cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and C-reactive protein in asymptomatic adults (from the continuous national health and nutrition examination survey 2001 to 2006)

The inverse relation between vitamin D supplementation and inflammatory biomarkers among asymptomatic adults is not settled. We hypothesized that the inverse relation is present only at lower levels and disappears at higher serum levels of vitamin D. We examined the relation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and C-reactive protein (CRP) using the continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2001 to 2006. Linear spline [single knot at median serum levels of 25(OH)D] regression models were used. The median serum 25(OH)D and CRP level was 21 ng/ml (interquartile range 15 to 27) and 0.21 mg/dl (interquartile range 0.08 to 0.5), respectively. On univariate linear regression analysis, CRP decreased [geometric mean CRP change 0.285 mg/dl for each 10-ng/ml change in 25(OH)D, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.33 to −0.23] as 25(OH)D increased ≤21 ng/ml. However, an increase in 25(OH)D to >21 ng/ml was not associated with any significant decrease [geometric mean CRP change 0.05 mg/dl for each 10-ng/ml change in 25(OH)D, 95% CI −0.11 to 0.005) in CRP. The inverse relation between 25(OH)D below its median and CRP remained significant [geometric mean CRP change 0.11 mg/dl for each 10-ng/ml change in 25(OH)D, 95% CI 0.16 to −0.04] on multivariate linear regression analysis. Additionally, we observed a positive relation between 25(OH)D above its median and CRP [geometric mean CRP change 0.06 mg/dl for each 10-ng/ml change in 25(OH)D, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.11) after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. In conclusion, from this cohort of asymptomatic adults, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, we observed a statistically significant inverse relation between 25(OH)D at levels
Second-order neutral stochastic evolution equations with heredity

Existence, continuous dependence, and approximation results are established for a class of abstract second-order neutral stochastic evolution equations with heredity in a real separable Hilbert space. A related integro-differential equation is also mentioned, as well as an example illustrating the theory.
Contraction Patterns of Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscles Induced by Orderly Recruitment in the Canine

The specific performance of intrinsic laryngeal muscles has been difficult to evaluate, especially in living subjects. To reproduce natural contractions, we artificially induced orderly recruitment of their innervating axons according to the size principle. In 5 dogs, both recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLNs) were stimulated with 50 through 10 Hz, 300 to 1000 μA currents while 600 Hz, 1000 to 0 μA decreasing blocking currents were administered. Surface electromyography electrodes placed on the thyroarytenoid, posterior cricoarytenoid, and lateral cricoarytenoid muscles were used to determine the amplitudes (in mA) of compound muscle action potentials. There was a highly statistically significant difference (P<.004) between the thyroarytenoideus which had the fastest rate of recruitment (8.38%), and posterior cricoarytenoideus, which had the slowest (4.81%). There was an intermediate recruitment rate (6.72%) of the lateral cricoarytenoideus, a divergence attributed to a more equal distribution in fast and slow types of myofibers and a smaller sample. We submit that RLN axons can be recruited in an orderly manner according to their sizes and that the rates are unique to the muscle classes they innervate. The parameters defining these contraction patterns may offer key information for laryngeal pacing.
Changes in Total Phenolic, Total Glycoalkaloid, and Ascorbic Acid Content of Potatoes as a Result of Bruising

The effect of bruising on total phenols, total glycoal/kaloids (TGA), and ascorbic acid content of Katahdin potatoes was studied. Following bruising, tubers were stored at either 5° or 20°C for I, 3, 6, and I2 wk. Unbruised whole tubers served as controls and bruised halves were compared with unbruised halves. Both halves of bruised tubers were higher in phenols, TGA and lower in ascorbic acid than unbruised controls. Bruised halves contained significantly more phenols, TGA and less ascorbic acid than unbruised halves. Storage temperature did not affect ascorbic acid content but the greatest accumulation of phenols occurred at 5°C and the highest TGA at 20°C storage temperature. Cortex tissue was significantly lower in ascorbic acid than pith tissue.
Gene-Environment Interaction Signatures by Quantitative mRNA Profiling in Exfoliated Buccal Mucosal Cells

Exfoliated cytologic specimens from mouth (buccal) epithelium may contain viable cells, permitting assay of gene expression for direct and noninvasive measurement of gene-environment interactions, such as for inhalation ( e.g. , tobacco smoke) exposures. We determined specific mRNA levels in exfoliated buccal cells collected by cytologic brush, using a recently developed RNA-specific real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR strategy. In a pilot study, metabolic activity of exfoliated buccal cells was verified by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium assay in vitro . Transcriptional activity was observed, after timed in vivo exposure to mainstream tobacco smoke resulted in induction of CYP1B1 in serially collected buccal samples from the one subject examined. For a set of 11 subjects, mRNA expression of nine genes encoding carcinogen- and oxidant-metabolizing enzymes qualitatively detected in buccal cells was then shown to correlate with that in laser-microdissected lung from the same individuals (χ2 = 52.91, P < 0.001). Finally, quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR assays for seven target gene (AhR, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, GSTM1, GSTM3, GSTP1, and GSTT1) and three reference gene [glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-actin, and 36B4] transcripts were performed on buccal specimens from 42 subjects. In multivariate analyses, gender, tobacco smoke exposure, and other factors were associated with the level of expression of CYP1B1, GSTP1, and other transcripts on a gene-specific basis, but substantial interindividual variability in mRNA expression remained unexplained. Within the power limits of this pilot study, gene expression signature was not clearly predictive of lung cancer case or control status. This noninvasive and quantitative method may be incorporated into high-throughput human applications for probing gene-environment interactions associated with cancer.
Evolution in Response to Direct and Indirect Ecological Effects in Pitcher Plant Inquiline Communities

