cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transcending the News: Religious Ambivalence Among the Famous Journalist-Literary Figures and Literature as the Uncertain Path to Immortality

Journalists in the work-a-day world have few opportunities to muse publicly about their religious beliefs or struggles. As a result, some of the most telling tales of journalists' feelings about religion and spirituality come from the accounts of the impressive number of British and American literary figures who began their careers as journalists but who came to express themselves most intimately in fiction. As part of a study of 189 of these well-known figures, this article focuses on how they expressed their religious and spiritual views in their journalism and their literature and how this reflected cultural attitudes that have become prominent within the journalism profession. Although many of these great journalist-literary figures are famous for their heterodox views and their antipathy for institutional religion, many continued to search for spiritual meaning in the private realm of faith and by exploring alternative and unconventional forms of spiritual practice.
Intracardiac electrography in children and young adults

Abstract The interpretation of IE recorded in children has been hampered by a lack of agreement regarding normal values. We recorded IE in 158 children and young adults (ages, three days to 33 years) to define the various conduction intervals in normal and disease states. The HBP was recorded in 156 subjects. In 85 subjects with normal condudtion indicated by surface ECG, including 19 subjects with normal hearts, there were no statistically significant age-related differences in internodal, A-V nodal, or His-Purkinje conduction intervals. Therapeutic levels of digitalis did not alter the conduction intervals. In 11 subjects with first degree A-V block and in five subjects with congenital complete A-V block, the site of block as determined by IE could not be predicted from the surface ECG. No abnormalities in conduction intervals were found in 18 subjects with right bundle branch block (surgically induced in 17 cases). Intracardiac electrography with recording of the HBP was found to be a safe, informative technique for electrophysiologic investigations in children and young adults.
From the loess cliff to the gentle side slope: A predictable slope evolution

Abstract Slope stabilization in loess was studied by field observations and measurements with respect to the evolution of gully side-walls in the North American Midwest. Whereas parallel slope retreat appeared to characterize the unstable phase of the slope evolution (the ‘gully stage’), after a certain amount of stabilization, the reclining slope retreat was found to be typical during the subsequent ‘valley stage’ of terrain development. These predictable stages of slope evolution rather strongly determine the nature of gullying and, thereby, affect the various aspects of conservation of the agricultural resources in areas mantled by loess or similar unconsolidated young sediments.
Role of Lipids in Urinary Stones: Studies of Calcium Oxalate Precipitation at Phospholipid Langmuir Monolayers

This article reviews the authors' experiments on calcium oxalate growth at lipid monolayers. Calcium oxalate is the principal mineral component of most urinary stones. Membrane constituents associate either actively or passively with calcific minerals during stone formation, and it has been proposed that lipid assemblies play a significant role, possibly providing sites for the initial nucleation event. Langmuir monolayers allow systematic studies of the heterogeneous precipitation of calcium oxalate at lipid assemblies. The influences of the chemical identity of the lipid headgroup, the organization of the monolayer, and the presence of heterogeneities and phase boundaries within the monolayer have been explored.
Home Monitoring of High-Risk Infants

L'utilisation efficace depend des services infirmiers, de l'entrainement et du support psychologique de la famille
Important controversies associated with isotretinoin therapy for acne.

Isotretinoin is a remarkably effective drug for severe, recalcitrant acne vulgaris. Soon after the drug’s release in the early 1980s, a number of important adverse effects were reported subsequently leading to a variety of medical and medicolegal controversies. Three of these controversies will be highlighted concerning the putative role of isotretinoin in (1) depression and suicide, (2) inflammatory bowel disease, and (3) iPledge and pregnancy prevention programs. It appears that a very small subset of patients receiving isotretinoin for acne are at risk for depression, which is very manageable provided there is adequate patient awareness of the possibility, maximum communication between the patient and physician, and cessation of therapy if clinically important depression occurs (after which the depression rapidly resolves in a week or less). Multiple controlled studies actually suggest a very favorable effect of isotretinoin on depression and anxiety common in the population requiring isotretinoin. With regard to inflammatory bowel disease, in just one study, only ulcerative colitis association with isotretinoin reached statistical significance. The actual incidence of this association is strikingly low. Finally, it is clear that even the most recent pregnancy prevention program (iPledge) is no more successful than prior programs; there will likely always be a small number of female patients becoming pregnant while receiving isotretinoin for acne vulgaris.
Developmental Mastery of Diabetes-Related Tasks in Children

The goal of managing diabetes in childhood is to assist the child in becoming a physically healthy and emotionally mature adult, free from complications associated with diabetes. Gradual achievement of self-care independence occurs as developmental changes evolve during childhood. Inappropriate expectations related to self-care competence may lead to impaired diabetes control. It is important to have an understanding of child development and cognitive development in order ensure adequate expectations of self-care skill acquisition and the appropriate transition of self-care skills. Numerous steps can be taken to assist the child with diabetes in attaining developmentally appropriate, self-management skills.
Catecholamine and histidyl protein cross-linked structures in sclerotized insect cuticle

