cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Multiple Levels of an Interaction Fidelity Continuum on Performance and Learning in Near-Field Training Simulations

With costs of head-mounted displays (HMDs) and tracking technology decreasing rapidly, various virtual reality applications are being widely adopted for education and training. Hardware advancements have enabled replication of real-world interactions in virtual environments to a large extent, paving the way for commercial grade applications that provide a safe and risk-free training environment at a fraction of the cost. But this also mandates the need to develop more intrinsic interaction techniques and to empirically evaluate them in a more comprehensive manner. Although there exists a body of previous research that examines the benefits of selected levels of interaction fidelity on performance, few studies have investigated the constituent components of fidelity in a Interaction Fidelity Continuum (IFC) with several system instances and their respective effects on performance and learning in the context of a real-world skills training application. Our work describes a large between-subjects investigation conducted over several years that utilizes bimanual interaction metaphors at six discrete levels of interaction fidelity to teach basic precision metrology concepts in a near-field spatial interaction task in VR. A combined analysis performed on the data compares and contrasts the six different conditions and their overall effects on performance and learning outcomes, eliciting patterns in the results between the discrete application points on the IFC. With respect to some performance variables, results indicate that simpler restrictive interaction metaphors and highest fidelity metaphors perform better than medium fidelity interaction metaphors. In light of these results, a set of general guidelines are created for developers of spatial interaction metaphors in immersive virtual environments for precise fine-motor skills training simulations.
Outcomes of Counseling after Education about Carrier Results: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

In-person education and counseling for all people receiving genetic results is the predominant model of disclosure but is challenged by the growing volume of low-impact results generated by sequencing. Evidence suggests that web-based tools may be as effective as in-person counseling at educating individuals about their low-impact results. However, the effects of counseling have not been assessed. To evaluate its utility, carrier results were returned to 459 post-reproductive participants from the ClinSeq cohort within a randomized controlled trial. Participants received education and were randomized to receive counseling or not. Primary outcomes included risk worry, test-related positive experiences, attitudes, and decisional conflict. Secondary outcomes were satisfaction, preferences, and counseling value. There were no differences between participants who received counseling and those who did not in the primary outcomes. Participants who received counseling were more satisfied than those who did not ( x ¯ = 10.2 and 9.5, respectively, p
Bending in Compliant Leaded Systems

In the previous chapter we set out to analyze module-populated circuit card (or board) systems subjected to mechanical loading. A small unit of such a system, the local assembly, was introduced. We shall now turn our attention to larger and more complex structures, and distinguish two basic approaches toward their solution: (1) the total-structure approach and (2) the building block approach. In the first, the total structure is analyzed at once, fitting together its components by the principles of compatible displacements. The second approach uses “substructures” such as the local assembly to attain the desired analytical objectives.
Scholarly, Hypothesis-Testing, and Time-Series Assessment Strategies

In Chapter 3 we discussed strategies for increasing the validity of clinical judgments. Many of these strategies can be considered as exemplars of a scholarly approach to clinical assessment and judgment, such as the use of validated assessment instruments to aid clinical judgments. In this chapter we examine in more detail several interrelated methodological aspects of the behavioral assessment paradigm: (1) a scholarly, empirically based approach to psychological assessment, (2) a hypothesis-testing approach to psychological assessment, and (3) the use of time-series measurement strategies in clinical assessment.
Drug-Facilitated Crimes

Drugs-facilitated crimes are offenses that take place while the victim is incapacitated through alcohol or drugs. The crimes are usually associated with sexual offenses, but legislation covers all offenses. As the intent by the perpetrator is normally to render the victim unconscious or unable to resist, the crimes are most frequently associated with central nervous system depressive drugs such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, and the so-called Z-drugs. In reality, almost any drug that alters thought processes can be used.
The WIAA as a State Actor: A Decade Later, Brentwood Academy's Potential Effect on Wisconsin Interscholastic Sports

a. Mike Stasiewski's hypothetical situation i. Standout QB at Lambeau East, transfers a week into his senior season to Lambeau West because he moved in with his father, after his parents’ divorce. iii. WIAA rules prohibit him from playing his senior season but, he can apply for a waiver. v. Stasiewski's waiver is denied and he then files a preliminary injunction and a federal civil rights claim under 42 USC 1983, asserting that the WIAA violated his procedural due process rights vi. At the heart of every constitutional claim are four elements: 1. the plaintiff is a person; 2. he has a life, liberty, or property interest involved 3. the adverse party denied him procedural due process; and 4. That the adverse party is a state actor vii. Assume that the circuit court and the court of appeals found in favor of the WIAA, on the grounds that the WIAA is not a state actor viii. At issue before the Wisconsin Supreme Court as a matter of first impression is whether the WIAA is a state actor
2018 - CSDCB Proceedings