Ecologists have long recognized the importance of in- direct ecological effects on species abundances, coexistence, and di- versity. However, the evolutionary consequences of indirect inter- actions are rarely considered. Here I conduct selection experiments and examine the evolutionary response of Colpoda sp., a ciliated protozoan, to other members of the inquiline community of purple pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea). I measured the evolution of six traits in response to (1) predation by mosquito larvae, (2) compe- tition from other ciliated protozoans, and (3) simultaneous predation and competition. The latter treatment incorporated both direct ef- fects and indirect effects due to interactions between predators and competitors. Population growth rate and cell size evolved in response to direct effects of predators and competitors. However, trait values in the multispecies treatment were similar to those in the mono- culture treatment, indicating that direct effects were offset by strong indirect effects on the evolution of traits. For most of the traits measured, indirect effects were opposed to, and often stronger than, direct effects. These indirect effects occurred as a result of behavioral changes of the predator in the presence of competitors and as a result of reduced densities of competitors in the presence of predators. Incorporating indirect effects provides a more realistic description of how species evolve in complex natural communities.
The evolutionarily conserved gonadotropin-releasing hormone II modifies food intake.

GnRH is an evolutionarily conserved peptide of which there are multiple structural variants. One form, GnRH II, is the most widespread in vertebrates, but its primary function remains unclear. In female musk shrews, administration of GnRH II, but not GnRH I, reinstates mating behavior previously inhibited by food restriction. Because this finding suggests that the function of GnRH II may be linked to energetic status, we tested whether GnRH II directly affects food intake. Adult female musk shrews were maintained on ad libitum feeding or food restricted for 48 h, after which they were infused centrally with GnRH I (1 μg), GnRH II (1 μg), or saline. Food intake was recorded 90 min, and 3, 6, 24, and 48 h after infusion. GnRH II administration, but not saline or GnRH I, reduced 24-h food intake in ad libitum animals. Short-term food intake (90 min and 3 h) of both ad libitum and underfed shrews receiving GnRH II was also reduced by as much as 33%, relative to the food intake of saline-infused controls. GnRH...
PRACTICES OF TREASURY MANAGEMENT IN A SMALL OPEN TRADING ECONOMY: THE BELGIAN CASE

ABSTRATC There is little systematic information available on the current practices in the area of treasury management among companies outside the US. The purpose of this study is to investigate management practices in the areas of treasury management for companies located in a small open trading economy: Belgium. This article analyses and compares corporate responses in three important areas of treasury management, i. e. managing banking relations, domestic cash management, and foreign exchange management. The results presented in this article indicate that corporate practice in these areas could be much more sophisticated.
Inference of dynamic biological networks based on responses to drug perturbations

Drugs that target specific proteins are a major paradigm in cancer research. In this article, we extend a modeling framework for drug sensitivity prediction and combination therapy design based on drug perturbation experiments. The recently proposed target inhibition map approach can infer stationary pathway models from drug perturbation experiments, but the method is limited to a steady-state snapshot of the underlying dynamical model. We consider the inverse problem of possible dynamic models that can generate the static target inhibition map model. From a deterministic viewpoint, we analyze the inference of Boolean networks that can generate the observed binarized sensitivities under different target inhibition scenarios. From a stochastic perspective, we investigate the generation of Markov chain models that satisfy the observed target inhibition sensitivities.
Emerging drugs for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Introduction: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common, severe childhood form of muscular dystrophy. Treatment is limited to glucocorticoids that have the benefit of prolonging ambulation by approximately 2 years and preventing scoliosis. Finding a more satisfactory treatment should focus on maintaining long-term efficacy with a minimal side effect profile. Areas covered: Authors discuss different therapeutic strategies that have been used in pre-clinical and clinical settings. Expert opinion: Multiple treatment approaches have emerged. Most attractive are molecular-based therapies that can express the missing dystrophin protein (exon skipping or mutation suppression) or a surrogate gene product (utrophin). Other approaches include increasing the strength of muscles (myostatin inhibitors), reducing muscle fibrosis and decreasing oxidative stress. Additional targets include inhibiting NF-κB to reduce inflammation or promoting skeletal muscle blood flow and muscle contractility using phosphodies...
POLICY ARENA Building efficiency in agricultural marketing: The long‐run role of BULOG in the Indonesian food economy

