progenitor cells. We previously reported ERK1/2 involvement in this synergy, but its downstream signaling molecules are not defined. Here, we investigated activation of the 90-kDa ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) proteins by measuring the phosphorylation status and in vitro kinase activity in MO7e cells. Both GM-CSF and SLF induced activation of RSK, and the combined stimulation with these two cytokines induced synergistic and persistent activation of RSK. RSK activity was reduced by PI3 kinase inhibitor LY294002 or MEK1 inhibitor PD98059, suggesting that the ERK as well as the PI3 kinase pathways are involved in regulation of RSK activity. Sensitivities of RSK activity to inhibitory drugs correlated well with those of c-fos gene induction. Taken together, synergistic activation of RSK may contribute, at least in part, to the synergistic induction of c-fos after combined stimulation with GM-CSF plus SLF.
Who Were the German Independent Socialists? The Leipzig City Council Election of 6 December 1917

The emergence of the Independent Socialist party (USPD) in Germany during World War I had momentous and long-reaching consequences. Organized as a group of dissenters within the established German Social Democratic party (SPD), independent socialism grew into a movement that split Germany's working class into two, then three, warring factions. The result was a struggle for supremacy among socialist party factions to which subsequent writers have attributed the “failed” revolution of November 1918, a Weimar Constitution that alienated rather than satisfied German workers, and ultimately the inability of German Socialists to present a unified front against the ultimate threat to German democracy: Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.
Mathematical Formulation of Transport Phenomena in Buoyancy-Driven Nanofluids

This paper is concerned with the interaction between nanoparticles in buoyancy-driven flow. The nanoparticles suspended in a base liquid are driven to stochastic motion by rapidly fluctuating forces, this phenomenon is termed as 'thermal dispersion' resulting from the dissociation of the ambient solvent molecules taking place within the mixture. Such thermal dispersion is esteemed to play an aggressive role in the increase of energy exchange rates in the fluid. Under the influence of these forces, the suspended nanoparticles may experience interparticle collision and attachment of the colliding particles and form aggregates. The theme of the present work is to understand the thermal transport phenomena of buoyancy-driven nanoparticles as well as to analyze the enhancement mechanism of energy transport from the nanoparticles. By considering physical properties of both the base fluid and the nanoparticles, as well as the structure of the nanoparticles and aggregates, a mathematical model has been developed to predict the axial velocity and temperature of both the fluid and the nanoparticle arbitrarily moving inside the system. The model proposed is a two-equation model, one for the fluid and the other for the nanoparticles, which are later combined together to form a non-homogeneous equation in x- and y-direction respectively. The solutions to these equations are presented in this work.© 2006 ASME
EU-ETS and Nordic Electricity: A CVAR Analysis

A cointegrated vector autoregressive (CVAR) model is estimated to determine the dynamic relationship between Nordic wholesale electricity prices and EU emissions trading scheme (EU-ETS) CO 2 allowance prices. An impulse response analysis reveals that electricity prices have large short-term responses to CO 2 price shocks, but that this response dampens over time. Using hourly Nordic electricity spot market prices, I find that the value of short-term response of electricity prices to a shock in CO 2 prices in off-peak hours is consistent with expected values for near complete pass-through of CO 2 emission costs when coal-generated power is at the margin. Likewise, the estimates reveal that peak hour electricity price responses to CO 2 price shocks are as expected for a market that has near complete pass-through of CO 2 emission costs when natural gas-generated power is at the margin. These results further suggest the Nordic electricity market is pricing as a competitive market.
Traction Control of Wheeled Robotic Vehicles in Rough Terrain with Application to Planetary Rovers

Mobile robots are being developed for high-risk missions in rough terrain situations, such as planetary exploration. Here, a rough-terrain control methodology is presented that exploits the actuator redundancy found in multiwheeled mobile robot systems to improve ground traction and reduce power consumption. The algorithm optimizes individual wheel torque based on multiple optimization criteria, which are a function of the local terrain profile. A key element of the method is to be able to include estimates of wheel-terrain contact angles and soil characteristics. A method using an extended Kalman filter is presented for estimating these angles using simple on-board sensors. Simulation and experimental results for a micro-rover traversing challenging terrain demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Symbolic reachable set computation of piecewise affine hybrid automata and its application to biological modelling: Delta-notch protein signalling