CSDCB (Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior) 2018 Conference Proceedings Hosted by NYIT (New York Institute of Technology) School of Management.
Risk Factors for Venous Thromboembolism After Admission for Traumatic Subdural Hematoma at Level I Trauma Center: Large Single-Institution Series

Background Traumatic subdural hematomas (tSDHs) have high morbidity and mortality and often require neurosurgical intervention. The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after tSDH ranges from 1%–20%, yet a consensus chemoprophylaxis protocol does not exist. An increased understanding of VTE risk factors following tSDH may inform development of prophylaxis guidelines. Methods Retrospective analysis of a prospective, single-institution Level I trauma center database identified the incidence and risk factors for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in consecutive tSDH patients from 1990–2015. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used. Results Of 3024 tSDH patients, 682 (22.6%) required neurosurgical intervention in the form of an intracranial pressure monitor, external ventricular drain (EVD), or craniotomy/craniectomy. Overall, 129 (4.3%) and 20 (0.7%) patients were diagnosed with a DVT or PE. Risk factors for DVT included age ≥60 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.5, P = 0.039), preexisting endocrine disorder (OR = 4.1, P = 0.001), hospital length of stay ≥7 days (OR = 4.7, P 3 was associated with a reduced DVT risk (OR = 0.6, P = 0.020). Risk factors for PE included intensive care unit length of stay ≥7 days (OR = 9.7, P Conclusions While overall VTE risk is low following tSDH, elderly patients and those with severe injuries requiring prolonged hospitalizations have increased thrombotic risk. Development of tiered VTE prophylaxis regimens based on early postinjury thrombotic risk profiles warrants future study.
Trends in potentially preventable trauma deaths between 2005-2006 and 2012-2013.

Abstract Background Most studies of trauma deaths include non-preventable deaths, potentially limiting successful intervention efforts. In this study we aimed to compare the potentially preventable trauma deaths between 2 time periods at our institution. Methods Trauma patients who died in our hospital in 2005–2006 or 2012–2013 were included, non-preventable deaths were excluded from analysis. The Mann-Whitney and chi square test were used to compare variables between both time periods. Results 80% of deaths were non-preventable. Between the study time periods there was a decrease in potentially preventable deaths, from 29% to 12%, p Conclusion Potentially preventable trauma deaths decreased during the study period. Hemorrhage remains constant as the leading cause of potentially preventable deaths. Continued research to improve survival from hemorrhage is warranted.
The Value-Add of an Audit in a Post-SOX World

This study seeks to enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of audits vis-a-vis reviews in mitigating error, particularly in the presence of incentives to misreport and opportunities for error to occur. Prior research examines the effectiveness of audits in mitigating error in the financial statements of private firms choosing to have an audit. We employ a unique within-firm research design that mitigates the potential risk of correlated omitted variables and extend the finding that audits are effective in mitigating error to include public firms for whom an annual audit is mandatory. We employ a fresh approach to estimating financial statement error, which allows for a greatly expanded sample and captures the effects of both intentional error and unintentional misstatements, as well as enabling new insights into the statistical and economic significance of audits in mitigating error. We also introduce novel proxies for incentives to misreport and opportunity for error to occur, which are designed based on auditor guidance provided in AU §316.85 (PCAOB 2002). We find that the audit is associated with reduced financial statement error. The effectiveness of an audit in reducing error is magnified in the presence of opportunity for error to occur due to complexity or weak internal controls, but is attenuated in the presence of incentives to misreport. The extent of attenuation, although statistically significant, is not economically significant. Thus, our results suggest that audits substantially reduce the extent of error in public firms’ financial statements, even in circumstances in which managers might actively seek to conceal errors from auditors.
The Linguistic Garden: A Case Study of an Emergent Bilingual’s Participation, Positioning and Identity Development in a Dual Language Program

ABSTRACTDrawing upon sociocultural theories of learning and social constructivist theories of identity development, this article defines learning and identity as outcomes of participation in order ...
Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Reported Depression in College Students.

Depression is a serious but treatable health issue that affects college students at an alarming rate. Improved cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) decreases depression risk and severity but this relationship has not been fully evaluated in the college student population. Non-exercise estimated CRF (eCRF) could be used to identify students at risk for or suffering from depression. This study investigated the associations of depression and eCRF in college students. Participants (N = 437) completed a survey which included demographic and student-status questions, eCRF variables, and a validated depression instrument. Descriptive, chi-square, t-test, regression, and odds ratio analyses were employed. Depression was associated with low-fitness (X2 = 4.660, P = 0.031) and eCRF below age-predicted CRF (t = 3.28, P < 0.001). Predictors of increased depression included low-fitness, sexual orientation, current depression treatment, and GPA (R2= 0.145-0.159; Adj R2= 0.135-0.149). Odd ratio analyses determined that low-fitness increased the risk of reporting depression ( s=2.39, P = 0.017, 95% CI=1.17-4.872) which remained significant when adjusted (s=2.478, P=0.017, 95% CI=1.175-5.229). Adjusted odds ratio analyses also indicated increased risk of reporting depression for those in a sexual minority (s=2.582, P=0.001, 95% CI=1.44,4.629) and undergoing current depression treatment (s=2.393, P < 0.001, 95% CI=2.393-13.043). High levels of fitness did not reduce the odds of reporting depression compared to age predicted CRF. A simple eCRF algorithm can be used to identify college student depression.
Rhodopsin Genomic Loci DNA Nanoparticles Improve Expression and Rescue of Retinal Degeneration in a Model for Retinitis Pigmentosa.