Economists know an ideal marketing system when they see one. It contains markets for all commodities and services for all possible time periods. All participants are fully and equally knowledgeable about the state of the world, and can transact complete and costless contracts with each other. This is, of course, the marketing system designed by Arrow and Debreu (1954) to prove the existence of a competitive equilibrium in a market economy. No market economy in the world meets these assumptions. Even the best endowed and competitive systems must confront the reality of incomplete contracts, and hence missing markets, caused by high transactions costs, asymmetric information and moral hazard. But after several centuries of institutional evolution, the rich capitalist countries have created marketing systems that work in ways that Arrow and Debreu would recognize. In these countries, typical market transactions, of which there are billions each day, are low cost and highly efficient in their use of economic resources. Most countries in the developing world, and many transition economies, have not yet created such marketing systems. Especially in their rural economies, many markets are conspicuous by their absence or by very high costs of transacting business. In the poorest countries, or the most backward regions of even the more dynamic economies of the Asian-Pacific countries, rural markets for capital, risk, labour and commodities are highly imperfect or non-existent. Price margins between buyers and sellers of these goods and services are kept large by all the factors that Arrow and Debreu had to assume away in order to analyse the workings of a market economy. Unenforceable contracts mean trade can be conducted only among parties that trust each other for non-economic reasons, such as family or ethnic ties. Risk taking must be internalized within the household or village, sharply limiting the opportunities for economic specialization or adoption of new technology. Expansion of commodity production is limited by very thin local markets, and food security becomes a highly localized matter. Building more efficient and lower-cost rural marketing systems is clearly an essential step toward agricultural modernization and food security. But how is this done? Few societies have the patience to wait several centuries for the evolutionary pressures of economic history to build the systems on their own. After all, the
Brief Robust control of nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainty

Probabilistic robustness analysis and synthesis for nonlinear systems with uncertain parameters are presented. Monte Carlo simulation is used to estimate the likelihood of system instability and violation of performance requirements subject to variations of the probabilistic system parameters. Stochastic robust control synthesis searches the controller design parameter space to minimize a cost that is a function of the probabilities that design criteria will not be satisfied. The robust control design approach is illustrated by a simple nonlinear example. A modified feedback linearization control is chosen as controller structure, and the design parameters are searched by a genetic algorithm to achieve the tradeoff between stability and performance robustness.
Transition metal and rare earth doping in GaN

Abstract Wide-bandgap dilute magnetic semiconductors have been of interest in the past decade due to theoretical predictions of room-temperature ferromagnetism in these materials. This chapter provides a synopsis of the progress made to date in GaN based with various transition metals (Mn, Fe, Cr) and rare earth elements (Gd). After a brief summary of the different exchange mechanism present in these materials, experimental results on the optical, structural, and magnetic properties of nitride-based dilute magnetic semiconductors are presented. Preliminary device investigations using light emitting diodes with Mn- and Gd-doped layers incorporated into the device structure are also explored in this chapter.
The Debt Limit Debate

On Monday, May 16, 2011, the United States reached the current statutory limit on the federal government’s borrowing power, the debt limit or debt ceiling, of $14.294 trillion. In theory, reaching the debt limit constrains the Treasury’s regular methods of financing federal activities or meeting government obligations. Treasury cannot issue new debt to manage short-term cash flows or to finance an annual deficit if such new borrowing causes the debt to exceed the statutory limit. Many fear though that Congress’s immediate failure to raise the debt ceiling will rattle the bond market, drive up interest rates, and possibly lead to the United States defaulting on its debt. While the United States should not default on its debt, neither should Congress raise the debt ceiling without addressing the problem that created the debt: excessive spending. In exchange for raising the debt ceiling, Congress should put in place a credible plan that reduces future government spending and adopts institutional reforms for the federal budget process.
Roth IRA Conversions in 2010: Issues and Opportunities

In 2010, a restriction limiting the ability of many taxpayers to convert traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) to a Roth IRA will be lifted. Also, as tax rates are expected to increase after 2010, many taxpayers may find 2010 an ideal time to convert their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. This article summarizes the taxation of investing in various vehicles, as well as the current restriction on IRA conversions and the changes taking place in 2010. It then examines the advantages and disadvantages of converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA and suggests preferred investments to be held in each type of account, in light of the dramatically different tax treatments provided to traditional and Roth IRAs, as well as currently taxable accounts.
A Nomogram for Determining Azimuth and Horizontal Trace Velocity from Tripartite Measurements

The direction normal to a traveling plane-wave front, and the wave’s horizontal trace velocity at the earth’s surface, are easily determined by observing the wave at three noncollinear points. Reduction of the data involves the solution of several trigonometric equations. This note describes a nomogram which reduces this task to 30 sec with ruler and pencil.
Completing Partial Latin Squares with One Nonempty Row, Column, and Symbol