Catecholamines play an important role in cuticular sclerotization, an extracellular process used by insects at various stages of their life cycle to stabilize their exoskeletons. Analysis of products derived from the acid hydrolysis of insect cuticle provide for the first time direct structural evidence for the actual cross-links between catecholamines and histidyl residues of the cuticular proteins. Four adducts were purified by HPLC from a 6 M HCI hydrolysate of tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, sclerotized pupal cuticle. They were identified as 7-Nτ-, 6-Nτ-, 7-Nπ-, and 6-Nπ-histidyldopamine adducts using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, 1D 1H NMR, and 2D homonuclear nuclear Overhauser effect NMR spectroscopy in combination with molecular modeling. The molar ratio of these adducts in the hydrolysate was approximately 6:3:2:1, respectively. These adducts apparently are formed from Michael 1,4- and 1,6-addition reactions of the putative quinonoid sclerotizing agents, N-β-alanyldopamine quinone and N-β-alanyldopamine quinone methide, with both imidazole nitrogens of histidyl residues of proteins.
Reviewing Integrated Science and Mathematics: The Search for Evidence and Definitions From New Perspectives

Based upon current research needs indicated from recent literature reviews, this integrative review concentrates on two of the perceived major impediments to integrating science and mathematics: The lack of evidence to support integration and the lack of a definition for integration. Using mixed methodology, this review found quantitative evidence favoring integration from a meta-analysis of 31 studies of student achievement, qualitative evidence revealing the existence of multiple forms of integration, and historical evidence of publishing patterns from across the 20th century. The forms of integration were identified and defined; differential effects were identified both between forms and between science and mathematics when the forms were analyzed by effect size. Additional research implications and suggestions for future research were also identified.
An Assessment of Three-Dimensional Turbulent Boundary Layer Prediction Methods

Predictions have been made for a variety of experimental three-dimensional boundary layer flows with a single finite difference method which was used with three different turbulent stress models: (i) an eddy viscosity model, (ii) the “Nash” model, and (iii) the “Bradshaw” model. For many purposes, even the simplest stress model (eddy viscosity) was adequate to predict the mean velocity field. On the other hand, the profile of shear stress direction was not correctly predicted in one case by any model tested. The high sensitivity of the predicted results to free stream pressure gradient in separating flow cases is demonstrated.
Far-field second-harmonic fingerprint of twinning in single ZnO rods

The third-rank susceptibility tensor that describes the second-harmonic generation changes sign after an inversion operation indicating its sensitivity to twinning structures. Here, we show the far-field scattering patterns of second-harmonic (SH) radiation generated by single twinned and twin-free ZnO rods. The patterns have been successfully correlated with the twinning structures. A finite dipole-wire model has been effectively employed to model the pattern. It indicates that the dark or bright fringes at the 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} scattering angle originate as a result of the destructive or constructive interference of SH waves emitted from each halves of the twinned or twin-free ZnO rod.
Tension field theories for soft tissues

All soft tissues are modeled as either one-dimensionalstrings, two-dimensionalmembranes, or three-dimensionalsolids. Attention is restricted to tissues in which one of the principal stress components is large and positive in comparison with the other negligible components. Results indicate the following:
Modeling of the ground plane in electrostatic BEM analysis of MEMS and NEMS

This paper is concerned with calculation of charge distribution on conducting elements in microelectromechanical and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS). The conductors are beam like in MEMS or nanotubes in NEMS. The ground plane is typically present in such problems. This is usually modeled by constructing image elements with the ground treated as a flat mirror, thereby doubling the size of a problem. An alternative approach is to model the ground directly in a boundary element method (BEM) formulation of the problem. The latter approach is adopted in this paper. The governing BEM equations, and their regularization, is discussed in detail. Numerical results are presented for selected examples and their results are compared with analytical solutions whenever possible.
Microrheology of the liquid-solid transition during gelation.

The viscoelastic properties of physical and chemical polymer gels are characterized through the liquid-solid transition using particle tracking microrheology. Measurements of the probe particle mean-squared displacement are shifted as the extent of gelation increases to generate master curves. From the shift factors, we determine the gel point and critical scaling exponents. Both systems exhibit a critical relaxation exponent $n\ensuremath{\approx}0.6$, where ${G}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\sim}{G}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{n}$ for the incipient gel, consistent with the Rouse model of dynamic scaling in the percolation universality class.
Acute respiratory illness: Popular health culture and mother's knowledge in the Philippines

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is one of the chief causes of morbidity and mortality in the third world. This ethnographic study of ARI in the Philippines draws attention to local knowledge, sign recognition, perceptions of severity, and cultural factors influencing health care seeking. The mix of research methods used to generate data on these issues is discussed.
Evolution of the serine β-lactamases: past, present and future