The use of gene therapy may allow replacement of the defective gene. Minigenes, such as cDNAs, are often used. However, these may not express normal physiological genetic profiles due to lack of crucial endogenous regulatory elements. We constructed DNA nanoparticles (NPs) that contain either the mouse or human full-length rhodopsin genomic locus, including endogenous promoters, all introns, and flanking regulatory sequences of the 15–16 kb genomic rhodopsin DNA inserts. We transduced the NPs into primary retinal cell cultures from the rhodopsin knockout (RKO) mouse in vitro and into the RKO mouse in vivo and compared the effects on different functions to plasmid cDNA NP counterparts that were driven by ubiquitous promoters. Our results demonstrate that genomic DNA vectors resulted in long-term high levels of physiological transgene expression over a period of 5 months. In contrast, the cDNA counterparts exhibited low levels of expression with sensitivity to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mechanism using the same transgene copy number both in vitro and in vivo. This study demonstrates for the first time the transducing of the rhodopsin genomic locus using compacted DNA NPs.
Too Much Tau in Interneurons Impairs Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease.

Understanding why adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is essential for unravelling its role in pathogenesis. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Zheng et al. (2020) report that human tau accumulation in dentate gyrus GABAergic interneurons disrupts AHN and strengthening GABAergic signaling restores AHN and improves cognition in an AD mouse model.
Gravitational instantons with faster than quadratic curvature decay (III)

This is our third paper in a series on the gravitational instantons. In this paper, we classify ALG and ALH gravitational instantons. In ALG case, we extend Tian–Yau–Hein’s construction slightly and show that it is the only ALG gravitational instanton. In ALH case, we prove a Torelli-type theorem.
The Non-Adversarial Fiction of Immigration Adjudication

Amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, policies aimed at constructing an “invisible wall” in the legal immigration system have been overshadowed by atrocities at the border. Immigration agencies have quietly and effectively created barriers to lawful immigration. Significantly, increased enforcement policies and an emphasis on securing the homeland within the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency charged with administering the legal immigration process, have fortified a pipeline from applications for immigration benefits to deportation proceedings. This Article is the first to analyze a model of adjudicating immigration benefits requiring individuals to appear before a USCIS decision-maker. In so doing, it makes an important contribution in bridging immigration and administrative law scholarship through analyzing the often overlooked, high-volume immigration agency’s adjudication model through an administrative lens. Recently, the Administrative Conference of the United States adopted a new approach to categorizing informal agency adjudications that do not come within the ambit of the Administrative Procedures Act’s formal hearing requirement. In articulating this new framework, it indicated that analyzing the amorphous informal hearing category, that encompasses USCIS proceedings, is difficult to assess as a group. Therefore, case studies are necessary to glean insight into what can otherwise be an elusive procedural black hole in the study of agency adjudication. This Article provides such a case study by utilizing agency adjudication theories concerning procedural protection as a framework to analyze existing safeguards for private parties in immigration benefits cases. In so doing, it exposes weaknesses within the current model that have been amplified by recent anti-immigration policies. As this Article demonstrates, strengthening procedural safeguards would bolster the system’s integrity and perception of fairness, while bringing procedures in line with the current realities.
Bariatric surgery to aLleviate OCcurrence of Atrial Fibrillation Hospitalization-BLOC-AF.

Background Obesity is associated with a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). Weight reduction improves outcomes in patients known to have AF. Objective The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of heart failure (HF) or first-time AF hospitalization in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery (BAS) vs other abdominal surgeries. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using linked hospital discharge records from 1994–2014. Obese patients without known AF or atrial flutter (AFL) who had undergone abdominal hernia or laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery were identified for each case that underwent BAS (2:1). Clinical outcomes were HF, first-time hospitalization for AF, AFL, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), and ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Outcomes were analyzed using conditional proportional hazard modeling accounting for the competing risk of death, adjusting for demographics and comorbidities. Results There were 1581 BAS cases and 3162 controls (48% age Conclusion In patients undergoing BAS, the risk of either HF or AF was reduced by ∼29% but with greater risk of GIB. The findings support the hypothesis that weight loss reduces the long-term risk of HF or incident AF hospitalization.
Expression changes in immune and epigenetic gene pathways associated with nutritional metabolites in maternal blood from pregnancies resulting in autism and atypical neurodevelopment