Let $r,c,s\in\{1,2,\ldots,n\}$ and let $P$ be a partial latin square of order $n$ in which each nonempty cell lies in row $r$, column $c$, or contains symbol $s$. We show that if $n\notin\{3,4,5\}$ and row $r$, column $c$, and symbol $s$ can be completed in $P$, then a completion of $P$ exists. As a consequence, this proves a conjecture made by Casselgren and Haggkvist. Furthermore, we show exactly when row $r$, column $c$, and symbol $s$ can be completed.
Improving Entity Ranking for Keyword Queries

Knowledge bases about entities are an important part of modern information retrieval systems. A strong ranking of entities can be used to enhance query understanding and document retrieval or can be presented as another vertical to the user. Given a keyword query, our task is to provide a ranking of the entities present in the collection of interest. We are particularly interested in approaches to this problem that generalize to different knowledge bases and different collections. In the past, this kind of problem has been explored in the enterprise domain through Expert Search. Recently, a dataset was introduced for entity ranking from news and web queries from more general TREC collections. Approaches from prior work leverage a wide variety of lexical resources: e.g., natural language processing and relations in the knowledge base. We address the question of whether we can achieve competitive performance with minimal linguistic resources. We propose a set of features that do not require index-time entity linking, and demonstrate competitive performance on the new dataset. As this paper is the first non-introductory work to leverage this new dataset, we also find and correct certain aspects of the benchmark. To support a fair evaluation, we collect 38% more judgments and contribute annotator agreement information.
On the VINS Resource-Allocation Problem for a Dual-Camera, Small-Size Quadrotor

In this paper, we present a novel resource-allocation problem formulation for vision-aided inertial navigation systems (VINS) for efficiently localizing micro aerial vehicles equipped with two cameras pointing at different directions. Specifically, based on the quadrotor’s current speed and median distances to the features, the proposed algorithm efficiently distributes processing resources between the two cameras by maximizing the expected information gain from their observations. Experiments confirm that our resource-allocation scheme outperforms alternative naive approaches in achieving significantly higher VINS positioning accuracy when tested onboard quadrotors with severely limited processing resources.
A linear approach to manage input delays while supplying frequency regulation using residential loads

Frequency regulation balances the supply and demand of power within a power network to maintain the network's frequency about its nominal value. Using residential loads to supply frequency regulation while respecting user comfort can require costly communication infrastructure. Developing control algorithms that are resilient to communication network imperfections, e.g., delays, can allow the usage of less costly, lower reliability communication infrastructure. Previous work developed a model predictive control (MPC) approach that enables aggregations of loads to track a desired power signal despite communication delays. This work presents a novel model-reduction method to produce a minimal aggregate load model, and then uses state augmentation to include the effect of input delays. This allows the reformulation of the MPC controller into a linear controller yielding a closed-form control law that reduces online computation. We present simulations that compare the MPC and linear controllers' tracking ability given input delays. The linear controller neglects input constraints explicitly included within the MPC controller, and we characterize the impact of neglecting these constraints through simulations. The linear controller reduces the computation time by a factor of 100, but the RMS tracking error increases 11% in the cases studied.
Oxidative Hydrophenylation of Ethylene Using a Cationic Ru(II) Catalyst: Styrene Production with Ethylene as the Oxidant

The complex [(MeOTTM)Ru(P(OCH2)3CEt)(NCMe)Ph][BAr′4] (MeOTMM=4,4’,4’’-(methoxymethanetriyl)-tris(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole), BAr′4=tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate) is used to catalyze the hydrophenylation of ethylene to produce styrene and ethylbenzene. The selectivity of styrene versus ethylbenzene varies as a function of ethylene pressure, and replacing the MeOTTM ligand with tris(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methanol reduces the selectivity toward styrene. For styrene production ethylene serves as the oxidant to produce ethane, as determined by both 1H NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS. The Ru(III/II) potentials of [(MeOTTM)Ru[P(OCH2)3CEt](NCMe)Ph][BAr′4] (0.86 V) and [(HC(pz5)3)Ru[P(OCH2)3CEt](NCMe)Ph][BAr′4] (0.82 V) (HC(pz5)3=tris(5-methyl-pyrazolyl)methane) are nearly identical. Since catalytic conversion of ethylene and benzene by [(HC(pz5)3)Ru[P(OCH2)3CEt](NCMe)Ph][BAr′4] is known to selectively produce ethylbenzene, the formation of styrene using [(MeOTTM)Ru[P(OCH2)3CEt](NCMe)Ph][BAr′4] is attributed to the substituents on the triazole rings of the MeOTTM ligand.
Plasma and radiation detection via fiber interferometry

Photonic Doppler velocimetry tracks motion during high-speed, single-event experiments using telecommunication fiber components. The same technology can be applied in situations where there is no actual motion, but rather a change in the optical path length. Migration of plasma into vacuum alters the refractive index near a fiber probe, while intense radiation modifies the refractive index of the fiber itself. These changes can diagnose extreme environments in a flexible, time-resolved manner.
Evaluation of threshold selection methods for adaptive kernel density estimation in disease mapping.