We present a protein structure-based phylogeny of Classes A, C and D of the serine beta-lactamases, and a new, detailed, sequence-based phylogeny of the Class A beta-lactamases. In addition, we discuss the historical evolution of Classes C and D. The evolutionary histories of all three classes indicate that the serine beta-lactamases are ancient enzymes, originating over two billion years ago, and that some have been on plasmids for millions of years. We also discuss the recent, antibiotic-era, evolution of the serine beta-lactamases in response to the clinical use of beta-lactam antibiotics. We also discuss a method that is being used to predict the future evolution of beta-lactamases in response to selection with new drugs.
On Being Amorphous: Autoethnography, Genealogy, and a Multiracial Identity

The article is a sociologically informed approach to understanding the author’s own place and identity. Questions of personal identity serve to highlight larger insights about a crucial reality in the United States. The author engages a standpoint at the crux of America’s racial dilemma, combined with a specialization in research on race and ethnicity. First, the interactive and overlapping set of methodologies within which her own narrative of identity fits is discussed. These data are systematically collected and analyzed field notes, historical documents, and the embedded interactions from within a larger culture of literature, scholarship, and popular understandings. The body of the article consists of three examples that she characterizes as confronting her Blackness, confronting her multiracialness, and confronting her Whiteness.
Further study on the use of foil strain gages under extremely high-pressure water environment

This paper is an extension of an earlier study2 of a pressurized water environment of up to 80 MPa. The effectiveness of four water-proofing materials is studied for pressures up to 172.5 MPa (or 25,000 psi). The pressure effect on the coated gages is also investigated. The results indicate that the pressure effect on coated gages is smaller than on uncoated gages. Two pressure-compensation techniques are evaluated. The newly developed self-compensation method, which simultaneously compensates for temperature and pressure effects, is found most effective.
Atypical Mycobacterium infections of the upper extremity

Thirty-three patients with culture-positive atypical Mycobacterium infections of the upper extremity underwent surgical debridement and antimicrobial therapy. The causative atypical organism was M. marinum in 12 cases, M. avium-intracellulare in 7, M. terrae in 4, M. chelonei in 4, M. kansasii in 3, M. fortuitum in 2, and M. ulcerans in 1. The tenosynovium was the most common location of infection (14 patients). The average follow-up period was 36 months. Duration of antimicrobial therapy averaged 10 months. The average delay between onset of symptoms to correct diagnosis was 1 year. There were seven superficial infections; six were caused by M. marinum and one was caused by M. ulcerans. All of these cutaneous infections resolved following incisional or excisional biopsy and pharmacologic therapy. The remaining 26 infections involved the deeper tissues, and M. avium-intracellulare was the most common organism. The immune status of the host was an overwhelming predictor of eventual outcome. In the 15 patients with competent immune systems, resolution occurred in 13. However, in the immunocompromised patient population, only 4 of the 10 had resolution of deep infection at time of the follow-up evaluation.
Whales and the orthocompletion

We prove the existence and uniqueness of orthocompletions for \(\Lambda\)-representable groups as subgroups of almost everywhere defined functions on \(\Lambda\), without using the Axiom of choice.
Social Link Prediction in Online Social Tagging Systems

Social networks have become a popular medium for people to communicate and distribute ideas, content, news, and advertisements. Social content annotation has naturally emerged as a method of categorization and filtering of online information. The unrestricted vocabulary users choose from to annotate content has often lead to an explosion of the size of space in which search is performed. In this article, we propose latent topic models as a principled way of reducing the dimensionality of such data and capturing the dynamics of collaborative annotation process. We propose three generative processes to model latent user tastes with respect to resources they annotate with metadata. We show that latent user interests combined with social clues from the immediate neighborhood of users can significantly improve social link prediction in the online music social media site Last.fm. Most link prediction methods suffer from the high class imbalance problem, resulting in low precision and/or recall. In contrast, our proposed classification schemes for social link recommendation achieve high precision and recall with respect to not only the dominant class (nonexistence of a link), but also with respect to sparse positive instances, which are the most vital in social tie prediction.
Range Sidelobe Suppression for Barker Codes

The utility of Barker-type phase-reversal codes is extended by the use of sidelobe suppression techniques that can be easily implemented in digital form. It is shown that sidelobe suppression techniques can be found where the tapped delay line used to reduce the sidelobes has only a few distinct tap weights, in which case the complexity of the digital processor is greatly reduced. An example is given where the technique is applied to Barker codes with positive sidelobes, specifically, the 13-element Barker code. If higher pulse compression factors are desired than are obtainable with Barker codes, multistage Barker codes may be used. The sidelobes then may be suppressed for any one or all of the different coding stages.
The effect of unfractionated heparin on thrombelastographic analysis in healthy dogs.