Background: The prenatal period is a critical window to study factors involved in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Environmental factors, especially in utero nutrition, can interact with genetic risk for ASD, but how specific prenatal nutrients in mothers of children later diagnosed with ASD or non-typical development (Non-TD) associate with gestational gene expression is poorly understood. Maternal blood collected prospectively during pregnancy provides a new opportunity to gain insights into nutrition, particularly one-carbon metabolites, on gene pathways and neurodevelopment. Methods: Genome-wide transcriptomes were measured using microarrays in 300 maternal blood samples from all three trimesters in the Markers of Autism Risk in Babies -Learning Early Signs (MARBLES) study. Sixteen different one-carbon metabolites, including folic acid, betaine, 5-methyltretrahydrofolate (5-MeTHF), and dimethylglycine (DMG) were measured. Differential expression analysis and weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) were used to compare gene expression between children later diagnosed as typical development (TD), Non-TD and ASD, and to nutrient metabolites. Results: Using differential gene expression analysis, six transcripts associated with four genes (TGR-AS1, SQSTM1, HLA-C and RFESD) showed genome-wide significance (FDR q
Bad Faith in Film Spectatorship

This article seeks to develop an under-appreciated aspect of spectator activity: the way in which viewers make use of film to enter or sustain a project of bad faith. Based on Jean-Paul Sartre's ac...
The Influence of Brand Acquisition on Perceived Authenticity: An Abstract

Firms are increasingly engaging in acquisitions due to high competition. Acquisition as a strategy enables the firm to obtain technologies, products, distribution channels, and desirable market positions (Lee et al. 2011; Schweizer 2005). Acquisitions also have an effect on the brand being acquired. Prior research demonstrates that acquisition negatively affects the acquired brand’s culture (Rieley and Leahy 1998), is a means of talent acquisition (Galpin et al. 2012), and increases financial performance (Morgan and Rego 2009). An acquisition may also alter consumer perceptions of the acquired brand. In many cases, acquisitions involve large corporations buying out small start-up companies (Arikan and Stulz 2016). Though larger companies have the power to offer lower prices and higher efficiency, large corporations can be perceived to have a negative side riddled with perceptions of impersonality and commercialization (Kovacs et al. 2013). These consumer perceptions of corporate commercialization may tarnish the acquired brand’s image, in particular its authenticity.
A rare histologic subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma, sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma: report of a case.

Worldwide, primary liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (SHC) is a rare subtype of HCC with conventional HCC admixed with areas with sarcomatoid morphology. SHC is an aggressive, rapidly growing tumor with unfavorable prognosis. Pedunculated SHC is an uncommon presentation of SHC. Due to its rarity, much remains unknown about the etiopathogenesis, molecular underpinnings, and treatment of SHC. We present a case of an exophytic SHC arising in a background of cirrhosis in an older adult. A resection was performed, but the patient subsequently developed multiple additional intrahepatic metastatic lesions necessitating further treatment with chemotherapy.
Compagnie des Indes: Governance and Bailout

The French Company of the Indies (Compagnie francaise des Indes) has been not been well studied by historians, lawyers, or economists (Weber 1904, xxi). Part of the reason for this lacuna is that the “archives of the successive Companies, the whole of which constitutes the French Company of the Indies, have almost totally disappeared” (Weber 1904, xxvii). This is regrettable, since the story of the company, whose trading privilege was granted by Colbert in 1664 only to be suspended in 1769 after a polemical battle for survival, presents both a fascinating human saga and a window onto the intersection of business and politics in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France (Montagne 1899, 1). One could focus on the colorful characters involved, such as Necker (Lavaquery 1933, Harris 1979, Luthy 1961) or Dupleix (Martineau 1929), or the macroeconomic imbalances engendered by mercantilist policies (Luthy 1960, 858). In this analysis, however, the focus is squarely on the corporate governance challenges encountered by the company, in particular the struggle by shareholders to resist the state’s control of the company. There are striking parallels between the powerlessness of the Compagnie’s shareholders and those of today’s large corporations, along with a similar ambivalence about the role government should play vis-a-vis troubled enterprises. Above all, the Compagnie’s story demonstrates the risk of weak corporate governance.
Using the Self-Advocacy Strategy to Support Middle School Students With EBD

Self-advocacy skills enable active student involvement in the Individualized Education Program planning process. However, some students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) lack appropriat...
Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the jugular foramen