Maps of disease rates produced without careful consideration of the underlying population distribution may be unreliable due to the well-known small numbers problem. Smoothing methods such as Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) are employed to control the population basis of spatial support used to calculate each disease rate. The degree of smoothing is controlled by a user-defined parameter (bandwidth or threshold) which influences the resolution of the disease map and the reliability of the computed rates. Methods for automatically selecting a smoothing parameter such as normal scale, plug-in, and smoothed cross validation bandwidth selectors have been proposed for use with non-spatial data, but their relative utilities remain unknown. This study assesses the relative performance of these methods in terms of resolution and reliability for disease mapping. Using a simulated dataset of heart disease mortality among males aged 35 years and older in Texas, we assess methods for automatically selecting a smoothing parameter. Our results show that while all parameter choices accurately estimate the overall state rates, they vary in terms of the degree of spatial resolution. Further, parameter choices resulting in desirable characteristics for one sub group of the population (e.g., a specific age-group) may not necessarily be appropriate for other groups. We show that the appropriate threshold value depends on the characteristics of the data, and that bandwidth selector algorithms can be used to guide such decisions about mapping parameters. An unguided choice may produce maps that distort the balance of resolution and statistical reliability.
Trapped Bubble Dynamics in Cryogenic Fluids

Initial studies of the properties of helium bubbles acoustically trapped in liquid nitrogen at 66 K have been carried out. Laser scattering is used to monitor the dynamics of the bubble radius as a function of the acoustic driving field. In this apparatus, no sonoluminescence has yet been observed from helium bubbles in liquid nitrogen, although sonoluminescence was previously observed from xenon bubbles in ethanol cooled to 165 K. It is found that bubbles can be stably trapped at quite low acoustic drive levels, enabling the observation of new dynamical bubble behavior.
How to organize a professional development workshop for high school CS teachers: conference tutorial

Students' introduction to the subject of computer science (CS) can have long-lasting effects on their ability and motivation for further study. For that reason, it is particularly important that high school CS teachers master both content and inclusive pedagogy. To promote these competencies, this conference session offers guidance and resources for organizers of professional development workshops for high school CS teachers. Session attendees are given tools for organizing workshops that enable high school teachers to attract more and diverse students to computer science. Through presentation, discussion, and professional quality materials from NCWIT (the National Center for Women and IT), the attendees will learn about methods for planning and implementing workshops that, according to evaluations from several years of workshops, enable over 80 percent of participating teachers to succeed in recruiting more students, more girls, and more minority students to their high school computer science classes.
Prevention of Microvascular Complications of Diabetes – General Overview

Hyperglycemia in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes appears to set off a complex network of intracellular signaling mechanisms that lead to the characteristic microvascular complications of diabetes – retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.
Proofs for Equal Innervation with Unequal Lateral Movement

In Chapter 2 it was shown how the simultaneous but unequal lateral movements of both eyes or the lateral movement of only one eye while the other stood still could be easily reconciled with the assumption of an always equal innervation of both eyes. A markedly unequal lateral movement occurs only when the new fixation point appears not simply sideways from the originally fixated point but also nearer or further away so that it requires bringing the point of vision nearer or further as well as sidewards turning. If we now wanted to explain such an unequal lateral movement of both eyes from the ability to innervate both eyes simultaneously by different amounts, we would come into contradiction with the experiences recounted above which irrefutably support the assumption of a compulsion to both eyes always being innervated together. A group of direct proofs can be added to this indirect proof for the correctness of my assumption, which I will illustrate with a special example.
Late LEO: A New System for the Study of Neuroplasticity in Xenopus

The left eye of stage 56 Xenopus tadpoles was removed. Electrophysiologic analysis of the retina to tectum projection, two to nine months later, established that the normal right eye to left (contralateral) tectum projection remained, but an additional right eye to right (ipsilateral) tectum projection was present. This anomalous ipsilateral projection was mediated by direct retina-to-tectum innervation, as shown by single-unit analysis, latency measurements, tectal lesion studies, and histological reconstruction. This anomalous projection was confined to peripheral regions of the retina that were concurrently taking part in the normal contralateral retinotectal projection. Unlike the contralateral projection from this peripheral retina, the ipsilateral projection had expanded to cover the entire dorsal surface of the right tectum. That the same region of retina can project differently to the two tecta establishes a role for fiber-fiber interaction in the development of the retinotectal map.
Physician advice to quit smoking: results from the 1990 California Tobacco Survey.