Objective – To determine the effect of single and multiple doses of SQ heparin (200 U/kg) on the thrombelastogram of healthy dogs. Design – Prospective study. Setting – University research facility. Animals – Six random-source female dogs. Interventions – Baseline parameters, including a CBC with platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and antithrombin were performed. Thrombelastography (TEG) and aPTT were performed hourly for 12 hours after unfractionated heparin dosing (200 U/kg, SQ). Anti-Xa activity was assayed at 0, 3, 6, and 8 hours. Heparin was then administered every 8 hours for 3 days. The sampling protocol on Day 4 was identical to Day 1. Measurements and Main Results – On Day 1, percentage change from baseline for TEG parameter R, as well as absolute values of K, angle, and maximum amplitude (MA) were evaluated. Statistically significant (P<0.01) prolongation of the R time and a decrease in angle and MA was seen in all dogs by hour 3. R and MA were unmeasurable for most dogs between 3 and 5 hours. All TEG tracings returned to baseline by 12 hours. Day 4 TEG tracings mimicked those on Day 1. Only 1 dog achieved aPTT values outside the reference interval on both days. Anti-Xa activity levels increased on Day 4 but not on Day 1. Based on post hoc in vitro analysis, prolongation of R time occurred at plasma heparin levels as low as 0.075 U/mL, well below the lower limit of detection of the anti-Xa activity level assay. Conclusions – Administration of SQ heparin results in progressive changes in the TEG tracing, with maximal change occurring 3–5 hours after dosing. The extensive prolongation of the R time also indicates that TEG may be too sensitive and limits its utility as a monitoring tool for unfractionated heparin therapy.
Preliminary comparison of vetiver root essential oils from cleansed (bacteria- and fungus-free) versus non-cleansed (normal) vetiver plants

Abstract The ‘Sunshine’ cultivar of vetiver ( Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash, = Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty) was subjected to meristem tissue culture in order to produce plants that were bacteria- and fungi-free. Tissue cultured (“cleansed” or phytosanitary) vetiver was grown for five months in pots of sterilized soil, and the oil compared to non-cleansed (normal) vetiver plants grown in the same conditions except using pots of unsterilized soil. The steam distilled (24 h) oil of the roots from tissue cultured (cleansed) vetiver yielded 0.02% clear oil compared to a 0.35% yield of light yellow oil for the normal vetiver plants, a 17-fold smaller yield. GC/MS analyses of the oils revealed that the non-cleansed (normal) vetiver had the typical vetiver oil profile, whereas the tissue cultured (cleansed) vetiver produced large amounts of C 19 –C 29 alkanes plus several alkanols along with typical vetiver oil compounds, but lacked presumed fungal metabolites such as β-funebrene, prezizaene, α-amorphene, and β-vetispirene. An unidentified biotic factor (apparently bacteria or fungi) appears to enhance the oil production in normal vetiver by both increasing yield and by the generation of signature oil compounds. These preliminary results of endogenous microbial transformations of plant chemistry may have broader physiological implications, especially among monocotyledons (including cereals).
Optimizing feature selection to improve medical diagnosis

In this paper, we propose a new optimization framework for improving feature selection in medical data classification. We call this framework Support Feature Machine (SFM). The use of SFM in feature selection is to find the optimal group of features that show strong separability between two classes. The separability is measured in terms of inter-class and intra-class distances. The objective of SFM optimization model is to maximize the correctly classified data samples in the training set, whose intra-class distances are smaller than inter-class distances. This concept can be incorporated with the modified nearest neighbor rule for unbalanced data. In addition, a variation of SFM that provides the feature weights (prioritization) is also presented. The proposed SFM framework and its extensions were tested on 5 real medical datasets that are related to the diagnosis of epilepsy, breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and liver disorders. The classification performance of SFM is compared with those of support vector machine (SVM) classification and Logical Data Analysis (LAD), which is also an optimization-based feature selection technique. SFM gives very good classification results, yet uses far fewer features to make the decision than SVM and LAD. This result provides a very significant implication in diagnostic practice. The outcome of this study suggests that the SFM framework can be used as a quick decision-making tool in real clinical settings.
Oncolytic Measles and Vesicular Stomatitis Virotherapy for Endometrial Cancer

Objective Current adjuvant therapy for advanced-stage, recurrent, and high-risk endometrial cancer (EC) has not reduced mortality from this malignancy, and novel systemic therapies are imperative. Oncolytic viral therapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of gynecologic cancers, and we investigated the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of the Edmonston strain of measles virus (MV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) on EC.
Sequential process control under capacity constraints

Abstract We consider a sequential process control model under inspection capacity constraints. A 2-state production process observed imperfectly by inspection with general costs and distribution functions is studied. The objective is to develop implementable control policies deciding at each decision epoch whether to produce items without any action, to inspect items, or to repair the process as well as satisfying inspection capacity constraints. The problem is formulated as a Markov decision process using the Bayesian approach. We characterize the features of an unconstrained problem and show that a constrained problem can be transformed to an unconstrained problem. A simplified process control policy is proposed, and numerical examples are presented which indicate that the approximate policy may provide very close results compared with the optimal policy in terms of total operation costs.
When Will People Help? The Effects of Gender, Urgency, and Location on Altruism

It is important to determine when helpful behavior is likely to occur. The present experiment studied the effects of gender, urgency, and location on altruistic behavior. 64 phone calls were made b...
Ion transport and signalling in human labial glands.