Abstract Background Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a rare type of tumor that arise from neuroendocrine cells. Primary neuroendocrine tumors of the head and neck are exceedingly rare and range from benign-behaving neoplasms to aggressive neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC). Objectives The main purpose of this article is to report a rare case of well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (WD-NEC) (Grade 1) of the jugular foramen with uncharacteristic high-grade features and aggressive pattern of spread reminiscent of poorly-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (PD-NEC). In addition, we review the scientific literature and describe differences in current World Health Organization (WHO) classification system for various organ systems. Methods A 49-year-old man with right ear infections developed acute facial paralysis. Imaging showed otomastoiditis and incidental right jugular foramen (JF) tumor suspicious for meningioma. After facial nerve decompression, he developed right vocal cord paralysis and dysphagia. His facial nerve function recovered completely; however, repeat imaging showed rapid growth of the JF mass. The patient underwent transtemporal approach for definitive resection. Results Pathology showed Grade 1, WD-NEC with aggressive features: mitotic index up to 2, focal necrosis, Ki-67 > 20%. Nuclear medicine scans confirmed the jugular foramen was the primary site. Chemoradiation was initiated; however, the patient developed metastasis and passed away. Conclusion We present a rare case of WD-NEC of the jugular foramen with atypical presentation and aggressive features. We review diagnostic work-up, WHO classification systems for NEC, and highlight the potential role of Ki-67 in NECs of the head and neck.
Impact of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibition on morbidity and mortality during long-term continuous-flow left ventricular assist device support: An IMACS report.

BACKGROUND Inhibition of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) improves survival and reduces adverse cardiac events in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, but the benefit is not well-defined following left ventricular assist device (LVAD). METHODS We analyzed the ISHLT IMACS registry for adults with a primary, continuous-flow LVAD from January 2013 to September 2017 who were alive at postoperative month 3 without a major adverse event, and categorized patients according to treatment an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI/ARB) or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA). Propensity score matching was performed separately for ACEI/ARB vs none (n = 4,118 each) and MRA vs none (n = 3,892 each). RESULTS Of 11,494 patients included, 50% were treated with ACEI/ARB and 38% with MRA. Kaplan-Meier survival was significantly better for patients receiving ACEI/ARB (p < 0.001) but not MRA (p = 0.31). In Cox proportional hazards analyses adjusted for known predictors of mortality following LVAD, ACEI/ARB use (hazard ratio 0.81 [95% confidence interval 0.71-0.93], p < 0.0001) but not MRA use (hazard ratio 1.03 [95% confidence interval 0.88-1.21], p = 0.69) was independently associated with lower mortality. Among patients treated with an ACEI/ARB, there was a significantly lower unadjusted risk of cardiovascular death (p < 0.001), risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (p = 0.01), and creatinine level (p < 0.001). MRA therapy was associated with lower risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (p = 0.01) but higher risk of hemolysis (p < 0.01). Potential limitations include residual confounding and therapy crossover. CONCLUSION These findings suggest a benefit for ACEI/ARB therapy in patients with heart failure after LVAD implantation.
The Politics of Russia's Regions: A Geographical Analysis of the Russian Election and Constitutional Plebiscite of December 1993

Two specialists on the electoral geography of post-Soviet Russia analyze spatial patterns emerging from parliamentary elections and a constitutional plebiscite held in December 1993. In addition to...
The Circadian Clocks of Insect Eclosion

Understanding the circadian timing of eclosion in insects is a pretty big undertaking. A lot of technical detail is essential and a lot of close reasoning from meticulous experiments stands in the place of direct observations on the “clock’s” unknown physiological mechanism. In that respect clockology has some of the intellectual delight of the earlier years of genetics. However, (as of the 1978 writing) the whole argument has never been spelled out for publication in one place. This chapter once again attempts only an outline of the essentials. The story presented here seems to be generally valid for butterflies and moths, flies and mosquitoes, wasps and bees (i.e., Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera), but I emphasize my own experimental beast, the fruitfly. For a review of insect eclosion systems from the viewpoint of physiology and ecology, see Remmert (1962).
The California Alien Land Law and the Fourteenth Amendment

HE PAST few years have seen a surge of activity by California law-enforcement officers, aided by new state legislation and augmented. appropriations, in the investigation of possible violations of the alien land law and the institution of escheat proceedings. By the summer of 1945 approximately thirty escheat actions had been begun, judgments in favor of the state had been entered in four of them, and out-of-court settlements of $100,000 and $25,000, respectively, had been effected in two others.' By the spring of 1946 some fifty actions were pending. All of these suits involved agricultural lands and were directed against persons of Japanese ancestry.2 Additional suits have since been filed.3
Climate change and faunal dynamics in the uttermost part of the earth

To use the ‘lessons of the Pleistocene’ to forecast the biotic effects of climate change, we must parse the effects of history and ecology in the Quaternary record. The preponderance of Northern Hemisphere studies of biotic responses to climate change provides a limited set of players and environmental circumstances with which to decouple these drivers. In this issue Lessa et al. (2010) examine population structure in 14 species of mice distributed across Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in southern South America. In the Southern Cone, glacial ice was alpine, not polar; major habitats were (and are) oriented N–S, not E–W; and habitable land area actually increased, not decreased, at the height of the last glacial maximum (LGM). Despite these differences, there is evidence for poleward demographic expansion in 10 of the 14 species, and phylogeographic breaks in these are likewise stepped by latitude (and presumably history) rather than by biome. Nevertheless, high latitude endemism and the antiquity of these lineages point to an extended presence in the region that very likely predates the Pleistocene.
New Insights into Macaque Hyolingual Anatomy: A Preliminary microCT Study