Objective: To estimate the percentage of California smokers who visit physicians each year and thus determine the extent of the opportunity for physicians to advise their smoking patients to quit; to identify sociodemographic and other characteristics related to smokers’ reporting that advice was given; and to look for evidence that physician advice influences quitting behavior. Setting and design: Data were collected as part of the 1990 California Tobacco Survey, a large (n=24,296) population-based telephone survey. Participants: 9,796 current smokers, including 5,559 daily smokers who had visited a physician in the preceding year. Measurements and main results: Two-thirds of all smokers had visited a physician in the year before the interview, but only about 5 0% of Hispanic and Asian smokers had done so. Multivariate analysis showed that advice at the last visit was independently related to older age, higher cigarette consumption, and poorer perceived health. Compared with smokers never advised to quit by a physician, those advised to quit at the last visit were 1.61 (95% confidence interval, 1.31–1 98) times more likely to report a quit attempt in the preceding year and 1.90 (95% confidence interval, 1.45–2.48) times more likely to be preparing to quit; however, those advised previously but not at the last visit showed no more quitting activity than did smokers never advised to quit. Conclusion: Physicians have considerable opportunity to reach all demographic subgroups of the population, but the nature of the subgroups advised most (those who are older, have high consumption of cigarettes, or have poor health) suggests that physicians tend to treat such advice as a therapeutic rather than a preventive intervention. Physician advice at the most recent visit encourages patients to think about quitting and probably leads to quit attempts. Thus, it is vital that physicians perform the simple intervention of advising every smoker to quit at every visit.
Abstract WP110: Identification and Validation of a Unique Mirna Target Mir-141-3p in Post Stroke Socially Isolated Aged Mice

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs that have been identified as a powerful interventional tool for many diseases, including stroke. Very recent studies have found...
Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Outcomes of Patients with Kawasaki Disease

Objective To evaluate the association of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) with time to intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, length of stay (LOS), and coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) in patients with Kawasaki disease. Study design We examined the relationship of SES in 915 patients treated at a large academic center between 2000 and 2017. Neighborhood SES was measured using a US census-based score derived from 6 measures related to income, education, and occupation. Linear and logistic regression were used to examine the association of SES with number of days of fever at time of treatment, LOS, and CAA. Results Patients in the lowest SES quartile were treated later than patients with greater SES (7 [IQR 5, 9] vs 6 [IQR 5, 8] days, P = .01). Patients in the lowest SES quartile were more likely to be treated after 10 days of illness, with an OR 1.9 (95% CI 1.3-2.8). In multivariable analysis, SES remained an independent predictor of the number of days of fever at time of treatment (P = .01). Patients in the lowest SES quartile had longer LOS than patients with greater SES (3 [IQR 2, 5] vs 3 [IQR 2, 4], P = .007). In subgroup analysis of white children, those in the lowest SES quartile vs quartiles 2-4 were more likely to develop large/giant CAA 17 (12%) vs 30 (6%), P = .03. Conclusions Lower SES is associated with delayed treatment, prolonged LOS, and increased risk of large/giant CAA. Novel approaches to diagnosis and education are needed for children living in low-SES neighborhoods.
Compartmentalizing intestinal epithelial cell toll-like receptors for immune surveillance

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are membrane-bound microbial sensors that mediate important host-to-microbe responses. Cell biology aspects of TLR function have been intensively studied in professional immune cells, in particular the macrophages and dendritic cells, but not well explored in other specialized epithelial cell types. The adult intestinal epithelial cells are in close contact with trillions of enteric microbes and engage in lifelong immune surveillance. Mature intestinal epithelial cells, in contrast to immune cells, are highly polarized. Recent studies suggest that distinct mechanisms may govern TLR traffic and compartmentalization in these specialized epithelial cells to establish and maintain precise signaling of individual TLRs. We, using immune cells as references, discuss here the shared and/or unique molecular machineries used by intestinal epithelial cells to control TLR transport, localization, processing, activation, and signaling. A better understanding of these mechanisms will certainly generate important insights into both the mechanism and potential intervention of leading digestive disorders, in particular inflammatory bowel diseases.
Nitrogen metabolism and hormonal responses of steers fed wheat silage and infused with amino acids or casein.

Four Holstein steers (159 kg) surgi- cally fitted with abomasal-infusion cannulas were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square study to test amino acid (AA) and casein (CAS) infusions on nitrogen balance and hormonal status of steers consuming vegetative wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) silage (12.3% CP). Treatments were 5-d infusions of 1 ) water (CONT), 2 ) arginine (ARG; 13.69 g/d), 3 ) limiting amino acids (LAA, 13.69 g/d arginine + 10.92 g/d histidine + 28.97 g/d lysine + 10.88 g/d methionine + 16.96 g/d threonine, and 4 ) Na-CAS (300 g/d). Whole blood was collected for plasma AA, growth hormone (GH), insulin, and IGF-I concentrations. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, and the following orthogonal contrasts were used to separate treatment means: CONT vs ARG; ARG vs LAA; and LAA vs CAS. Urinary N increased ( P < .02) for CAS vs LAA. Arginine increased N retention, as did CAS, compared to LAA. Total plasma essential AA were decreased by arginine. Mean plasma insulin concentrations were increased by CAS ( P < .034). Arginine increased mean plasma GH levels, but not IGF-I. The CAS treatment increased ( P < .015) IGF-I levels, but not GH. These data suggest that performance of steers fed wheat silage was limited by duodenal AA flow and that arginine was the first-limiting AA. Casein infusion increased plasma insulin and IGF-I, which would explain the improved growth noted in calves and lambs fed forages supplemented with ruminally undegraded protein.
BK channels regulate extracellular Tat-mediated HIV-1 LTR transactivation