Hybrid automata are an eminently suitable modelling framework for biological protein regulatory networks, as the protein concentration dynamics inside each biological cell are modelled using linear differential equations; inputs activate or deactivate these continuous dynamics through discrete switches, which themselves are controlled by protein concentrations reaching given thresholds. This paper proposes an iterative refinement algorithm for computing discrete abstractions of a class of hybrid automata with piecewise affine continuous dynamics and forced discrete transitions, defined completely in terms of symbolic variables and parameters. Furthermore, these discrete abstractions are utilised to compute symbolic parametric backward reachable sets from the equilibria of the hybrid automata, that are guaranteed to be exact or conservative under-approximations. The algorithm is then implemented using MATLAB and QEPCAD, to compute reachable sets for the biologically observed equilibria of the multiple cell Delta-Notch protein signalling automaton with symbolic parameters. The results are analysed to show that novel, non-intuitive, and biologically interesting properties can be deduced from the reachability computation, thus demonstrating the utility of the algorithm.
DSM-IV literature reviews : rationale, process, and limitations

DSM-IV will benefit from the extensive research and interest in diagnosis generated in large part by DSM-III. The development of DSM-IV is proceeding through three stages of empirical documentation, including literature reviews, analysis of unpublished data sets, and field trials. This paper discusses the rationale, process, and limitations of the literature reviews. The purpose of the literature reviews is to provide and to document a comprehensive review of the clinical and empirical literature to facilitate objective and empirically based decisions. The review process is guided by the explicit and systematic methods developed within meta-analysis. Limitations of the reviews are also discussed.
A Postmodern Analysis of Disabilities

Abstract In this paper, the basic theoretical tenets of postmodernism are outlined. As part of this process, the implications for social interventions are also discussed, including the political side of this philosophy. In general, postmodernism breaks with the reductionism that is inherent to the biomedi-cal model and offers the opportunity to develop more holistic modes of diagnosis and intervention. As a result of this shift, disabilities can no longer be viewed in an essentialist manner, but instead must be approached as social constructions. Therefore, rather than destroying culture, postmodernism supports an awareness of the so-called ‘culture of disability’ that allows persons to be understood in their own terms.
Survey of Primary-Care Providers on Perceived Benefits of and Barriers to PainTracker

Management of chronic pain is a common and complex challenge in primary care. Patient-reported outcomes surveys can help assist the patient with chronic pain to communicate the symptoms to their provider and engage the patient in treatment planning and evaluation to improve both quality of care and patient outcomes. A web survey was used to assess clinic providers’ perceived ease of use, barriers to use, and clinical benefits of a patient-reported outcomes survey, termed PainTracker. More than half the respondents were satisfied with PainTracker and 76% of respondents agreed that PainTracker helps patients participate in their pain management. Although only a first step, this study helps evaluate the benefits of involving patients in their pain management care.
Pemetrexed plus gemcitabine as first-line chemotherapy for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma: Final report of a phase II trial

Purpose Pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin is approved for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma and is active in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM). Pemetrexed and gemcitabine are synergistic in preclinical models, but the activity of this combination in MPeM is unknown. This clinical study assessed safety and efficacy of pemetrexed plus gemcitabine in chemotherapy-naive patients with MPeM. Patients and Methods Treatment consisted of gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, and pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 on day 8, administered immediately before gemcitabine. Treatment was repeated every 21 days for six cycles or until disease progression. All patients received folic acid, vitamin B12, and dexamethasone supplementation. End points included tumor response, toxicity, time to disease progression (TTPD), and overall survival (OS). Disease control rate (DCR) was also calculated. Results Twenty patients were enrolled between December 2002 and May 2004. The confirmed response rate was 15% (95% CI, 3.2% to ...
Measurement of reflectance by gas ionization

In an attempt to improve the accuracy of reflectance determinations, particularly from high vapor pressure samples, we have built and tested a double ionization chamebr which measures the ionization from a photon beam in the vapor or added gas before and after reflection. The photon beam strikes the sample at near-normal incidence after passing through an oblongionization chamber containing two collector wires. These are connected to one side of an electrometer–ratiometer of new design. A similar geometry is used for the specularly reflected beam, with the wires here connected to the other side of the ratiometer. A potential of 20 V on the sample is found to be sufficient to prevent the large photoelectric current from the sample from entering the chambers for photon energies to 26 eV. A simple calculation shows that the current ratio should decline exponentially with pressure in the operating pressure range from 100 μm to 5000 μm. Extrapolation of the data to zero pressure yields the sample reflectance. In testing, we found the reflectance to be 12.47% at 841 A for an evaporated gold film using a filling gas of air.
Repertoire analysis in human immunoglobulin heavy chain minilocus transgenic, μMT/μMT mice