The macaque (Macaca mulatta) is a promising model organism for the integrated study of the neurological and biomechanical basis of human feeding disorders. However, while feeding behavior has been extensively studied in the macaque, we have limited knowledge about its three-dimensional hyolingual myoarchitecture, especially of the intrinsic musculature of the tongue. This preliminary study reports the results of a digital dissection utilizing radiopaque staining techniques and micro-computed tomography. A 1:1 solution of 5% Lugols and 190 proof ethanol increased muscle contrast in the isolated hyolingual apparatus of a female Rhesus macaque, permitting segmentation of these tissues to resolve their three-dimensional morphology. The scans showed that the macaque hyolingual apparatus shares many similarities with that of humans, excepting well-known differences such as a more cranial hyoid resulting in a flatter tongue. However, the posterior third of the tongue has significantly higher levels of connective...
A remark on Calderon-Zygmund classes and Sobolev spaces

We show how the Sobolev space W k,p (R n ) may be characterized in terms of the local behavior of its members. We use the local T k,p -classes introduced by Calderon and Zygmund.
Stimulus-secretion coupling in porcine adrenal chromaffin cells: Effect of dexamethasone

Recent studies from this laboratory established that dexamethasone (DEX) potentiates Ca2+ current via voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCC), and as a consequence potentiates agonist-induced cytosolic Ca2+ transients in rat adrenal chromaffin cells. The present study examined whether DEX can also modulate VGCC activity and agonist-induced cytosolic Ca2+ transients in porcine adrenal medullary chromaffin (PAMC) cells, and if so whether this results in alterations in catecholamine secretion. Forty-eight-hr exposure to 1 microM DEX significantly increased peak Ca2+ current (delta + 138%; n = 6; P < 0.05) in PAMC cells. DEX treatment also significantly potentiated the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ in response to membrane depolarization with KCl (delta + 20%; n = 29; P < 0.05), but did not affect the amplitude of Ca2+ transients elicited by nicotine or acetylcholine. Despite the potentiation of intracellular Ca2+, DEX treatment had no effect on KCl-induced secretion of either norepinephrine or epinephrine. These data demonstrate that as in the rat chromaffin cell, DEX can also increase VGCC activity in PAMC cells. However, the subsequent potentiation of selected agonist-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+ does not appear to be sufficient to alter catecholamine secretion.
A contribution to the controllability of time-lag systems †

Consideration of a property of 'complete controllability' which is a particular case of complete controllability with respect to an arbitrary function. The latter concept has been studied by Popov (1970), who gave a necessary and sufficient condition of controllability in algebraic form. It is shown that the necessary condition of complete controllability with respect to an arbitrary function is also a necessary condition of the particular property of complete controllability under certain given conditions.
A new ganglioside in human meconium detected with antiserum against human milk sialyltetrasaccharide a.

Abstract Antiserum directed against the alditol derivative of the human milk monosialyloligosaccharide sialyltetrasaccharide a [ D. F. Smith, P. A. Prieto, and B. V. Torres (1985) Arch. Biochem. Biophys.241, 298–303] is used to detect a new ganglioside in human meconium by direct binding on nitrocellulose filters of the sialyl[3H]oligosaccharide alditol obtained from gangliosides after ozonolysis and alkali fragmentation. The sialyl[3H]oligosaccharide is purified by affinity chromatography on a column containing anti-sialyltetrasaccharide a antibodies. The affinity-purified sialyl[3H]oligosaccharide cochromatographs with the 3H-labeled alditol derivative of authentic sialyltetrasaccharide a from human milk. Results of sequential enzyme degradation of the pure sialyl[3H]oligosaccharide and cochromatography of the digestion products with standards are consistent with the presence in meconium of a monosialylganglioside with the structure NeuAcα2–3Galβ1–3GlcNAcβ1–3Galβ1–4Glc-ceramide. This ganglioside is presumably the biosynthetic precursor of the sialyl-Lea ganglioside [ G. C. Hansson and D. Zopf (1985) J. Biol. Chem.260, 9388–9392], which is also a component of human meconium.
Axial Turbine Tip Desensitization by Injection From a Tip Trench: Part 1 — Effect of Injection Mass Flow Rate