Abstract Recent reports characterizing the physiological properties of normal human labial acini are reviewed with particular emphasis on mechanisms related to fluid secretion. In contrast to the salivary glands of several experimental animals, human labial acinar cells do not appear to have al-adrenergic receptors, substance P peptidergic receptors, or significant levels of Cl − /HCO 3 − exchange. Nor do they appear to secrete HCO 3 − in response to Ca 2+ mobilizing stimuli. The data presently available indicates that fluid secretion by these glands is mainly under muscarinic control and is due to acinar Cl-secretion driven by a basolateral Na + -K + -2Cl − cotransporter.
Divisible-load permits for overweight trucks on texas highways: An evaluation

In 1989, the Texas legislature passed HB 2060 creating an annual permit for vehicles to operate above the general weight limits. Controlled and administered by the state government, the 2060 permit has satisfied industry much more than the county-run permits it replaced. Controversial, however, has been the permit's exemption from the special weight limits, generally 58,420 lb, that are posted on many light-duty state and county roads. County officials, in particular, have expressed concern about the damage to these roads that results from trucks traveling with up to 84,000 lb under permit. The costs of this damage are likely to far exceed the revenues from permit fees, which suggests that the permit is underpriced. Among the recommendations is the collection of additional data on the travel patterns of 2060 trucks to better determine the menu of prices and options that the permit should offer. Also recommended are returning some control over the permit system to the counties and an increased emphasis on economic efficiency in designing truck-related taxes and charges.
Ultrasonic technique for imaging tissue vibrations: preliminary results.

We propose an ultrasound (US)-based technique for imaging vibrations in the blood vessel walls and surrounding tissue caused by eddies produced during flow through narrowed or punctured arteries. Our approach is to utilize the clutter signal, normally suppressed in conventional color flow imaging, to detect and characterize local tissue vibrations. We demonstrate the feasibility of visualizing the origin and extent of vibrations relative to the underlying anatomy and blood flow in real-time and their quantitative assessment, including measurements of the amplitude, frequency and spatial distribution. We present two signal-processing algorithms, one based on phase decomposition and the other based on spectral estimation using eigen decom- position for isolating vibrations from clutter, blood flow and noise using an ensemble of US echoes. In simulation studies, the computationally efficient phase-decomposition method achieved 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity for vibration detection and was robust to broadband vibrations. Somewhat higher sensitivity (98%) and specificity (99%) could be achieved using the more computationally intensive eigen decomposition-based algo- rithm. Vibration amplitudes as low as 1 m were measured accurately in phantom experiments. Real-time tissue vibration imaging at typical color-flow frame rates was implemented on a software-programmable US system. Vibrations were studied in vivo in a stenosed femoral bypass vein graft in a human subject and in a punctured femoral artery and incised spleen in an animal model. (E-mail: ykim@u.washington.edu) © 2005 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.
Glomus tympanica and other intratympanic masses: Role of imaging

Tumors and tumorlike conditions in the temporal bone are numerous. Glomus tumors (nonchromaffin chemodectomas and paragangliomas) are the most common neoplasms of the middle ear and are second in frequency to only vestibular schwannomas within the temporal bone. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies provide valuable information in determining the location and extension of middle ear glomus tumors as well as other potential mimics, such as facial nerve schwannoma, meningioma, extension of intralabyrinthine schwannoma into the middle ear, aberrant course of the internal carotid artery, exposed or high-riding jugular bulb, extramedullary hematopoiesis, adenoma, adenocarcinoma, papilloma, cholesterol granuloma, metastases, and tuberculous otitis media. This article reviews imaging characteristics of glomus complex tumors and selected potential mimics.
Association of genetic variation of the transforming growth factor-alpha gene with cleft lip and palate.