Mice transgenic for the human immunoglobulin heavy chain minilocus pHCl were developed several years ago to help better understand the mechanisms of VDJ recombination and antibody response. Interestingly, these minilocus transgenic mice develop a polyclonal, extremely diverse mu human immunoglobulin heavy chain repertoire, but when immunized, they exclusively use murine immunoglobulin heavy chains. Here, the data shows that when the minilocus is transferred by cross-breeding onto the muMT background, the resulting mice (HCl-muMT/muMT mice) develop polyclonal, extremely diverse mu and gamma1 human immunoglobulin heavy chain repertoires. Our data indicates that if no antigen specific antibodies are detected in pHCl transgenic mice, it is essentially due to competition with endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain gene segments. Moreover, the data shows that despite the presence of only one functional V(H) gene segment and despite mu and gamma1 repertoires similar to the early pre-immune human repertoire, HCl-muMT/muMT mice, can develop immune responses against proteins and haptens. Finally, the data shows that in aged HC1-muMT/muMT mice, the generation of new B-cells may be impaired and old mice may mainly rely on B-cell generated earlier in life to mount immune responses.
Urea metabolism in beef steers fed tall fescue, orchardgrass, or gamagrass hays

Two experiments were conducted to assess effects of endophyte treatments (Exp. 1), forage species (Exp. 2), and supplementation (Exp. 2) on urea production, excretion, and recycling in beef steers. Infusion of 15,15 N-urea and enrichment of urea in urine samples were used to calculate urea-N entry and recycling to the gut. Acceptably stable enrichment of 15 N-urea in urine was obtained after 50 h of intrajugular infusion of 15,15 N-urea, indicating that valid data on urea metabolism can be obtained from steers fed forages twice daily. After adjustment by covariance for differences in N intake among treatments in Exp. 1, steers fed endophyte-infected tall fescue had less (P < 0.10) urea-N entry, recycling to the gut, and return of recycled urea-N to the ornithine cycle than those fed endophyte-free or novel endophyte-infected tall fescue. However, urea-N urinary excretion or return to the gut was similar among endophyte treatments when expressed as a proportion of urea-N entry. Urea-N entry and return to the gut in Exp. 2 was similar in steers fed gamagrass or orchardgrass hay after adjustment by covariance for differences in N intake. Less (P < 0.01) urinary excretion, expressed as grams per day or as a proportion of urea-N entry, with gamagrass than with orchardgrass was associated with faster in vitro NDF-N digestion with gamagrass. Supplementation of gamagrass or orchardgrass with 1.76 kg/d of readily fermentable fiber and starch decreased urea entry (P < 0.06) and urinary excretion of urea (P < 0.01). Interactions between hay source and supplement reflected a greater response to supplementation for steers fed orchardgrass than for those fed gamagrass. After adjustment for differences among treatments in N supply, results of both experiments support the concept of improved N use in response to increased carbohydrate fermentability in the rumen, due either to inherent differences in forage fiber or to supplementation with readily fermentable carbohydrate (starch or fiber). Closer coordination of ruminal fermentation of carbohydrate and N sources provided greater and more efficient capture of dietary N as tissue protein in forage-fed steers.
Nyström method for elastic wave scattering by three-dimensional obstacles

Nystrom method is developed to solve for boundary integral equations (BIE's) for elastic wave scattering by three-dimensional obstacles. To generate the matrix equation from a BIE, Nystrom method applies a quadrature rule to the integrations of smooth integrands over a discretized element directly and chooses the values of the unknown function at quadrature points as the system's unknowns to be solved. This leads to a simple procedure to form the off-diagonal entries of matrix by simply evaluating the integrands without numerical integrations. For the diagonal or near diagonal entries corresponding to the integrals over a singular or near-singular element where the kernels are singular or near singular, we develop a systematic singularity treatment technique, known as the local correction scheme, based on the linear approximation of elements. The scheme differs from the singularity regularization or subtraction technique used in the boundary element method (BEM). It applies the series expansion of scalar Green's function to the kernels and derives analytical solutions for the strongly singular integrals under the Cauchy principal value like (CPV-like) sense. Since the approach avoids the need for reformulating the BIE for singularity removal in BEM and solves for the Somigliana's equation directly, it is easy to implement and efficient in calculation. Numerical examples are used to demonstrate its robustness.
Changing Attitudes About Computing Science at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Benefits of an Intervention Program Designed for Undergraduates