An experimental study of a turbine tip desensitization method based on tip coolant injection was conducted in a largescale rotating turbine rig. One of twenty-nine rotor blades was modified and instrumented to have a tip trench with discrete injection holes directed towards the pressure side. Time accurate absolute total pressure was measured 0.3 chord lengths downstream of the rotor exit plane using a fast response dynamic pressure sensor in a phase-locked manner. The test cases presented include results for tip gap heights of 1.40% and 0.72% of the blade height, and coolant injection rates of 0.41%, 0.52%, 0.63%, and 0.72% core mass flow rate. At a gap height of 1.40% the leakage vortex is large, occupying about 15% blade span. A reduction in gap height causes the leakage vortex to reduce in size and move towards the blade suction side. The minimum total pressure measured, for the reduced gap, in the leakage vortex is about 4% greater. Coolant injection from the tip trench is successful in filling in the total pressure defect originally resulting from the leakage vortex without injection. At the higher tip injection rates the leakage vortex is also seen to have moved towards the blade tip. The high momentum associated with the tip jets affects the total pressure distributions in the neighboring passages.
Anionic Control of Function in Vertebrate Hemoglobins

Point mutations in the amino acid sequence of normal human hemoglobin have provided a powerful means of probing structure-function relationships in this respiratory protein. Through studies of specific hemoglobin variants it has been possible to gain a better understanding of how electrostatic interactions exercise control over the functional properties of hemoglobin. Human hemoglobin variants of particular interest in this respect are those with alterations of amino or carboxyl terminal residues and alterations at or near the binding site for the physiologically important cofactor 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. In deoxy hemoglobin it has been established that salt bridges formed by the terminal residues constrain the tetramer in a low affinity conformation. From the information presently available, it appears that the charge cluster of the 2,3 diphosphoglycerate binding site is an important part of the innerspring mechanism that tends to destabilize the deoxy conformation. When anions bind to these residues the repulsive interactions between the positively charged residues of this region are decreased. This provides a direct means by which anionic interactions with hemoglobin can shift the conformational equilibrium toward the low affinity state. Accordingly anion and pH effects are decreased in a number of hemoglobin variants whose substitutions reduce the positive charge density in the region of the binding site for polyphosphates. The presence of the charge cluster provides for a fine tuning of hemoglobin s functional properties that is responsive to the concentration of metabolic effectors in vivo . The degree to which this is possible varies in the vertebrate hemoglobins which have been examined. In human hemoglobin eight positively charged residues contribute to the charge cluster and anionic modulation of oxygen affinity is effective. Susceptibility to anionic modulation is decreased in hemoglobins where the charge cluster is less developed and is completely absent in some vertebrate hemoglobins. Anionic modulation, which occurs via an effect on the equilibrium between conformational states of high and low oxygen affinity is possible even in systems which do not show cooperative interactions in oxygen binding. This is well established by studies on isolated chains of human hemoglobin and by studies on enzymatically modified tetramers of Amphiuma hemoglobin.
The phenomenon of panic in nonclinical populations: Further evidence and methodological considerations

Abstract Most investigators of nonclinical panic have used paper-and-pencil measures to assess the prevalence and phenomenology of panic in nonpatient samples. Although a high past-year prevalence of panic (up to 40%) has been consistently observed in these studies, the concern is raised as to whether these estimates may be inflated due to the use of questionnaire methods. To address this issue, the present study surveyed a large, adult nonclinical sample ( N = 509) using the original and a modified version of the Panic Attack Questionnaire (PAQ; Norton, Dorward, & Cox, 1986), a measure frequently used in nonclinical panic research. Both PAQ versions included descriptions of a panic attack derived from DSM-III-R and questions regarding the frequency and phenomenology of past panic episodes. The Modified PAQ differed from the Original PAQ in that it embellished the panic attack description with additional information to facilitate differential self-diagnosis. Whereas the prevalence and phenomenology of panic closely approximated results of previous studies when the Original PAQ version was employed, it was found that use of the Modified PAQ resulted in significantly lower panic prevalence estimates. It is suggested that researchers exercise caution in the use of questionnaires in the assessment of panic in nonclinical samples.
Synthetic Imidazoquinolines Potently and Broadly Activate the Cellular Immune Response of Patients with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: Synergy with Interferon-γ Enhances Production of Interleukin-12

Advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is typically associated with a variety of profound defects of cellular immunity, including depressed dendritic cell numbers and function. Therefore, we investigated the ability of synthetic imidazoquinolines, which are agonists for Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 7 and 8, to enhance in vitro the cell-mediated immunity of patients with leukemic CTCL and Sezary syndrome. Patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with the TLR7 agonist 3M-001 produced high levels of interferon (IFN)-alpha, and the TLR8 agonist 3M-002 potently induced predominantly interleukin (IL)-12 and IFN-gamma. Marked upregulation of CD69 and CD25 on natural killer (NK) cells and T cells from patients and an increase in NK cytolytic activity was also observed. We further demonstrate that priming of patients' PBMCs with IFN-gamma has the ability to synergistically enhance the production of IL-12 induced by a synthetic agonist for TLR8. The underlying mechanisms of increased IL-12 production in response to priming with IFN appears to involve an increase in IL-12 p35 and IL-12 p40 gene transcription and a decrease in IL-10 levels upon stimulation with the TLR8 agonist. Our data demonstrate the ability of imidazoquinolines to potently stimulate cellular immune responses of patients with CTCL and emphasizes the benefit of using a combination of biologic modifiers to further enhance their immune responses.
Screening for Somatization Disorder in patients with chronic fatigue