Complex segregation analysis of pedigrees having nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) (Chung et al. 1986; Marazita et al. 1986) has shown that a major-locus model best explains the observed recurrence of CL/P in Caucasian families. To identify this major gene, we compared the frequencies of 12 RFLPs at five loci-epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, epidermal growth factor receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, and estrogen receptor-in both a group of 80 subjects with nonsyndromic CL/P and 102 controls. These candidate genes were selected because studies in rodents had suggested their possible involvement in palatogenesis. A significant association was observed between two RFLPs at the transforming-growth-factor-alpha (TGFA) locus and the occurrence of clefting (P = .0047 and P = .0052). This suggests that either the TGFA gene itself or DNA sequences in an adjacent region contribute to the development of a portion of cases of CL/P in humans and provides an opportunity to begin to examine the molecular events underlying lip and palate formation.
Aberrant placental immune parameters in the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cat suggest virus-induced changes in T cell function

Background Immune activity during pregnancy must be tightly regulated to ensure successful pregnancy. This regulation includes the suppression of inflammatory activity that could target the semi-allogeneic fetus. Tregs are immunosuppressive; Th17 cells are pro-inflammatory. A precise balance in the two cell populations is critical to pregnancy maintenance, while dysregulation in this balance accompanies compromised pregnancy in humans and mice. FIV is known to target Tregs preferentially in the infected cat. Therefore, it may be hypothesized that FIV infection alters the placental Treg/Th17 cell balance resulting in aberrant immunomodulator expression by these cells and consequent pregnancy perturbation.
A modified generalized discrete transform

A modified version of the generalized discrete transform described earlier is now developed. The transform matrix of this modified version has a number of zeros as its elements, and consequently its matrix factors are more sparse. This results in fewer arithmetic operations and corresponding savings in computer time, when information is processed.
Tailoring Word Alignments to Syntactic Machine Translation

Extracting tree transducer rules for syntactic MT systems can be hindered by word alignment errors that violate syntactic correspondences. We propose a novel model for unsupervised word alignment which explicitly takes into account target language constituent structure, while retaining the robustness and efficiency of the HMM alignment model. Our model’s predictions improve the yield of a tree transducer extraction system, without sacrificing alignment quality. We also discuss the impact of various posteriorbased methods of reconciling bidirectional alignments.
Extracellular matrix modulates macrophage functions characteristic to atheroma: collagen type I enhances acquisition of resident macrophage traits by human peripheral blood monocytes in vitro.

Activated resident macrophages sustain atheroma, and a high macrophage content is associated with plaque vulnerability. Factors leading to differentiation and activation of these blood-derived cells remain largely uncharacterized. We investigated the contribution of interaction with collagen type I, the predominant component of atherosclerotic matrix, to differentiation and modulation of characteristic macrophage functions, including intracellular lipid accumulation and production of the typical matrix-degrading enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. When used as an adhesion substrate for human peripheral blood monocytes in vitro, collagen type I increased monocyte differentiation, assessed by analysis of CD71 expression and cell spreading. Culturing on collagen type I doubled the number of differentiated monocytes at 24 hours (44.9+/-1.4% versus 18.4+/-1.7% on uncoated dishes, P .98) between monocyte spreading on collagen type I and intracellular lipid accumulation. Our results indicate that interaction with vascular matrix may play an important role in differentiation of peripheral blood monocytes into resident lipid-laden macrophages, which act as central stimulators throughout the natural history of atheroma.
The Function of Feedback Stimuli during Shuttlebox Avoidance Conditioning

Forty female rats of the Long-Evans strain were given 300 trials of signaled shuttlebox avoidance conditioning in a 2 × 4 factorial design with warning signal (CS) termination and feedback stimulus...
Highly purified quiescent human peripheral blood CD4+ T cells are infectible by human immunodeficiency virus but do not release virus after activation.

Previous studies have suggested that resting CD4+ lymphocytes can be infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but viral production is inhibited. If these cells are activated, progeny virions are released. The present data indicate that CD4+ lymphocytes in the G0/G1 stage of the cell cycle which have been highly purified to remove macrophages and activated HLA-DR+ cells can also be infected by HIV. However, our findings differ from those of earlier reports since in this study, infected quiescent CD4+ cells cannot be activated to produce virus after virus inoculation. PCR analyses indicate that reverse transcription in these CD4+ cells is arrested at a very early step in proviral DNA formation (U3-R region). They do not show any evidence of longer DNA transcripts (e.g., U3-gag). When these quiescent infected CD4+ lymphocytes are activated by exposure to mitogens and macrophages and then reinoculated with HIV, the replication of virus takes place. Resting CD4+ lymphocytes are also resistant to infection when they are cocultured with HIV-infected macrophages. Only activated CD4+ cells are susceptible to cell-to-cell transmission. These observations suggest that in vivo tissue macrophages, susceptible to HIV replication, are the major cells initially productively infected by the virus. Then these cells can transfer HIV to activated CD4+ lymphocytes with resultant virus production. The presence of arrested reverse transcription in quiescent cells raises questions about the cellular factors required to permit production of longer HIV proviral DNA copies. Because they can be reinfected once they have been activated, these infected quiescent cells could be a source of recombinant viruses in the host.
Ferrous iron oxidation rates in the pycnocline of a permanently stratified lake