The African American Researchers in Computing Sciences (AARCS) program aims to broaden the participation of African Americans from historically Black colleges and universities in the computing sciences at the faculty and research scientist levels. The AARCS program serves as a model that can be incorporated into larger programmatic endeavors at institutions of higher education to target African Americans and other underrepresented groups. This study highlights features of the program, presents key research questions and findings of the evaluation, and generates specific programmatic knowledge for those interested in interventions designed to increase the representation of African American computing scientists, as well as other scientific-related disciplines within higher education.
Five themes in a thought-full curriculum

Abstract Curriculum, instruction, learning and assessment are the pulse of the school. They are what drive everything else. They are the currency through which we exchange thoughts and ideas. They are the passions that bind our organization together. Educators recognize the growing need for informed, skilled, thoughtful and compassionate citizens who value truth, openness, creativity, interdependence, balance and love as well as the search for personal and spiritual freedom in all areas of one's life. This demands that the school's curriculum must be open and flexible enough to accommodate these new perspectives. In this article, five themes will be presented as “lenses” with which to view a thought-filled curriculum.
The survival of Shigella sonnei on cotton, glass, wood, paper, and metal at various temperatures.

1. Ten strains of Sh. sonnei were placed upon metal, wood, cotton, paper, and glass and held at −20°, 4°, 15°, 37° and 45° C. Survival of the cells was most extensive when placed at −20° C. and practically none of the strains survived when held at 45° C.2. Slight variations in the survival of different strains was observed when the cells were placed upon glass and cotton. Strain variation was greater when survival time was measured by placing Sh. sonnei on wood, paper, and metal.
Is Routine Dissection of Level II-B and V-A Necessary in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer Undergoing Lateral Neck Dissection for FNA-Confirmed Metastases in Other Levels

The purpose of the present study was to determine the utility of routine dissection of level II-B and level V-A in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) undergoing lateral neck dissection for ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA)-confirmed lateral nodal metastasis in at least one neck nodal level. In a retrospective review, we studied the charts of 53 consecutive patients (February 2002–December 2007) with PTC who had undergone therapeutic lateral neck dissection that included at least level II-(A and B) and/or level V-(A and B). The levels were designated as such in situ prior to surgical pathology specimen processing. Reports of the preoperative FNA cytopathologic findings, the extent of lateral neck dissection by levels, and the postoperative final histopathologic examination were reviewed. A total of 53 patients underwent therapeutic lateral neck dissection for FNA-confirmed nodal metastasis of PTC at a minimum of one lateral neck level. All 53 patients had preoperative ultrasonography and FNA confirmation of lateral neck disease: 46 patients had PTC, 5 had the tall cell variant of PTC, and 2 had the follicular variant of PTC on final surgical pathology. Ten patients underwent neck dissection at the time of thyroidectomy, and 43 patients underwent neck dissection for lateral neck recurrence/persistence of PTC following a previous thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine ± previous neck dissection. A total of 46 patients underwent unilateral neck dissection and 7 patients underwent bilateral neck dissection; thus 60 neck dissection specimens were evaluated. Level II (A and B) was excised in 59/60 neck dissections, with 33 of 59 specimens (33/59 = 60%) positive for metastasis. Level II-B was positive 5 times (5/59; 8.5–95% CI: 2.4, 20.4), and each time level II-B was positive, level II-A was also grossly (and histopathologically—seen at the time of surgery) positive for metastasis. Level III was excised 58 times and was positive in 38 specimens (38/58 = 66%). Level IV was excised 58 times and was positive in 29 specimens (29/58 = 50%). Level V (A and B) was excised 40 times and was positive in 16 specimens (16–40 = 40%). Level V-A did not account for any of the positive level V results (0%). Cervical lateral neck metastases in PTC occur in a predictable pattern, with levels III, II-A, and IV most commonly involved. Patients with PTC who undergo lateral neck dissection for FNA-confirmed nodal metastases might harbor disease in level II-B, especially if level II-A is involved. We recommend elective dissection of level II-B only when level II-A is involved, based on FNA confirmation, or when it is grossly involved on intraoperative evaluation. Routine dissection of level V-B is recommended in this patient population, while elective dissection of level V-A is not necessary.
Infertility: Incidence of spontaneous abortion in clomiphene pregnancies