Abstract The current definition of Somatization Disorder requires the assessment of each of 35 symptoms, 13 of which have to be scored as meeting special criteria (e.g., not due to medical reasons) in order to make the diagnosis. The detailed questioning and probing about each symptom can be quite elaborate—hence the interest in developing briefer screening indexes. This study evaluated two sets of screening indexes for Somatization Disorder (those of Othmer and DeSouza and Swartz and colleagues) that had been previously developed in psychiatric and community samples. One hundred medical outpatients with chronic fatigue constituted the study sample. The patients underwent thorough medical evaluations and were administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) to make the psychiatric diagnoses. Of the two screening sets, the one developed in a psychiatric outpatient sample (Othmer and DeSouza's) had the best sensitivity. Although a screening index derived from the DIS interviews of this group of patients also had excellent sensitivity, we support the use of Othmer and DeSouza's index in medical outpatients with a chief complaint of chronic fatigue.
Impact of X-Ray Exposure on a Triple-Level-Cell NAND Flash

The total ionizing dose response of a triple-level-cell (TLC) NAND flash is shown to be low enough that data corruption can occur as a result of an x-ray inspection. Only a few seconds of x-ray exposure corresponding to a total dose of merely 50 rad(Si) in a real-time x-ray source are required to induce errors. An in-depth total dose analysis shows which pages of the memory and data patterns are the most susceptible to radiation. The results show that TLC NAND flash devices are not suitable for use in high radiation environments, and that care must be taken when exposing them to even small x-ray exposures like those present in a circuit board inspection.
On the evaluation of some distributions that arise in simultaneous tests for the equality of the latent roots of the covariance matrix

Abstract In this paper, the authors consider the evaluation of the distribution functions of the ratios of the intermediate roots to the trace of the real Wishart matrix as well as the ratios of the individual roots to the trace of the complex Wishart matrix. In addition, the authors consider the evaluation of the distribution functions of the ratios of the extreme roots of the Wishart matrix in the real and complex cases. Some applications and tables of the above distributions are also given.
Unforgiven and remembered: The impact of ethnic conflicts in everyday Muslim‐Han social relations on Hainan island

With the availability of two fairly detailed and reliable indigenous accounts of a major 1994 ethnic conflict on Hainan Island, People's Republic of China, this article uses a structuration perspective to analyze the routinization of minor conflicts which are precursors to major ethnic conflicts; the impact of collective memories of past unresolved conflicts on everyday interethnic interaction; and minority agency in confronting local state officials’ actions during the ‘resolution’ of such conflicts, and the impact of broader structural factors such as the implementation of minority policies.
Synthesis of Zerovalent Nanophase Metal Particles Stabilized with Poly(ethylene glycol)

Concurrent sonolysis of iron pentacarbonyl and poly(ethylene glycol)-400 (PEG-400) in hexadecane solvent proceeds via zero-order kinetics and results in Fe nanoparticles encapsulated in PEG-400 (Fe-PEG). The transmission electron microscopy images show Fe-PEG consisting of <3 nm Fe particles that are evenly dispersed in the PEG matrix. Mossbauer and X-ray absorption fine structure/X-ray absorption near-edge structure data reveal an ordered PEG assembly that helps protect the zerovalent Fe core. The Fe nanoparticles in Fe-PEG are superparamagnetic with a magnetization value of 45 emu/g-Fe at 10 KOe. The rheology of the synthesized material shows an unusual increase in viscosity with temperature that is likely due to lower critical saturation temperature phase segregation over 40 degrees C. The low-temperature mobility of the PEG-400 moiety in Fe-PEG would allow facile ligation of the Fe0 core with biologically and chemically active groups.
Lens thickness and five-year cumulative incidence of cataracts: The Beaver Dam Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether lens thickness is related to incidence of cataracts. METHODS: Lens thickness was measured from slit-lamp photographs of the lens at the time of the prevalence evaluation in the Beaver Dam Eye Study. Incident cataract was determined by grading standard slit-lamp and retroillumination photographs of the lens at the baseline and five-year follow-up examinations. Medical history was obtained and blood pressures, height and weight were measured according to protocol. RESULTS: Lens thickness was positively associated with incident nuclear cataract and inversely associated with incident cortical cataract after accounting for age, sex, diabetes status, hypertension, heavy drinking and cigarette smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Lens thickness is related to incidence of cataracts. Mechanisms to explain these relationships require further laboratory and epidemiologic investigation.