HIV-1 Tat is essential for HIV-1 replication and plays an important role in latent HIV-1 infection, HIV-1 associated neurological complication, and other HIV-1 comorbidities. Secreted from HIV-1 infected or transfected cells, Tat can be up-taken into cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis and internalized into endolysosomes. To reach nucleus where it can facilitate HIV-1 viral replication, exogenous Tat has to escape the degradation by endolysosomes. Because of findings that endolysosome de-acidification with, for example, the weak-base anti-malarial drug chloroquine prevents exogenous Tat degradation and enhances the amount of Tat available to activate HIV-1 LTR, we hypothesize that acidifying endolysosomes may enhance Tat degradation in endolysosomes and restrict LTR transactivation. Here, we determined the involvement of endolysosome-resident transient receptor potential mucolipin 1 channel (TRPML1) and the big conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (BK) channel in regulating endolysosome pH, as well as Tat-mediated HIV-1 LTR transactivation in U87MG cells stably integrated with HIV-1 LTR luciferase reporter. Activating TRPML1 channels with ML-SA1 acidified endolysosomes and restricted Tat-mediated HIV-1 LTR transactivation. These effects of ML-SA1 appeared to be mediated through activation of BK channels, because the effects of ML-SA1 on Tat-mediated HIV-1 LTR transactivation were blocked using pharmacological inhibitors or shRNA knock-down of BK channels. On the other hand, activating TRPML1 and BK channels enhanced cellular degradation of exogenous Tat. These results suggest that acidifying endolysosomes by activating TRPML1 or BK channels may provide therapeutic benefit against latent HIV-1 infection, HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders, and other HIV-1 comorbidities.
Genetics of perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder: A focus on past genetic studies to inform future inquiry

Abstract Although the genetic etiology of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) has been extensively studied, far less is known about OCD or obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) occurring in the perinatal period (pOCD and pOCS, respectively). Emerging research on the genetics of postpartum depression (PPD) has relied on existing genetic studies of major depressive disorder to examine exciting overlaps as well as key differences in the etiology of depression occurring outside of the perinatal period. A similar examination is needed of the existing research on the genetic factors of OCD and how these may influence future genetic research on pOCD and pOCS. This chapter will provide an overview of the scientific literature supporting a genetic basis for OCD and examine possible overlaps between the genetic literature on PPD and that on OCD to inform future research inquiries into the genetic underpinnings of perinatal OCD.
Rapid isolation of 197m,gHg from proton irradiated Au foils

A new, rapid method for isolating no-carrier-added 197m,gHg from proton irradiated Au foils has been developed based on a commercially available crown ether-containing extraction chromatography resin, Eichrom Pb resin. The separation procedure allows for loading Au dissolved in Aqua Regia directly onto a pre-packed Pb resin column. Under these conditions Hg passes through the column and is isolated with a high separation factor from the Au target material, which is strongly retained on the resin.
Autonomous Vehicle Safe Operating Speeds on the Automated Skyway Express in Jacksonville, Florida:

Autonomous vehicles (AV) differ significantly from traditional passenger vehicles in both their behavior and physical characteristics. As such, the validity of the guidance provided in the Manual f...
The madman and the monster: Individual and collective absolution in early nineteenth-century Guadeloupe

When Melie, an enslaved girl, was whipped, raped, and burned, the magistrates of Guadeloupe charged her master, the white Francois Riviere Sommabert, with murder. A central pillar of Sommabert’s de...
Photodissociation Dynamics of CH2OO on Multiple Potential Energy Surfaces: Experiment and Theory

UV excitation of the CH2OO Criegee intermediate across most of the broad span of the (B 1A')-(X 1A') spectrum results in prompt dissociation to two energetically accessible asymptotes: O (1D) + H2CO (X 1A1) and O (3P) + H2CO (a 3A''). Dissociation proceeds on multiple singlet potential energy surfaces that are coupled by two regions of conical intersection (CoIn). Velocity map imaging (VMI) studies reveal a bimodal total kinetic energy release (TKER) distribution for the O (1D) + H2CO (X 1A1) products with the major and minor components accounting for ca. 40% and ca. 20% on average of the available energy (Eavl), respectively. The unexpected low TKER component corresponds to highly internally excited H2CO (X 1A1) products accommodating ca. 80% of Eavl. Full dimensional trajectory calculations suggest that the bimodal TKER distribution of the O (1D) + H2CO (X 1A1) products originates from two different dynamical pathways: a primary pathway (69%) evolving through one CoIn region to products and a smaller component (20%) sampling both CoIn regions enroute to products. Those that access both CoIn regions likely give rise to the more highly internally excited H2CO (X 1A1) products. The remaining trajectories (11%) dissociate to O (3P) + H2CO (a 3A'') products after traversing through both CoIn regions. The complementary experimental and theoretical investigation provides insight on the photodissociation of CH2OO via multiple dissociation pathways through two regions of CoIn that control the branching and energy distributions of products.
Directions for Developing an Air Cargo System Planning Model