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of clomiphene results in a higher incidence of spontaneous abortion than occurs naturally in subfertile patients. Reproductive outcomes of 1744 clomiphene pregnancies were compared to outcomes of 3245 spontaneous pregnancies in a prospective study. Abortion was classified as clinical if a sac was seen on ultrasound or if it occurred after 6 gestational weeks, and as preclinical if a quantitative human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) was ≥25 mIU and no sac was seen or abortion occurred earlier. The overall incidence of abortion was higher for clomiphene pregnancies (23.7%), compared with spontaneous pregnancies (20.4%) (P <0.01). Preclinical abortions were increased by clomiphene for all ages (5.8 versus 3.9%, P <0.01) and for age ≥30 years (8.0 versus 4.9%, P <0.001), but not for age <30 years (3.7 versus 3.0%). Clinical abortions were increased by clomiphene for age <30 years (15.9 versus 11.2%) (P <0.01), but not for age ≥30 years (20.1 versus 22.3%) or all ages (18.0 versus 16.4%). Clinical abortions occurred 22% less often following clomiphene compared with spontaneous pregnancies for patients with luteal insufficiency (18.3 versus 23.6%, P <0.05). We conclude that the increase in abortion due to clomiphene is small and may be related to different causes for women aged <30 and ≥30 years, and also that clomiphene may decrease clinical abortions in patients with luteal insufficiency.
Sacraments and the Visible Unity of the Church

In modern Orthodoxy, the `Greek' practice, based on Cyprian, of receiving converts by (re -)baptism contrasts with the `Russian' approach, consistent with Augustine, of requiring mere profession of faith and/or chrismation. Is one approach more deeply rooted in Orthodox tradition? Against a modern tendency to champion Cyprian's narrower ecclesiology, the twentieth-century Russian emigre theologian Georges Florovsky argued forcefully that the distinction found in Augustine's De Baptismo between sacramental `validity' and `efficacy' can and should be the basis for contemporary articulations of Orthodox sacramental theology. Beyond the juridical plane, Florovsky considered Augustine's indispensable contribution to be an understanding of schism as what Florovsky calls a `dissipation of love'. It is through a creative appropriation of this insight—presenting its flip -side, as it were — that Florovsky is able to recognise `preparatory grace', already at work as a will and a thirst for unity, in presently separated communities. Significant insights of eucharistic ecclesiology corroborate the compatibility between Augustinian and Orthodox ecclesiology, and show how a full recognition of non- Orthodox baptisms neither obscures the reality of division nor minimises the imperative to overcome it.
Barriers in the Transfer Process for Hispanic and Hispanic Immigrant Students.

This article reports barriers to transfer from the community college to bachelor's degree—granting institutions encountered by Hispanic students in the Dallas County Community College District. These Hispanic students were enrolled in a cultural studies course preparing them to transfer. Ethnographic methods—principally participant observation of the students and their families, interviews, and case studies—were used to analyze the barriers, three of which were not reported in the literature.
Companion Robots and the Emotional Development of Children

(2013). Companion Robots and the Emotional Development of Children. Law, Innovation and Technology: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 172-189.
Rimming flows within a rotating horizontal cylinder: asymptotic analysis of the thin-film lubrication equations and stability of their solutions

It is well-known that a standard lubrication analysis of the equations of motion in thin liquid films coating the inside surface of a rotating horizontal cylinder leads, under creeping-flow conditions, to a cubic equation for the film thickness profile which, depending on the fluid properties of the liquid, the speed of rotation and the fill fraction F, has either (a) a continuous, symmetric (homogeneous) solution; (b) a solution containing a shock; or (c) no solution below a certain speed. By means of an asymptotic analysis of the recently proposed “modified lubrication equation” (MLE) [M. Tirumkudulu and A. Acrivos, Phys. Fluid 13 (2000) 14–19], it is shown that the solutions of the cubic equation referred to above correctly describe the film-thickness profiles although, when shocks are involved, under exceedingly restrictive conditions, typically F~ 10−3 or less. In addition, using the MLE, the linear stability of these film profiles is investigated and it is shown that: the “homogeneous” profiles are neutrally stable if surface-tension effects are neglected but, if the latter are retained, the films are asymptotically stable to two-dimensional disturbances and unstable to axial disturbances; on the other hand, the non-homogeneous profiles are always asymptotically stable, thus confirming results given earlier [T.B. Benjamin, W.G. Pritchard, and S.J. Tavener (preprint, 1993)] on the basis of the standard lubrication analysis.
Advanced techniques in volume visualization and analysis