Ferrous iron was found year round at 2–4 mM in the anoxic hypolimnion of the Halls Brook Holding Area (HBHA), a small lake in eastern Massachusetts. Oxygenated epilimnion waters always had total iron concentrations of <80 nanomolar, implying nearly complete oxidation of ferrous iron as it mixed upward across the lake’s pycnocline. Assuming conductivity was a conservative parameter, and using data on the lake’s water balance, upward advection rates (0.02–0.05 m d � 1 ) and vertical eddy diffusion coefficients (0.007– 0.05 m 2 d � 1 ) were determined for the lake’s pycnocline on five dates. Using the same advection and diffusion parameters, corresponding pseudo first-order rate coefficients for ferrous iron oxidation, kox (s � 1 ), on those dates were calculated (0.0004–0.007 s � 1 ). The values of kox (s � 1 ) were always too large to reflect only homogeneous solution reactions; and on at least four dates they appeared too fast to be due to heterogeneous catalysis on iron oxyhydroxides. This suggested that ferrous iron oxidation in this lake’s pycnocline was primarily due to catalysis by microorganisms, and this was supported by comparison of azide-poisoned vs. untreated batch tests. As a result of their continuous production, iron oxyhydroxide precipitates and any associated sorbates/coprecipitates are most likely continuously settling back into the lake’s deep water and bed sediments, except when episodic storm events flush these solids out of the pycnocline and downstream via the Aberjona River. � 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A linearization procedure and a VDM/ECM algorithm for penalized and constrained nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation for mixture models

Suppose independent observations X"i, i=1,...,n are observed from a mixture model f(x;Q)[email protected]!f(x;@l)dQ(@l), where @l is a scalar and Q(@l) is a nondegenerate distribution with an unspecified form. We consider to estimate Q(@l) by nonparametric maximum likelihood (NPML) method under two scenarios: (1) the likelihood is penalized by a functional g(Q); and (2) Q is under a constraint g(Q)=g"0. We propose a simple and reliable algorithm termed VDM/ECM for Q-estimation when the likelihood is penalized by a linear functional. We show this algorithm can be applied to a more general situation where the penalty is not linear, but a function of linear functionals by a linearization procedure. The constrained NPMLE can be found by penalizing the quadratic distance |g(Q)-g"0|^2 under a large penalty factor @c>0 using this algorithm. The algorithm is illustrated with two real data sets.
Forging alliances to bridge the research-policy gap.

It is critical that research findings be translated into policy if the research is to be beneficial. Researchers can play a role in bridging the research-policy gap by participating in the drafting of legislation and regulations, by testifying before lawmakers, and by building collaborations with key entities, including non-profit and governmental bodies outside of the health arena. Advocacy is inherent in the responsibilities of a researcher. A distinction must be made between researchers who serve as educators and advocates of change based on our current state of knowledge, and “scientific advocates” who rely on science only when it supports their political position. It is critical that researchers identify appropriate collaborators to bridge the research-policy gap and that the communities be involved in this process.
Prenatal Cigarette Exposure and Infant Learning Stimulation as Predictors of Cognitive Control in Childhood.

Prenatal exposures to neurotoxins and postnatal parenting practices have been shown to independently predict variations in the cognitive development and emotional-behavioral well-being of infants and children. We examined the independent contributions of prenatal cigarette exposure and infant learning stimulation, as well as their inter-relationships in predicting variations in the proficiency of executive attention, a core element of cognitive control and self-regulation. Participants were an ethnic-racially, socio-economically diverse sample of 249 children followed from birth in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. We obtained histories of prenatal exposure to alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs, and we assessed socio-economic status and learning stimulation during a home visit when the participants were infants. In childhood we utilized the Attention Networks Test to assess the proficiency of executive attention during two home visits, one year apart. Accounting for age, SES, prenatal alcohol exposure, and baseline performance, we found that prenatal cigarette exposure impaired the speed of executive attention. Infant learning stimulation mitigated these effects, and predicted better accuracy of executive attention as well, suggestive of both protective and health promoting effects. Effect sizes for these relations, whether examined independently or by their inter-relationships, were comparable to if not greater in magnitude than the effects of age on speed and accuracy, highlighting the importance of these very early experiences in shaping the proficiency of self-regulation. Since executive attention is central to cognitive control and self-regulation, previously described relations between prenatal cigarette exposure, parenting practices, and some forms of childhood psychopathology may be contingent on how early learning stimulation contributes to the proficiency of executive attention through direct and indirect effects. Furthermore, considering the prolonged developmental trajectory of executive attention, interventions to support provision of learning stimulation may mitigate poor outcomes for some at-risk children by promoting development of more proficient executive attention.
Lawyering Askew: Excesses in the Pursuit of Fees and Justice