This paper highlights the need and provides a direction for formulating a system planning model to assess the requirements in all segments of the air cargo industry. Currently operational models of the demand for and supply of air cargo services are neither sufficiently policy-sensitive nor detailed enough to be responsive to the interactions of both supply and demand. Thus, based on classical economic theory an interactive framework for a system planning model is suggested. Techniques ranging from mathematical programming to econometrics are proposed to develop the various components within the system.
Corrigendum to “Homotopy theory of modules over operads in symmetric spectra”

It is well known that the cofibrations in S , equipped with the projective model structure, are precisely the monomorphisms such that G acts freely on the simplices of the codomain not in the image. One way to verify this is to (i) argue that the image of such a map is a subcomplex of the codomain (ie the codomain can be built from the image by attaching G–cells), and (ii) note that every monomorphism is isomorphic to its image, hence verifying that such maps are cofibrations, (iii) conversely, to note that every generating cofibration is such a map, and (iv) hence conclude that every cofibration is such a map, by using the fact that every cofibration is a retract of a (possibly transfinite) composition of pushouts of the generating cofibrations. The problem with our argument for the cofibration description in [2, Proposition 6.3] was a cavalier application of the subcomplex argument (i) above; we ignored the fact that
Intracellular analysis in vivo of different barosensitive bulbospinal neurons in the rat rostral ventrolateral medulla

Neurons located in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) with projections to the intermediolateral column (IML) in the spinal cord were electrophysiologically characterized and anatomically identified using an intracellular recording technique in vivo. A group of spontaneously active neurons was antidromically activated by electrical stimulation of the IML in the thoracic spinal cord (T2-T3 level). The axonal conduction velocities ranged from 1.5 m/sec to 11.0 m/sec; mean value, 5.5 +/- 2.6 m/sec (+/- SD). The firing pattern and changes in membrane potential in relation to the cardiac cycle were investigated in these bulbospinal neurons. A first group discharged action potentials with higher frequency at the end of the diastolic/beginning of the systolic period. The average of the neuronal membrane potentials demonstrated depolarizing potentials at the end of the diastolic/beginning of the systolic period. These depolarizing potentials increased in magnitude when the neurons were hyperpolarized. Therefore, they were characterized as EPSPs. The baroreceptor reflex activation produced by the increase in systemic arterial pressure following intravenous injection of phenylephrine elicited hyperpolarization, a decrease in the rate of discharge, and an increase in the membrane input resistance, suggesting that a disfacilitatory effect was produced by the activation of baroreceptor inputs on these bulbospinal neurons. Conversely, the inactivation of the baroreceptor reflex by intravenous injection of sodium nitroprusside produced depolarization and an increase in the firing rate. These neurons were characterized as baroreceptor-sensitive type I neurons. A second group of bulbospinal neuron in the RVLM was differentiated from the first group because it demonstrated a decrease in the frequency of discharge at the end of the diastolic/beginning of the systolic period. The average of the membrane potentials showed hyperpolarizing potentials that decreased in magnitude when the neuron was hyperpolarized. These hyperpolarizing potentials occurred at the end of the diastolic/beginning of the systolic period and were reversed in polarity after intracellular injections of chloride ions for several minutes. Therefore, these potentials were characterized as chloride- dependent IPSPs locked to the cardiac cycle. In some of these neurons, the electrical stimulation of the IML produced, in addition to the antidromic action potential, a monosynaptic EPSP with a shorter latency. Based on these unique characteristics, these neurons were defined as barosensitive type II neurons. During constant baroreceptor inactivation achieved by the hypotension produced by intravenous infusions of sodium nitroprusside, the pattern of discharge of barosensitive type II neurons became very regular, and the IPSPs locked to the cardiac cycle were absent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A noise interference model for estimating probability of detection for nondestructive evaluations

A traditional way to estimate probability of detection (POD) from quantitative inspection data involves estimating the relationship between signal response and flaw size using a linear regression model of the (possibly) transformed data. Noise response data, when available, are used to estimate the detection threshold to control the probability of a false alarm. One of the direct results from the traditional POD method is that the POD will be close to zero where there is no flaw. However, the POD for the limiting case of a very small flaw (or no flaw) is actually the probability of a false alarm. In this paper, we will use both the noise data and the measured signal data to estimate the parameters of a combined model for signal and noise. The resulting POD estimate from the noise interference model provides a correct estimate of the positive probability of detection for small and zero flaw sizes.