Human vision provides an extraordinarily powerful and effective means for acquiring information. Much of what we know about ourselves and our environment has been derived from images — images produced by various instruments, ranging form microscopes to telescopes and spanning orders of magnitude in scale — extending the range of human vision into realms beyond that which is naturally accessible. The full scientific, educational, and/or clinical value of these images is profoundly significant, and recent development of advanced methods to fully visualize and quantitatively analyze the intrinsic information contained in biomedical images, in particular, have begun to recognize and unearth the rich treasures o such recordings. This tutorial will provide an introduction to several and demonstration of (using ANALYZE) advanced methodologies being developed and applied to address the need for new approaches to image display and analysis as improvements in imaging technology enable more complex objects and processes to be imaged and simulated. These will include methods for segmentation (e.g. by math morphology) of 3-D images and for integration (e.g. by surface matching) of multi-modality images. Arguably, these are two of the most important and challenging problems in multidimensional biomedical imaging today. In addition the tutorial will emphasize the significant potential of 3-D image classification (e.g. using multi-spectral analysis) and feature measurements to enhance specificity and sensitivity in studies of biological structure-to-function relationships; in diagnostic accuracy and discriminating power; and in clinical/surgical treatment planning and delivery. Advanced volume rendering (using several ray casting algorithms) to simultaneously and interactively produce multiple individual, combined, and transparent objects and parametric displays for visualization of segmented, fused and/or classified objects will be discussed and demonstrated.
Patterned secondary cell‐wall assembly in tracheary elements occurs in a self‐perpetuating cascade

The behaviours are presented of newly-synthesized xylan and putative glycine-rich protein during patterned secondary cell-wall biogenesis in drug-treated tracheary elements (TEs) differentiating in culture from isolated mesophyll cells of Zinnia elegans. The normal secondary wall thickenings contain cellulose, xylan, and lignin, and the results reported here suggest that they also contain glycine-rich protein (GRP). However, qualifications to this definitive interpretation are discussed. The specific cellulose synthesis inhibitors, 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB) and isoxaben, were applied near the onset of differentiation. When they were fully effective in inhibiting deposition of detectable cellulose in the thickenings, no labelling of the thickenings was observed with probes for xylan (xylanase and an antibody to xylose) or GRP (an antibody)
The Body, the Ghetto and the Penal State

This article dissects the author’s approach to ethnography, social theory, and the politics of knowledge through a dialogue retracing his intellectual trajectory and the analytic linkages between his inquiries into embodiment, comparative urban marginality and the penal state. It draws out the practical connections and epistemological rationale behind his main research projects, explicates the distinctive ways in which he deploys observational fieldwork in each of them, and examines the roles of intellectuals in advanced society in the era of hegemonic neoliberalism. Rejecting both Humean empiricism and neo-Kantian cognitivism, the author argues for the use of ethnography as an instrument of rupture and construction, the potency of carnal knowledge, the imperative of epistemic reflexivity, and the need to expand textual genres and styles so as to better capture the taste and ache of social action. In the public sphere, he proposes that social science can act as a solvent of doxa and a beacon casting light on latent properties and unnoticed trends in social transformations so as to disrupt and broaden civic debate.
Participation of nonlicensed anglers in recreational fisheries, Erie County, New York.

Abstract Approximately two-thirds of the angling population of Erie County, New York was comprised of nonlicensed anglers. Anglers 9 to 15 yr of age, below the age minimum for license purchase, made up approximately 42% of the angling population and over 55% of the total days fished by Erie County anglers. Illegal nonlicensed anglers made up approximately 25% of the angling population. These figures suggest that fishery management policy-making based solely on license holders may exclude from consideration a substantial portion of the angling population of an area.