Lawyer-bashing in America has long been a national pastime, having somehow escaped the palliative of political correctness that has greatly diminished other scurrilous pursuits like Jewish-American-Princess-baiting and Polish-joking. Much of the profession's negative image can be ascribed to the sheer number of people hanging out their shingles as attorneys at law - just about as many per capita as there are inmates currently serving time in all the state prisons. Lawyers are likewise chastised for the hard-sell hucksterism of their advertising, the exponential growth of their caseloads, and the endless upward spiral of their fee scales. No doubt such perceptions, largely incontrovertible to begin with, are reinforced by the nature of the adversarial process itself, especially as it is practiced in the United States. And perceptions being reality, it can well be argued that much of the criticism leveled at the bar is richly deserved.Thus it's little wonder that so many of the spectators - laymen and lackeys alike - are so quick to quote Shakespeare: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers!" Read in proper context, however, that oft-quoted line from The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth is in fact part of a colloquy between two ne'er-do-wells plotting to overthrow the government; clearly implicit for Shakespeare was that, without law (and lawyers), there would be anarchy. Indeed denigrating the integrity of the legal profession has itself become a glib excess.The average American today is hard-put to acknowledge the conscientious attorney who may serve useful, important, or necessary purposes. To the contrary, the public seems to see lawyers as inherently less ethical than doctors, plumbers, or bureaucrats - and attributes to them a failure of compassion and morality that is probably more a trait of their profession than of their individual character or upbringing.Is it possible to be both a good lawyer and, as the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct ("Model Rules") require, a "public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice"?From any vantage point, one thing is clear: Members of the bar must come to grips with the need to educate the public better about what they do and why they do it. While the adversarial system by its very nature generates hostile feelings, the indictments of the way lawyers practice their profession are in many respects justified, and will not be easily dismissed.The evidence is in, and the burden of proof is theirs.
Technology Assessment of a Supersonic Business Jet

This paper presents a quantitative process to track the progress of technology developments within NASA's Vehicle Systems Program (VSP) as implemented on a Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ). The process, called the Technology Metric Assessment and Tracking (TMAT) process, accounts for the temporal aspects of technology development programs such that technology portfolio assessments, in the form of technological progress towards VSP sector goals, may be tracked and assessed. Progress tracking of internal research and development programs is an essential element to successful strategic endeavors and justification of the pursuit of capital projects [1].
Helicopter electromagnetic data map ice thickness at Mount Adams and Mount Baker, Washington, USA

Ice-thickness measurements critical for flood and mudflow hazard studies are very sparse on Cascade Range (North America) volcanoes. Helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) data collected to detect hydrothermal alteration are used to determine ice thickness over portions of Mount Baker and Mount Adams volcanoes. A laterally continuous inversion method provides good estimates of ice <100 m thick over water-saturated and altered regions where the resistivity of the basement is <200 Ωm. For areas with ice overlying fresh, resistive rocks with small resistivity contrasts between ice and rock, ice thickness is not well resolved. The ice thicknesses derived from HEM data are consistent with the previous drillhole data from Mount Adams and radar data from both volcanoes, with mean thicknesses of 57 m for Mount Adams and 68 m for Mount Baker. The thickest ice on Mount Baker rests on the gentle lower slopes whereas the thickest ice at Mount Adams lies on the flat summit. Ice volume calculations suggest that Mount Baker contains ∽710 × 106 m3 of ice in the HEM survey area, with a crude estimate of ∽1800 × 106m3 for the entire volcano. Ice volume on Mount Adams is 65 × 106m3 in parts of the HEM survey area and ∽200 × 106m3 overall.
Reorienting regularn-gons

Imagine that randomly oriented objects in the shape of a regularn-sided polygon are moving on a conveyor. Our aim is to specify sequences composed of two different rigid motions which, when performed on these objects, will reposition them in all possible ways. We call such sequencesfacing sequences. (Expressed in group theoretical terms, a facing sequence in a groupG is a sequence of elementsa1,a2, ...,an fromG such thatG={e,a1,a1a2, ...,a1a2 ...an}). In this paper we classify various kinds of facing sequences and determine some of their properties. The arguments are group theoretical and combinatorial in nature.
Ionic Hydrogen Bonds and Lipid Packing Defects Determine the Binding Orientation and Insertion Depth of RecA on Multicomponent Lipid Bilayers.

We describe a computational and experimental approach for probing the binding properties of the RecA protein at the surface of anionic membranes. Fluorescence measurements indicate that RecA behaves differently when bound to phosphatidylglycerol (PG)- and cardiolipin (CL)-containing liposomes. We use a multistage computational protocol that integrates an implicit membrane/solvent model, the highly mobile mimetic membrane model, and the full atomistic membrane model to study how different anionic lipids perturb RecA binding to the membrane. With anionic lipids studied here, the binding interface involves three key regions: the N-terminal helix, the DNA binding loop L2, and the M-M7 region. The nature of binding involves both electrostatic interactions between cationic protein residues and lipid polar/charged groups and insertion of hydrophobic residues. The L2 loop contributes more to membrane insertion than the N-terminal helix. More subtle aspects of RecA–membrane interaction are influenced by specific p...